Facts Impacting Real Estate Purchases In Pattaya

[farangfool]

Some people praise Pattaya as being a family destination and a 5 star Asian resort city.

I m not quite sure about and during my last visit in Sept. I had some 2nd thoughts.

Today I read this:

MAN FOUND UNCONSCIOUS AND NAKED IN NAKLUA

On the morning of the 7th a Swedish man was found naked and asleep on the hood of a car off Pattaya Naklua Road, Pattaya. Local residents alerted the police and the man was subsequently taken to the station for questioning.

I m convinced news like this, and here we dont talk about violent crime, scams etc, do have an impact on any property in the area. Secondly, while my degree is not in education I still have reservations accepting the idea that openly practiced prostitution is something western buyers would consider as being in the interest of their children.

Finally, has anyone data on the quality of the sand on the beach? I observed that like in the past the beach serves as a public toilet after dark. During the day kids are supposed to play in the dirt? Or tourist sit on top of it?

I dont think so.

On the financial side. I do believe that the baht is heavily overvalued and buying at this time is a sure way to through away money just based on the exchange rate.

[gotlost]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

[Boater]

Some people praise Pattaya as being a family destination and a 5 star Asian resort city.

where are these people? ... i have only ever seen russian familes or thais in Pattaya, an a 5 star destinantion is going a bit far..

pattaya will always be the sex capital of thailand, and even the world, that is what it is and it will never change. If it was to change, pattaya wouldnt be what it is and would fall to a sleepy beach side resort. ( which thailand already has many )

[trogers]

If it was to change, pattaya wouldnt be what it is and would fall to a sleepy beach side resort. ( which thailand already has many )

It will be a sleepy seaside town, until the next R&R visit from the US marines...

[jaapfries]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Well; to all of those 'wingers-oer-Pattaya': READ THIS:

I have lived in Pattaya for almost 18 years and thoroughly enjoyed it ! !

It's a bit like TV in most European Countries: there'll be a number of Porno-Channels - however; nobody is holding a gunto your head, forcing you to watch any of them. There are buttons on the remote,which will take you to CNN, BBC, Nat.Geographics, ANPL etc. So: the choice is entirely yours.

Likewise in Pattaya; sometimes a tear goes by where I (we) don't see the Walking Street, Soi 6, 7 or 8. Only when we get visitors from overseas, do we venture to these areas and come home with cheeck-musscles hurting from laughing so much.

The reason WE love Pattaya is this:

1. Superb Shopping (You can buy most everything you can at home,at places like Foodland; Frienship, Carefour et al)

2. Superb Restaurants (Virtually unlimited choice, at prices that puts most of the rest of Thaiand to shame)

3. Superbs shops (in fact, there is an abundance of shops and malls for clothes and everything else here)

4. Some great Used-Book shops.

5. Superb Sailing

My point is, nobody is forcing anyone to ive in "The Circus", so pick your residence with some foresight and thought.

Pattaya is a truly terrific plae to live (near to) !

JGK/Pattaya

[trogers]

One thing about Pattaya perplexes me. It is a stretch of land about 1 km from the beach, and is much higher than the highest sea tide.

Why does Pattaya suffer flooding?

[Langsuan Man]

One thing about Pattaya perplexes me. It is a stretch of land about 1 km from the beach, and is much higher than the highest sea tide.

Why does Pattaya suffer flooding?

DUH, poor drainage

[Jonathanpattaya]

One thing about Pattaya perplexes me. It is a stretch of land about 1 km from the beach, and is much higher than the highest sea tide.

Why does Pattaya suffer flooding?

Pattaya floods not only because of poor drainage but some of the lower lying areas are at, or very close to, sea level.

As for it being "a stretch of land about 1km from the beach", it is considerably more than that.

Edited November 9, 2009 by Jonathanpattaya

[PattayaParent]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Well; to all of those 'wingers-oer-Pattaya': READ THIS:

I have lived in Pattaya for almost 18 years and thoroughly enjoyed it ! !

It's a bit like TV in most European Countries: there'll be a number of Porno-Channels - however; nobody is holding a gunto your head, forcing you to watch any of them. There are buttons on the remote,which will take you to CNN, BBC, Nat.Geographics, ANPL etc. So: the choice is entirely yours.

Likewise in Pattaya; sometimes a tear goes by where I (we) don't see the Walking Street, Soi 6, 7 or 8. Only when we get visitors from overseas, do we venture to these areas and come home with cheeck-musscles hurting from laughing so much.

The reason WE love Pattaya is this:

1. Superb Shopping (You can buy most everything you can at home,at places like Foodland; Frienship, Carefour et al)

2. Superb Restaurants (Virtually unlimited choice, at prices that puts most of the rest of Thaiand to shame)

3. Superbs shops (in fact, there is an abundance of shops and malls for clothes and everything else here)

4. Some great Used-Book shops.

5. Superb Sailing

My point is, nobody is forcing anyone to ive in "The Circus", so pick your residence with some foresight and thought.

Pattaya is a truly terrific plae to live (near to) !

JGK/Pattaya

You forgot to mention the culture and the temples.

[loquent]

If the 18 year veteran is a high heeled bimbo with a penchant for other high heeled bimbos then I get it. But for a man to rave about shopping 3 times in a list of 5 is a] sad for any woman b] clearly depressive for any man.

And the argument that 'I know because I've been here longer than you' is simply sterile.

The myopic view that there is actually anything redeeming about one's residence in Pattaya is simply self deluding. The 'T' shirt is correct when it states that 'Pattaya is the place where mis-fits fit.' Don't take it too personally dear vet. Calling people 'whingers' simply because they have views different from your own is insulting and lacks understanding. Such opinions expressed out of concern are to be answered with diligence.

Unlike you I'm not an expert on the 30 plus European television channels that to your knowledge have porno channels. May I suggest it sheds some light on why you have been here so long. Living the dream no doubt. May be you should do more than just visit those books stores and actually invest in a few books; you know the ones without the glossy pictures and sticky pages.

Also, support your claims with some facts. For example, who are the mysterious WE that you claim to be part of? Have a dog by all means as it is the only unconditional love you'll find in Pattaya.

There is something almost primeval in continuing the myth that Pattaya has anything at all to make it acceptable let alone worthwhile. Imagine Deadwood in modern day terms; it's lawless, hardly a police presence other than collecting 200 baht from unhelmeted bikers, it's the only law enforced; prostitution is in your face on every corner at every time of day or night. The girls have legitimate reasons being abandoned by the state. It is prostitution or destitution. Left to care for the baby they face little choice.

It is the men; the sex tourist, cheapskate, exploititive males, usually running from something rather than coming to somewhere, and staying for the likes of, say 18 years because they simply can't go home, who these young women earn a pittance from by way of trading sex for money. Fat, unclean, unkempt, untidy, ill dressed, ill educated, mainly manual workers, simply the bottom of the barrell, abaoning their own families and running from state imposed financial penalties.

They re-invent themselves here and I've never met so many 'millionaires' living over beer bars in one room doss holes, drunk from noon till night, devoid of morals or social responsibility. They contribute nothing and merely add to the misery and suffering that is tangible wherever you go in this Wonderful City that is Pattaya. Only those with the vision of the blind could utter such peurile rubbish and believe it.

When the resondent utters that his 'cheek muscles' are left hurting from his visit to Walking Street, the place being what it is, I'm left to ask whether those muscles are facial or posterial? No doubt the brain muscle is never too taxed; not with all that recreational shopping. Moreover, comments about ' buying most everything' are simply obscene when surrounded by such abject poverty as visible daily on each street. Destitute and homeless young children through to the crippled and infirm elderly. maybe he gets some perverse satisfaction from viewing such a lower species? I'd rather read a book, watch a sunset, floss my teeth, in fact anything, other than witness the daily ritual of survival that Pattaya - that Wonderful City - throws up with all the force of any drunk's vomit or rapist's ejaculation.

Simply, simply, simply. How many times do I say it? A simplistic defence from a simpleton. I'm surprised he still finds pleasure in those book shops. I'd have thought after 18 years he'd have coloured them all in by now.

Pattaya is an open sewer awash with turds afloat on a sea of vomit. Scum rises to the top here. There is no hope. There are no happy endings. I cannot comprehend the sight of families walking Beach Road because to expose young minds to such a sewer of filth is to call in to question parenthood itself. How can anyone ever justify Soi 6? But then where do you start with Pattaya - that Wonderful City - when from North to South and East to West it is simply off the scale as regards depravity?

What we see as 'normal' here is punishable by law in most decent law abiding European states. And such states are libertarian but they know where to draw the line. In Pattaya any such line is drawn on shifting sands before high tide. Erased as easily as the truth. Anything goes. Anything.

You have to be seriously twisted to defend this place or so far up to the eyes in its trough of corruption that you've lost sight of the light.

It is a sad reflection on what is overwhelmingly a deeply Buddhist country, a hard working and respectable people and a society devoid of political will.

Pick your residence? Build a high wall and stay behind it. Venture out once a year and laugh it off. Great advice. You should join the Samaritans and remember to tell all callers: 'You ever heard of Nike?'

[griffer]

crikey..that told him....

[Dpolenz]

If the 18 year veteran is a high heeled bimbo with a penchant for other high heeled bimbos then I get it. But for a man to rave about shopping 3 times in a list of 5 is a] sad for any woman b] clearly depressive for any man.

And the argument that 'I know because I've been here longer than you' is simply sterile.

The myopic view that there is actually anything redeeming about one's residence in Pattaya is simply self deluding. The 'T' shirt is correct when it states that 'Pattaya is the place where mis-fits fit.' Don't take it too personally dear vet. Calling people 'whingers' simply because they have views different from your own is insulting and lacks understanding. Such opinions expressed out of concern are to be answered with diligence.

Unlike you I'm not an expert on the 30 plus European television channels that to your knowledge have porno channels. May I suggest it sheds some light on why you have been here so long. Living the dream no doubt. May be you should do more than just visit those books stores and actually invest in a few books; you know the ones without the glossy pictures and sticky pages.

Also, support your claims with some facts. For example, who are the mysterious WE that you claim to be part of? Have a dog by all means as it is the only unconditional love you'll find in Pattaya.

There is something almost primeval in continuing the myth that Pattaya has anything at all to make it acceptable let alone worthwhile. Imagine Deadwood in modern day terms; it's lawless, hardly a police presence other than collecting 200 baht from unhelmeted bikers, it's the only law enforced; prostitution is in your face on every corner at every time of day or night. The girls have legitimate reasons being abandoned by the state. It is prostitution or destitution. Left to care for the baby they face little choice.

It is the men; the sex tourist, cheapskate, exploititive males, usually running from something rather than coming to somewhere, and staying for the likes of, say 18 years because they simply can't go home, who these young women earn a pittance from by way of trading sex for money. Fat, unclean, unkempt, untidy, ill dressed, ill educated, mainly manual workers, simply the bottom of the barrell, abaoning their own families and running from state imposed financial penalties.

They re-invent themselves here and I've never met so many 'millionaires' living over beer bars in one room doss holes, drunk from noon till night, devoid of morals or social responsibility. They contribute nothing and merely add to the misery and suffering that is tangible wherever you go in this Wonderful City that is Pattaya. Only those with the vision of the blind could utter such peurile rubbish and believe it.

When the resondent utters that his 'cheek muscles' are left hurting from his visit to Walking Street, the place being what it is, I'm left to ask whether those muscles are facial or posterial? No doubt the brain muscle is never too taxed; not with all that recreational shopping. Moreover, comments about ' buying most everything' are simply obscene when surrounded by such abject poverty as visible daily on each street. Destitute and homeless young children through to the crippled and infirm elderly. maybe he gets some perverse satisfaction from viewing such a lower species? I'd rather read a book, watch a sunset, floss my teeth, in fact anything, other than witness the daily ritual of survival that Pattaya - that Wonderful City - throws up with all the force of any drunk's vomit or rapist's ejaculation.

Simply, simply, simply. How many times do I say it? A simplistic defence from a simpleton. I'm surprised he still finds pleasure in those book shops. I'd have thought after 18 years he'd have coloured them all in by now.

Pattaya is an open sewer awash with turds afloat on a sea of vomit. Scum rises to the top here. There is no hope. There are no happy endings. I cannot comprehend the sight of families walking Beach Road because to expose young minds to such a sewer of filth is to call in to question parenthood itself. How can anyone ever justify Soi 6? But then where do you start with Pattaya - that Wonderful City - when from North to South and East to West it is simply off the scale as regards depravity?

What we see as 'normal' here is punishable by law in most decent law abiding European states. And such states are libertarian but they know where to draw the line. In Pattaya any such line is drawn on shifting sands before high tide. Erased as easily as the truth. Anything goes. Anything.

You have to be seriously twisted to defend this place or so far up to the eyes in its trough of corruption that you've lost sight of the light.

It is a sad reflection on what is overwhelmingly a deeply Buddhist country, a hard working and respectable people and a society devoid of political will.

Pick your residence? Build a high wall and stay behind it. Venture out once a year and laugh it off. Great advice. You should join the Samaritans and remember to tell all callers: 'You ever heard of Nike?'

Whats your problem,chip on your shoulder?If you dont like the place why do you even visit the pattaya boards.Stay away instead of making yourself look like a Grumpy old man/Women.

[pkrv]

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Well; to all of those 'wingers-oer-Pattaya': READ THIS:

I have lived in Pattaya for almost 18 years and thoroughly enjoyed it ! !

It's a bit like TV in most European Countries: there'll be a number of Porno-Channels - however; nobody is holding a gunto your head, forcing you to watch any of them. There are buttons on the remote,which will take you to CNN, BBC, Nat.Geographics, ANPL etc. So: the choice is entirely yours.

Likewise in Pattaya; sometimes a tear goes by where I (we) don't see the Walking Street, Soi 6, 7 or 8. Only when we get visitors from overseas, do we venture to these areas and come home with cheeck-musscles hurting from laughing so much.

The reason WE love Pattaya is this:

1. Superb Shopping (You can buy most everything you can at home,at places like Foodland; Frienship, Carefour et al)

2. Superb Restaurants (Virtually unlimited choice, at prices that puts most of the rest of Thaiand to shame)

3. Superbs shops (in fact, there is an abundance of shops and malls for clothes and everything else here)

4. Some great Used-Book shops.

5. Superb Sailing

My point is, nobody is forcing anyone to ive in "The Circus", so pick your residence with some foresight and thought.

Pattaya is a truly terrific plae to live (near to) !

JGK/Pattaya

You forgot to mention the culture and the temples.

Actually I found these comments really useful!

I have only spent a week (or so) in Pattaya and that was at a place called The Rabbit Resort

http://www.rabbitresort.com/

And actually it was a very pleasent stay.

Yes I have more than enough information on the errr.. night life....

But not really enough on the other aspects - It is irritating that other views comments tend to get shouted down. As a matter of interest what/where are the main temples and cultural centers?

I have also noted from other threads that you guys have great sunsets and some of the best windsurfing, plus Royalty owns in Pattaya too.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Beach-Front-Condo-t203863.html

Out of interest where would you guys suggest buying a Farang quota condo, perhaps a little way out of town but with good transport (Baht Bus) to get to resturants/shops etc. Preferably near/on the beach. Basically a beach home.

Edited November 12, 2009 by pkrv

[foxxx]

shit loquent, how about taking your own advice and getting to the point.

next time how about a simple "I'm an old douche with too much time on my hands and no friends to talk to. also, the OP's point annoys me and i disagree."

you could just use that summary for all the posts you've made.

if you do have so much to say without making any real point, go start a blog.

then again, being the douche you are does reall make you fit in with the pattaya crowd... welcome and good to see you on the forum keep up the good work.

[Gary A]

I don't/won't live in Pattaya because it is too noisy and congested. HOWEVER, why some people see fit to heap criticism on it is beyond me. Many people obviously enjoy living there. We all have the right to live where we like. Thailand is much more than just Pattaya.

[chiang mai]

You have to love individual styles and points of view, methinks however that the OP is likely to become unstuck as his profile and agenda becomes more clear, time will tell, but in the meantime it's all very newsworthy.

[pkrv]

You have to love individual styles and points of view, methinks however that the OP is likely to become unstuck as his profile and agenda becomes more clear, time will tell, but in the meantime it's all very newsworthy.

Hi chaing mai - yes I too enjoy the individual styles and points of view - IMO it's one of the great attractions of Thailand, IMO quite frankly there are some very bitter posts. Those who fail to learn by history are doomed to repeat it, but of course must externalise/blame it on someone else (I notice this especially in the older UK generation) - it cannot afterall be their fault, and when there is no one else to blame they irrationally lash out.

But back to topic.

Well, Chaimai, I am a single male with TGF and really looking to kick back and relax after working over twenty years.

I am not retired but trying to take couple of years off before starting again.

I am not looking to party anymore and from what I hear Pattaya is very active party town.

Fact that Pattaya is close to Bangkok is plus but I want peace and quite. Beautiful beaches and breathtaking sunset is must.

Except Hua Hin doesn't get a sunset, wrong coast.

YOu could consider around south Jomtien; go out to areas around say Bang Saray, Bahn Amphur, Jomtien right at the end, and also in the area around Wong Amart and perhaps around the Royal Cliff area also. ocean marina is nice.

These will all get the sunset view; and Pattaya town itself is a dung hole, however you need never go into that part of the city.

If there are enough farangs in Hua Hin, no doubt it will be ruined to some degree as well, but probably not much worse than say Jomtien or Bang Saray are now.

As for beaches, as a windsurfer, I prefer Jomtien because Hua Hin 1/2 the year during the day the tide is too high so a bunch of places don't have a beach, just a wall with waves crashing into it. Also...Jomtien has islands and places to sail to, Hua Hin does not.

If town is an issue, then Hua Hin is definitely the nicer town.

Would not bother with anything north of Hua Hin; south of Hua Hin there are some much nicer bays and beaches; starting to get a bit rural but worth it if you want to escape the town :-) Much nicer beaches south.

Other option is around the corner where again beaches are far better than the relatively unclean water in Pattaya area; Sattahip and beyond! but getting further away too.

Edited November 12, 2009 by pkrv

[pkrv]

Sorry I could not post alll the comments in one go - too many quotes included!

From an older thread

BEWARE...lots of uninformed and/or biased commentary below! About as useful as stepping in a soi-dog pie!

Pattaya is for people who love life...all manner of outdoor sports from diving (none in HH) to sailing, golf, polo, etc. Great restaurants (HH very few), great nitelife if you want to partake. Basically, people come to Pattaya to live and go to Hua Hin to die

I think you just said Pattaya <edit town> is as follows:

And I agree.

That should stir things up (god I can be evil )

[farangfool]

I admit my original mail was a little provocative and deliberately so.

When I m in Pattaya I m amazed at the number of western guys, who hang out there and I really dont want to meet. I m not talking of the sex tourists. They are harmless and mostly well tempered people, maybe some British skin heads are not. Those with the tattoos and without clothing from the waist up.

My concerns is the substantial community of western criminals hiding in the place. They focus on other westerners as they prime prey. Think of the good investment opportunities that you can easily come across just by sitting in any British owned bar with an average expat clientele.

This holds true also part of the real estate market. Overpriced offers, fishy contracts, attempts to have hidden, un-recorded payments off-shore (yes, you save taxes and get an extra discount....).

But let's assume all goes well; the condo is really built, none of those sqms you paid for has disappeared during construction, the management is not corrupt and run by some well-connected thai, the sinking fund has not disappeared, no Thai hookers stay next door with their newly found love, there is no new construction right next door (accidentally starting once the units were sold out (49%) in your place. You're are also lucky that the newly gone up building is not 5 meters from your window and your not looking at a grey concrete wall. No construction noise 24/7, no dust etc.

In short: Let's assume you bought something and it is like, say, Britain, Austria, Italy, the US, etc. and NOT like in Pattaya. I know it is a dream, but hey this is the internet and lets dream for a moment.

Does anyone think that prices per sqm beating those of BKK is a good investment? In BKK people work and need a place. In Pattaya they come and only stay as long as they want. So many rent and will be cautious to risk major dollars while facing conditions as sketched above.

Now people talk of Pattaya as a family resort. Reading the local papers, doing a web search shows that it is crime central. Plus: Why go to Pattaya with your family if you can get better beaches, hotels etc at lower prices elsewhere (nearby). Of course you also have the piece of mind that the chances are much lower that your daughter gets played with by some drunk guys when she buys an ice cream at 7/11.

In other words, does anybody seriously invest into condos while intending/hoping/dreaming of to sell to a farang family who would buy a holiday residence like maybe in Spain or Florida?

I strongly suspect that the condo market aims almost exclusively at customers that want to live in a place with cheap commercial sex around the corner and stay for themselves. In other words, a good deal of my invented ideal scenario is out of the window from the start.

So what would be the realistic price break the average farang, criminal or not, would pay for in Pattaya ? 500K to 1500K? Seaview welcome but not expected and paid for. These guys have perhaps little idea about bad construction (those holes in the wall, plastered over, just under the upper concrete beam) dont care about cheap furniture etc.

My suspicion/assumption is based on taking the time to listen to those time share people trying to sell hotel time for expensive money in Jomtien. The customers/potential buyers were 95% single males.

[johnnyk]

If you want sunsets, nice beach, nice town, no dodgy falang element then try Rayong. Nice condos there, funtown is not in your face but not far away should the need arise.

A friend, very successful in California real estate as a broker and investor, told me its nuts to buy a condo when you can rent really nice, sea view, high floor, balcony etc for 25K-35K/month and not tie up money. His formula was 7 years rent should equal purchase price. So 30K/month should equate to a purchase price of about 2.5 million. The places he paid 25K/month for had sale prices of 4-6 million. He didn't buy. Not to mention if the building had problems or bad management he could walk away.

Edited November 13, 2009 by johnnyk

[trogers]

Not to mention if the building had problems or bad management he could walk away.

I have seen quite a few threads raising worries about problems in the building or bad property management.

Projects with such potential problems usually have a few common traits:

- Large vacancy in occupancy (over 20%) with a number of repossessed units

- Class of property usually C and D in less desirable locations

- Many expensive cars frequently parking for short durations, but do not belong to occupants

- Foreign ownership less than 25% of total units.

[farangfool]

Just from the local press:

TWO TEENAGERS KILLED IN DRUG RELATED DRIVE-BY SHOOTING

Two teenage suspected drug dealers have been shot dead in a drug related feud on Soi Million Year Stone, Pattaya. The two victims were taken to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead.

Pattaya, the 14th of November 2009 [PDN]: At around 5:00am on the 14th police Lieutenant General Jirasek Aebfeng (investigator with the Pattaya Police), received a report that two men had been shot and severely injured in Soi Million Year Stone, Pattaya. The two victims had been delivered to Banglamung Hospital as they were both still alive at the scene. Due to the accuracy of the gunners, both men died a short time later from direct hits sustained to the heart.

Police General Somneuk Jantket, Police General Nit Witthinanthakid and a volunteer officer went to investigate the scene further. Whilst investigating the scene police successfully found the two 11mm shell casings used in the shooting, several meters from the large pool of blood where the victims bodies must have fallen.

This gives me bad vibes. I lived in some major midwest city and drive-by shootings were not too far away. Seems that Cleveland, Detroit, parts of Chicago conditions are now becoming the real face of Pattaya.

I like Rayong and the fresh wind there. The bad thing is, of course, that there is a refinery as well not too far off.

What would be the best location to avoid that pollution? I have lost family and friends to cancer, some working in the industry, so no need to come close to such places.

Generally, I agree, rent is the way to go as I do now. Alone the comforting feeling that I can pack up whenever I want and I m not stuck, is worth a lot.

[coralia]

I always wonder why people who can afford expensive condo apartments in Pattaya don't consider Penang instead... Malaysia has a programme called "Malaysia my second home" which is for the relatively wealthy (unfortunately I don't qualify for it...). I'm not in the business of advertising for it, and in fact I wouldn't recommend Malaysia in general, but Penang is a lovely island with a majority Chinese population, a sizeable Indian minority and a charming British colonial atmosphere (something inexistent in Thailand)... Plenty of condos for rent/sale, no sex tourists, not much in the way of crime... and far more developed and modern than any place in Thailand.

(Sigh.)

[loverboy44]

I think we all know about Pattaya is not a well recognized thing in this society.

This city for me is Disneyland. In a good or bad way! Everyone has his/her choice.

But for sure, and this i experienced by myself, it is a town that is influenced by mafia of any kind!

Russians, English, Germans and many others.

[siggie2]

where is soi million year stone,pattaya.????

the new poster loquent is a very funny guy,but do you think anybody will take notice of him,i doubt it.There are many wealthy expats in Pattaya who have chosen to live there instead of anywhere else in the world,they are not skinheads or pissheads too,now thats good news isnt it.

[Stormyn]

I don't live in Pattaya, but have been visiting for the past 20 years and finally got round to buying a small condo a few minutes walk from Walking Street where I stay four or five times a year for a week or so each time.

It was the best investment I have ever made - paid 1.6 million baht two years ago and similar places are now on the market for 2.5 million. And for the past two years I have stayed about 40 days in something that is the equivalent to a luxurious hotel suite. My only regret is that I didn't buy something earlier.

Pattaya is changing rapidly and for the past 20 years people have been saying its doomed and will collapse, but each time I go there I see new buildings, new shops and many many more people. No, in my eyes, Pattaya is still a great investment opportunity.

Cheers

[trogers]

I don't live in Pattaya, but have been visiting for the past 20 years and finally got round to buying a small condo a few minutes walk from Walking Street where I stay four or five times a year for a week or so each time.

It was the best investment I have ever made - paid 1.6 million baht two years ago and similar places are now on the market for 2.5 million. And for the past two years I have stayed about 40 days in something that is the equivalent to a luxurious hotel suite. My only regret is that I didn't buy something earlier.

Pattaya is changing rapidly and for the past 20 years people have been saying its doomed and will collapse, but each time I go there I see new buildings, new shops and many many more people. No, in my eyes, Pattaya is still a great investment opportunity.

Cheers

What did you do with the place during the other 325 days?

[Stormyn]

Cheers

What did you do with the place during the other 325 days?

Leave it empty with a some one checking in on it every week or 10 days....Or if I have a mate visiting town, then they can use it as long as they top up the drinks cabinet.

Don't want to rent it out as I like to keep my clothes and personal stuff there.

Cheers

[pkrv]

Don't want to rent it out as I like to keep my clothes and personal stuff there.

Hmm we sort of do the same but in Bangkok. We are only there a maximum of 30 days a year. Difficult to describe - A home away from home where you have everything you need and just the way you want it (well we are still working on that ;-)

With a condo you really are quite secure - it employs security etc. We however use dust sheets on our furniture - cheap white material bought in 50m rolls cut up to fit and marked, with a marker pen saying what it covers.

A bit like returning to one of those old victorian country homes, except heavily updated ;-)

Some work to do but we do not allow any access (for cleaners, friends etc) - oddly it helps us settle back in faster. On returning to the place it is almost spotless now, only some light dust on the floors, especially since we got over a very odd problem with cockroaches, the toilets dried out.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Funny-Proble...lem+cockroaches

Edited November 16, 2009 by pkrv

[farangfool]

Reading the online news I realized that my list of concerns is badly drafted and incomplete.

This is a new low. I followed the rise violent crime directed against foreigners of the past three years. The bad snatching from drive by motorbikes, the beating up of bar/go-go patrons by 'security', the rise of the street gangs extending their 'territories' towards the more proper areas, crimes committed by the various classes of police 'assistants' (these volunteer units seem to attract a good chunk of local scum), pedophiles in local humanitarian association targeting young boys, and NOW we are at

kidnapping of tourist girls, rape, robbery, etc.

Pattaya is not a place for a family. Now this happened close to a police post, it means that we should not image that policing increases security and therefore impacts the house/condo prices.

Does anyone have data on break ins? I see a lot of coverage of break-ins in houses, outside AND inside gated communities. Sometimes these breaks turn into deadly attacks.

As for the BKK condo. It sounds very nice but I dont think the BKK situation should be compared with Pattaya. It is a whole different ball game there. BKK real estate has a value based on the economy, Pattaya real estate is based on the urges of the liver or other parts (mostly of the male body). They are entertainment expenses not investments or necessary accommodation near the workplace.

British woman raped in Thailand after two men dragged her off the street

UK DAILY MAIL

By ANDREW DRUMMOND

Last updated at 8:27 PM on 16th November 2009

Pattaya in Thailand, where the incident took place

A British tourist in Thailand had been raped after being dragged off the street by two men.

She was taken to a hotel where she was raped and then robbed of her belongings.

The woman, aged 25, said the attack happened early Saturday morning in the Thai resort of Pattaya, twenty metres from a police sentry box.

The attack happened after she had been separated from friends.

She said she was unable to resist the two men who, after raping her, took her Natwest bank and credit cards and 60 pounds in cash and a bracelet worth 100 pounds.

Last night police in Pattaya charged two men with rape and theft.

They were named as Krajon Senkam, 29, and Surasak Kovekasan, 20, who were described as local 'maeng da' a Thai expression , literally translating as cockroaches, describing men who live off the earnings of local prostitutes.

Police Colonel Wanlop Kangtharatit said the men were arrested quickly as they were known in the area.