House Hunting

[folium]

New boy on this site looking for some assistance. Need to rent a house near Lanna International School, SW side of airport, in July, 3-4 beds, furnished and in decent moo baan. Is there such a moo baan, with a pool, in that area? If not what is the closest area to be looking in? Thanks.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

There are several along the Hang Dong road and Canal Road, South of town, and a but further South from Lanna.

[barlinnie]

Try Ban Wangtan, down the Hang Dong Road, opposite the big Sony sign, take the soi all the way along to the mooban. Restaurant and very big swimming pool. You will need some sort of transport though as it is a few kilometres from the Hang Dong Road.

[clinique]

try Lanna Pinery Home Moo baan, very nice, well managed, swimming pool fitmess,

on the canal road near the intersection to turn right to Somoerng

[zippydedodah]

don't forget the thai visa classifieds....

also, unless you are renting via the net, and paying upfront BEFORE you get here (i hope not!), you will be taking some time to house hunt... there are plenty of local Thai and falang realtors who can show you 5-10 places a day..... ultimately, you pay for what you want and think if it is worth it to you.....

i came here, stayed in a hotel and on my second day of looking (5th house) found what i thought was worth the money... paid money, signed lease and moved in that weekend. Of course, since then i hear so many "i could have gotten you something cheaper" etc etc etc.... but i am quite happy where i am...

your money, your life, your decision....

[sarahsbloke]

Furnished houses

2 bedroom house on mooban 5500bht/month

3 bedroom house 7000bht/month

4 bedroom house 8500bht/month

Come out here, drive around the mooban of choice, all the rentals have signs on the front with a phone number (usually in English)

If you go through an agent or internet advert they will be asking for double the price to punish you for being lazy/stupid/foreign (pick the word you like)

There are loads of vacent properties in every mooban, rental prices are going down, not up.

Security deposit, don't hand over more than 10,000bht, they don't like giving it back. Never return the keys or officially leave until they put the deposit back in your hand. Best not to use an agent (stops them playing the who has the deposit game, we thought the agent had it, we gave it to the owner)

Edited April 3, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[Thighlander]

wangtan is cool, but the dogs suck. few available for 7k, more if the 9-13k range. 25 thb mototaxi to 7-11. Nice pool, wonderful design, woof woof..........I paid 915 and sold for 990K. Everyone happy.

I actually sold to the owner of LIST. Nice lady, and her school is well above average and offers excellent value.

Edited April 3, 2010 by Thighlander

[JimShortz]

You could try this moobaan (http://bit.ly/moobaan). It's called something dee - I forget... A nice family friendly moobaan with a nice pool, small play area and open grassed area; and you can get to Lanna without going down the very busy Hangdong Road. Worth a look anyway!

When you look at the map you will see no pool and only a few houses, but the Google map is quite a few years old now. The moonbaan is actually well established, with a pool.

[Thighlander]

jet noise is an issue too, but it is no worse than at the school.

[alfieconn]

Furnished houses

2 bedroom house on mooban 5500bht/month

3 bedroom house 7000bht/month

4 bedroom house 8500bht/month

Put you point me in the direction of the houses at these prices

[amexpat]

My experience is that two months security deposit is the standard. Many are asking for three which sets off alarms for me.

[sticklee]

Furnished houses

2 bedroom house on mooban 5500bht/month

3 bedroom house 7000bht/month

4 bedroom house 8500bht/month

Put you point me in the direction of the houses at these prices

I live in Thippamorn Hill moo baan. Across Canal Road from the new driving range. 6500 fully furnished 2 bedroom 2 bathroom. Older moo baan and very quiet. There are several houses in here currently for rent. See the property manager at her office inside gatehouse, yes we have security guard too. No pool tho'. Going south, pass the Mae Hia market and after the road bends right take the first u-turn and go straight across. You can see the poles for the new driving range on the left.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

My experience is that two months security deposit is the standard. Many are asking for three which sets off alarms for me.

LOL. The answer is : IT DEPENDS. If there is a lot of furniture, appliances, airconditioners and so on then the deposit will be higher. For a bare-bones house, I would find even two months to be high.

[OOB]

Home In Park and the new Masterpiece on the Canal Road are both excellent villages not far from LIST.

You won't get a 4-bed furnished house for 8,500 Baht on either village, but as with anything in life, you get what you pay for.

[amexpat]

" but as with anything in life, you get what you pay for."

In that case, all this research and discussion is completely unnecessary. Just decide on a general area and choose the most expensive house you can afford. You can even do it from ads on the web.

Can't go wrong. The market says you get what you pay for. (Agents agree wholeheartedly.) A 300 baht tuk tuk ride to the airport is much better than a 150 baht tuk tuk ride to the airport, isn't it?

Nothing personal, OOB. Nearly everyone recites this nonsensical adage once in a while.

[sarahsbloke]

Put you point me in the direction of the houses at these prices wink.gif

Any of the moobans near San Sai, Doi Sagett, Hang Dong will be at that sort of price, or cheaper.

I am living in a 3 bed, 2 air con, western kitchen bungalow with a nice garden near Doi Sagett, 7000bht a month 10,000bht deposit.

(No obligation for any time period on my part, but if I stay there for less than 1 year they keep the deposit)

On my Mooban

The house next to me 2 bed, no air-con rented for 5,500bht a month 3 weeks ago (I think they paid a little too much as no air-con)

The house on the other side of me, 2 bed with air-con 6,000bht a month (but was rented out last year when rental prices were higher)

There are about 10 other houses available for rental on the mooban at the moment.

Too far out of town?

During the day, white songtaw from mooban to Doi Sagett 10bht, yellow songtaw Doi Sagett to flower market 15bht.

If you are a rich person the Yellow songtaw will make a detour and drive from flower market to your front door for 40bht.

but as with anything in life, you get what you pay for.

I'm inclined to think "like anything in life, you pay as much as someone can squeeze out of you".

Edited April 4, 2010 by sarahsbloke

[zippydedodah]

without trying to get TOOOOO off topic: my philosophy has been

you will pay whatever it is worth to you

if you can't get paid what you are worth, then you ain't worth it (hence, i have never been pro-union, except for a few "merit based" ones)

the truth is whatever you can get away with (at the moment

[Maccheroncini]

I think some landlord will ask for an unusual amount of deposits as a way to say no.

My experience is that two months security deposit is the standard. Many are asking for three which sets off alarms for me.

[zippydedodah]

well, i agree with another poster who said it depends on the condition of the house and the furnishings provided.

Our house was extremely nicely furnished, mostly western style, with some thai nicknacks in showcases, 2 TVs, VCR, Stereo system, fridge, stove top, kitchen area were all very modern and there were enough pots,silverware, microwave and small electric oven to just start cooking, sit down and eat and enjoy your life.

A falang Realtor acquaintance of mine helped negotiate the monthly rental price down by 2k/month on a year lease, but it is a very new house, nicely furnished and the owner wanted their 3 month security. My realtor assures me it won't be a problem returning it and the previous tenants had got 100% of their deposit returned.

so you chose your battles, decide what you can live with.

I have friends who spent weeks looking, saw over 50 homes before they settled on their home.... i have visited many and am completely comfortable with my choice.

as a wise man once said:

mileage may vary

Edited April 4, 2010 by zippydedodah

[amexpat]

I looked at an old, unfurnished house. The owner was eager to rent but wanted 3 months deposit.

My guess is she knew the place needed a lot of work and that was her plan to finance it. Maybe not. But I've seen ads for comparable properties in the last few months where they asked for 3 months.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I looked at an old, unfurnished house. The owner was eager to rent but wanted 3 months deposit.

My guess is she knew the place needed a lot of work and that was her plan to finance it.

That in itself is fair enough. In such a case though you would establish exactly what work gets done, and what it will cost. That makes for a nice negotiation angle because as the person living in the house you benefit from having more things done, and done properly. So you could agree to a higher deposit so more work can get done, and then a lower rent. There's a lot of opportunity for negotiation often, and the house owners usually like it when their tenants take care of the house well. Similarly, tenants like it when house owners go the extra mile to make them comfortable, solve issues when they come up, etc. Everyone benefits from a good, fair, and mutually beneficial relationship, as with all business deals/partnerships really.

[lannarebirth]

Ban Nai Fun 2, Lanna Pinery, House in Park all 5-10 minutes from LIST. No airplane noise at any of them.

Edited April 4, 2010 by lannarebirth

[IloveATM]

" but as with anything in life, you get what you pay for."

In that case, all this research and discussion is completely unnecessary. Just decide on a general area and choose the most expensive house you can afford. You can even do it from ads on the web.

Can't go wrong. The market says you get what you pay for. (Agents agree wholeheartedly.) A 300 baht tuk tuk ride to the airport is much better than a 150 baht tuk tuk ride to the airport, isn't it?

Nothing personal, OOB. Nearly everyone recites this nonsensical adage once in a while.

A tuk-tuk ride to the airport is just that, however an air-conditioned limo would be worth more to me. Are you inferring that all 4-bedroom houses are the same and thus should be the same price?

I appreciate there is nothing personal here, so I'll offer all this challenge. Go find me a furnished 4 bed house on the Masterpiece for 8,500 Baht and I'll rent it from you for 12,500, thereby contributing 50% of your rent on Ban Run Down...

EDIT - this was posted by OOB, sorry changed browsers and posted with another account by mistake.

Edited April 4, 2010 by IloveATM

[OOB]

Any of the moobans near San Sai, Doi Sagett, Hang Dong will be at that sort of price, or cheaper.

This simply is not true SarahsBloke.

I'm inclined to think "like anything in life, you pay as much as someone can squeeze out of you".

And this is an absolutely fine way of living for some but people are motivated by different things. If my family's move to Thailand had been financially motivated, I would have stayed in England.

You must compare apples with apples, and a blanket statement such as "4 bed furnished house in Chiang Mai = 8,500 Baht" is no more true than me stating that all houses in London are worth at least 1 million pounds.

Edited April 4, 2010 by OOB

[Asmerom]

Any of the moobans near San Sai, Doi Sagett, Hang Dong will be at that sort of price, or cheaper.

I am living in a 3 bed, 2 air con, western kitchen bungalow with a nice garden near Doi Sagett, 7000bht a month 10,000bht deposit.

(No obligation for any time period on my part, but if I stay there for less than 1 year they keep the deposit)

On my Mooban

I always find it suprising how often people go into great detail about various attractive possibilities and then tease readers by keeping its whereabouts a secret. Or maybe you have a good reason for not mentioning the name of your moobaan near Doi Saket.

[amexpat]

" but as with anything in life, you get what you pay for."

In that case, all this research and discussion is completely unnecessary. Just decide on a general area and choose the most expensive house you can afford. You can even do it from ads on the web.

Nothing personal, OOB. Nearly everyone recites this nonsensical adage once in a while.

I appreciate there is nothing personal here, so I'll offer all this challenge. Go find me a furnished 4 bed house on the Masterpiece for 8,500 Baht and I'll rent it from you for 12,500, thereby contributing 50% of your rent on Ban Run Down...

How about I find one for 13,000 and you rent it from me for 20,000. After all, you get what you pay for?

When you hear "you get what you pay for", sometimes it is true. Often, it means you are being asked to pay for:

more (bigger, faster, whatever) than you want or

a glitzy advertising campaign or

additional gold colored plastic, boot licking salesperson, other ego boosters (fine, if it's worth it to you).

If price equals value, we can tidy up the language be eliminating some useless terms:

bargain, rip off, smart shopper, mug, overpriced, etc. etc.

And we can get rid of all those restaurant reviews. Just decide what kind of food you want and select the most expensive place you can afford in that category. You will get what you pay for, right?

I just think it's a simplistic, erroneous, saying that is used much too often. Even by bright people like you, sometimes.

[OOB]

I just think it's a simplistic, erroneous, saying that is used much too often. Even by bright people like you, sometimes.

Fair enough (and thanks for calling me bright...I think).

With hindsight I should have been more forthright and simply said that SarahsBloke is talking absolute <deleted> when defining the broad and varied Chianf Mai rental market in terms of price per number of bedrooms. There is a huge range in rental rates between the rusty, old, tumbleweed Moo Bans and the new ones with swimming pools located withing walking(ish) distance to LIST as per the OPs request.

The argument that 'I pay x for my house therefore all houses must be x' is as ill-informed as a backpacker telling me that a room at the Oriental Dhara Dhevi should be the same as their 4 foot square guest house room. It is nonsensical, illogical and completely misleading.

So...it is unfortunate that the focus has been on a badly worded portion of my original post, but I shall reiterate the important bit. Home In Park and The Masterpiece are excellent, high quality, good neighborhoods with well educated and professional peoples, safe and high amenity villages near LIST that should be investigated. You won't get a 4-bed furnished house for 8,500 Baht, but if you are used to the Shangri La, I suggest you don't stay in a backpacker hostel...

[folium]

I just think it's a simplistic, erroneous, saying that is used much too often. Even by bright people like you, sometimes.

Fair enough (and thanks for calling me bright...I think).

With hindsight I should have been more forthright and simply said that SarahsBloke is talking absolute <deleted> when defining the broad and varied Chianf Mai rental market in terms of price per number of bedrooms. There is a huge range in rental rates between the rusty, old, tumbleweed Moo Bans and the new ones with swimming pools located withing walking(ish) distance to LIST as per the OPs request.

The argument that 'I pay x for my house therefore all houses must be x' is as ill-informed as a backpacker telling me that a room at the Oriental Dhara Dhevi should be the same as their 4 foot square guest house room. It is nonsensical, illogical and completely misleading.

So...it is unfortunate that the focus has been on a badly worded portion of my original post, but I shall reiterate the important bit. Home In Park and The Masterpiece are excellent, high quality, good neighborhoods with well educated and professional peoples, safe and high amenity villages near LIST that should be investigated. You won't get a 4-bed furnished house for 8,500 Baht, but if you are used to the Shangri La, I suggest you don't stay in a backpacker hostel...

Thank you for all this.

Good to hear that renting in CM is something of a buyers market at present. Obviously I have no intention of taking out any long term rental agreement until I am on the ground, but keen to get a flavour of the market and possible areas to focus on.

One more question though. Where would be a good base initially until we find a decent rental? We will be 2 adults and 3 children under 12, and again it needs to be easily accessible to LIST and something decent, more Shangri-la than backpacker hostel.

[OOB]

Hi folium,

My children also go to LIST. When we came over, we stayed for the first month in a serviced apartment. There are many to choose from, with most based in or around the city (Amphur Muang in Thai). We stayed at Studio 99 (http://www.chiangmaiservicedapartments.com/) which is close to the night Bazaar but there are many others. Search Google and/or Thai Visa.

If I recall correctly, you will be arriving in July and hence school will be closed for summer holidays. As such, I would not worry too much about your immediate proximity to LIST. You will probably get more out of staying nearer to town for the first few weeks. Best of luck and feel free to PM me if you have any other questions pertaining to LIST, the surrounds and/or moving to Chiang Mai with a young family.

[sarahsbloke]

With hindsight I should have been more forthright and simply said that SarahsBloke is talking absolute <deleted> when defining the broad and varied Chianf Mai rental market in terms of price per number of bedrooms. There is a huge range in rental rates between the rusty, old, tumbleweed Moo Bans and the new ones with swimming pools located withing walking(ish) distance to LIST as per the OPs request.

Those who are daft enough to pay over the odds, always like to justify their foolishness.

The mooban near the Sony sign has been mentioned, I looked at several 4 bedroom 'executive' houses on that estate, they wanted 15,000bht for one and then 12,000bht for an identical house. This was through an agent so inflated prices. A friend of mine actually rented one where they started at 15,000bht, he walked away but left his phone number. Eventually they haggled themselves down to 8000bht a month, and he rented the house. The estate I live on is no more tumbledown than any of the others, there are guards on the gate, but no swimming pool. Maybe it would be more useful of us to be be posting pictures of the houses with the prices asked rather than flaming each other.

I'm pretty sure the OP just wants some idea of prices and will wait to select a property himself. I have done my best to point out a few of the pitfalls like renting through an agent or from the internet. In Thailand people seem to like to rent and sell their property themselves.

Rather interesting that I am the only one prepared to share my rental price.

My house 3 bedroom, 2 air-con, 2 electric shower room with toilets, western kitchen 7000bht a month

Next door 2 bedroom house, air-con, 1 shower room with toilet, western kitchen 6000bht a month

Other side 2 bedroom house, no air con, 1 shower room with toilet, 5,500bht a month.

PS

Only a complete fool would ever reveal their address on a public forum, too many nutters around.

Edited April 5, 2010 by sarahsbloke