Buying In Hat Maerimphung, Good Idea?

[rjj04]

I went to Hat Mae Rim Pung a couple times now, each time for about one week.

Pros:

1) Condos are cheaper there than Pattaya area.

2) Not Pattaya Not many farang, mostly Thai holiday makers. I prefer that!

3) Walking along the beach in the evening... every night had a lovely cooling wind. Big change from most other places in Thailand I've stayed. Might have just been there in the right season though.

Cons:

1) Scariest thing for me to buy a condo there is that there are some abandoned condominium complexes there. One is right on the beach, at least 20+ stories, and it is truly falling apart (apparently bankruptcy caught it before the units were sold?). Another is smaller, and abandoned as well. Since 2008, and now, 2010, there seems to be no development there. New development is happening farther east though. I know, tough economic times nowadays, but this decay seems to have been going on for a long time.

a) why is this place not being developed more? Not far from BKK, decent beach (if govt would clean things up a bit more it would be quite nice). Even more to the point, why is seemingly dying? Many smaller buildings abandoned and dying.

when I ask about HOA (home owner association...USA term... strata in some other countries), and dues

I got strange looks. Without a good HOA managing a condo, it is doomed I think. Is it because the

condos there are mostly Thai owned that nobody seems to care? Mai pen rai.

2) Run-down look to the place.

3) Not much variety in restaurants, entertainment, etc. Not a big deal for me though.

4) Internet connection... seems like it might be difficult to get. Even my CAT CDMA internet did not work there. Almost no hotels had internet. No internet is a problem!! Had TGF call TT&T and ask if service was available in the condos there... they said they would call back... haven't called back in three weeks now TIT

5) No medical clinics (I do not think there is even a hospital in nearby Ban Phe).

6) Did not see Tesco/Lotus or Carrefoure, etc.

About Cons 1) above... anybody no why there is not much development? Just lack of capital? Corruption? Industrial waste in sea from Rayong industry( Three mile island ?

[podgey]

Truely is a lovely part of the country, i dont know why it is less devoloped than other places. It seems that it went building went nuts during the last boom and did'nt quite get finnished or sold before the crash. There seems like no real reason why falangs dont live there other than it feels like a ghost town, and maybe the beach front properties are still over inflated and it's cheaper to buy on the other side of the headland?

[JusMe]

Mae Rampheung will eventually develop, as it is a beautiful beach.

However, you might consider shifting just a very few kilometers east to Ban Phe. Between Ban Phe and Mae Phim there's a huge stretch of magnificent beach, and quite a number of condo developments, both high rise and gated housing communities. Some are right across the road from the beach; others are a couple of hundred meters back.

Tremendous number of restaurants along the beaches, and more and more western style becoming available.

I don't think there's a hospital in Ban Phe, but there are a couple of smaller clinics and doctor's offices.

Tesco-Lotus in Ban Phe - not the full style such as in Rayong, but supermarket Tesco.

Internet? I've got the cheapest available with telephone from TOT and am very pleased with it.

Ask away - either here or by PM.

[rjj04]

Mae Rampheung will eventually develop, as it is a beautiful beach.

However, you might consider shifting just a very few kilometers east to Ban Phe. Between Ban Phe and Mae Phim there's a huge stretch of magnificent beach, and quite a number of condo developments, both high rise and gated housing communities. Some are right across the road from the beach; others are a couple of hundred meters back.

Tremendous number of restaurants along the beaches, and more and more western style becoming available.

I don't think there's a hospital in Ban Phe, but there are a couple of smaller clinics and doctor's offices.

Tesco-Lotus in Ban Phe - not the full style such as in Rayong, but supermarket Tesco.

Internet? I've got the cheapest available with telephone from TOT and am very pleased with it.

Ask away - either here or by PM.

Rampheung, Rumpheung (on Google maps) and I've seen Rimpheung

Thanks for the information. I actually did go and look further east, past Ban Phe. I did not find any condos there under 3M Baht, and that is more than my budget for a small condo. It did look nice over there though, and as you say, development is taking place, rather than stagnant or decaying as at Mae Ramphueng. I think maybe I will go and spend a week or so near Ban Phe or Khlaeng and see if I can find something a bit cheaper. The world has turned when you can buy a condo in Florida for a fraction of what a condo on the east coast of Thailand costs

So, you have TOT internet ADSL... may I ask, are you in a condo or house? When TGF asked some condo owners and management people there, nobody had internet, and usually responded with "ah, um" so, thought there might be an issue with getting internet access, a must for me. Probably, they only use their condos a few weeks per year, so don't want to install DSL.

[JusMe]

Thanks for the information. I actually did go and look further east, past Ban Phe. I did not find any condos there under 3M Baht, and that is more than my budget for a small condo.

I think maybe I will go and spend a week or so near Ban Phe or Khlaeng and see if I can find something a bit cheaper.

So, you have TOT internet ADSL... may I ask, are you in a condo or house? When TGF asked some condo owners and management people there, nobody had internet, and usually responded with "ah, um" so, thought there might be an issue with getting internet access, a must for me. Probably, they only use their condos a few weeks per year, so don't want to install DSL.

I've PMed you with more personal information, that I'd rather not actually post on the forum, but here's a picture of my house. (Since the picture was taken, there's an external water tank installed at the side, near the back. And my motorbike in the carport.))

If you're coming this way, I can recommend an agent (Swedish) who can show you some of the condos and houses he has available. I bought mine through him, but he'd been a friend for several years previous to that, including a couple before he got into the business, so I had confidence in him.

My TOT bill is total 631.30 baht per month, including telephone (which I very rarely use, and almost never outside local) and DSL their slowest and cheapest package, but suffices my needs definitely, including regular surfing, internet radio, email, and loads of torrents. (Too slow for video streaming.)

Contacted TOT here and had the truck out for installation within a couple of days. Good office staff here, too.

[spacebass]

1. There is a brand new large Thai resort development at the far end of Mae Ramphung Beach. Low rise, maybe a new policy.

2. There is a similarly abandoned high rise condo development right next to Crystal Beach Condo on the other beach referred to.

3.The foreign allocation in VIP condo on Mae Ramphung Beach with 30+ storeys and 500 rooms is 50%+ taken up. It is said to be amongst the best managed condos in Thailand, 37 sqm studio with big seaview around 1.1 million.

4. Songtell bus ride from Mae Ramphung to Rayong 20thb 20 mins.

5.Telephone line and internet freely available on Mae Ramphung Beach.

6. Maintenance in e.g. VIP 15thb per sqm per month, check that out at new places on other beaches.

7. It is possible that land at Mae Ramphung was more expensive than the land further down the coast so the new developers leap frogged it and bought cheaper and are now saying that it is a more expensive area as a result of their expensive developments.

8. As the beaches past Mae Ramphung had virtually no development until recently it had not had the opportunity to develope any vacant buildings/shophouses as there were none to become vacant.

9. I hope house owners are taking note of the land office advice (at the end of the discounted transfer charge period) to take the opportunity to regularise their property ownership, i.e the illegal use of Thai nominees to effect 'ownership'as this hints of action in this quarter.

Mai Penn Rai

[Mossfinn]

In the last couple of years a couple of hotels have been completed just up the road from the VIP.

The abandoned buildings you state, date back to the '97 crash and are still owned by a bank I believe.

On a small scale the beach side lamps have been added in the last couple of years.

In my opinion the place is not dying, but slowly growing, obviously the present upheaval isn't helping, however with the tollway link road between Pattaya and Rayong recently completed, this will help development.

There is a hospital/clinic in Rayong Town, small but clean and appeared efficient enough.

There is a Tesco/Lotus in Rayong Town.

There is little effect of any pollution or industrial air corruption in the area.

I am not sure if the VIP has used its allocation of foreign ownership, but I did know someone who had bought several units and was doing them up for sale.

I have used internet and the connection was pretty good in the RayongCondo Hotel

[AddictedToThai]

Apart from VIP Condochain there are few other smaller condos out there. Also cheap.

Edited May 7, 2010 by AddictedToThai

[Mossfinn]

Looks like the condo's next to the RayongCondotel

[vin1965]

Here is a good website with condo's for sale.

www.rayonghomeandland.com

[Jaidii]

Quoe: 4. Songtell bus ride from Mae Ramphung to Rayong 20thb 20 mins.

Own car transport advised. I've heard that after dark (time? or when the songtaews stop running) you're trapped there. Taxis to/from Rayong if ypu want nightlife or late shopping for example are very expensive - it's a captive market.

[huawei]

definately on the up.Still some value there for lower budgets. Take a long term view. Been driving through that area for years and it has been in a sorry state until recently..i eventually bought at Mae Pim Cape, which is a further 25 mins drive east.

Rayong is expanding at a rapid rate and as a previous post said..transport imperative.