Looking For Long Term Home Rental

[drnkurmlkshk]

We are a couple of 3 Americans looking for a long term (1 year) rental. The things we care about are:

Located within 4 KM of the moat - in any direction is fine.

3 or more bedrooms

3 or more bathrooms

A living room that is quite big - or else we need another room to act as an office to set up computers in

4 or more air conditioners (one in each bedroom, one where we can set up computers)

Furnished* or a price without furnishings that would economically allow us to buy the things we want.

A condo or a house both will work just fine

We like "western style" places

*optimally 3 king size beds, a couch or couches with a big tv, 3 desks, a handful of chairs.

Our budget is quite high for the Chiang Mai area... but we will still be shopping around a lot and aren't willing to get ripped off completely. We are pretty flexible between a higher end and medium end place since we aren't picky, we just want to quickly find something that matches the above criteria.

If anyone can help us find such a place, or can link me to a place where I can look (we've already looked at a few of the top rental agencies on Google), I'd greatly appreciate it. If you think you can actively help us find a place like this, for a fee, let me know what you have in mind for a deal on that end.

Thanks for looking.

[ARISTIDE]

Should be easy to find from many local websites. Price range around 20000 - 25000b per month. Just be sure to take photo of all furnitures, carpet etc... including a list of items and have the landlord initial on it. Or better provide your own lease agreement. Make sure you get your security deposit back.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

4 kms is quite far; these are a lot closer into town. Second one actually inside the moat.

http://www.jasminehomes.co.th/listingview.php?listingID=2990

http://www.jasminehomes.co.th/listingview.php?listingID=2454

[apetley]

We are a couple of 3 Americans?

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[WinnieTheKhwai]

We are a couple of 3 Americans?

Dude. Mormons.

Edited April 24, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[CMX]

Well, looks like a swell bar for the couple of three to enjoy, in the second selection listed above.

Truth is that Google searches will reveal many choices, and not those offered by Jasmine alone. Also, renters should be assured that many properties list prices that are negotiable.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Well, looks like a swell bar for the couple of three to enjoy, in the second selection listed above.

Truth is that Google searches will reveal many choices, and not those offered by Jasmine alone. Also, renters should be assured that many properties list prices that are negotiable.

Good points. I picked Jasmine because their search function works, and because they don't beat around the bush about the location of the property, making it easy to check that it is indeed within 4 kms from the moat.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Drnkurmlkshk,

A few comments:

1. you are looking for a mansion: i.e., a very large house, or a multi-story building with you and friends occupying more than one floor, or a giant condo, with these specs.

2. living inside the moat, in my humble opinion, based on your specs, is a mistake: traffic, pollution, crowds. Unless ... you really "luck out," and find some quiet soi, but such larger places, imho, are not found in quiet sois.

3. in the eyes of many Thai landlords/ladys a 1 year lease is not a "long term" arrangement. And, your bargaining power, if any, is likely to be small on a 1 year basis. Although, cash up front talks, as well as traps you: in that with your money in hand you may find the owner of the property strangely unavailable when the pipes break, the air-cons break down, part of the roof collapses due to termite damage, etc.

However, if you are lucky enough to find a farang needing to be out-of-country for a year, with just such a condo, or mansion ... great.

4. a 1 year rental where you ended up buying your own furniture, etc., will result in a tremendous net loss to you if you sell said stuff at the end of one year.

5. 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) outside the moat covers a lot of ground, and a lot very different neighborhoods. To the east your "territory" is restricted by the old markets, and the Ping, to the west the congestion of Huay Kaew/ CMU/Nimmanheiman, to the north the congestion of Chang Pluak, Santitam, and the over-developed area on out to the superhighway, and so forth.

I think you would find something that would fit your spec in the Hang Dong, Sarapee, Sanpatong, Mae Jo, Mae Rim, Doi Saket areas, etc. ... the burbs ... much farther out from town. If sub-let from some farang owners, perhaps even an odd chance to get your deposit back.

good luck, ~o:37;

[drnkurmlkshk]

Thanks for those suggestions Winnie.

orang37: I have lived in 3 different houses/condos in Thailand - two on 6 month leases and one a a year lease. This is really not that hard of an arrangement to find at all. The current place I live fits the bill perfectly for our old arrangement - a 2 bed 2 bath condo with all of the requirements I listed above. This costs us 26k a month all in and is a fantastic place - I would just stay here if we didn't have a third person come to join us. I also have friends who are doing the same thing right now - they have a 5 bedroom house with a pool, located by the super highway for 40k a month. Just the other day we looked at a 5 bedroom 5 bathroom house also on the super highway for 35k. We just want to see as many options as possible before we settle.

The housing market is indeed a renters dream!

[orang37]

orang37: I have lived in 3 different houses/condos in Thailand - two on 6 month leases and one a a year lease. This is really not that hard of an arrangement to find at all. The current place I live fits the bill perfectly for our old arrangement - a 2 bed 2 bath condo with all of the requirements I listed above. This costs us 26k a month all in and is a fantastic place - I would just stay here if we didn't have a third person come to join us. I also have friends who are doing the same thing right now - they have a 5 bedroom house with a pool, located by the super highway for 40k a month. Just the other day we looked at a 5 bedroom 5 bathroom house also on the super highway for 35k. We just want to see as many options as possible before we settle.

The housing market is indeed a renters dream!

Hi, Khun Drnkurmlkshk,

If you have the dosh to pay for it, and are happy with what you find, I'm happy for you

My criteria may be a little different: I found, six years ago, a two-bedroom house east of the Ping, with teakwood floors, not an older house, large garden surrounded by a wall, solid construction, large living room, large kitchen area for 5k baht a month, and the rent went up to 6k baht per month only about 2 years ago.

I'm in a quiet side-soi east of the Ping handy to Rimping Nawarat, Railway Station, Talat San Pak Hoi. By bicycle to the Night Bazaar area is ten minutes, or less, depending. The house is overarched by large trees providing cooling shade, and the neighborhood (fingers-crossed) has been howling-dog-pack free, drunk free, violence free, theft-free, and karaoke-from-hell free, for some years.

Yes, I paid for my own air-con in the smaller bed-room, which is used as library, and computer room, and "museum," for my art collection; I had the house re-painted at my own expense. I furnished the house, except for bed-frame and kitchen shelving, provided my own frig, etc.

So, by my standards, paying 10k baht per bedroom per month, or more, is "off-the-scale"

best, ~o:37;

[liminalpursuit]

Orang37: that's more my style!

Any tips as to how to find such a choice pad? Should I just wander around desired neighborhoods with persistent, sweat-drenched determination?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Orang37: that's more my style!

Any tips as to how to find such a choice pad? Should I just wander around desired neighborhoods with persistent, sweat-drenched determination?

Yes. And ask around; and inquire about any building that looks empty, no matter if there is a sign offering it for rent, or for sale, or not.

[CMX]

Regarding orang's point #4 and furnishings. I took a property that was furnished - but left gaps which I filled.

However, I have since discovered on Thai Visa classifieds and other places a large choice of many of those items I purchased - at a fraction of the price and apparently in fine condition. Obviously, re-selling little worn items would defray any loss for use.

Longer one stays with one's purchases, of course, the less they cost for their utility annually, so I'm not annoyed by my ignorance (have never been able to afford to be, given its volume and weight).

I only add this for others, OP, as you've been here a while.

Edited April 25, 2012 by CMX

[liminalpursuit]

Thank you Winnie, I'm on it

[orang37]

... snip ... Any tips as to how to find such a choice pad? Should I just wander around desired neighborhoods with persistent, sweat-drenched determination?

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun LiminalPursuit,

In addition to the good advices offered above by Khun WinnieTheKhwai, in message #12, on this thread, I can only add:

1. I think riding a bicycle, or motosai, down side streets, as you explore different parts of CM, and, if your Thai is good enough, stopping and striking up a conversation with whoever, asking them about places to rent is a good idea. Personally, I'm a bicycle-only duo, and it's one of my favorite things, in general, to go off exploring little strange sois, and striking up conversations in general with older folks who are tending their yard, or whatever: easier to do, imho, on a bicycle.

2. I did use a so-called rental agent to find this place, and frankly she impressed me from the get-go as mentally-ill: frenetically, continually, scrawling strange images or notes, in overflowing notebooks.

After showing me several up-scale places, I asked her what the cheapest place she knew of was: at that point she went into a diatribe about all the reasons I wouldn't want the house. That, of course, made me demand to go see it, and when I saw no one had lived there for some period of time, the garden was a wreck, and the interior of the house a mess, I also clearly saw that with an investment of 10k baht, or so, the place could be cleaned professionally, re-painted, and was a "gem in the rough." The garden, I figured, correctly, could be restored slowly (until the big flood seven years ago drowned the garden, but ... lucky ... did not come in the house, which is elevated).

3. Use the weekly CMCC classifieds Chiang Mai e-mail newsletter as a resource to locate housing. Organized by an NGO with volunteer effort. To subscribe:

"Send an email to [email protected] (Then reply to confirmation email that will be sent back to you.)"

So, I am afraid luck may be an element here; turned out by luck, that my landlady was a quite wealthy Chiang Mai widow/heiress who had gone to one of the famous islands in the south to invest in land and property development, and we hit it off, and she was quite pleased, of course, to see me continually improving the property. I hired, and paid, a pro tree surgeon to cut back the trees the fourth year, after she had paid for a cut-back the first year.

I was careful though to sign a contract specifying that if I move, the air-conditioner goes with me, since, as I understand it, under Thai law, improvements to a house which is rented become the property of the owner of the house (check with a lawyer on this, since I could be mistaken).

But, after six years here, if I moved, I'd just give her the air-con, because she has not raised the rent to what the house could fetch, which, given location, and amenities, I would estimate at least 10-14k baht per month. And, a six-year old air-con ain't worth much.

best, ~o:37;

Edited April 25, 2012 by orang37

[orang37]

Regarding orang's point #4 and furnishings. I took a property that was furnished - but left gaps which I filled.

However, I have since discovered on Thai Visa classifieds and other places a large choice of many of those items I purchased - at a fraction of the price and apparently in fine condition. Obviously, re-selling little worn items would defray any loss for use.

Longer one stays with one's purchases, of course, the less they cost for their utility annually, so I'm not annoyed by my ignorance (have never been able to afford to be, given its volume and weight).

I only add this for others, OP, as you've been here a while.

In addition to Khun CMX's sharing what he found, above, there is the weekly CMCC classifieds Chiang Mai newsletter where there are lots of ads of people moving and selling furnishings, appliances, etc.

Again, I think so much depends on your time-frame: how long you intend to live here. If you are planning to stay here five years, perhaps a new fridge with a five-year warranty on compressor is quite worth the extra baht ?

To subscribe to the weekly CMCC e-mail newsletter (run by an NGO with volunteer effort):

"Send an email to<removed>. (Then reply to confirmation email that will be sent back to you.)"

best, ~o:37;

Edited April 25, 2012 by onthedarkside
email removed as per forum rules

[udonguy]

just do what everyone does and search the agents

[liminalpursuit]

Khop khun krup! Lots of great advice here. Much appreciated, everyone

Am already on the CMCC listserv and eagerly awaiting tomorrow's edition.

And today I will potter around quiet sois and attempt to make conversation in my pidgin Thai.

Given that I intend to stay here a year at least, methinks intensive language lessons are in my immediate future. Exciting times!