Hi,

Hunting for a condo and its quite hard !

I'm looking for an area with character, reasonably central and not too busy, possibly on the river. My budget is around 4.5M, ideally a place in need of modernisation and not too small; I dont mind an older building

I'd like to know if there are up and coming areas which will be a better bet for a first time buyer, or is it best to invest in a safe bet area like Thong Lor, Ekkamai or Chidlom?

thanks

Phrakanong.....

A smiley indeed. I have been in that area for the last 10 years and lived in it for the last 4 and it is slowly changing for the better. Easy access to many shopping areas, silom/lumpini park a short drive on rama 4.

Bangna (and eastern seaboard) a short drive going south on sukhumvit.

Going north on sukhumvit, to ekkamai, phrom pong etc.

Sport centre, movie theaters, restaurants. I think in another 10 years it will look better and maybe even with its own mall. The getaway ekkamai is now the closest.

Personally i like it, but i also like the Bang na.

Looked at a few condos online in this area, very good value (ie nice 1 bed condos @3M for 75metres) - also a lot less hectic than Nana etc.. so does indeed make sense- slightly worried about flooding tho.

This is an interesting read, personally think that the rental return on a condo isnt bad, (7-8%) if well presnted( my investments don't return large dividends atm anyway). but the quality of the builds in bangkok DO worry me!

http://www.stickmanw...doInBangkok.htm

Looked at a few condos online in this area, very good value (ie nice 1 bed condos @3M for 75metres) - also a lot less hectic than Nana etc.. so does indeed make sense- slightly worried about flooding tho.

This is an interesting read, personally think that the rental return on a condo isnt bad, (7-8%) if well presnted( my investments don't return large dividends atm anyway). but the quality of the builds in bangkok DO worry me!

http://www.stickmanw...doInBangkok.htm

This 7-8% rental yield applies only to old 1-bed condo units. Those less than a year old are now probably getting less than 5% gross due to a combination of high prices and supply exceeding demand forcing rents down.

for my small budget, I'm considering an older building condo in need of modernization - I have to weigh up the pros and cons of living in an older building in a good area against a newer building/smaller condo but usable facilities in a not so prime location. And then there's the possibility that the new build location will become more desirable in a few yrs.

Atm I'm leaning towards older condo/bigger space/good area -- it will require a lot of work..but then i can reach that 7% rental return

New Extention BTS line is the new coming.