Are Houses In Thailand 'really' That Much Cheaper Than In The Uk?

[bifftastic]

My house in the UK was just valued at £330,000. Coincidentally enough, I paid ฿330,000 for my wife's house in Thailand.

At the time, that was 50 times cheaper (now it's probably 'only' 45 times cheaper).

They're both 2 bedroom houses (one bungalow, one two storey), one's detached with large front and back gardens, the other is terraced with a miniscule front space and a small back garden. One costs a small fortune to run, the other costs (per month) about three times the price of a daily travel card in London.

As for the price of the house in Derby, surely that's how much they pay you to live in it?

Edited June 5, 2013 by bifftastic

[itchybum]

we just finnished our house, very good build, double block apart from internel walls, i did most of the plumbing myself good quality fittings,,

ok its in a village but that is were i live and chose to live,

and the finnish price is a fraction under 1 mil bht, 3 bed, 2 bath,living room and kitchen, with a 6x6mtr coverd sitting outside area,

thanks jake,

Not 'our house' but her house.

Not where you choose to live, but where she chooses to live.

Not having a go Jake, but you might want to take off the rose tinted spectacles sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great you have built your lady a nice home, but it isn't yours.

If he built the house, paid for it alone and has the receipts, then it is his house.

He can dismantle it if he wants and take it elsewhere.

He could burn it or bulldoze it also if that was his desire.

[highonthai]

Jeezz, Not another "not your house" comment.

[Huayrat]

western style Bungalow 2 bedrooms built on wifes land 1 million baht.. you have no chance of finding that price anywhere outside of Thailand... For starters its only 250 baht labour per day compared to 5000 baht easily in farang land..

Edited June 5, 2013 by metisdead
Underscore removed.

[pattayadingo]

3 bed terraced house in U.K. at seaside built with semi-engineering bricks, £100K + (Much better build quality overall), but newer houses where I come from you can hear the neighbours farting because they use stud walls.

3 bed town house Pattaya, 1,000,000 Baht needs 500,000 Baht renovation (will fall down long before my U.K. house).

No comparison in build quality between the two. My house has been standing since 1902 and still as solid as the day it was built. 1" floorboards, 9" skirting boards. dado rails, picture rails, ceiling coving 9" deep to wall and ceiling.... need I say more?

we just finnished our house, very good build, double block apart from internel walls, i did most of the plumbing myself good quality fittings,,

ok its in a village but that is were i live and chose to live,

and the finnish price is a fraction under 1 mil bht, 3 bed, 2 bath,living room and kitchen, with a 6x6mtr coverd sitting outside area,

thanks jake,

Nicely done, Jake. And you got it done to your specs. That is how I would do it if I was with a long time partner too.

Yet in the main here, the houses built by developers are never going to be of the same quality as yours.

This current place of mine that I rent did not have a sink unit in the kitcher, nor a waste outlet. I made the waste outlet hole in the wall in 5 minutes with a screwdriver! That is how solid these external walls are on these estates.

No comparison to the house I own in the U.K.

Yes, they are cheaper here and you built yours for a fraction of what you could have built one in the U.K. for. In many ways that is ideal

[pigeonjake]

we just finnished our house, very good build, double block apart from internel walls, i did most of the plumbing myself good quality fittings,,

ok its in a village but that is were i live and chose to live,

and the finnish price is a fraction under 1 mil bht, 3 bed, 2 bath,living room and kitchen, with a 6x6mtr coverd sitting outside area,

thanks jake,

Not 'our house' but her house.

Not where you choose to live, but where she chooses to live.

Not having a go Jake, but you might want to take off the rose tinted spectacles sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great you have built your lady a nice home, but it isn't yours.

you seriously want to get a life,,

what i do in my life i make the decissions, i love my wife and our daughter, yes my daughter, so yes i built a house for us,

and yes i also laid a lot of the blocks,hard work, but thats what you do when you have a family, being the man you provide for them,

i gues you wouldnt know about that,

jake

[ignis]

google BKK or Thai real estate.

you will find many agents with hundreds of listings of varied sizes and prices, they are far cheaper.

no comparison whatsoever.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38706742.html?premiumA=true

A link sowing a house in Derby for £51,000 can any one show me a link for house built as well with a garden as big for as cheap?

who wants to live in Derby?

Notice a few in Mid Wales + cheaper, most No bathroom, some No running water, maybe a better option then a Council Estate in Derby ?

Would be nice for some http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41176544.html Lots of others as well, some even with no roof

Edited June 5, 2013 by ignis

[Sigurris]

When buying more expensive properties here (mainly condos) the build quality is usually much higher with European standards so easier to compare with similar builds in the UK.

I bought a 135sq m Sea view condo in a very small block three years ago and paid 8m (which was 1.5m less than the developer was asking and came fully furnished with very high end furniture). The area around me is becoming very upmarket with the condo development next door 90% sold at 120,000 per square metre.

I once did a cost comparison with Brighton and Hove and found that something similar with sea views would be between 550,000 and 1m GBP. The UK property is probably a much better investment but since I could never have afforded it in the first place the point is moot.

In terms of value for money I am very happy with my purchase. It should see me out. Also my yearly charges are less than half what I paid in London for a property half the size. Add to that no council tax and I am 2,500GBP better off per year.

[MrWorldwide]

Just make sure it's not an area subject to flooding. . .

Pattaya, here I come !

[MrWorldwide]

I've learnt a lot watching Grand Designs. Apparently British people have an absolutely stupid amount of money and access to virtually unlimited credit - they use these assets to build a house roughly the size of the hotel in Fawlty Towers for a family of four. I just never saw the point in building such grand homes in a climate that seems to have been designed by an demon with PMS.

[pigeonjake]

you only have to look at the windows,

we have 7x 1.5mt x1mt,,,,2x 500x1mt,,,windows

2x 2mtx 2mt sliding doors, 2 x 1mt x 2mt doors all with brown glass and mozzi nets,

1,200 pounds fitted,

i thought that was a great deal,

if you go to shaggys post in farming section on farm picturs youll see my bungalow on there i put some pics there, ive still got to do the garden better, but ill get there,

and yes i love living in the country with the pigs,chickens and ducks, i was from farming stock in the uk so i feel at home on the farm, and we only have 2 rai,

jake,,

looking through his rose tinted glasses and long may it last,,lol

,sorry american i should of said my wifes bungalow,,lol sorry couldnt help myself

Edited June 5, 2013 by pigeonjake

[rayongchelsea]

Started looking at buying property in 1989,compared to the uk then it was about the same or just slightly cheaper for good areas. The exchange rate between 1998- 2007 was the only time since I have lived here that prices were significantly cheaper.

In general property here in a good area is almost comparable to uk prices ( parts of London included).

Eventually bought 2 properties in London in the 90's, because of the legal aspects, lack of understanding of how condos were managed at the time etc..information on real estate wasn't so readily available then, other than when seeking legal advice I was told not to use a company!!

Have bought a house here since, quality poor, maintenance a nightmare..sold.

Now live in a condo.

I find property here just way too expensive to justify..but I have never seen a real correction even when I was looking post Asian crisis 1998-2001, prior taksin, on his appointment things started to rebound and fairly quickly..

I am looking at a correction in the baht within the next 2 years and will then buy again..but that's as much about instinct and feel, the abundance of credit etc..

Good luck to anyone buying here, but live here at least 5 years before buying, know your area, know the building, I for one am a big supporter of well maintained second hand buildings in good areas as having the best value.

[Radar501]

I've learnt a lot watching Grand Designs. Apparently British people have an absolutely stupid amount of money and access to virtually unlimited credit - they use these assets to build a house roughly the size of the hotel in Fawlty Towers for a family of four. I just never saw the point in building such grand homes in a climate that seems to have been designed by an demon with PMS.

You never watched that other UK program 'Keeping Up Appearances'?

[MrWorldwide]

I've learnt a lot watching Grand Designs. Apparently British people have an absolutely stupid amount of money and access to virtually unlimited credit - they use these assets to build a house roughly the size of the hotel in Fawlty Towers for a family of four. I just never saw the point in building such grand homes in a climate that seems to have been designed by an demon with PMS.

You never watched that other UK program 'Keeping Up Appearances'?

Nah - we only get GD, Dr Who, Shameless and Skins. Oh, and Home&Away, of course

[overherebc]

what about all the ongoing costs of owning a house in uk,such as land and council taxes,how much to get a plumber or a sparkie to do work,or a painter to do a job...certainly no comparison to here in thailand

ok the topic was about properties and the cost not about the cost of living and maintaining but here goes....

In the UK I pay council tax and for that I live my life without the smell and sight of garbage stacked in public places, they even come and get it from the bin where I put it these days...if you are living on a moo ban in Thailand then I sincerely hope all of your maintenance fee isn't being embezzled by the committee as most of them seem to do so, as in my other post everything is sweet in the brand new homes for the first few years then it all goes to ruin and isn't maintained!

land taxes....you got them in Thailand as well, it's just whether or not you chooses to de-value the property to pay less, quite a mute point really...

as for tradesmen come off it you are having a giggle with that one, very few and far between and again there are countless threads on here about 'thai tradesmen' and their antics....I am sure some on here can share but the one I remember is a worker bricking up a window and door way so they were effectively trapped in a room and had bricked themselves in there....or the 'thai sparkie' whose idea to join live wires and make them safe is a bit of black tape which is then cemented into your walls....or even the ones who start jobs then when they realise they have mis quoted for it do a moonlight never to be seen again!

Thanks for the chuckle

Yes. you have land taxes and transfer fees but only payable on the sale or purchase of the property AND a sliding percentage scale over 5 years then minimal. A friend just sold a 1.4 million baht property having owned it for 4 years 36k B in fees. (780 pounds)

Call your lawyer once and say your thinking about buying a house in UK and your bill is at that level already

[seajae]

3 bed terraced house in U.K. at seaside built with semi-engineering bricks, £100K + (Much better build quality overall), but newer houses where I come from you can hear the neighbours farting because they use stud walls.

3 bed town house Pattaya, 1,000,000 Baht needs 500,000 Baht renovation (will fall down long before my U.K. house).

No comparison in build quality between the two. My house has been standing since 1902 and still as solid as the day it was built. 1" floorboards, 9" skirting boards. dado rails, picture rails, ceiling coving 9" deep to wall and ceiling.... need I say more?

mate, have to agree with that, as a tradesman I am floored at the pathetic work here, no tradesmen for a start, plaster work is pathetic along with the painting, wiring, plumbing(all plastic) and the wood work is a laugh. No one knows what a spirit level is and nothing is square or straight. My 2 story house was 3 million baht, cheap but it is so badly built, all the plumbing leaks, walls are not square, full of white ants and it is sinking into the ground(not packed properly before building, pierage not very good but my wife was the one who bought it. Half the power points/lights dont work and short out, tiles run away from the drains so the floors flood, it is simply pathetic and I will have a lot of re-building to do before it is acceptable. They are cheap because the work is absolute shit and done by lackies, not tradesmen full stop. If they were done properly with good materials they would cost similar but that will never happen because no one wants to pay for it, they all want cheap.

[Phronesis]

House values are entirely irrelevant. What is relevant is income. Everyone should ask themselves, if I buy this house (to live in), will I be able to find a job or otherwise generate an income if I need to. If the answer is no...or even maybe...do not buy...

For example, Pigeon Jake's home would be entirely worthless TO HIM if he could not fly in fly out to earn his living. Same goes for all those living on a pension, regardless of how cheap or expensive their Thai digs are...they become worthless to the individual if he can no longer live in Thailand on his pension.

I know of two farangs here in Phuket that have a Thai wife and kids and have built a big house with pool etc...only to find out they cant make a living here. Both of those blokes are now back in Oz chasing work, while the wives stay here in the big houses shagging their thai boyfriends...

With Thailand's climate, and the ubiquitous availability of wifi, explain to me in simple terms, like I was a small child, or a labrador, why a house is even necessary...

[itchybum]

House values are entirely irrelevant. What is relevant is income. Everyone should ask themselves, if I buy this house (to live in), will I be able to find a job or otherwise generate an income if I need to. If the answer is no...or even maybe...do not buy...

For example, Pigeon Jake's home would be entirely worthless TO HIM if he could not fly in fly out to earn his living. Same goes for all those living on a pension, regardless of how cheap or expensive their Thai digs are...they become worthless to the individual if he can no longer live in Thailand on his pension.

I know of two farangs here in Phuket that have a Thai wife and kids and have built a big house with pool etc...only to find out they cant make a living here. Both of those blokes are now back in Oz chasing work, while the wives stay here in the big houses shagging their thai boyfriends...

With Thailand's climate, and the ubiquitous availability of wifi, explain to me in simple terms, like I was a small child, or a labrador, why a house is even necessary...

Are you planning on moving from starbucks to starbucks?

[thaicbr]

3 bed terraced house in U.K. at seaside built with semi-engineering bricks, £100K + (Much better build quality overall), but newer houses where I come from you can hear the neighbours farting because they use stud walls.

 

3 bed town house Pattaya, 1,000,000 Baht needs 500,000 Baht renovation (will fall down long before my U.K. house).

 

No comparison in build quality between the two. My house has been standing since 1902 and still as solid as the day it was built. 1" floorboards, 9" skirting boards. dado rails, picture rails, ceiling coving 9" deep to wall and ceiling.... need I say more?

mate, have to agree with that, as a tradesman I am floored at the pathetic work here, no tradesmen for a start, plaster work is pathetic along with the painting, wiring, plumbing(all plastic) and the wood work is a laugh. No one knows what a spirit level is and nothing is square or straight. My 2 story house was 3 million baht, cheap but it is so badly built, all the plumbing leaks, walls are not square, full of white ants and it is sinking into the ground(not packed properly before building, pierage not very good but my wife was the one who bought it. Half the power points/lights dont work and short out, tiles run away from the drains so the floors flood, it is simply pathetic and I will have a lot of re-building to do before it is acceptable. They are cheap because the work is absolute shit and done by lackies, not tradesmen full stop. If they were done properly with good materials they would cost similar but that will never happen because no one wants to pay for it, they all want cheap.

That's very true for many but not all construction workers here. And it is a great shame that they don't take it seriously. There is a great website for "coolthaihouse " that is worth looking at for the fails and also the pluses. With more and more builders and developers using Qcon and superblock things are getting better. Those amazingly tiny stupid red bricks are slowly being phased out (at least for external walls)

I think.many Thais just don't know or understand quality construction and they just believe the companies know what they are doing. Very often site managers are non existent or a bimbo

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[pigeonjake]

i built a house because that is my home, our home,

yes i do fly in and fly out, but to be honest when i was in the uk married i did exacly the same thing,

its nice to think you have a home to come home to, if you look at the pics of our home its nothing special, its built very well, but like i say nothing special, material things mean nothing to me, we have a second hand pickup, second hand fino,

i live just like i did in england, yes i could go and buy a new car, but whats the point?

i could of built a big house, but again whats the point,

i built the house just how we needed it,

ive never been a flash person, im just a working down to earth bloke, but very streetwise,

they allways say your home is were your heart is, and to me that means thailand,

i cant speak for every one, if i was better with words i could maybe explain better,

my heart is in thailand,

jake

[mca]

google BKK or Thai real estate.

you will find many agents with hundreds of listings of varied sizes and prices, they are far cheaper.

no comparison whatsoever.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38706742.html?premiumA=true

A link sowing a house in Derby for £51,000 can any one show me a link for house built as well with a garden as big for as cheap?

who wants to live in Derby?

People who found Harare too classy

[overherebc]

we just finnished our house, very good build, double block apart from internel walls, i did most of the plumbing myself good quality fittings,,

ok its in a village but that is were i live and chose to live,

and the finnish price is a fraction under 1 mil bht, 3 bed, 2 bath,living room and kitchen, with a 6x6mtr coverd sitting outside area,

thanks jake,

Not 'our house' but her house.

Not where you choose to live, but where she chooses to live.

Not having a go Jake, but you might want to take off the rose tinted spectacles sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's great you have built your lady a nice home, but it isn't yours.

Dreadful state of affairs.

My mate in UK built and paid for the house just outside Aberdeen and when he died his wife then owned it. How terrible that is. Imagine if all countries were the same.

Another friend ended up divorced in UK and his wife got the house.

If you can't find anyone you can trust then that's your life.

Don't think we are all th same.

[sunlong]

If he built the house, paid for it alone and has the receipts, then it is his house.

He can dismantle it if he wants and take it elsewhere.

He could burn it or bulldoze it also if that was his desire.

This is only true in theory, you assume the letter of the law is relevant to reality here. I'd really like to see someone try to put this to the test, unless they explicitly planned for this and made it clear to all concerned from the beginning.

I completely agree that many silly duffers are mistaken to call it "my house" and "our house".

It's 100% true that the farang can continue to live there as long as the family unit stays together.

However many end up having to stay long after it's become a very miserable situation, simply because they no longer have any options financially, they've sunk all their eggs in one basket.

Perfectly fine to build your wife and kids a house, noble and that's the way it should be.

As long as you realize all the ramifications of what you're doing and can truly afford to do so.

Otherwise IMO much better to simply rent.

Personally I'd advise to never live within four hours' driving distance of my wife's family.

Edited June 5, 2013 by sunlong

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Personally I'd advise to never live within four hours' driving distance of my wife's family.

I'm thinking not many men would agree to live next to their in-laws in a rural village as their first choice for a home.

(No matter where that village was located in the world)

The price of the house in Thailand is irrelevant to most TV posters as they can never own it (in any real way).

Edited June 5, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[kannot]

What price legal title to the land your house stands on, in your own name?

somchai mouse is the owner, its like Mickey .........but Thai

[sunlong]

I'm thinking not many men would agree to live next to their in-laws in a rural village as their first choice for a home.

-

Many many do, they're happy to turn over most important decision-making to their SO, happy to go along with whatever she wants. And it's perfectly true that some of them stay that way - happy - until they pass on.

Some don't, come to realize some of those decisions weren't actually in their best interest.

Out of those, some were smart/lucky enough to still have the resources to take back control over their lives and pursue other options.

Some feel they don't have any choices and put up with being miserable, accepting that as their lot in life.

I suspect we don't hear too much from the latter group here on TV because they know they'll get slagged for being stupid.

Perhaps one way to get a more accurate picture would be to drive around the villages full of houses built by farang and find out how many of them still have the right to live there?

[kannot]

If he built the house, paid for it alone and has the receipts, then it is his house.

He can dismantle it if he wants and take it elsewhere.

He could burn it or bulldoze it also if that was his desire.

This is only true in theory, you assume the letter of the law is relevant to reality here. I'd really like to see someone try to put this to the test, unless they explicitly planned for this and made it clear to all concerned from the beginning.

I completely agree that many silly duffers are mistaken to call it "my house" and "our house".

It's 100% true that the farang can continue to live there as long as the family unit stays together.

However many end up having to stay long after it's become a very miserable situation, simply because they no longer have any options financially, they've sunk all their eggs in one basket.

Perfectly fine to build your wife and kids a house, noble and that's the way it should be.

As long as you realize all the ramifications of what you're doing and can truly afford to do so.

Otherwise IMO much better to simply rent.

Personally I'd advise to never live within four hours' driving distance of my wife's family.

Or if you're real smart they live much further away.............they're dead!!

[thaicbr]

If he built the house, paid for it alone and has the receipts, then it is his house.

 

He can dismantle it if he wants and take it elsewhere.

 

He could burn it or bulldoze it also if that was his desire.

This is only true in theory, you assume the letter of the law is relevant to reality here. I'd really like to see someone try to put this to the test, unless they explicitly planned for this and made it clear to all concerned from the beginning.

I completely agree that many silly duffers are mistaken to call it "my house" and "our house".

It's 100% true that the farang can continue to live there as long as the family unit stays together.

However many end up having to stay long after it's become a very miserable situation, simply because they no longer have any options financially, they've sunk all their eggs in one basket.

Perfectly fine to build your wife and kids a house, noble and that's the way it should be.

As long as you realize all the ramifications of what you're doing and can truly afford to do so.

Otherwise IMO much better to simply rent.

Personally I'd advise to never live within four hours' driving distance of my wife's family.

Where does your wife live and why do you advise us not to live near her?

Is she hot? Or does she have EXTREMELY bad BO?

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

[sunlong]

Or if you're real smart they live much further away.............they're dead!

-

Yes, orphan status is definitely a desirable trait to add to your target profile in looking for a Thai wife.

Not so much a girl that has consciously decided to cut all ties with her family, that turns out to have correlated attributes that aren't so positive.

Where does your wife live and why do you advise us not to live near her?

Is she hot? Or does she have EXTREMELY bad BO?

-

Perhaps you misunderstood.

I make sure my partner understands that she is going to accompany me to live in the locations that I choose.

And I would never choose to live near her family, as no matter how lovely they may be, I find the added pressure to go along with their desires uncomfortable.

Occasional visits in either direction are fine, but IMO important to set up a new nuclear family unit rather than being assimilated into that extended one.

[aussiebebe]

I can't find where I read it several months ago but I read that some houses in the north of the UK are being sold for a pound as long as you sign complex agreements that you will pay to renovate them. It was a part of a city where there used to be mining or manufacturing jobs - whole rows of houses vacant.