I was informed by my lawyer a husband and wife can not have a contract but a man and his girlfriend can. Doesn't make sense but hey This Is Thailand.

Did the OP mention whether this land was in Issan? Any background on the wife? Might be better to get a gist on whether this would work out for him

Thank you all for providing me with information to use in making my decision. I am glad you all helped.

will be near Lop Buri. I may go with a mortgage.

The facts are, if she goes, you lose it.

There is no legal process thru which u will win.

I was very particular to marry a woman who already had her own house , I have spent a bit to renovate , modernise , create a gentleman's residence .

Much may depend on who your wife is as to how successful the marriage and how safe your investment .

For example my wife is university educated , was a school teacher when I met her , now head teacher of her school .

It takes two to make a successful marriage , you have to work at it .

Be very careful with using that as a yard stick. Where I live there are many. I have just seen a 62 year old Brit move into his wife;s house "her own house" unfortunately it was built by his predecessor! An American who said enough is enough and did a runner. There is another lady who brings a new husband from Germany every 2 or three years. In my 15 years here the list is endless.

Having their own house owned outright would set alarm bells ringing!

I was informed by my lawyer a husband and wife can not have a contract but a man and his girlfriend can. Doesn't make sense but hey This Is Thailand.

<br>

This means it is much better not to get married, but rather stay together as a boyfriend and a girlfriend with a contract. I have a strong feeling that the Thai laws should really be adapted to the 21. century standards and support the family life with equal rights.

Remember the Thai mindset, money is number one. If you find your relationship goes downhill you can expect to lose everything. I know a number of guys who had met the special one, bought the land, built the house and then went home for a couple of weeks. On their return the locks have been changed with the boyfriend/family in situ. Money trumps everything and farangs generally have plenty of it, hence our popularity.