After reading horror accounts about buying land I was rather concerned that lawyers would have to be hired I am pleased to say that that none were needed and my purchase went as follows,the wife and I have been looking for about 2 years when one day I was on the motor bike and saw a sign for land for sale we then phoned the owner and he sent by fax the chanot we went down to the land office to check things out everything was in order ,then it was just a matter of agreeing a price and the transfer fees .A few days past and we all met at the land office me with a bankers cheque and cash for the transfer fee which was 2225 stamp duty was .80% after 40 minutes the chanot with wifes name was duly presented ,and now the fun starts with the build of the house.Not everything has a dark side here in the LOS

....and another Thai lady suddenly goes up in the world courtesy of the falang...house next and her dreams come true.

(the cynic in me)

....and another Thai lady suddenly goes up in the world courtesy of the falang...house next and her dreams come true.

(the cynic in me)

...and that 's how it works here....it's just a matter of time...and they are very patient folks...

Congrats, but not exactly your purchase is it?

A useful addition is to get a 30 year lease on the land (In your name) which is just a limited precaution.

Congrats, but not exactly your purchase is it?

It was a given that somebody would post that comment and it didn't take very long.

The other two replies aren't even worth passing comment on, in my opinion.

Glad your purchase went smoothly. Try to ignore the rabble - they can only judge others by the company they themselves keep.

Edited August 22, 201312 yr by inthepink

congratulations ! Hope the build goes well...

Congrats, but not exactly your purchase is it?

It was a given that somebody would post that comment and it didn't take very long.

 

The other two replies aren't even worth passing comment on, in my opinion.

 

Glad your purchase went smoothly. Try to ignore the rabble - they can only judge others by the company they themselves keep.

Doesn't make the statement any less true though..But as long as people understand that's OK...

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Also OP check out the DIY building sub forum and coolthaihouse..com. a nice website for Expat builders.

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....and another Thai lady suddenly goes up in the world courtesy of the falang...house next and her dreams come true.

(the cynic in me)

...and that 's how it works here....it's just a matter of time...and they are very patient folks...

Indeed.

You bought it.

But who has it?

I hope all this works out for the OP, and I know several farangs who have done it this way and years later they are still with their wives, living in the house and happy.

But the truth is the OP could have transferred the purchase money directly to his wife's bank account and then relied on her good will to buy the land. Same thing.

Wow, the negativity is truly amazing.

Such bitterness.

The guy has bought a plot of land in his wifes name , so what ???

Why not wish him good luck with his building project ??

It's not always doom and gloom.

Wow, the negativity is truly amazing.

Such bitterness.

The guy has bought a plot of land in his wifes name , so what ???

Why not wish him good luck with his building project ??

It's not always doom and gloom.

At Thaivisa you only hear the bad, never the good.

Wow, the negativity is truly amazing.

Such bitterness.

The guy has bought a plot of land in his wifes name , so what ???

 

Why not wish him good luck with his building project ??

It's not always doom and gloom.

At Thaivisa you only hear the bad, never the good.

That's not true. There are some good threads but they just aren't as much fun

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Maybe I was the lucky one,they are not all money grabbers,and its just the same in the West,

25 years later,still happy,have a lovely daughter,who is making her way in the world after finishing

Uni, several properties, in wifes name,no problem ,for me,trust goes both ways, and I am sure they

are many more happy couples around Thailand in the same situation.

So don't belate the OP ,over what you have heard or experienced about Thai woman,there are plenty

of honest,hardworking and reliable ones about,yes luck plays a big part in it,the most important thing

to remember here is, never invest more than you cannot afford to walk away from.

regards Worgeordie

I built a house 10 years ago on my wife's mother's land. Heard all the horror stories about the wife getting the house and its

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Thanks for all the positive replies the others well enuf said .

I went into this with eyes wide open and a positive attitude ,

when I start the house project i am going to try and show the major stages through photos on TVisa.

I built a house 10 years ago on my wife's mother's land. Heard all the horror stories about the wife getting the house and its not yours etc. but I have heard more stories about that in my home country. The difference is they usually paid big lawyer fees to lose their house. Ten years later I'm still here and expect to die here. Good luck on you new house.

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Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Not your purchase, but her purchase.

Your passport copy and the form you signed, confirmed her purchase and your money was not used.

(In other words, on divorce no sharing, all hers)

Not your purchase, but her purchase.

Your passport copy and the form you signed, confirmed her purchase and your money was not used.

(In other words, on divorce no sharing, all hers)

But strangely if bought when married it is still shared on divorce 50/50. If bought before then not.

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Not your purchase, but her purchase.

Your passport copy and the form you signed, confirmed her purchase and your money was not used.

(In other words, on divorce no sharing, all hers)

The OP is letting people know that the legal side of a land purchase does not necessarily have to be a nightmare. Why did you feel the need to make a pedantic post about the wording of what he wrote? Pathetic, really pathetic.

Maybe I was the lucky one,they are not all money grabbers

I reckon most of us are in that situation. Only hear "horror stories" from the minority. "Situation normal" no need to report it on a forum.....

Not your purchase, but her purchase.

Your passport copy and the form you signed, confirmed her purchase and your money was not used.

(In other words, on divorce no sharing, all hers)

I wish you all the best, I am going through the same process.

Do check out how legal or otherwise for a Thai National to purchase land using money given by a falang.

Only my 2 baht worth but check it out for both of you to be leagaly covered.

Wow, the negativity is truly amazing.

Such bitterness.

The guy has bought a plot of land in his wifes name , so what ???

Why not wish him good luck with his building project ??

It's not always doom and gloom.

From my experience in building a house here luck has nothing to do with it. If you do not know how to build a house you had better get someone who has and watch EVERYTHING they do.I hired a European builder.

If you are going to use a western style septic system you will need drain traps. Someone needs to know where to put them. The fresh water system (pump, tanks, filter, etc) that got installed (not by the builder) was a real treat to get functional.

If you are going to use high capacity water heaters someone needs to know that you cannot use a 12,000 watt water heater on a 20 amp circuit breaker.

If you are going to use floor drains, someone needs to have a clue of what size drain will be required to drain the amount of water that will flow. And if you decide you want a shower cabinet in a bathroom with a floor drain, someone needs to tell them to install another floor drain before the concrete is poured.

So basically, I now have a house, a very nice house, that has bathrooms that smell like sewer, drains that cannot possible drain and the master bath shower that can only be used if you like very cold showers and a jacuzzi that would cause shriveling. And (this is really the kicker) an Asian bathroom with no floor drain or bum gun.

It is not going to be cheap to fix all of this and the builder will not accept any responsibility.

If you just want a normal Thai house, just let them go at it..

Thanks for all the positive replies the others well enuf said .

I went into this with eyes wide open and a positive attitude ,

when I start the house project i am going to try and show the major stages through photos on TVisa.

May I ask; have you funded the purchase of the said land via a legal company that you own in Thailand?

Or was it with your Thai wife`s money that funded the purchase of the land?

If not, than your purchase of the said land is not legal, pure and simple, which you must have known because as said, you went into this with your eyes wide open.

You may be fine if as I guess that you believe that no one will notice and will turn a blind eye. It`s when the unexpected happens when big problems may arise. For example; death of spouse, spouse decides to leave for greener pastures elsewhere, the authorities decide to have a clamp down and investigate the ownerships of land and real estate, disputes with neighbors and so on.

But who knows, you may get away with it? Even if most of your future expectations of living and perhaps working on the land is based on a hope and a prayer.

And that`s my positive thoughts regarding those like you and those who do the same. The facts are the facts.

Whoever risks plying their hard earned case into these projects, based mainly on trust, do so at their own discretion.

Good luck.

Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, it's not exactly rocket science.

But many get away with it and good luck to you, you are braver men than I.

Most of the comments here are to be considered,the positive wishes and those not so positive advices,but if OP wants to feel at least as a "house owner",than better get some protection...lease,usefruct{?) and of course document all the purchases and keep receipts from building the house...just in case

...and all the stories about building your "own" house are probably a true stories,so you don't need luck...just be there ALL the time to keep an eye,so they screw up less

I have bought 2 plots of land for my wife, one we live on and the other because it was so cheap it could only go up in value, thus ensuring her a retirement fund. I have a 20 year lease on the house and land, registered at the land office. I also have no illusions about my legal standing. I trust my wife, but if something were to happen to her, i'm screwed, her cousin was over to the house one New Years Eve, had a few drinks, told me that this is his house. I just laughed at him, as long as my wife is alive he'll never get it, and when she isn't i don't care. I bought the house for her, i wanted her to have it because she had nothing and i love her. When i give a gift, i don't expect to gain from it, or get it back.

Op, have you considered one of those Shera, bolt-together houses?:

Anyone plays silly-b*ggers, just unbolt it and chuck it on the back of a truck, or just leave it.

Op, have you considered one of those Shera, bolt-together houses?:

Yes. They are not cost competitive compared to anything else you might use to build a house. (Including other materials that can be taken apart relatively easily, such as steel and wood.)