Our Private Village Turned Over to the Municipality...a NIGHTMARE!

[Showbags]

Just another example of the thread titled with all the xxxxxx's in it.

[Naam]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

here's the beef!

These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village.

[fittobethaied]

Just for my information: is the developer responsible for this yes / no?

Cloggie, so far as I know the developer is only obligated to direct the voting process, and it is then up to the property owners to decide whether they want to establish the HOA or turn the village over to the Tessaban for maintenance. In our case, once the decision was made the developer provided a few months of maintenance until we could make the transition, then he was "outta' here"! He actually did more than we could have expected of him, so none of this is really his fault. It is my observation that the Thais just don't want any rules and regulations imposed on them...nobody overseeing them and telling them what they can or cannot do, and for sure they don't want a farang associated with having a say in the village affairs. I will not soon forget this experience and for sure it has left a bad taste in my mouth to see how the Thais conduct their community affairs.

[trogers]

Just for my information: is the developer responsible for this yes / no?

Cloggie, so far as I know the developer is only obligated to direct the voting process, and it is then up to the property owners to decide whether they want to establish the HOA or turn the village over to the Tessaban for maintenance. In our case, once the decision was made the developer provided a few months of maintenance until we could make the transition, then he was "outta' here"! He actually did more than we could have expected of him, so none of this is really his fault. It is my observation that the Thais just don't want any rules and regulations imposed on them...nobody overseeing them and telling them what they can or cannot do, and for sure they don't want a farang associated with having a say in the village affairs. I will not soon forget this experience and for sure it has left a bad taste in my mouth to see how the Thais conduct their community affairs.

I thought this point is obvious just by visiting this country for a few weeks - riders of motorbikes not wearing crash helmets, and having 3-4 people on a bike, even some police officers, who are supposed to enforce the law...

[falkan]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

with 3M baht homes will buy you low/middle class neighbors that don't really care of anything else then there own house!

how about sell the house and upgrade to Land and house or some other developer in that price range? your maintenance will be much higher around 5-10k a month but less problems..

[FiftyTwo]

I find this odd since OP says upscale village.

I also live in a nice (still) village with app. 100 houses and we have just taking over the maintenance ourselfes and it was never an issue being taking over by the local municipality.

We have app 60% Thai/Thai owned house and the rest are expat/Thai couples from all over the world.

We have a lot of Thai doctors in the village and I mean a lot, they are very nice people and they want it clean and private.

Thanks for the response Guzzi! Then I'd say that you probably has a vote of some sort to set up a Juristic Persons Estate, or Homeowner's Association as we call it back in the States. Had you not done that then it would have been turned over to the municipality. I can't see what would make your village any different than ours. The problem is with the Thais in that they don't want to spend the money for monthly maintenance, and they think that if an association is established and funds collected, then those in charge of the money will steal it. Pretty incredulous, but they have that mindset and no degree of persuasion could convince them otherwise. They are so apathetic that hardly anyone showed up for the voting. They just don't have a sense of community here and it's every man for himself. They could give a flip less about the concerns of their neighbors. Sad but true! Then again, we are not talking about residents who are educated and professionals like your doctor neighbors. Many of these homes were purchased by farangs for the families of their wives or gf's, so those that are living in many of the homes are basically rice farmers who have come in from the countryside to occupy them. That explains a lot right there! Need I say more?

It's their country, it's their houses, they should be allowed to run it any way they like.

You are a foreigner, you can't own or control the property, you have no rights to live in the country.

I'm sure many of the Thai owners are completely happy with the outcome, and just hoping the foreigners go home.

At the moment I'm in a moobaan with fees of 450bht a month. Can't wait for the developer to bog off and the monthly fees to go away.

PS

Table by the lake looks nice. If I lived there a bin bag and 5 minutes work would give me a nice place to sit.

(repeat as needed)

PPS

You need a bit more community spirit, I have no problems, my kids are in the road with all the other kids.

Racing up and down before sunset, no need to watch them, always a few mums and dads looking out and picking them off the ground when they fall over. Doesn't matter if they are yours or not, brush 'em down and off they go. This is the way life should be lived, not everyone for himself and complaining about everyone else. Live and let live.

Edited February 2, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[Naam]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

with 3M baht homes will buy you low/middle class neighbors that don't really care of anything else then there own house!

how about sell the house and upgrade to Land and house or some other developer in that price range? your maintenance will be much higher around 5-10k a month but less problems..

there's a "little" hurdle to overcome. you don't find homes below 12-15 million (excluding land!) in a community where maintenance fees are 60-100k per annum.

[Showbags]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

with 3M baht homes will buy you low/middle class neighbors that don't really care of anything else then there own house!

how about sell the house and upgrade to Land and house or some other developer in that price range? your maintenance will be much higher around 5-10k a month but less problems..

there's a "little" hurdle to overcome. you don't find homes below 12-15 million (excluding land!) in a community where maintenance fees are 60-100k per annum.

Fees where I live are 1200b a month.

There is a house for sale for 17million currently.

[Naam]

Fees where I live are 1200b a month.

There is a house for sale for 17million currently.

what percentage of homes in your "village" are valued 15m or more?

[manarak]

Fees where I live are 1200b a month.

There is a house for sale for 17million currently.

what percentage of homes in your "village" are valued 15m or more?

not sure if that matters too much.

The point is, homes for 3 million are and have been within buying range of many people who took a loan to finance their purchase but later had a change in fortune, and every baht counts...

For good maintenance, it's indeed better to aim for 10m +

another problem in many villages is that some people just don't pay the fees and the HOA can do nothing about it.

can't quite believe fifty two's post above is for real.

I think Thailand should enact a law regarding villages and the requirement to pay minimum maintenance fees.

[Naam]

Fees where I live are 1200b a month.

There is a house for sale for 17million currently.

what percentage of homes in your "village" are valued 15m or more?

not sure if that matters too much.

The point is, homes for 3 million are and have been within buying range of many people who took a loan to finance their purchase but later had a change in fortune, and every baht counts...

For good maintenance, it's indeed better to aim for 10m +

another problem in many villages is that some people just don't pay the fees and the HOA can do nothing about it.

can't quite believe fifty two's post above is for real.

I think Thailand should enact a law regarding villages and the requirement to pay minimum maintenance fees.

in context what we are discussing it matters a lot. five or six years ago one home in our community was sold for 67 million which is not representative. i estimate the average value of the top homes between 20 and 25m. one home was recently sold for 24m. reason for the relatively high values is the price for land and the fact that a standard lot size is one Rai, i.e. nobody builds a shack on an expensive lot.

note: my mentioning "value" is based on land price and building cost which does not necessarily tally with the market price.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Naam

[Showbags]

Fees where I live are 1200b a month.

There is a house for sale for 17million currently.

what percentage of homes in your "village" are valued 15m or more?

Dunno...the land is valued at 5-7mil per rai currently so start there.

[Jerry Cornelius]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

with 3M baht homes will buy you low/middle class neighbors that don't really care of anything else then there own house!

how about sell the house and upgrade to Land and house or some other developer in that price range? your maintenance will be much higher around 5-10k a month but less problems..

there's a "little" hurdle to overcome. you don't find homes below 12-15 million (excluding land!) in a community where maintenance fees are 60-100k per annum.

Last year we looked at a house in Hua Hin which was in a gated community. The fees were 6,500 THB a month and the price of the house was 4.3 million THB.

Nine months later it and others in that community are unsold. Todays asking price is now 5.6 million THB. Maybe the fees have increased proportionately also.

Fees of that order weren't unusual in that area for houses costing around 5 million THB (new and resales). No doubt some areas will be different but I suspect others will be very similar. Charging excessive fees is becoming the norm in popular areas.

Jerry

[FiftyTwo]

The point is, homes for 3 million are and have been within buying range of many people who took a loan to finance their purchase but later had a change in fortune, and every baht counts...

For good maintenance, it's indeed better to aim for 10m +

another problem in many villages is that some people just don't pay the fees and the HOA can do nothing about it.

can't quite believe fifty two's post above is for real.

I think Thailand should enact a law regarding villages and the requirement to pay minimum maintenance fees.

Yes, I am a foreigner who thinks I should fit in with the Thais, rather than stamp my feet and insist they fit in with me. I also think we should learn Thai, after all it's their country.

Edited February 3, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[richardt1808]

Hi guys,

May I add one positive story. I also have a house in a private village, with just over a hundred homes. Our Developer walked us through the HOA process about two years ago and our committe, made up entirely of Thais, was established. I was quite worried initially as I imagined all of the above and more would happen at our place, but I'm happy to report that it was quite the opposite. Our committee members decided to keep the annual fees the same, and to make a lost of all the things that needed doing and prioritise it. We collect fees twice a year and around each collection time, they post a huge board on the front gate and showing how many homes have paid and how many have not. When it gets down to the last 5, then they give a further week for payments to be finalised and indicate that any defaulters at that time will be named. We have had a 100% payment rate since they took over and I've been so impressed with the time and care that the committee members devote to the task of keeping our little village running.

I guess we are really one of the truly lucky complexes and it just goes to show that sometimes, things do work out okay.

[fittobethaied]

Hi guys,

May I add one positive story. I also have a house in a private village, with just over a hundred homes. Our Developer walked us through the HOA process about two years ago and our committe, made up entirely of Thais, was established. I was quite worried initially as I imagined all of the above and more would happen at our place, but I'm happy to report that it was quite the opposite. Our committee members decided to keep the annual fees the same, and to make a lost of all the things that needed doing and prioritise it. We collect fees twice a year and around each collection time, they post a huge board on the front gate and showing how many homes have paid and how many have not. When it gets down to the last 5, then they give a further week for payments to be finalised and indicate that any defaulters at that time will be named. We have had a 100% payment rate since they took over and I've been so impressed with the time and care that the committee members devote to the task of keeping our little village running.

I guess we are really one of the truly lucky complexes and it just goes to show that sometimes, things do work out okay.

Thanks for your comment richard1808. I am the OP, and I want to further state that our village is in Udon Thani, and we get a whole lot more for our money here in Isaan versus down south in Pattaya, Hua Hin or Phuket. Up until two years ago a 3M baht home here would have been considered fairly upscale, and I can't think of but one other development where the home prices were in excess of this at the time. So, it's not like I moved into a low class area where I would expect the residents to care for their homes like they do in the countryside. I thought I would be safe here and the area would be cared for.

The irony is that the Thais voted against establishing the HOA primarily because they didn't want to pay the 450 baht maintenance per month, and as it turned out the Tessaban implemented a 200 baht fee per month to pay for the continuation of security since so many residents insisted on having the guards at the front gate. Even then only about 50% of the 313 homes are paying the fee. After the fees are collected each month a letter is delivered to each home listing the address of those that paid the fee the preceding month. Duh....I thought the whole idea in publishing the list was to shame those who are NOT paying in the hopes that they would "lose face" and pay up. When one lady tried to bring this to the attention of the village head during a village meeting, she was addressed as "an old lady with Alzheimers" and told to sit down and quit telling the leader how to conduct his business. I suppose that publishing the non-payers would be too confrontational and cause them to lose face, so they refuse to do that. But, isn't that the entire point of the exercise? They just don't get it!!!!!!!

[manarak]

The point is, homes for 3 million are and have been within buying range of many people who took a loan to finance their purchase but later had a change in fortune, and every baht counts...

For good maintenance, it's indeed better to aim for 10m +

another problem in many villages is that some people just don't pay the fees and the HOA can do nothing about it.

can't quite believe fifty two's post above is for real.

I think Thailand should enact a law regarding villages and the requirement to pay minimum maintenance fees.

Yes, I am a foreigner who thinks I should fit in with the Thais, rather than stamp my feet and insist they fit in with me. I also think we should learn Thai, after all it's their country.

Believe it or not, there are Thais who like their village to be kept tidy.

[FiftyTwo]

The point is, homes for 3 million are and have been within buying range of many people who took a loan to finance their purchase but later had a change in fortune, and every baht counts...

For good maintenance, it's indeed better to aim for 10m +

another problem in many villages is that some people just don't pay the fees and the HOA can do nothing about it.

can't quite believe fifty two's post above is for real.

I think Thailand should enact a law regarding villages and the requirement to pay minimum maintenance fees.

Yes, I am a foreigner who thinks I should fit in with the Thais, rather than stamp my feet and insist they fit in with me. I also think we should learn Thai, after all it's their country.

Believe it or not, there are Thais who like their village to be kept tidy.

Big difference between "liking" and "agreeing to pay".

[vtjforyou]

Nothing upscale here...

[culicine]

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

here's the beef!

These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village.

Many Thais don't think, even to the short term future. And all this mess just to save 450 baht a month? It's not much. We have a committee in out village and it's a fully legal entity. Everyone must pay their fees - ours is over 2000 a month. Dogs must be leashed (though a few seem to get out occasionally), there is absolutely no litter, pool is maintained, leaves swept every few days. Once my wife complained about some music during the day to a new house owner, and the committee paid him a visit. No more loud music. This is hard work for the committee, and they volunteer to do this. I guess you are just unlucky than they rather save a few baht and not have to manage the place.

[vtjforyou]

Because I never wanted to live with a MOTOSAI tribe I never bought a house that costs less than 10-15 millions...

But you can take your chance :-)

[Wong!]

The only thing that has changed in the village is that the clubhouse (which was rarely used and poorly maintained anyway) has been lost until someone decides to make a go of it.

The security rarely stopped anyone from coming or going and dogs have always been allowed to roam by negligent owners.

I take umbrage with the village being 'upscale' too. Sub 3million baht homes are hardly 'upscale'.

The reality is, that very little has changed for the majority of people who live there.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Wong!

[fittobethaied]

The only thing that has changed in the village is that the clubhouse (which was rarely used and poorly maintained anyway) has been lost until someone decides to make a go of it.

The security rarely stopped anyone from coming or going and dogs have always been allowed to roam by negligent owners.

I take umbrage with the village being 'upscale' too. Sub 3million baht homes are hardly 'upscale'.

The reality is, that very little has changed for the majority of people who live there.

I appreciate your feedback Wong, but are you sure we live in the same village? With all due respect your first two sentences with regard to the clubhouse and security just don't equate with my experience and observations. I will admit that sub 3 M baht homes are not necessarily upscale homes compared to those which are available in the marketplace today, but at the time of my purchase they were some of the finer tract homes in Udon and the maintenance in the village was impeccable compared to most that I have toured.

I will have to agree with you with respect to your comment that very little has changed for the majority of people who live here, but only in the sense that they were complacent and apathetic before the vote and they are the same today in that they just don't care. After all, we needed a majority of residents to attend the voting process, and in as much as that didn't happen in the last three voting events, the village was turned over to the Tessaban by default. Therefore I would surmise that the majority of residents are not happy with the outcome and the direction in which this village is headed. I personally don't know of any resident who doesn't feel betrayed, but then again I don't speak with those on my soi of whom I am certain failed to vote for the establishment of the HOA. I could look in their yards and tell you which way they would go even before the votes were cast. One can tell a lot about a person by the way he maintains his own residence.

Of course, I am in no way lambasting you since you have only made some personal observations; however, I would like to know how you feel about the way things have turned out in the village if in fact we are talking about one and the same village. My guess would be that you preferred that we remain a private village.

[ricky1954]

here's the beef!

don't be an old fart and sit here and whine do something about it, how about show the thais some manners and clean up whatever you guys can clean up!

next time don' buy from some small,cheap shitty developer..

Thanks for the reply falkan! Actually, the developer is quite reputable and has moved on to another huge development. These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village. The problem is only his fault to the extent that we were not informed at the time of purchase that we would be faced with this problem after he had moved on. He actually was quite active in trying to get the property owner's to agree to establish the HOA, but to no avail.

I do an evening walk around the lake and pick up trash in the process just to set a good example, but it does absolutely no good. The Thais only look at me like I've lost my mind and snicker under their breath as if to say "look at that stupid farang"! I have been the keeper of my soi for the past two years in order to set a proper example, and thus far I have never seen one Thai neighbor bend over to pick up one piece of trash. It's simply an exercise in futility!

We were informed during the voting process that once the village is turned over to the Tessaban there is no turning back. It doesn't do any good to consider selling and moving to a new village because the odds are the same thing is going to happen there as well when the developer moves on. It's just a fact of life in Thailand so I'll just have to learn to live with it.

These are 3M baht homes and with 300 of them it's quite a large village.

Many Thais don't think, even to the short term future. And all this mess just to save 450 baht a month? It's not much. We have a committee in out village and it's a fully legal entity. Everyone must pay their fees - ours is over 2000 a month. Dogs must be leashed (though a few seem to get out occasionally), there is absolutely no litter, pool is maintained, leaves swept every few days. Once my wife complained about some music during the day to a new house owner, and the committee paid him a visit. No more loud music. This is hard work for the committee, and they volunteer to do this. I guess you are just unlucky than they rather save a few baht and not have to manage the place.

Might I ask where you are and the developer? The only really good moo baans I have seen around bkk have been sansiri ones and not so expensive either at 4-5 million, just as you describe, clean tidy with great upkeep and fairly quiet.

Unfortunately I bought one with the mrs that was lower end at 2 m in bkk and after a year it's typical of the neglect and poor maintenance mentioned here. It takes very little to get litter picked up, sweep the sois and get rid of stray dogs, but Thai's (i am the only falang) cannot seem to manage even the basics. We have two security guys but they are no more use than dummies, they let anyone in and do nothing about the dogs etc. Fees are a 1000 a month but no HOA as yet and what that gets spent on is a mystery. Hopefully as there are a few proactive people around things will improve. Everybody moans about a metal business run from one house where the guy cuts up stuff right in the road, angle grinders and welding every day, many went to the Amphur to complain, but he's still there, along with the weeds, dog crap, rubble and rubbish.

I would not say don't buy here but buy on an established estate where you can see how things are, to buy new is a gamble but most Thai wifes want to buy new.

[AyG]

The only really good moo baans I have seen around bkk have been sansiri ones and not so expensive either at 4-5 million, just as you describe, clean tidy with great upkeep and fairly quiet.

Sansiri maintains the moobaans well until they are complete. It then pulls out a few months later, handing over management to a third party. In my moobaan, that third party then tried to hike fees dramatically one year later. The residents refused, and it was then a challenge for the committee to find another company willing to run the place.

Sansiri also does nothing to control people extending their houses. My dining room window now looks out at a breezeblock wall from the neighbour's new garage. Some gardens have been completely built over, meaning that when it rains their driveway turns into a torrent running into the street.

Even with the better developers, there are going to be problems and nasty surprises.

[ricky1954]

Yes you cannot go on price of builder it seems, but where are the cheap well run moo baans in Bkk? I used to live in a cheap condo complex at Bangna that was spotless with nice gardens and a lake, good security and upkeep and they were only 800k-2m. Are there any moo baans like that? but even at Bangna the management changed 3 times in 5 years.

[Tokay]

Most people just get used to a lower standard of living here. Few luck out and end up with great villages and neighbors. Many of them pay top dollar for nicer places. Most who pay less end up in a mess, surrounded by lower class Thais and foreigners, in a house that is of poor standards, built by farmers who hammer screws, filled with crap and cheap furniture / appliances that are over priced. But that's the price you pay to live in paradise I suppose. Enjoy what you have.

[GAS]

I really feel for the OP...I do, it's tuff, on one hand you want some basic rules but do not want to turn Thailand into the nanny state (or in my case Police state) we left.

My gf bought a new house in Nonthaburi in 2010, 2 m baht...I was against it but did not push that hard, it was her money and she would be making the mortgage so not much I could do...it was basically a place for her mom to live since she defaulted on the sh!thole she lived in somewhere in Ram Inthra.

Started out ok, but after the floods the developer moved on and then security left, the automatic gate openers broke and neighbors started adding on extensions...one house in the Soi has never been lived in and looks like crap.

Thankfully there are a couple good neighbors, one with an old Thai guy that works tirelessly sweeping up and keeping things nice.

GF's mom does ok and keeping it up but really likes to take it stray cats...luckily I do not have to live there. I have tried to do a few things to fix things up after the flood but mom has not taken any initiative so I no longer put any effort and rarely visit.

Sad...but I guess that is the way things are going to be here unless you spend buku baht.

In the case of my condo, it was already 20 years old and looked like sh!t so I knew what I was getting, management is actually not all bad and once I am in my unit it is very nice.

I thought about buying more RE here but am pretty much soured on it now...just my one residence and thats it.

[FiftyTwo]

Most people just get used to a lower standard of living here. Few luck out and end up with great villages and neighbors. Many of them pay top dollar for nicer places. Most who pay less end up in a mess, surrounded by lower class Thais and foreigners, in a house that is of poor standards, built by farmers who hammer screws, filled with crap and cheap furniture / appliances that are over priced. But that's the price you pay to live in paradise I suppose. Enjoy what you have.

Most foreigners living in Thailand are about as low class as you can get.

Can't see how the Thais can be lower.

My standard of living in Thailand is not in any way lower, it's just different.

The two biggest differences being, I'm living with a young and attractive woman, and it's warm and sunny every day.

[krisb]

Buy a bit of land and build a house. Don't get involved with these complexes cos you will never be in control.

Not in my neck of the woods.

Why do you think all those Thai doctors move into a village in the first place?

Not nice to come home from work and find your new 60" TV is gone.

Since I am overseas working 6 month per year, I prefer my famliy lives in a village.

Please don't come with the condo solution, not for us thank you very much.

Big difference between a village and a gated community which your describing.

Btw, both of which have equal chance of finding your telly gone.