Buying condo from owner in Pattaya

[GaryB1263]

Whatever happened to acquiring good old lawyer for the sale or purchase of property

Honestly. I thought we didn't have any choice but to get a lawyer.

[tropo]

Well the real estate agent made a big play on they needed to show the money and his company could swing it because they could raise a company cheque that the land registry would accept, and I thought I was dealing at a time with a reputable company.

I could not even get a statement from them detailing the expenditure.

Apparently you have been seriously misled by this agent. Personally I would never trust an agent here; they all seem to care only about themselves and none I have met were in any way conscientious.

That said, for a normal farang condo purchase I dont think that a lawyer is necessary; just the presence of someone independent who can read Thai and translate and who is NOT party to the sale. Obviously a lawyer would do if you cant find anyone else.

You make the choice very easy then.... Go with a lawyer with expertise in property sales or just some independent person who can read Thai and translate.

Trying to save money often costs a lot more in the end.

[loginwith]

@ThaiBob Thanks for clarifying #7. Very useful.

Nobody had an answer regarding "home inspectors". I guess it makes sense to open a new question for that.

I would like to append my summary of this thread to my original post (for posterity). It looks like I don't have the permission? Maybe a mod could do that? The summary is basically post #25. Thanks.

[loginwith]

Regarding home inspectors. Somebody already asked that question, but without success (although he got a lot of useful DIY tips and tricks ...)

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/654322-assessing-a-condos-condition-structure-leakagesetc/

[ThaiBob]

Home inspections are done routinely and even mandated by the lender in many of our home countries. Here it is buyer beware. If I was buying a house I would certainly check for termites and pests. Just walking through your condo project will reveal a lot. Cracks, the pool, common areas, etc. A few quick questions to your neighbors and condo committee also is helpful. You are buying a used condo so it is bound to have some issues. Check yourself for water leaks, mildew, a/c(when serviced last), the appliances, the plumbing, and all the electrics work satisfactorily. Remember things are generally cheap to fix here.

[KittenKong]

Nobody had an answer regarding "home inspectors".

Very rare and probably pointless. As long as there aren't large cracks/holes in the concrete the structure will probably be sound.

In a building more than a handful of years old you can assume that all maintenance may have been done on the cheap and that the electrics will not match any recognised safety standards. But it's all quite inexpensive to put right if you want to.

The quality of finishing materials used in older buildings is often quite high, even in the common areas. Look at the acres of granite in the corridors of older buildings, and the granite and marble in bathrooms and kitchens; you wont see that in many new buildings.

Quality also often varies from unit to unit as the older buildings were generally sold as shells for owners to finish as they wanted, and some did it much better than others.

In a recent building you can assume that the finishes will have been chosen more for cheapness and gloss than for durability and quality, and that they will be largely identical in every unit. There is going to be a huge market for replacement chipboard worktops and laminate flooring in a few years.

[loginwith]

Ok, thanks. I guess I don't to need to create a new topic regarding inspection anymore ...

But I created a new topic regarding a selling a condo

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741797-selling-a-condo-closing-costs/

[Senechal]

phone michael at big mango properties 0896852198 nice guy ,he can help .

LOL? Here's a guy with an opportunity to buy FSBO and you recommend he involve a *broker*?

Do not ever, EVER, tip off a broker to information about an FSBO. This is absolutely TERRIBLE advice.