Hello all,

Long time reader, first time poster….

I've been in BKK for many years, and am now moving to CM to retire.

Looking at buying a house (via wife) in the Chiang Mai Land moo baan (apologies if this should be in Real Estate section) - but it seems sort of a strange place.

The house itself is good ...

And the location is pretty central for CM, close to Night Baazar and in between Mahidol and Chang Klan road.

It SHOULD be a prime area - but lots of shops are empty, there are a few dodgy massage joints, and the place is generally not well kept up.

Any insight about living there would be appreciated.

Does it flood badly?

Is it a decent real estate investment?

Any comments ??

Thanks in advance.

Was flooded quite badly previously and is sort of known place that flood if heavy rain continue for few days. As for those shop house was due to too much karaoke, pubs etc previously and now most have moved out except for few.

There's a new project from karnkanok if not wrong, was considering that new project but fear of flood so I bought somewhere near to Promenada mall, not too far from city and yet away from flood and noise

Yes it does flood, but only at times when half the city floods which is once every five years on average. So no different from just about any other place East of the old town but inside the Superhighway / Aom Muang ring.

It remains an interesting area, if the price is right.

We live near Chiang Mai Land and like the area. But I would advise you to try renting in the area you are looking to buy in first. It's the only way to see what it's really like.

re

It SHOULD be a prime area - but lots of shops are empty, there are a few dodgy massage joints, and the place is generally not well kept up.

ok theres one short time hotel , a few massage shops , some karaoke places that seem to be aimed at japanese koreans etc

but the main thing i noticed about chiang mai land is there is hardly any graffiti in there and no soi dogs , cats , or chickens

but they do have plastic elephants

strange i know .... but its true !

dave2

Thanks for the info guys - much appreciated.

Yes it does flood, but only at times when half the city floods which is once every five years on average. So no different from just about any other place East of the old town but inside the Superhighway / Aom Muang ring.

It remains an interesting area, if the price is right.

That sounds like a good argument for buying west of the old city.

rent first. rent the smallest house in a rich moo baan with top, top security. That said... There is a distressing trend of foreigners moving in to a Thai moo baan, then subletting the rooms of "their" house by the day or week. This destroys the moo baan. The foreigners take advantage of the Thai people who hate confrontations until the Thai are finally moved to madness and get the foreigner deported. This takes about two years and, meanwhile, foreigners are playing water polo in the pool with empty bottles of Mekong whiskey. First you need to make sure that the homeowner association has voted to outlaw subletting or rents for a time period of less than one year. I love Chiang Mai but we are currently in the process of getting rid of one of these illegal "hotels" in my moo baan. Of course I have visited my lawyer and the police. Both have draconian ideas on how to solve the problem. Both schemes involve jailing and the deportation of the Limey scumbag who set up this illicit business. I was willing to boot his butt out of Thailand but my Thai neighbors are working on a gentler, kinder way of making him desist. Good for them. I'm only in Chiang Mai five months of the year and I swim 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. to avoid the white trash who swim at night. If the Thai want to go about things in a more genteel fashion, OK. This is their country and their lifestyle. As an All-American "girl" I prefer the preemptive strike with extreme violence. But, I bow to my neighbors' way of dealing with the problem.

Best,

Suzanne

Yes it floods quite badly at times.

See a flood map that should be attached below.

floodareamap.pdf

All the best with the move and retirement!

Having lived near that area previously, and lived in CM for about 8 years, I'd strongly recommend you take others advice and rent first. Get a 6 month or 1 year rental, and use that time to get to know the city well. You'll soon start to appreciate the city and you may conclude that Chiang Mai Land is not the right area for you. BTW if you look closely at some of the buildings around there you may still be able to spot the high water mark from the floods. That area got hit pretty hard last time.

Another advantage of renting is you can casually look for property, and not make a rushed decision. There is a really diverse array of properties in CM, and the prices asked sometimes make no rational sense. It takes time to really take it all in. I recently built a new home near Meechok Plaza in a hidden, older, and spacious moobaan, it's an outstanding quiet location most people in CM would drive by and never notice. It took nearly a year of hunting and patiently waiting for the opportunity to come up. Glad I waited. The new Settsiri moobaan right next door is offering small cookie-cutter homes on tiny pieces of land for the same price. Of course that may appeal to some but I prefer a view of the mountains, not a view of my neighbors clothes washing.

Lots of prostitution and dodgy nightclubs in the area.

Live music till late etc. Carabao bars ..........

I'm assuming you are white, so you wouldn't be welcome in those places, even if you like that sort of thing.

The OPs question is from last July (seven months ago) and he has never posted since July 25, 2014. Why people re-activate dead threads has always been a mystery to me. Maybe Lowriesuzanne can enlighten us.

AOA,

And if he was dark-skinned?

CB

Lots of prostitution and dodgy nightclubs in the area.

Live music till late etc. Carabao bars ..........

I'm assuming you are white, so you wouldn't be welcome in those places, even if you like that sort of thing.

You're perfectly welcome at just about any place.

Obvious first place to start would be Ther Karaoke, which has a branch there.

And Empower are located there of course, though their model bar (Can Do Experitainment) never really took off as a bar.

I thought that bar closed years ago ??

Haven't been in a really long time, but I think it still exists. It's doubtful if it even qualifies as a bar though even if it is open.