House Rentals Outside Pattaya

[celebrateOften]

I am looking into relocating from rural Calif to the Pattaya area to join a friend who's retiring in the Jantien Beach area.

I'd like to find an area within 30 min of JB where I could rent a house and at least 3/4 acre of land with plenty of trees and a reasonable amount of quiet privacy. Ideally I would like to be within easy reach of the ocean.

I would be bringing some pets fr the US (dogs, cats, ferrets (!)). If I spent a contented year renting, I would probably get a 30-yr lease on some land and build a house.

I have lived in Ethiopia and Mexico, so would probably adjust pretty well to Thailand. I've made a couple of trips to Thailand ('70 and '04) and plan to spend a couple of months in the Pattaya area this winter (Feb/March).

Where would you recommend I look for the year's rental? Is 30 min fr JB a reasonable expectation, given what I want in a place to live? What are rental costs? What are 30-yr leases going for?

If I wanted to spend months each year elsewhere, could I rent out my house on the leased land?

[monty]

Hi celebrateOften

Welcome to the forum!

If you want to be within 30 minutes from the ocean you've got a pretty big area to consider. Traffic is not that congested over here (apart from weekends, and then mainly only the center of Pattaya and Jomtien Beach road) so you can cover quit some miles in 30 minutes!

Good as well since it will not be very easy to find a house to your requirements. 3/4 of an acre equals to roughly 2 rai (3200 sqm) and simply not that many houses are built on a piece of land that size.

And when you can find one on a plot that big, it will most probably be a pretty big and expensive house as well.

I'm not sure what you consider a fair rental price, since in most cases people relate to what they would pay for an equal place back home.

I would say you will have to look in the less popular area's with foreigners (still within your 30 minute rule though) to keep prices reasonable (e.g. 40000 Baht/month or less)

Some examples would be Baan Amphoe, the Huay Yai district, which are basically located between Jomtien and Sattahip. Land is still cheap over there, resulting in lower house prices / rentals

There are some other things to think about, like the availibility of a phoneline, internet access etc. Things like that you can not take for granted once you move only a small bit away from the town...

I'm not sure of prices of a 30 year lease in itself, most often people just buy the land outright and put it in the Thai wife/girfriends name, and then lease the land from then on paper, just to ensure they can't be kicked out of their property the next 30 years!

Currently prices are all over the place, for your required size (2rai) it can be anywhere between 25 million Baht (Jomtien Beachfront land) down to maybe between 1 and 1.5 million 30 minutes inland...

And yes, if you have a house on leased land there should be no problem renting it out as long as the lease contract is made up properly...

Good luck

[celebrateOften]

Thanks for the information -- very useful. Clearly, I will have to lower my requirements, at least for amount of land. What would you think I could rent for 20,000 B in terms of acreage and house size? 30,000? 40,000 wd be quite steep for me.

What are the geography and vegetation in Baan Amphoe? And the Huay Yai district? Anybody got other regions to consider?

Perhaps I need to consider a moo ban.... especially since I want phone and internet. What sorts of lot sizes are available within my 30-min limit?

How about security? I'm a 64-yr-old (but energetic) woman -- is there much to worry about? Better or worse in a moo ban than in a separate house?

Hi celebrateOften

Welcome to the forum!

If you want to be within 30 minutes from the ocean you've got a pretty big area to consider. Traffic is not that congested over here (apart from weekends, and then mainly only the center of Pattaya and Jomtien Beach road) so you can cover quit some miles in 30 minutes!

Good as well since it will not be very easy to find a house to your requirements. 3/4 of an acre equals to roughly 2 rai (3200 sqm) and simply not that many houses are built on a piece of land that size.

And when you can find one on a plot that big, it will most probably be a pretty big and expensive house as well.

I'm not sure what you consider a fair rental price, since in most cases people relate to what they would pay for an equal place back home.

I would say you will have to look in the less popular area's with foreigners (still within your 30 minute rule though) to keep prices reasonable (e.g. 40000 Baht/month or less)

Some examples would be Baan Amphoe, the Huay Yai district, which are basically located between Jomtien and Sattahip. Land is still cheap over there, resulting in lower house prices / rentals

There are some other things to think about, like the availibility of a phoneline, internet access etc. Things like that you can not take for granted once you move only a small bit away from the town...

I'm not sure of prices of a 30 year lease in itself, most often people just buy the land outright and put it in the Thai wife/girfriends name, and then lease the land from then on paper, just to ensure they can't be kicked out of their property the next 30 years!

Currently prices are all over the place, for your required size (2rai) it can be anywhere between 25 million Baht (Jomtien Beachfront land) down to maybe between 1 and 1.5 million 30 minutes inland...

And yes, if you have a house on leased land there should be no problem renting it out as long as the lease contract is made up properly...

Good luck

[billaaa777]

You better off with a condo. The amount you want to spend for what you’re requiring is on the low side. You can get what you want but you will have real security issues. To live in a house you need 1st class security, which only will exist in the upper level of the market. I live here and am in the real estate field and hear the horror stories all the time. The security in condos is far superior to what you find in most small housing estates which is what you will be looking at.

[CGW]

^ I agree 30k is on the low side. There are some though,

I have a house that I rent out for 30k a month, this is both secure and in a secure development, but no land as such!

Houses in this price range are still available, but becoming harder to find.

Good Luck

[Thaiquila]

I am curious about the idea of buying land in a Thai's name and then doing a 30 year lease. The OP has no "my Thai", so in that case, how could she do it? Would it still be possible? For example, could she find a reputable Thai lawyer who would allow the land to be bought in his name, and then effect the lease? Any other ways, other than buying it in the name of a random baht bus driver?

Also, what would be the house construction costs for a 150 square meter, modest house, if paying a construction company to manage to project?

Edited August 6, 2006 by Thaiquila

[celebrateOften]

Aw no! I wd hate living in a condo!!

You better off with a condo. The amount you want to spend for what you’re requiring is on the low side. You can get what you want but you will have real security issues. To live in a house you need 1st class security, which only will exist in the upper level of the market. I live here and am in the real estate field and hear the horror stories all the time. The security in condos is far superior to what you find in most small housing estates which is what you will be looking at.

[celebrateOften]

Aw no! I wd hate living in a condo!!

You better off with a condo. The amount you want to spend for what you’re requiring is on the low side. You can get what you want but you will have real security issues. To live in a house you need 1st class security, which only will exist in the upper level of the market. I live here and am in the real estate field and hear the horror stories all the time. The security in condos is far superior to what you find in most small housing estates which is what you will be looking at.

[celebrateOften]

Hmm.... How would you all go about looking? Anything more recommended than hiring a driver and scouting areas and/or looking at the rental ads? I suppose an ad in English might have an inflated rent? Wd the Pattaya expat club be a source of info? In Oaxaca (Mex), one good source was other expats who were leaving the country.

^ I agree 30k is on the low side. There are some though,

I have a house that I rent out for 30k a month, this is both secure and in a secure development, but no land as such!

Houses in this price range are still available, but becoming harder to find.

Good Luck

[COBBER]

Hmm.... How would you all go about looking? Anything more recommended than hiring a driver and scouting areas and/or looking at the rental ads? I suppose an ad in English might have an inflated rent? Wd the Pattaya expat club be a source of info? In Oaxaca (Mex), one good source was other expats who were leaving the country.

^ I agree 30k is on the low side. There are some though,

I have a house that I rent out for 30k a month, this is both secure and in a secure development, but no land as such!

Houses in this price range are still available, but becoming harder to find.

Good Luck

Most advertising for rental property is done by word of mouth or small signs (usually in thai script) on the front gates of the houses for rent. Although i believe there is something like 150 estate agents in the Pattaya area , this is a relatively new concept for Thailand and they generally only concentrate on the premium end of the market. When you check out the agents,and online and print advertisments most of the properties listed are over 20000 baht month but if you have a good look around there are many houses for less than 10000 per month available.

My suggestion would be to pick an area you like and just drive around looking for signs on the gates. Also there are advertising boards at Foodland,Friendship and Carefour Supermarkets that have houses for rent at reasonable rates.

[monty]

Some listings for you to browse:

http://www.pattayatrader.com/accommodation.htm

All listings from estate agents, but this might give you a feel...

http://www.pattayamail.com/mailmarket/

The most popular local newspaper!

[billaaa777]

OK, live in you house. Get rob a few times and see how you like it then! Do you know that some of the roads you are going to take to your house are not safe? They have motorcycle gangs that rob people traveling at night. You don’t get it lady. The amount you want to spend is going to put you in a very insecure position. You should not live in house that does not have extra ordinary security. Try reading some of the newspapers before making a decision. Another thing, why post a reply for information from knowledgeable people and then just choose to ignore their advice?

Below is an article from the Pattaya Mall. And this is just one this week. Virtually every week there is something like this in the papers. These were to men aged 23 and 26, just think what would happen if a 64 year old woman moved into a house. The thieves would not care if you were at home or not! And this place had 4 guards, how much you want to bet they were in on it?

Burglars get away with 1.2mn baht from Frenchmen’s rented home

Boonlua Chatree

Thieves broke into the home of two French residents and got away with property valued at over one million baht.

Thieves broke into the home of two French residents and got away with property valued at around 1.2 million baht.

Banglamung police station received a report at 1:30 a.m. on July 24 that a house at Ek Mongkol Village on Soi Kaotalo had been robbed. Officers at the scene found a single-story house with two bedrooms. The glass entrance door had been broken and the house ransacked. Investigating officers found fingerprints that they took as evidence.

Ms Jirapat Nuangchompoo, 26, the owner of the house, said that she had rented the property out to two French nationals, Rock Kelment, 26, and Kemt Siewven, 23, for the past seven months. They were hotel employees in France, and regularly came to Thailand. They were currently in Pattaya and had been here on this occasion for more than a month.

Before the theft both of them went out to see her at her beer bar on Soi Post Office, Pattaya Beach Road. They locked the door and turned off the lights as usual. When they came back the house had been burgled. Amongst the property missing was a safe that contained 20,000 euros, equivalent to about 940,000 baht, and a digital camera. Other property stolen included a Sony Play Station and a DVD player, the total amount coming to around 1.2 million baht.

Police noted that the thieves had got away over the front fence, and had damaged an exterior lamp in the process. It is believed three people were involved. Officers questioned the four village guards but they claimed to know nothing, saying the first they knew of the robbery was when the householders returned. Police are further investigating the guards.

[Kerryd]

OK, live in you house. Get rob a few times and see how you like it then!

Below is an article from the Pattaya Mall. And this is just one this week. Virtually every week there is something like this in the papers. These were to men aged 23 and 26, just think what would happen if a 64 year old woman moved into a house. The thieves would not care if you were at home or not! And this place had 4 guards, how much you want to bet they were in on it?

Oh my goodness !!! There is crime in Pattaya !! Why hasn't the international media jumped all over this story ! "Virtually every week" there is another story of a crime in Pattaya ! In a city with an unofficial population of 500,000 people !

It came as a complete shock to me to hear this. I read numerous international newspapers online everyday (plus the usual drivel that Faux and CNN spew on the TV). Never heard about these occasional crimes that happen in Pattaya (except for the rare, sensational murder).

I do see and read about the huge number of crimes that occur in other cities around the world, on a daily basis. In fact, I get the impression that crime is significantly worse in those nice, Western cities that many people seem to think are so much better than Pattaya.

(New Orleans for example, was about the same size as Pattaya, before Katrina. From a CNN news article dated 2 Aug 2006:

"So far this year there have been 77 homicides in New Orleans, still far fewer than normal in a city accustomed to violence, but enough to cause residents to fear a return to the days when New Orleans was the murder capital of the nation. The city's population is currently estimated to be about half the pre-storm total of 465,000."

In fact, crime in most of those cities is so bad that small stuff like break-in's are rarely even reported. Only the most serious of crimes gets reported in those nice Western cities, because there is simply too much of the lesser stuff going on.

Crime does happen in Pattaya, just as it does in pretty much every other place on the planet. Statistically speaking, there is less chance of you being a victim of a crime in Pattaya, than in other comparable cities (like New Orleans, Honolulu, Las Vegas).

Living alone in a remote area will raise the risk of course, as will trying to "lord it over" your neighbours by bragging and flashing the cash too much (rubbing your wealth in the noses of the poorer people around you).

Renting a cheap place isn't easy. As another poster mentioned, the Thais seem to get by with word-of-mouth messaging and small signs on doors/gates. Thai friends of mine found a nice townhouse not far from me, for 8,000 a month, through word-of-mouth. I've asked them to keep an eye (and ear) out for a similar place for me.

I wonder how new people suddenly move into the building I'm in, when all there is, is a small sign on the wall, half covered over with posters. Yet the landlord rarely has any empty rooms.

The foreign language realty business seem to exclusively deal with high-end properties (bigger commissions of course).

I would recommend renting a place in the city for a bit (couple of months), then take your time and (with a driver/translator) drive around the area to see what's available. You may find that you like being in a different area. You may find that you are better off in town, or closer to the edge of town, than 30 minutes out in the sticks.

Good luck !

Edited August 7, 2006 by Kerryd

[Noel]

I would be bringing some pets fr the US (dogs, cats, ferrets (!)).

You better off with a condo.

[Kerryd]

I would be bringing some pets fr the US (dogs, cats, ferrets (!)).

You better off with a condo.

I'm sure the local snakes will appreciate some "foreign food" once in awhile !

celebrateOften: You may want to check on regulations regarding the importing of various pets into the kingdom. Some kinds may not be appreciated. All will most likely have to go through a quarantine period.

Not sure which ministry is responsible for that, but you should be able to get the information from the Thai embassy in the US (or it's nearest consulate).

Here is a link regarding bringing pets into Thailand (note it only refers to cats and dogs):

Requirements for Importation of dogs and cats into Thailand

Edited August 7, 2006 by Kerryd

[celebrateOften]

Many thanks. This will be interesting.

Some listings for you to browse:

http://www.pattayatrader.com/accommodation.htm

All listings from estate agents, but this might give you a feel...

http://www.pattayamail.com/mailmarket/

The most popular local newspaper!

[celebrateOften]

Well, what can I say. I have lived in rural Mexico and semi-rurla Ethiopia and never had a problem. But of course, it could be that Pattaya is a nighmare beyond belief. I'll find out more when I come for a couple of months this winter.

OK, live in you house. Get rob a few times and see how you like it then! Do you know that some of the roads you are going to take to your house are not safe? They have motorcycle gangs that rob people traveling at night. You don’t get it lady. The amount you want to spend is going to put you in a very insecure position. You should not live in house that does not have extra ordinary security. Try reading some of the newspapers before making a decision. Another thing, why post a reply for information from knowledgeable people and then just choose to ignore their advice?

Below is an article from the Pattaya Mall. And this is just one this week. Virtually every week there is something like this in the papers. These were to men aged 23 and 26, just think what would happen if a 64 year old woman moved into a house. The thieves would not care if you were at home or not! And this place had 4 guards, how much you want to bet they were in on it?

Burglars get away with 1.2mn baht from Frenchmen’s rented home

Boonlua Chatree

Thieves broke into the home of two French residents and got away with property valued at over one million baht.

Thieves broke into the home of two French residents and got away with property valued at around 1.2 million baht.

Banglamung police station received a report at 1:30 a.m. on July 24 that a house at Ek Mongkol Village on Soi Kaotalo had been robbed. Officers at the scene found a single-story house with two bedrooms. The glass entrance door had been broken and the house ransacked. Investigating officers found fingerprints that they took as evidence.

Ms Jirapat Nuangchompoo, 26, the owner of the house, said that she had rented the property out to two French nationals, Rock Kelment, 26, and Kemt Siewven, 23, for the past seven months. They were hotel employees in France, and regularly came to Thailand. They were currently in Pattaya and had been here on this occasion for more than a month.

Before the theft both of them went out to see her at her beer bar on Soi Post Office, Pattaya Beach Road. They locked the door and turned off the lights as usual. When they came back the house had been burgled. Amongst the property missing was a safe that contained 20,000 euros, equivalent to about 940,000 baht, and a digital camera. Other property stolen included a Sony Play Station and a DVD player, the total amount coming to around 1.2 million baht.

Police noted that the thieves had got away over the front fence, and had damaged an exterior lamp in the process. It is believed three people were involved. Officers questioned the four village guards but they claimed to know nothing, saying the first they knew of the robbery was when the householders returned. Police are further investigating the guards.

[celebrateOften]

Thanks, Kerry. In fact that is my current plan. I'll be renting a condo for a couple of months this winter in the building where my friend owns his. That, and going around looking at outlying areas, will be a start at trying out the Pattaya area. The next step would be to find a compatible place to rent for a year. If rural isn't practical and/or doesn't feel good, then I'll spend that year just outside of town.

OK, live in you house. Get rob a few times and see how you like it then!

Below is an article from the Pattaya Mall. And this is just one this week. Virtually every week there is something like this in the papers. These were to men aged 23 and 26, just think what would happen if a 64 year old woman moved into a house. The thieves would not care if you were at home or not! And this place had 4 guards, how much you want to bet they were in on it?

Oh my goodness !!! There is crime in Pattaya !! Why hasn't the international media jumped all over this story ! "Virtually every week" there is another story of a crime in Pattaya ! In a city with an unofficial population of 500,000 people !

It came as a complete shock to me to hear this. I read numerous international newspapers online everyday (plus the usual drivel that Faux and CNN spew on the TV). Never heard about these occasional crimes that happen in Pattaya (except for the rare, sensational murder).

I do see and read about the huge number of crimes that occur in other cities around the world, on a daily basis. In fact, I get the impression that crime is significantly worse in those nice, Western cities that many people seem to think are so much better than Pattaya.

(New Orleans for example, was about the same size as Pattaya, before Katrina. From a CNN news article dated 2 Aug 2006:

"So far this year there have been 77 homicides in New Orleans, still far fewer than normal in a city accustomed to violence, but enough to cause residents to fear a return to the days when New Orleans was the murder capital of the nation. The city's population is currently estimated to be about half the pre-storm total of 465,000."

In fact, crime in most of those cities is so bad that small stuff like break-in's are rarely even reported. Only the most serious of crimes gets reported in those nice Western cities, because there is simply too much of the lesser stuff going on.

Crime does happen in Pattaya, just as it does in pretty much every other place on the planet. Statistically speaking, there is less chance of you being a victim of a crime in Pattaya, than in other comparable cities (like New Orleans, Honolulu, Las Vegas).

Living alone in a remote area will raise the risk of course, as will trying to "lord it over" your neighbours by bragging and flashing the cash too much (rubbing your wealth in the noses of the poorer people around you).

Renting a cheap place isn't easy. As another poster mentioned, the Thais seem to get by with word-of-mouth messaging and small signs on doors/gates. Thai friends of mine found a nice townhouse not far from me, for 8,000 a month, through word-of-mouth. I've asked them to keep an eye (and ear) out for a similar place for me.

I wonder how new people suddenly move into the building I'm in, when all there is, is a small sign on the wall, half covered over with posters. Yet the landlord rarely has any empty rooms.

The foreign language realty business seem to exclusively deal with high-end properties (bigger commissions of course).

I would recommend renting a place in the city for a bit (couple of months), then take your time and (with a driver/translator) drive around the area to see what's available. You may find that you like being in a different area. You may find that you are better off in town, or closer to the edge of town, than 30 minutes out in the sticks.

Good luck !

[celebrateOften]

Yes, I understand that bringing pets in is similar to the rules in Mexico -- the rules from your link do seem to confirm that. *Thanks!*

About quarantines, I've heard that it is rarely required, and that one important thing to prevent it is to be sure that the animals arrive during working hours when the usual officials are at the airport/port. I forget the specifics -- I need to look it up again.

Anybody got experiences to report?

I would be bringing some pets fr the US (dogs, cats, ferrets (!)).

You better off with a condo.

I'm sure the local snakes will appreciate some "foreign food" once in awhile !

celebrateOften: You may want to check on regulations regarding the importing of various pets into the kingdom. Some kinds may not be appreciated. All will most likely have to go through a quarantine period.

Not sure which ministry is responsible for that, but you should be able to get the information from the Thai embassy in the US (or it's nearest consulate).

Here is a link regarding bringing pets into Thailand (note it only refers to cats and dogs):

Requirements for Importation of dogs and cats into Thailand

[Thaiquila]

Snakes eating ferrets?

Can't we all just get along?

Edited August 8, 2006 by Thaiquila

[Kerryd]

Snakes eating ferrets?

Can't we all just get along?

Looks can be deceiving. I had a couple of pythons when I was in Germany years ago. The smaller one had been born and raised in captivity. Very well adjusted to humans. First couple of times I fed it, I got worried. The snake showed no interest in the mouse for so long, I was worried the mouse may try nibbling on the snake.

The other, bigger bugger had been caught wild and smuggled into the country (I found out later). I had trouble getting a rat into the terrarium, as the snake kept attacking (kinda stupid bugger too. No matter how many times he whacked his head on the plexi-glass, he just wouldn't learn).

When I was finally able to dump the rat into the terrarium, the snake had it in a few seconds. No mercy.

Ferrets aren't really known as snake eaters (Mongooses are the snake-eaters). Besides, a ferret from California against a Thai cobra ? Same for the cats and dogs.

But I don't think it's all that bad. It's not like every house comes with a nest of pet-eating snakes !

[celebrateOften]

I went to the URL of an agency called Town and Country, put in specs for a 2 br house w/ garden, pets-allowed, and w/ AC, and did not limit the location -- ie all of Thailand. They came up with one listing -- in So Pattaya.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/style_images...cons/icon13.gif

Some listings for you to browse:

http://www.pattayatrader.com/accommodation.htm

All listings from estate agents, but this might give you a feel...

http://www.pattayamail.com/mailmarket/

The most popular local newspaper!

[Kerryd]

I went to the URL of an agency called Town and Country, put in specs for a 2 br house w/ garden, pets-allowed, and w/ AC, and did not limit the location -- ie all of Thailand. They came up with one listing -- in So Pattaya.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/style_images...cons/icon13.gif

You may want to try that link again. You copied the location of an image file ( ) instead of the link to the website.

[Thaiquila]

I went to the URL of an agency called Town and Country, put in specs for a 2 br house w/ garden, pets-allowed, and w/ AC, and did not limit the location -- ie all of Thailand. They came up with one listing -- in So Pattaya.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/style_images...cons/icon13.gif

Some listings for you to browse:

http://www.pattayatrader.com/accommodation.htm

All listings from estate agents, but this might give you a feel...

http://www.pattayamail.com/mailmarket/

The most popular local newspaper!

Not surprising at all.

Thailand does NOT have a multiple listing service. Any one real estate service only has its own listings. Often, the same listings are listed on several services, but there are alot of real estate brokers. The houses that are just being advertised with a Thai sign in the boonies are not going to be listed in such places anyway. I believe the URL you looked at was:

http://www.towncountryproperty.com/index.php (never heard of them)

Anyway, you could have a browse at this site for a sample of the type of houses avaiable for rent in the area:

http://www.fairproperties.com/houses_for_rent.htm

(Well actually, their houses appear to be mostly intown and "suburban" Pattaya houses, not the in the sticks ones you are interested in.)

Perhaps others can comment, but I think your main hope would be to come to Thailand and get in a vehicle and start looking around yourself.

Also, being advised if buying a property, it is very difficult to come up with objective comps as you can in the US with a few clicks online. The only way to guage relative values is to shop tlll you drop, or alternatively, find a real estate agent you trust (good luck on that one)!

Edited August 9, 2006 by Thaiquila

[celebrateOften]

Yes, you're right -- that is the URL I used. Since then I've looked at several other URLs, and again found nothing outside Pattaya, but it was lots of fun. I looked at plenty of expensive places. Did I ever drool.

I agree, I'll need to come and drive all over the place. Meanwhile I'll look at the URL you gave.

I went to the URL of an agency called Town and Country, put in specs for a 2 br house w/ garden, pets-allowed, and w/ AC, and did not limit the location -- ie all of Thailand. They came up with one listing -- in So Pattaya.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/style_images...cons/icon13.gif

Some listings for you to browse:

http://www.pattayatrader.com/accommodation.htm

All listings from estate agents, but this might give you a feel...

http://www.pattayamail.com/mailmarket/

The most popular local newspaper!

Not surprising at all.

Thailand does NOT have a multiple listing service. Any one real estate service only has its own listings. Often, the same listings are listed on several services, but there are alot of real estate brokers. The houses that are just being advertised with a Thai sign in the boonies are not going to be listed in such places anyway. I believe the URL you looked at was:

http://www.towncountryproperty.com/index.php (never heard of them)

Anyway, you could have a browse at this site for a sample of the type of houses avaiable for rent in the area:

http://www.fairproperties.com/houses_for_rent.htm

(Well actually, their houses appear to be mostly intown and "suburban" Pattaya houses, not the in the sticks ones you are interested in.)

Perhaps others can comment, but I think your main hope would be to come to Thailand and get in a vehicle and start looking around yourself.

Also, being advised if buying a property, it is very difficult to come up with objective comps as you can in the US with a few clicks online. The only way to guage relative values is to shop tlll you drop, or alternatively, find a real estate agent you trust (good luck on that one)!

[celebrateOften]

Anybody got answers to the questions in the quoted post?

Also, are these 30-yr leases transferable? E.g., could I take over the lease and house of a farang who decided to relocate? If so, would the price be market value or the remaining percent of the lease?

I am curious about the idea of buying land in a Thai's name and then doing a 30 year lease. The OP has no "my Thai", so in that case, how could she do it? Would it still be possible? For example, could she find a reputable Thai lawyer who would allow the land to be bought in his name, and then effect the lease? Any other ways, other than buying it in the name of a random baht bus driver?

Also, what would be the house construction costs for a 150 square meter, modest house, if paying a construction company to manage to project?

[Kerryd]

Anybody got answers to the questions in the quoted post?

Also, are these 30-yr leases transferable? E.g., could I take over the lease and house of a farang who decided to relocate? If so, would the price be market value or the remaining percent of the lease?

I would try browsing through the threads in this forum:

Real Estate, housing, house and land ownership

There are many threads regarding ownership and leases. You should be able to find most of the answers you are looking for there !

[celebrateOften]

I've recently heard about a simple house w/ a big garden that is near Phoenix Golf and apparently east of Na Jomtien, that's available in Sept. Do any of you have experience of and/or opinions about this neighborhood?

[CGW]

Thats an awful big area to comment specificaly on, if it's "near" Phoenix my fear would be it's near what is a noisy road.

Good Luck!