Buying Land, Is It Worth It?

[mrkyrell]

Hi,

My thai girlfriend lives with me in belgium and she has a good job here.Now she has the change to buy a plot of land ( 3 rai ) for 40.000 bath in Roi et, far out of the city with no paved road but serving as rice fields.The land is located about 500 metres from her mothers house.Is is worth buying it as the price is only 40.000 bath.Could this be an investment and say in about 10 years sale it .After all what is 40.000 bath.

[camel_jockey]

mrkyrell,

My wife and I were recently looking in the south of LOS, near a popular holiday destination, 2 rai, beachfront, no road, uncleared, 5million, you get what you pay for mate, didnt buy it!

[ajahnlau]

It sounds like a fair price. Make sure it has a proper deed{chanot]. Will likely not increase that much unless roads and other services are added. 3 rai will make a nice building site for you when you are ready to live here.

[pnustedt]

Price seems good. Does it have free access to a road or track?

Whether you/she could sell it at a profit in 10 yrs would depend on whether someone else would want to buy it. In the meantime her mum could grow more rice!

[Pepe']

I know the cost of building material is increasing alot especially steel. Land like you describe is a dime a dozen unless you can see clearly that it is the "path of developement."

If the location is beautiful and you think it's a good location to settle down then by all means do it. It does sound like a good investment type property from what you have said.

Thai farmers are basically screwed. The brokers,wholesalers, retailers are makeing all the money in most cases. The farmers die young after working all their lives for next to nothing.

Good luck...

[Pepe']

oops I meant DOES NOT sound like good investment property, sorry...

[mrkyrell]

Thanks for the reply's. We will go to thailand in april say hi to her mom, but i don't expect to buy the plot.

[iwan]

Thanks for the reply's. We will go to thailand in april say hi to her mom, but i don't expect to buy the plot.

What a shame ... after all these expectations to make someone happy. i suppose her mom will pour icy cold water over your back and feed you with pa-rad.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

$USD 333.33 per rai....jeez. Take another drink you detractors. GO FOR IT IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU,

[rcalsop]

I live during the week in Roi-et and Bkk at the weekend and have been involved in land costing recently

Land in Roi-et on the main road approaching town can be easily one million baht for 1 rai take a side road and drive 200 yards and 1 rai is 200,000 baht with services near by . drive farther and 100,000 baht . Out in the sticks 20,000 with no services easily obtainable . The answer like real estate is location location location .

How about thinking differently not can it make money as an investment , but will it gain family or wife merit ,is it a security for her in the future does it have a comfort factor ...when you buy your new toy ...computer or projection TV or better car all depreciating assets do you think about investment gain or the emotional feel good factor or a selfish buzz . How do you justify that for of emotional purchase ......do the same for your wife if it makes her feel good

[Padkapow Guy]

$333.00 for 3 rai. No matter how much land that is it is aweful cheap. You could spill that much at the bars while on holiday.

Can anyone tell me how many rai are in an acre or acre are in a rai?

I am not sure which one is bigger.

Thanks

[issan2]

Im living near Roi Et now, we built our house in my wife's small village on .25 Rai and I always wished that we had bought more land. 40,000 baht fro 3 Rai - what the ###### I would buy it in case you want to build a house later.

[fatter than harry]

Thai farmers are basically screwed. The brokers,wholesalers, retailers are makeing all the money in most cases. The farmers die young after working all their lives for next to nothing.

Your joking, right? Those farmers you're talking about make a killing and spend the rest of their lives draped in mercs and driving rolex's.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

$333.00 for 3 rai. No matter how much land that is it is aweful cheap. You could spill that much at the bars while on holiday.

Can anyone tell me how many rai are in an acre or acre are in a rai?

I am not sure which one is bigger.

Thanks

1 rai = 1600 sq, m

[El_D]

I THINK 2.5 rai = 1acre.

see http://www.thaiproperty.com for clarification.

[Pepe']

I stand corrected. I allways heard that the farmers were not making the big bucks. Even the ones that I've met driving Mercedes were in debt up to their eyeballs...

[fatter than harry]

Mate, they'll do anything to keep that merc rollin'

[Guest IT Manager]

Buy it. A thousand dollars and makes her mum happy, ergo she's happy, ergo you are as well.

IT/Realtor

[Guest IT Manager]

Thai farmers are basically screwed. The brokers,wholesalers, retailers are makeing all the money in most cases. The farmers die young after working all their lives for next to nothing.

Your joking, right? Those farmers you're talking about make a killing and spend the rest of their lives draped in mercs and driving rolex's.

Joking aren't you?

Thai farmers in Mercs? Which country are you talking about?

[lukamar]

One thing everyone here has neglected to mention is the status behind property ownership in Thailand, not just for you but for your girlfriends family. I think that buying the property for her or her family will defiantly give you all some status in what sounds like a small village. Rice patties land sells very inexpensively but the piece you are considering seems to be very inexpensive. As long as the title is transferable to the family, you will have to check at the amphoe for that. then i would say go for it and just give it to the family as a communal piece of land for them all to use, I would not even worry about the investment potential. On the other hand the "Merit Making" Potential for yourself is very big and will set you in a very good position in the family. And then there is just something about eating food produced on your own land that is appealing. Just think of having a dinner party in Belgian and telling everyone the rice was produced on your farm..

[Basher]

Buy it and be damned!

Put a shed on it to house mothers buffalo.

In 10 years you will be looking at a good gain, as my dad always says invest in dirt, brick and mortar and you can't go wrong.

Bash

[Thaicoon]

$333.00 for 3 rai.  No matter how much land that is it is aweful cheap. You could spill that much at the bars while on holiday.

Can anyone tell me how many rai are in an acre or acre are in a rai?

I am not sure which one is bigger.

Thanks

My Wife has 88 Rai in Buriram, I am pretty sure that 1 acre is 2.5 Rai, hope this will help. I also think any sort of land is a good investment, and if you have a thai/ferang child he or she will benifit in the long term. and in the meantime use it for rice.

[tayto]

The price for Farm land near Surin with no road access is about 10,000 baht a Rai.

I would not hold my breath on it gaining a cent in the next 20 years.

[Yohan]

I think, it makes sense, first to go there and look around nearby and compare several offers.

Cheap is one point.....but what kind of land is that, and where is it located?

Is it transferable? Land papers available? What else is to pay?.....

Best to compare with several offers....

It is difficult to say anything without checking it out yourself.

If your Thai family likes to get it, and they are poor off, I think, it is a nice idea to buy it as a Christmas gift.....really cheap...

Johann

[bangkokblue]

Sorry to be a cynic but only buy what you can afford to loose and/or manage. However, the figure you quote is a bargain. There has been many a good gain in the right location which was reflected in the asking price but in your case view it as you see it but expect little or no return other than a place you can call yours (her's).

[plachon]

Wonder how many obliging farangs have been sold plots of land that already belonged to the family? Easy to do, eh?

Probably an easier earner than the stale sick buffalo ploy, as it appeals to the farang's sense of a "good investment". 300 bucks a rai is no cheaper than grade C agricultural land back in UK, and probably more expensive than land in US. It's only "cheap", if you intend to build on it, but for farming rice, it'll take about 10-15 years to pay off the investment. Not bad I suppose...............

[bangkokblue]

300 bucks a rai is no cheaper than grade C agricultural land back in UK, and probably more expensive than land in US. .......

But grade three © land with building consent in the UK, Now that's another story, Lets start at 80,000 buck's per plot or 700,000 per acre.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I THINK 2.5 rai = 1acre.

see http://www.thaiproperty.com for clarification.

Right on the money.

[Thaicoon]

All my wifes land is either on a main road or on a concrete village road, she would never buy any with no access, and most of it has electric poles and water, so I tell her sit on it and sell it in the future to other westerners who want to build, as there is a lot now looking for land in Buriram, the closer to the city it is the better the price, but in the meantime farm it.

[peeapp]

Only a thousand, what do you worry about. Don't look at the investment side. If it will make your GF and her family happy, BUY IT.