Buying house -- moo bahn vs stand alone?

[answermeplease]

I don't want to risk dealing with crony committees in moo bahns, possibly collecting maintenance fees but leaving the place in disrepair. I also want a perimeter of my own, so that I don't have to deal with neighbors. It looks like I want to buy a stand alone house.

Advantages/disadvantages of each?

Does anyone have insight or experience to share?

[CharlieH]

WRONG FORUM

MOVED

[bkkjames]

Moo bahn. ..security services, hit and miss I know but many of the better ones have guards, cameras etc.

[trogers]

You mean you want a fortress with towers that are equipped with searchlights and machine guns?

[Crossy]

Stand alone, possibly bigger plot, no restrictions on what you do.

[answermeplease]

Yes, re-examining my wishes what you suggest is on track

You mean you want a fortress with towers that are equipped with searchlights and machine guns?

[DGS1244]

Moobaan. Security with cameras hopefully, rubbish removal, gardening facilities maybe, visitor control including salesmen etc. Better neighbours if lucky.

Stand Alone. Soi dogs with no control, unwanted visitors, noise, difficult neighbours, possibly no rubbish removal. Possible snakes, rats etc. particularly from people putting out food for 'dogs'.

I have tried both and until I can have my own security person 24 hrs, I wish, then I will stick to a Moobaan anytime. Just be very careful in picking the right Moobaan. Always make a visit at night and weekends, gives you a better idea of the noise that can go on. My one problem is that my Moobaan is between two large temples, fine except at party times of the year.

[dotpoom]

I live in a detached house in a Thai middle class Moo-Ban. There are only 6 houses in each Soi, (3 on each side) all detached with only about 20 houses in total.

There is a Residences Ass. but my wife nor myself ever attended. No security (not needed as mostly retired or active Navy Personnel). Everybody keeps themselves to themselves. We each keep our piece of the Soi outside our houses clean.

The only outlay is 240 Baht yearly for the bins.

Edited March 18, 2015 by dotpoom

[maidee]

a-s-s wipe neighbors, better have a plot of your own

people who use the facilities but never pay (can see on a coloured sticker)

some stuff that is broken for many weeks, but just put a cone (open sewer / water drainage)

but they are still building new houses every few months, but a small repair, just put a cone

[DiamondKing]

Moobaan. Security with cameras hopefully, rubbish removal, gardening facilities maybe, visitor control including salesmen etc. Better neighbours if lucky.

Stand Alone. Soi dogs with no control, unwanted visitors, noise, difficult neighbours, possibly no rubbish removal. Possible snakes, rats etc. particularly from people putting out food for 'dogs'.

I have tried both and until I can have my own security person 24 hrs, I wish, then I will stick to a Moobaan anytime. Just be very careful in picking the right Moobaan. Always make a visit at night and weekends, gives you a better idea of the noise that can go on. My one problem is that my Moobaan is between two large temples, fine except at party times of the year.

LOL seriously

I too have lived in both and while I did not have any issues in the Moo bahn when I purchased a home for my family we chose a non Moo ban and got a large plot in a very nice small village with EXCELLENT neibours who all know and get on with each other the small road that runs through our Moo is secure since everyone in it looks out for each other

There are NO Soi dogs but we do have dogs and they kick off when someone they dont know comes through (thats the point of having dogs) so it all depends on what your looking for our Moo is safe and secure and I have heard of Moo Bans being robbed by the security guy who keeps an eye out for the crooks and then tells them when people are out or on holiday so it can work both ways

Also we get garbage pick up every week for 20 baht a month water is crazy cheap I filled my new swimming pool up 10 meters by 4 meters and the bill was just 500 baht using village water , when the mozzies are bad we get the spray guy come through to each home and spray around

I can get a gardener easily when I need it for 300 baht a day

maybe you were just unlucky and I lucky

[pbonline]

Different taste but I would never live in a stand alone house in Thailand.
You have to build it like a fortress to avoid burglary.

There's good and there's bad mobaans, I prefer the good ones.

[bobthomas]

It depends on the cost. Presumably if you spend more money- you will have more high class neighbors- Thai and Farang alike- the Thais will be Doctors, businessmen, etc. If you buy in a Moo Ban where any Thai making 15,000 Baht/month can a get a loan to buy, Watch out! Dogs , cats pandemonium, parties with rough looking Thais- and also Thai people that will rent their house to any Farang Junkie turd that will be smoking ( and possibly even cooking) Meth all night long.

Beware!

b

[ToddinChonburi]

Someone should of asked you what your Thai wife wants you to buy ? No Thai wife no buy !!!!!

[guzzi850m2]

I am also pro moo baan.

I go work overseas for app 2 month at the time so it's nice to know my wife & son live nicely inside a moo baan.

As mentioned, make sure you get a good one, ours have cctv and we live in the upscale end with quite expensive houses and very nice people living in them, no chance one of the houses will turn into a gambling house or whore house. No noisy parties too and +95% pays maintenance fees.

A friend of mine live on a +1 rai plot out on the dark side in Pattaya and when he goes to work (also 2 month) his wife's father comes and stay for the duration of his work away. Lovely garden man, very very nice BUT if intruders comes you are on your own and many of his neighbors had break-in's.

I think my garden is big enough with an about 100m2 lawn, if any bigger you will need a garden man twice a month if you want it to looks nice.

I forgot to add: the kids in the village are playing around on their bicycles inside the village very safely, everybody drives very slowly and we have speed bumps as well.

And communal swimming pool, also good for the kids or the adults. The adults tend to swim in the early morning when the kids goes to school.

Edited March 18, 2015 by guzzi850m2

[guzzi850m2]

It depends on the cost. Presumably if you spend more money- you will have more high class neighbors- Thai and Farang alike- the Thais will be Doctors, businessmen, etc. If you buy in a Moo Ban where any Thai making 15,000 Baht/month can a get a loan to buy, Watch out! Dogs , cats pandemonium, parties with rough looking Thais- and also Thai people that will rent their house to any Farang Junkie turd that will be smoking ( and possibly even cooking) Meth all night long.

Beware!

b

Well said and you are so right.

I seen some moo baans in Pattaya where I though, oh boy what a dump. Security guards long time gone because nobody pays maintenance fees. Roads clogged up with everybody parking in the cramped sois. Noisy parties almost every night, gambling, drug dealing and so on.

Go for moo baans with +5 mill baht homes for the smaller houses and up.

Not a too big moo baan too is good, ours is app 100 houses and I think that is a good size. Or too small.

[oneday]

Having looked at homes in several Moo Baan's I can't agree with the OP more. You don't know what you will get with committee's, neighbors and most especially collecting those fees and not using those fees to maintain the Moo Baan. My experience say most of them do not seem to maintain their Moo Baan's very well.

We are fortunate the residents in our Moo Baan take pretty good care of their homes and the common area (streets and one small parking area). We are so small that there are no fees. This Moo Baan dumped the security guard long ago because he was telling his thief friends when people were not home. Everybody just works to keep the Moo Baan clean and there is really no maintenance to speak of...no swimming pool or gym or common buildings.

Anyway, our internet provider is 3BB. They refuse to take care of any line problems they deem are inside the Moo Baan. I have had to pay outside contractors ridiculous prices to fix the line and inevitably something happens again. Right now I'm having to live with a very eradicate internet that 3BB can't and won't fix and the contractors they recommended were useless. It's an intermittent problem and these are the worst kind to try and fix. I've lived with it for 5 months and will most likely have to live with it until we move next year. If you live in a stand-alone home your provider will be responsible for the line up to your house.

The only negative I can see with a stand-alone home is a little less security with not having close neighbors who MIGHT look out for you and your property or at least discourage thieves. I would certainly look for a stand-alone home if I was looking, but a good one I think would be hard to find. You should be able to tell if a Moo Baan you are looking at is well maintained and if so then maybe you could consider it.

[chrissables]

Someone should of asked you what your Thai wife wants you to buy ? No Thai wife no buy !!!!!

Interested to know why you write, "no Thai wife no buy"

[Robert24]

If you buy in Moo ban buy from a reputable company, I.e. land & houses. This way you will have security/maintenance in 10 or 20 years and you have a good neighborhood.

Personally I prefer moo bans because I travel a lot and not stay home that much. This way I don't need to worry about security.

Standalone is good as well as long as you stay home or you have someone take care when you are away.

[slipperylobster]

Whatever you do....make sure you just rent. You will save yourself for tons of frustration and have the option to move out, if things go bad...which does happen. I cannot pick my neighbors....I rent a beautiful home for just 5000 per month. Believe it or not, the people here are kind, and considerate. No Karaoke, few dogs, friendly faces. etc. Twenty five percent of the homes are empty, with little upkeep. I suppose the owners went bad on their credit/marriages..or just simply no buyers available. A buyers market,for sure, as far as second hand homes go. (Chiang Mai ..San Sai)

[Rancid]

Personal choice, I prefer stand alone. Neighbours are a lottery however being wealthier doesn't make them better.

Think the security in moobaans is largely an illusion as robberies occur. However as a placebo it can give peace of mind.

Moobaans are probably better for newbies and those that like to know there are some facilities, you pay extra for it though.

[Daniel Ingalls]

When you buy into a housing community, the No.1 reason is.....Safety in numbers.

Guards at gates. Some one to clean up the streets, and somewhat keep the place kept up.

Maintenance fee's are minimal. I pay only 4,800 baht per year.

Disadvantage, No.1 unless you want to hire a 24/7 guard, you risk getting robbed, burglarized.

People know by observation/stake out your coming and goings. Don't depend on dogs. A nice piece of meat

thrown at a dog, you have a friend for life.

Peddlers, never ending charades, knocking at your door or gate.

[Acharn]

There must be a language problem here. For thirty plus years I have understood "Mu Baan" to be the smallest political division, perhaps analogous to "township" in the U.S., just as "Amphoe" is roughly equivalent to "County". The "phu yai baan" is probably comparable to the mayor or city manager. The fit of the comparison is not very good, because the moo baan is usually much smaller than a township, but I can't think of a better analogy. I've never bought a house in Thailand, but I built a house once and lived in it for a few years. I never heard of any committee having any say in the matter. After I built it the phu yai baan had nothing to do with it -- I had to go to the amphoe to register the house and tell them what address I wanted to use and get a house registration book which everybody had to transfer their registrations to. In Bangkok, for over twenty years, I rented a place in what I would call a "row house," a bunch of shophouses all in a single building next to each other. Is that what you are calling a moo baan? I dunno, I used to think Thais were weird and hard to understand, now I find it's farangs who are weird and hard to understand.

[topt]

Having looked at homes in several Moo Baan's I can't agree with the OP more. You don't know what you will get with committee's, neighbors and most especially collecting those fees and not using those fees to maintain the Moo Baan. My experience say most of them do not seem to maintain their Moo Baan's very well.

We are fortunate the residents in our Moo Baan take pretty good care of their homes and the common area (streets and one small parking area). We are so small that there are no fees. This Moo Baan dumped the security guard long ago because he was telling his thief friends when people were not home. Everybody just works to keep the Moo Baan clean and there is really no maintenance to speak of...no swimming pool or gym or common buildings.

Anyway, our internet provider is 3BB. They refuse to take care of any line problems they deem are inside the Moo Baan. I have had to pay outside contractors ridiculous prices to fix the line and inevitably something happens again. Right now I'm having to live with a very eradicate internet that 3BB can't and won't fix and the contractors they recommended were useless. It's an intermittent problem and these are the worst kind to try and fix. I've lived with it for 5 months and will most likely have to live with it until we move next year. If you live in a stand-alone home your provider will be responsible for the line up to your house.

The only negative I can see with a stand-alone home is a little less security with not having close neighbors who MIGHT look out for you and your property or at least discourage thieves. I would certainly look for a stand-alone home if I was looking, but a good one I think would be hard to find. You should be able to tell if a Moo Baan you are looking at is well maintained and if so then maybe you could consider it.

"Anyway, our internet provider is 3BB. They refuse to take care of any line problems they deem are inside the Moo Baan." - not the case for two providers (Sophon and True) that I have had.

Can you not just change provider and who installed the connection to your house then?

[khunano]

There must be a language problem here. For thirty plus years I have understood "Mu Baan" to be the smallest political division, perhaps analogous to "township" in the U.S., just as "Amphoe" is roughly equivalent to "County". The "phu yai baan" is probably comparable to the mayor or city manager. The fit of the comparison is not very good, because the moo baan is usually much smaller than a township, but I can't think of a better analogy. I've never bought a house in Thailand, but I built a house once and lived in it for a few years. I never heard of any committee having any say in the matter. After I built it the phu yai baan had nothing to do with it -- I had to go to the amphoe to register the house and tell them what address I wanted to use and get a house registration book which everybody had to transfer their registrations to. In Bangkok, for over twenty years, I rented a place in what I would call a "row house," a bunch of shophouses all in a single building next to each other. Is that what you are calling a moo baan? I dunno, I used to think Thais were weird and hard to understand, now I find it's farangs who are weird and hard to understand.

Your understanding of "moo baan" is actually correct, what is referred to in this thread is a housing estate or gated community as compared to a stand-alone house. Thais by the way, call housing estates moo baan as well. Most housing estates are administered by a juristic person and at least some of the committee members should be property owners in the estate.

[thaitorrent1]

This is what I hate in a mooban, kids !

I would prefer that burglars kill my wife !

I am also pro moo baan.

I go work overseas for app 2 month at the time so it's nice to know my wife & son live nicely inside a moo baan.

As mentioned, make sure you get a good one, ours have cctv and we live in the upscale end with quite expensive houses and very nice people living in them, no chance one of the houses will turn into a gambling house or whore house. No noisy parties too and +95% pays maintenance fees.

A friend of mine live on a +1 rai plot out on the dark side in Pattaya and when he goes to work (also 2 month) his wife's father comes and stay for the duration of his work away. Lovely garden man, very very nice BUT if intruders comes you are on your own and many of his neighbors had break-in's.

I think my garden is big enough with an about 100m2 lawn, if any bigger you will need a garden man twice a month if you want it to looks nice.

I forgot to add: the kids in the village are playing around on their bicycles inside the village very safely, everybody drives very slowly and we have speed bumps as well.

And communal swimming pool, also good for the kids or the adults. The adults tend to swim in the early morning when the kids goes to school.

[johnnybgood]

Friends and freaks are great online and in the bars.

To protect my personal space...... I'd vote for stand alone, in the shade, behind a high wall & shrubbery in a well populated area.

IMHO - after relocating to the other side of the planet, it seems daft having to communicate with neighbours who may make your family's life rather unpleasant.

[Kayahammer]

I've tried both.

Stand alone really was stand alone - surrounded by rice fields. Pros - peace and quiet, do what i want, no neighbours. Cons - cobras and other snakes, scorpions, wife scared to death after watching Texas chainsaw massacre.

Moo Bahn - security, neighbours are quiet (luckily), swimming pool, help during the floods, wife has neighbours to chat to over the fence, daughter can play in the garden without snake fear.

[answermeplease]

For proponents of moobaans based on security, I just read an article on how one of the residences in the Nanthawan housing estate was robbed while the residents and maid were at home. The guy duct taped and threatened them with a knife. Just FYI

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810010-kind-robber-cleans-house-too/

Edited March 19, 2015 by answermeplease

[mike324]

If you buy in Moo ban buy from a reputable company, I.e. land & houses. This way you will have security/maintenance in 10 or 20 years and you have a good neighborhood.

Personally I prefer moo bans because I travel a lot and not stay home that much. This way I don't need to worry about security.

Standalone is good as well as long as you stay home or you have someone take care when you are away.

Good point, reputable companies seems to have better managed moobans compare to privately developed moobans. L&H, Q House, Sansiri, AP and other all seem pretty decent.

[Anon999]

Different taste but I would never live in a stand alone house in Thailand.

You have to build it like a fortress to avoid burglary.

There's good and there's bad mobaans, I prefer the good ones.

Not true. We built a house on a 30x30 m plot with walls all around, a gate and proper windows and doors uPVC double glazed, The neighbour across the road is a school for the handicapped with a village behind us 100m away. We do have security lighting but no need for anything else. Previously my wife lived in a detached bungalow in a small village.