Why Are Houses So Much Cheaper Than Apartments/Condos to Rent?

[Naam]

Haven't read all the posts but here is my opinion for what it's worth.

Condos normally offer security, a pool, gym, and are located in a central area. Houses may offer some of the same but chances are that the security is mainly for the main gate and does not cover the entire housing development, pool and gym may or may not be included or maintained, and the location of housing development is normally out side of town while condos are normally central. This is not always the case but normally holds true. Also, who wants to cut grass and worry about all those outside details. Condos provide everything you need with little fuss

it's also much easier to socialise in condos. you hear the neighbours fart or belch, smell the ugly stinking delicious food they prepare, know when the ones above you rearrange their furniture, walk 20 flights of stairs when there's a power cut...

not to forget that condos have balconies for convenient jumping.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Naam

[trogers]

Haven't read all the posts but here is my opinion for what it's worth.

Condos normally offer security, a pool, gym, and are located in a central area. Houses may offer some of the same but chances are that the security is mainly for the main gate and does not cover the entire housing development, pool and gym may or may not be included or maintained, and the location of housing development is normally out side of town while condos are normally central. This is not always the case but normally holds true. Also, who wants to cut grass and worry about all those outside details. Condos provide everything you need with little fuss

it's also much easier to socialise in condos. you hear the neighbours fart or belch, smell the ugly stinking delicious food they prepare, know when the ones above you rearrange their furniture, walk 20 flights of stairs when there's a power cut...

not to forget that condos have balconies for convenient jumping.

That's why condos are more expensive. All in-house living experiences, a few doors away. But miss those cock crows and buffalo droppings though...

[slipperylobster]

Add the cost of house maintenance, pool and fitness, and your own security system and security guard 24/7 and tell us again about being cheaper.

I dont think the OP is asking what is more expensive to maintain, but rather why Condos are bure expensive to buy than Private homes?

The maintenance costs are arguable, For a Condo you have maintenance fees that you must pay where in a home you can chose if you want to maintain something or, not, or pay someone to do the work or do it yourself.

In a condo you share the maintenance costs where in a home you pay all of them yourself, but in a condo you also share the facilities where in a private home you can enjoy them in private. etc etc.

I often wondered the same question as the OP. Someone said that condos are more expensive to build , I would respectfully disagree. depending on land prices, it should cost cheaper per square ft for a Large condominium than for a private home , in an other word you can out a lot more Condo living square footage than private home square footage in the same land. also the labor an material costs Per/ sqft should be lower for a condo due to bulk buying .

Trogers was a bit off on this one. OP is asking about rental prices. Renters should not be spending big money on maintenance in a home. If you think you have to, then just negotiate the rent down and pay in advance (at quite a savings). I had a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom house for 5000 baht a month, just by Raum Chok Market. Nice subdivision...small. We agreed to clean it and maintain it (cost less that 5000 for that maintenance a year. A nice deal. Way better than renting a condo. Some subdivisions have pools...by the way. And gyms are less than 2000 a month anyways. So, with pool, gym, maintenance, and a large home....7000 a month is possible (if you look hard). No way a condo could come close.

OP has a valid point.

Security cost us nothing..by the way. Our subdivision was small, and a security guard would make his rounds and man the gate. He was very pleasant and would do side jobs while we were on vacation. Such as watering the plants, collecting mail, etc.

Houses are a viable option. I can't live in a small studio on the 13th floor. I did that in Hawaii. Yes...they did have a 13th floor. I like a garden and some living space.

Edited April 12, 2016 by slipperylobster

[trogers]

Add the cost of house maintenance, pool and fitness, and your own security system and security guard 24/7 and tell us again about being cheaper.

I dont think the OP is asking what is more expensive to maintain, but rather why Condos are bure expensive to buy than Private homes?

The maintenance costs are arguable, For a Condo you have maintenance fees that you must pay where in a home you can chose if you want to maintain something or, not, or pay someone to do the work or do it yourself.

In a condo you share the maintenance costs where in a home you pay all of them yourself, but in a condo you also share the facilities where in a private home you can enjoy them in private. etc etc.

I often wondered the same question as the OP. Someone said that condos are more expensive to build , I would respectfully disagree. depending on land prices, it should cost cheaper per square ft for a Large condominium than for a private home , in an other word you can out a lot more Condo living square footage than private home square footage in the same land. also the labor an material costs Per/ sqft should be lower for a condo due to bulk buying .

Trogers was a bit off on this one. OP is asking about rental prices. Renters should not be spending big money on maintenance in a home. If you think you have to, then just negotiate the rent down and pay in advance (at quite a savings). I had a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom house for 5000 baht a month, just by Raum Chok Market. Nice subdivision...small. We agreed to clean it and maintain it (cost less that 5000 for that maintenance a year. A nice deal. Way better than renting a condo. Some subdivisions have pools...by the way. And gyms are less than 2000 a month anyways. So, with pool, gym, maintenance, and a large home....7000 a month is possible (if you look hard). No way a condo could come close.

OP has a valid point.

Security cost us nothing..by the way. Our subdivision was small, and a security guard would make his rounds and man the gate. He was very pleasant and would do side jobs while we were on vacation. Such as watering the plants, collecting mail, etc.

Houses are a viable option. I can't live in a small studio on the 13th floor. I did that in Hawaii. Yes...they did have a 13th floor. I like a garden and some living space.

One does not build houses to rent out in the CBD, nor build blocks of condos for rent among the rice fields...

[WorkingTourist]

it's also much easier to socialise in condos. you hear the neighbours fart or belch, smell the ugly stinking delicious food they prepare, know when the ones above you rearrange their furniture, walk 20 flights of stairs when there's a power cut...

not to forget that condos have balconies for convenient jumping.

Oh come on, you can afford better than the “one room for one million” type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as it’s great for my cardio!

[Naam]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the “one room for one million” type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as it’s great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai cnds.

[KittenKong]

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai c:bah:nd:bah:s.

The generator in my building works fine, yet the units in my building cost a lot less than that.

You should know that price is absolutely no guide to quality.

[trogers]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the one room for one million type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as its great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai cnds.

You stated the reasons: Jomtien and 15-20 year-old building.

[Naam]

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai c:bah:nd:bah:s.

The generator in my building works fine, yet the units in my building cost a lot less than that.

You should know that price is absolutely no guide to quality.

another irrelevant lecture. i mentioned the price referring to this comment:

WorkingTourist, on 12 Apr 2016 - 11:58, said:

Oh come on, you can afford better than the “one room for one million” type of condo...

there are condo people who share and house people who cherish their privacy and hate elevators whether defunct or working.

never the twain shall meet!

[KittenKong]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the one room for one million type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as its great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai c:bah:nd:bah:s.

You stated the reasons: Jomtien and 15-20 year-old building.

My building is the same age and in the same location, both of which facts are totally irrelevant anyway. The generator in my building works fine.

The reason that Naam's generator didnt work was bad maintenance, and that's a Thai thing that has nothing to do with age or location or price. It's just bad maintenance.

[Naam]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the one room for one million type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as its great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai cnds.

You stated the reasons: Jomtien and 15-20 year-old building.

i didn't mention the buildings age but found out now.

• Year of completion - 2002

and nobody can tell me that before or after 2002 the average building quality in the range THB 40-50k/m² was better.

[Naam]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the one room for one million type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as its great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai c:bah:nd:bah:s.

You stated the reasons: Jomtien and 15-20 year-old building.

My building is the same age and in the same location, both of which facts are totally irrelevant anyway. The generator in my building works fine.

The reason that Naam's generator didnt work was bad maintenance, and that's a Thai thing that has nothing to do with age or location or price. It's just bad maintenance.

the 7.5cm plus 5mm plaster each of the dividing walls are also due to bad maintenance? the upper floor of the duplex had no neighbouring flats but the lower floor did. and there i measured the wall because where a socket was mounted i could see some light. taking off the socket one could look into a neighbouring studio.

going from the lower level to the elevator (located in the middle of the building) one had to pass each side left and right a dozen studios, many doors always open for cheap charlie airconditioning (cross ventilation) and beastly cooking smells.

[trogers]

Oh come on, you can afford better than the one room for one million type of condo

And for having to walk twenty flights of stairs, our building has a generator that powers the elevator in case of a power outage, but I still prefer running the ten flights of stairs up to my 200 sq.m. duplex as its great for my cardio!

11 years ago, during construction period of our home, we rented a penthouse for one year in Jomtien (duplex 19th floor). i think at that time it was also for sale for 17 million. there was a back-up generator for the elevators. it did not work.

summary: don't give me a lecture about Thai cnds.

You stated the reasons: Jomtien and 15-20 year-old building.

i didn't mention the buildings age but found out now.

Year of completion - 2002

and nobody can tell me that before or after 2002 the average building quality in the range THB 40-50k/m² was better.

I suspect that this building was a victim of the Asian Financial Crisis and only taken over and completed in 2002. This would mean design and specifications were developed prior to 1997.

[KittenKong]

The reason that Naam's generator didnt work was bad maintenance, and that's a Thai thing that has nothing to do with age or location or price. It's just bad maintenance.

the 7.5cm plus 5mm plaster each of the dividing walls are also due to bad maintenance? the upper floor of the duplex had no neighbouring flats but the lower floor did. and there i measured the wall because where a socket was mounted i could see some light. taking off the socket one could look into a neighbouring studio.

No, that's bad construction.

going from the lower level to the elevator (located in the middle of the building) one had to pass each side left and right a dozen studios, many doors always open for cheap charlie airconditioning (cross ventilation) and beastly cooking smells.

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

[Naam]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

[trogers]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

Probably threw lots of parties to show off her abode too!

I weep with you...

[Naam]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

Probably threw lots of parties to show off her abode too!

I weep with you...

no parties then, no parties now. we are both loners and consider more than 6 people (including us) in our home an unbearable crowd.

[blackcab]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

You have a 20 metre high ceiling?

[Naam]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

You have a 20 metre high ceiling?

18-20 linear meters ceiling to floor glass...

[trogers]

And that's bad neighbours.

Perhaps you should have stayed somewhere like the Royal Cliff Condo?

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

You have a 20 metre high ceiling?

18-20 linear meters ceiling to floor glass...

Yup, and the amount of heat loss would be tremendous during winter. Western design copied and pasted into Thailand by professionals...how ingenious!

[Naam]

i wanted a house. the Mrs insisted on a view and selected some sort of an aquarium with 18-20m ceiling to floor glass and 6 months a year sun on that glass. the latter meant view only after sundown, curtains drawn during daytime and a fancy electricity bill (radiation, roof not insulated and cool air dropping to the lower floor which we never used).

women folks!

You have a 20 metre high ceiling?

18-20 linear meters ceiling to floor glass...

Yup, and the amount of heat loss would be tremendous during winter. Western design copied and pasted into Thailand by professionals...how ingenious!

but not during winters in Jomtien

[JayBird]

but not during winters in Jomtien

Yup, and the amount of heat loss would be tremendous during winter. Western design copied and pasted into Thailand by professionals...how ingenious!

Double/Triple pained glass? With an internal gas (argon?) insulation. Should help.

[Naam]

but not during winters in Jomtien

Yup, and the amount of heat loss would be tremendous during winter. Western design copied and pasted into Thailand by professionals...how ingenious!

Double/Triple pained glass? With an internal gas (argon?) insulation. Should help.

in Thailand?

[WorkingTourist]

Double/Triple pained glass? With an internal gas (argon?) insulation. Should help.

in Thailand?

While not having windows can give better insulation than even the latest high-tech sun-reflecting triple glazed tinted windows, the latter does allow building a condo in Thailand with good views without the need to pull the curtains shut during daytime.

But a building from 2001 is unlikely to have such windows, even most Thai condos built today are done with single-glazed windows and poor insulation.

Personally I have high-tech windows to 3 sides in a top-floor duplex, and no way I would change any of them to walls, nor do I generally pull the curtains shut in the daytime, even though outside temperatures currently reach 40 degrees celsius.

[trogers]

Double/Triple pained glass? With an internal gas (argon?) insulation. Should help.

in Thailand?

While not having windows can give better insulation than even the latest high-tech sun-reflecting triple glazed tinted windows, the latter does allow building a condo in Thailand with good views without the need to pull the curtains shut during daytime.

But a building from 2001 is unlikely to have such windows, even most Thai condos built today are done with single-glazed windows and poor insulation.

Personally I have high-tech windows to 3 sides in a top-floor duplex, and no way I would change any of them to walls, nor do I generally pull the curtains shut in the daytime, even though outside temperatures currently reach 40 degrees celsius.

When the British colonized India and Malaya, they brought along the design concept of verandas to shade their buildings against the tropical heat.

But local designers here, whether through laziness or ignorance, copied the greenhouse design of Rome and Europe to enhance the already very hot environment.

That's the irony...

[WorkingTourist]

But local designers here, whether through laziness or ignorance, copied the greenhouse design of Rome and Europe to enhance the already very hot environment.

Most Thai condos use a design which seems pretty good at keeping out the sun. They have effectively no windows, just a small balcony (where the door serves as a window) and some bricks taken out in the bathroom’s exterior wall for ventilation and a little bit of sunlight.

The buildings you’re thinking of I assume are based on demand. Foreigners do not want to live in a typical Thai condo, they want lots of sunlight and possibly a nice view, and they’ll install air condition and possibly pay for double-glazed windows to make it possible.

You’ll also find that the style in Northern Europe has changed over the last 30 years. Now many condos have floor-to-ceiling windows where they used to have much smaller windows. This is probably because better insulation and central heating makes it possible/cheaper, where just 50 years ago, it would have been unbearable to live in such place during winter. Of course some societal changes may also have had an impact on the design, as I doubt anyone would want to live in a glass house 100 years ago, but today, most people don’t mind exposing their life to the public.

[Tomtomtom69]

Supply and demand mostly. I would also rather live in a condo with a nice view and no maintenance and security problems, and I'm prepared to pay for that. And it does cost more to build/buy a condo than it does to build/buy a house, so that will have an impact on rental prices too.

Also the "farang price" effect: anything deemed to be of interest to a farang will automatically result in a higher asking price.

What you do need to remember in connection with Thai property is that all prices are highly negotiable, and that advertised prices here may bear no relation whatsoever to what something is actually worth. Many people here prefer to advertise something at a very high price and have no takers rather than advertise at a sensible price and sell/rent it quickly. This notion is not common in the West, for various reasons.

all prices are highly negotiable?? 55555 - Obviously you do not know very much about Thailand making that statement, rarely this is true.

Actually prices ARE indeed highly negotiable, that is true for most things in Thailand. Only a dumb foreigner who doesn't know how to bargain would accept the first price offered. If it's an apartment/condo or house you want to rent, you can bargain the price down. Although some places which aren't popular with foreigners and only have one or two foreigners occupying apartments will give you a sheet of paper, possibly only in Thai or bilingual Thai/English, with the price list that is likely to be fixed. However, even then you could possibly still negotiate a discount, depending on how long you're staying or how much you're willing to pay upfront.

If it's a basic unit with no kitchen it will depend on the area, but if it's in Bangkok and a little out of the way of the skytrain, should be more than about 5000-6000 a month. It could also very well be a lot less than this, but that will depend on it's size. If you were being offered a 20m2 pad in an undesirable area for 8000-10000 Baht a month, run, don't walk away. Clearly they'd be trying to screw you but more often than not, especially if you speak and read Thai or can bring along a Thai speaker, you'll get the best price they can offer.