Basic Property Buying Questions

[glenbat]

apologies if these have been asked before...

am i right in saying that a farang can buy a condo outright, in their own name and own it outright?

And we can not buy and own a house/bungalow? If we do it needs to be in a thai's name, a group of thai's or a company?

Is there any way of buying a house in thailand and owning it outright? Not overly keen on putting a place in a thai's name for obvious reasons

And do the rules apply to all areas of thailand?

[Casanundra]

apologies if these have been asked before...

am i right in saying that a farang can buy a condo outright, in their own name and own it outright?

And we can not buy and own a house/bungalow? If we do it needs to be in a thai's name, a group of thai's or a company?

Is there any way of buying a house in thailand and owning it outright? Not overly keen on putting a place in a thai's name for obvious reasons

And do the rules apply to all areas of thailand?

YES you can buy and own a Condo in your own name providing it is one of the 49% allocated to be owned by a foreigner.

NO you cannot own a property or rather the land a property sits on in your own name although there are some ways around this but bottom line the answer is 'NO'. You can of course set up an Ursfruct agreement or a 30 years lease etc on the property instead... but this has been covered to death in other forums so no need to do it again here.

YES the rules apply across the whole of Thailand.

If you want to own a property I would suggest a Condo in your own name or a trip to Malaysia where they are giving away 10 year visas with every property purchased

[Khun Jean]

I always wonder what happens after those Malaysian 10 year visa's.

Anyone know something about that?

For Thailand it is just as described above. Do a searech and read a million posts about the subject.

[dannyb]

apologies if these have been asked before...

am i right in saying that a farang can buy a condo outright, in their own name and own it outright?

And we can not buy and own a house/bungalow? If we do it needs to be in a thai's name, a group of thai's or a company?

Is there any way of buying a house in thailand and owning it outright? Not overly keen on putting a place in a thai's name for obvious reasons

And do the rules apply to all areas of thailand?

YES you can buy and own a Condo in your own name providing it is one of the 49% allocated to be owned by a foreigner.

NO you cannot own a property or rather the land a property sits on in your own name although there are some ways around this but bottom line the answer is 'NO'. You can of course set up an Ursfruct agreement or a 30 years lease etc on the property instead... but this has been covered to death in other forums so no need to do it again here.

YES the rules apply across the whole of Thailand.

If you want to own a property I would suggest a Condo in your own name or a trip to Malaysia where they are giving away 10 year visas with every property purchased

actually for thailand technically you can own upto 1600 sqm of land. provided that we get approval from the goverment. They require an investment of 40million baht though.

[thaigene2]

Glenbat

The first question you should ask yourself - and it's something many of us often overlook - is 'What makes you think that after you buy it that you'll be able to stay here and live in it?'

This 'Thativisa.com' Website exists precisely because of the (increasingly) visa difficulties.

In other words, you can buy whatever you want here. You can 'buy' land, you can 'buy' a condo in a building that has more than 49% foreign ownership...but that doesn't mean you own it and nor can you register it.

The foreign property/condo market in this country is in freeze-frame right now until this crucial question gets sorted out - and not in the usual - half-baked ways.

I'd like to learn more about that 10 year Malaysian visa actually..

[astral]

You will find details of the Malaysian My Second Home Scheme here.

You need quite a bit of money to apply, more than for a retirement visa in Thailand.

[Gary A]

Glenbat

The first question you should ask yourself - and it's something many of us often overlook - is 'What makes you think that after you buy it that you'll be able to stay here and live in it?'

This 'Thativisa.com' Website exists precisely because of the (increasingly) visa difficulties.

In other words, you can buy whatever you want here. You can 'buy' land, you can 'buy' a condo in a building that has more than 49% foreign ownership...but that doesn't mean you own it and nor can you register it.

The foreign property/condo market in this country is in freeze-frame right now until this crucial question gets sorted out - and not in the usual - half-baked ways.

I'd like to learn more about that 10 year Malaysian visa actually..

The way I read it is that you buy a property for $100,000 US that you can't sell. No thanks.

[DisainaM]

for the situation in Malaysia, s.o. should also go for other background information.

Nation

Saturday October 28, 2006

Couple in khalwat raid may drop second home plan

By SIRA HABIBU

LANGKAWI: Retired American policeman Randal Barnhart, who was subjected to a 2am raid by religious enforcement officers, is reconsidering his plan to make Malaysia his second home.

“After that unpleasant episode two weeks ago, I do not feel like making Malaysia my second home. It is a pity because both my wife and I really love Langkawi,” he said.

On Oct 12, Barnhart, 62, and his wife Carole, 61, were in their rented condominium in Kuah when enforcement officers continuously knocked on their door at 2am, accusing them of committing khalwat (close proximity).

He said the officers demanded to see his marriage certificate, although he had told them that they were Christians and should not be subjected to Islamic law.

They felt humiliated by the raid by religious enforcement officers in Langkawi recently.

“We find it difficult to forget the unpleasant episode. My wife was so terrified by the incident that she fears sleeping in that condominium,” he added.

Banhart said the officers were rude and insisted on “seeing the woman” when he opened the door.

“My wife had to show herself despite only having a sarong on at that time. We felt humiliated for being treated this way,” he said.

He said he had to send his wife back to the United States on the next available flight because she feared people might return to the condominium to terrify her in the middle of the night.

She flew home on Wednesday.