What $300k buys you for a condo in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket?

[Andrew Reeve]

 

[Alice]

We currently rent for the last couple of years and have moved twice since living in Bangkok.

Saving hard and buying a condo or apartment is not to far off in the horizon.

[Andrew Reeve]

Good news Alice and fingers crossed, you will be a buyer sooner than later.

[TiT]

On 6/9/2021 at 2:49 AM, Alice said:

We currently rent for the last couple of years and have moved twice since living in Bangkok.

Saving hard and buying a condo or apartment is not to far off in the horizon.

Just curious, but what is your reasoning for wanting to buy instead of continuing to rent?  The rental market in Thailand is always in the renters favor and you don't get locked into a single location in case the building maintenance is poor or the neighbors are undesirable.  I feel like this is a western mindset that we need to 'own' something, I constantly struggle with this myself, but always open to hear other perspectives.

[billybob]

My wife and I have a studio condo in View Talay2A in Jomtien. She also has a half share in the family home in Yala and an empty condo in Hat Yai which she bought off plan a few years back. The family home is for family members to live in if they need somewhere it's a massive decaying 60 year old monster built by her late father who was chief of police for the city. The Hat Yai condo we will try and sell as we no longer want to be in the city. Jomtien was the only place I would consider because you could say I've fallen out of love with Thailand as a place to stay and holiday and see it more as jump off base to visit family go to other countries in Asia. Why buy - well I could afford it the total cost of the condo refurbishment and kitting it out came to less than 550k sterling and the block is well maintained and has a pro-active committee that are committed to upgrading the infrastructure. We have had 3 new lifts, electrical supply to the building and new water pipes all put in during the last year and it's our turn key home when we overwinter in Thailand. 

I wrote this a couple of years back in the 'other place' to set out my reasons for choosing Jomtien in the end. 

 

Don’t mind the haters commenting and adding the cons to the list but as we have a condo there and spend 3 to 4 months living here I thought I would try and see if I could come up with a list of the reasons why if you must live in Thailand then Jomtien is the best place to be in my humble opinion. 

1. Close to the international airport - Jomtien Bus Station - just 1 ¾ hours away and 150 baht on a fairly safe big bus. From Suvarnabhumi - you can get the airport link for 40 baht right into the heart of Bangkok and connect to BTS/MRT.

2. On the 10 baht bus routes that can get you to the shops and attractions of Pattaya quickly and cheaply. Similarly, the Thepprasit Road 10 baht bus shuttle connects you to Sukhumvit Road and the white 20 baht buses with rapid connections all the way to Sattahip or Naklua and all the roadside attractions on the way. Also great for getting to the cheap Outlet Center and Tesco Lotus and Baan and Beyond home store.

3. Clean refreshing breezes off the bay keep the air clean and cool, particularly during the high season. This is getting more and more important as Chiang Mai and Bangkok choke. Just don’t swim in the sea! That said I’ve never seen a jellyfish which you see all the time in Hua Hin. (update not true anymore get terrible PM2.5 during much of the high season now)

4. Wholesale daily fresh fruit market where you can buy all sorts of fresh produce at bargain prices. I’ve even seen Russian trawling through the 3 baht ‘seconds’ pile looking for a bargain.

5. Home to the weekend Thepprasit Road Night Market one of the biggest in Thailand and the nightly Jomtien Beach night market.With cheap fixed prices on display a tourist shopper's dream. Frequent beach and watersports take place opposite here throughout the year as well. 

6. A wide range of cheap and attractive condos to buy and rent. In particular, bargains are to be had in the second-hand condo market - particularly in the well run and built View Talay Condos. 

7. Next door to the Immigration Office on Soi 4 so walkable from most places to sort our TM30 / Visa hassles of which any long term resident will no doubt have many. 

8. Home to what is probably Thailand’s largest gay expat community congregated mostly around Jomtien Walking Street or ‘Boystown’. Gay culture tends to bring great restaurants, bakeries and other food outlets in its wake and with Jomtien, it’s no exception. 

9.  Whilst Jomtien is really Pattaya/Jomtien you can say you live in Jomtien to which most of your relatives and friend’s back home won’t recognise the world infamous nightlife resort. An added bonus is a nighttime stroll along the promenade needn’t embarrass you, straightlaced auntie when she comes over to stay! Though at the weekend the Thai pickups with their boomboxes may shatter your tranquillity.

10.  If the ‘well known’ delights of Pattaya are what you are seeking then Jomtien will have more than enough for all but the most jaded tastes and if not Pattaya is 15 minutes and 10 baht away.

11. Daily morning fisherman's market on the beach - where for the seafood-loving cooks amongst us is a wide range of cheap and delicious seafood at wholesale prices. 

12. Whilst Russians comprise a large portion of foreign visitors here they are mostly trouble free if somewhat standoffish and sullen. And if the Baht bus is full don’t worry there will be another one along shortly. Oh and some Russian women are stunningly beautiful if you like farang eye candy from time to time!

13.  Many of the farang expats are a class above the Chang singlet/tattoo variety who are more often seen in Pattaya. In fact, at a stretch, you could almost call it Chiang Mai on Sea! Many Chiang Mai residents looking to move out because of the smoke issues during much of the year would do well to check Jomtien out - as would digital nomads. Internet speeds are as good as you would get anywhere in Thailand. 

14. The Food Mart near the end of Thepprasit Road has a wide range of imported food and cooking requisites at relatively reasonable prices. Making your own pizzas - then they have the lot !

15. Pretty much half the price of Hua Hin, its more upmarket sister for just about anything and don’t forget point 1 much closer to the airport.

16. Doesn’t seem to get the periodic rainstorm floods that plague Pattaya from time to time. 

17. Whilst it has some noisy hotspots the area is relatively quiet and lets the 'stay at homes' have a good night’s sleep.

18. eer that's it...

 

[Alice]

Quote

 

We currently rent for the last couple of years and have moved twice since living in Bangkok.

Saving hard and buying a condo or apartment is not to far off in the horizon.

Just curious, but what is your reasoning for wanting to buy instead of continuing to rent?  The rental market in Thailand is always in the renters favor and you don't get locked into a single location in case the building maintenance is poor or the neighbors are undesirable.  I feel like this is a western mindset that we need to 'own' something, I constantly struggle with this myself, but always open to hear other perspectives.

 

Hi @TiT, our landlord is retiring next year and has informed us they are selling off all of their properties.

We can either buy or move on, the temptation to buy is great because you will never own anything paying rent. our main problem is the horizon is getting further away.