# Hua Hin and condo purchase



## dbr13

Hi, can anyone recommend Hua Hin as a good place to buy a condo for investment / semi retirement.


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## stednick

*careful*



dbr13 said:


> Hi, can anyone recommend Hua Hin as a good place to buy a condo for investment / semi retirement.


dbr13:

Hua Hin is "OK". It has a large population of expats and the prices reflect this fact. 

I would be careful about tying money up in a Thai real estate purchase for any reason, retirement, semi-retirement and/or investment. Rentals are so economical in Thailand "why purchase?".

Real estate is typically a long term non-liquid investment. Owning property in a foreign country is hazardous and risky. There are many factors beyond your control; tax liabilities, economics, currency fluctuations, political changes and legal regulations, all can change on a moments notice. There are no guarantees that the investment will provide a return and there is a serious risk of loss. 

If you are of the mind to invest money in foreign real estate tread carefully. Many falang have lost significant amounts of money in Thai real estate transactions. 

Good luck.


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## dbr13

stednick said:


> dbr13:
> 
> Hua Hin is "OK". It has a large population of expats and the prices reflect this fact.
> 
> I would be careful about tying money up in a Thai real estate purchase for any reason, retirement, semi-retirement and/or investment. Rentals are so economical in Thailand "why purchase?".
> 
> Real estate is typically a long term non-liquid investment. Owning property in a foreign country is hazardous and risky. There are many factors beyond your control; tax liabilities, economics, currency fluctuations, political changes and legal regulations, all can change on a moments notice. There are no guarantees that the investment will provide a return and there is a serious risk of loss.
> 
> If you are of the mind to invest money in foreign real estate tread carefully. Many falang have lost significant amounts of money in Thai real estate transactions.
> 
> Good luck.


Stednick

Thanks very much for your informed response. Makes a lot of sense to rent. I have heard that significant investment was taking place in Hua Hin by Bangkok developers. This was due to the recent flooding that occurred in the capital. Thanks agin for your advice.


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## Newforestcat

Hua Hin is now too expensive! It is too expensive to buy anywhere that has had no floods! It is getting cheaper in BKK though. I would not buy a condo to live. I only buy land for my own house and VERY long-term investment. I would not have tried if I was not a careful and thorough Thai. 

I was reading a local newspaper in Hua Hin areas online yesterday about the booming of beachfront plot cons. It should have been the safest to check land title deeds at the local Land Office where your plots are, because they should hold duplicates, history and info of the plots and their owners so you know that your are buying real pieces of land from the rightful owners! Oh, no, some local Land Offices have duplicates of faked land title deeds in their files. They told a rightful land owner that her land title deeds were fake just to be challenged and found that their office's duplicates were faked. An officer must have faked them or put them there then. Some loan provider has lost 3M Baht over this. If the faked deeds got away with murder again, this time someone would have lost 13M Baht, not that I have lots of sympathy for banks or loan sharks. This makes me sick to the bone; corruption has been the worst thing about Thailand. I ran away from it and am coming back to face it yet again. Lucky me! 

You don't want to be dealing with such irritating issues in your retirement!


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## dbr13

Newforestcat said:


> Hua Hin is now too expensive! It is too expensive to buy anywhere that has had no floods! It is getting cheaper in BKK though. I would not buy a condo to live. I only buy land for my own house and VERY long-term investment. I would not have tried if I was not a careful and thorough Thai.
> 
> I was reading a local newspaper in Hua Hin areas online yesterday about the booming of beachfront plot cons. It should have been the safest to check land title deeds at the local Land Office where your plots are, because they should hold duplicates, history and info of the plots and their owners so you know that your are buying real pieces of land from the rightful owners! Oh, no, some local Land Offices have duplicates of faked land title deeds in their files. They told a rightful land owner that her land title deeds were fake just to be challenged and found that their office's duplicates were faked. An officer must have faked them or put them there then. Some loan provider has lost 3M Baht over this. If the faked deeds got away with murder again, this time someone would have lost 13M Baht, not that I have lots of sympathy for banks or loan sharks. This makes me sick to the bone; corruption has been the worst thing about Thailand. I ran away from it and am coming back to face it yet again. Lucky me!
> 
> You don't want to be dealing with such irritating issues in your retirement!


Thanks Newforestcat. I intended to get a condo and spend 6 months in Hua Hin ( low season) and rent it out in high season. It is more for a retirement package plan as opposed to an investment. Real estate prices in Australia are out of control and way too over priced!


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## Newforestcat

Dbr13

I can see your way of thinking now. Yeah, I watched some TV programs about houses in Oz. i don't blame you. I know Pattaya is a better buy, but Pattaya is not for everyone. Without the traffic, I would not have minded it so much. Hua Hin coast is huge, you should have loads to choose from. From what I have seen on Thai websites, a Hua Hin condo is approx 2-3M Baht at least whilst in Pataya, you can get one from 1.5M. From what a Thai estate agent told me, buying offplan gives you a big discount but it is with some risks. 

Good luck!


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## Song_Si

Newforestcat said:


> Dbr13
> 
> From what a Thai estate agent told me, buying offplan gives you a big discount but it is with some risks.


Here is an example from today's news of a development near Rayong, 15 million baht condos - where is our swimming pool!



> *Rayong condo owners sue developer*
> 
> *About a dozen people, including expatriates, were present at court yesterday to file a criminal lawsuit against the developer of a luxury condominium in Rayong and demand a refund because services offered in reality were not like the ones advertised.*
> 
> The group was representing the 80 plaintiffs, of whom 50 are Thai nationals.
> 
> "We’ve arrived at this point because we have not been able to achieve anything after seven months of negotiations. The problems are primarily about the upkeep and the quality of the property and the unnecessarily high maintenance fees we are being charged," retired British expat Mark Robert Stephen said.
> 
> The units, costing up to Bt15 million each, had been bought about two years ago. As the condominium is close to Rayong’s Mae Pim beach, many bought units to use as retirement or vacation homes, while some thought it would be a good investment. Stephen said it would have been a good project if the developers had delivered what they advertised.
> 
> He said most buyers had decided to purchase units at this 14-storey luxury condominium because they were promised large public rest areas, an 8,000-square-metre swimming pool and a big water slide.
> 
> "Later we discovered we did not have a huge pool or a big water slide," said Sherry Watson, a Thai national who bought a 200-square-metre unit. She added that the developers violated the law because the road leading up to the property was not 6 metres wide as advertised, but was far too small for a fire engine to access.
> 
> "I bought this property because I thought it would be a lovely place to live in, since it was being developed by a company that developed a five-star hotel. However, the reality is totally different from what they advertised," she said.


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## bkkhome

If you would like to buy property, properties in Bangkok are better investment.


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## Newforestcat

Song_Si:

15M for a condo in Rayong? What made them part with their cash? 

BKKhome:

I somewhat agree with you that Bkk is possibly a godd place to buy this year. However, I don't invest in nothing that takes my fancy. I'd like to enjoy what I do. Bkk is a bit like hell for me. No offence!


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## Song_Si

Mae Pim beach is a nice area, we holidayed based at Ban Phe about 20km south of Rayong in Nov 2010 and spent time at the beaches and out to Koh Samet (never again!). 15million - have a look at these ones near Mae Pim, condos starting 4.9 million, and beachfront villas 41-46 million. Or they could have 20 of these @ 590,000b. 
We wouldn't live there - on one day there was 'something in the air' in Rayong - presume down-wind from one of the many industries in that area - both got eye irritations and for me a form of hayfever, put us off and we cut the holiday short, went 90km south and fell for the charms of Chanthaburi, moved here a few months after. Happy ever after!


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## Newforestcat

Song_Si said:


> Mae Pim beach is a nice area, we holidayed based at Ban Phe about 20km south of Rayong in Nov 2010 and spent time at the beaches and out to Koh Samet (never again!). 15million - have a look at these ones near Mae Pim, condos starting 4.9 million, and beachfront villas 41-46 million. Or they could have 20 of these @ 590,000b.
> We wouldn't live there - on one day there was 'something in the air' in Rayong - presume down-wind from one of the many industries in that area - both got eye irritations and for me a form of hayfever, put us off and we cut the holiday short, went 90km south and fell for the charms of Chanthaburi, moved here a few months after. Happy ever after!



We go to Mae Pim most years because it is easy to go to and any beach keeps my husband very happy. 

Some rich Thais are a bit like some rich Chinese, they don't seem to think twice before they make a huge purchase. I don't think I would buy a condo there, even if it was less than 3M each. 

I totally agree with you about Chantaburi that it is the nicest coastal town, too. Unfortunately, Pranburi near Hua Hin may be my choice for several reasons. You shall remain one of a very few Farangs in town a while longer. Besides, my husband is no good to any local economy except pubs! He even wants to open one. I say no. 

I first went to Samed almost 15 years ago. It was lovely, you could walk for miles. I must have been to a lot of beaches there, not all though. But Samed is no longer worth the effort, despite my husband's strange fondness for it! The same goes with Trad's Koh Chang, I went back there last year after 13 years. It was a huge difference! My husband was not keen on Koh Chang. Maybe because the hotel we had to choose was not on the beach.

I don't quite understand why Chantaburi is not as touristy as the surrounding areas. I cannot fault it apart from not having many well-known hotels. Mind you, I hope it stays the same, for your sake!

Is it just me or farangs are starting to go to live somewhere really cheap rather than touristy now? I spot quite a few in the main town near here. Good for them, it is dirt cheap around here! Or maybe more Thai women have farang BF's or husbands? 

Take care!

Dani


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