Thailand

On the surface Bangkok is no different than any other major city in the world when it comes to property, and prices. The nearer you are to the action by way of business and tourisms districts, the higher the prices asked. There are also the so called ‘leafy’ outer suburbs that offer quite impressive but expensive housing. These estates are well maintained fortresses that function like mini self contained towns. Such places offer an alternative for those that prefer to live away from big city life.

Having said that, don’t take the above too literally, as one thing I’ve realised over the years is that greater Bangkok has an absolute abundance of places to live, and it’s not so much getting what you pay for here, but more akin to what you can be bothered spend time looking for.

This city has tiny studios from as little as 1,000 THB/Mo., that are not much more than shelters, right the way up to penthouses in the sky with private pools and butlers to boot, and just about everything else in between.

When most folk arrive in Thailand for the fist time they usually opt to live in the security of an apartment building. Apartments or condominium buildings usually have limited access with a security presence at the entrance plus an office with a site manager and small team of administrative staff to help with all your settling-in and living needs.

It’s just not possible to give averages on prices for this city as there really are hidden treasures at fantastic rents if only you can find them. I’ve stayed in a huge 3 bedroom apartment with en suite bathrooms in each room for 50,000 THB/Mo. but a few Sois (side roads) along, a friend of mine was paying 55,000 THB/Mo. for a tiny 60 SQM 1 bedroom serviced apartment.

I would guess that a lot of expat families that have been posted out here on working contracts probably have a company housing allowance of between 45-70,000 THB/Mo. and ’savvy landlords‘ will price their accommodation accordingly, but there are so many deals out there should you bypass the normal channels of searching.

If you need to settle in quickly, and money is not the issue, I strongly recommend using the services of a reputable agency to take the frustration out of home hunting. If you have time to ponder and can cope with the upheaval of moving a couple of times before settling in permanently, then I would suggest moving into an apartment building that doesn’t require you to lock into a long contract (month to month is ideal) and then take your time to look around and see what’s available.

Often word by mouth is a good place to start and you could begin by getting to know a few local expats then invite yourself around to their homes if their place of residence sounds interesting to you.

Accommodation - Houses

Some long-term foreigners prefer to move from apartments and condos into a house with a garden, which gives them more space, privacy and a sense of belonging.

Most of the houses in greater Bangkok will be privately let, and once again these prices can fluctuate enormously. It’s a lot more difficult to find an ideal house than an idyllic apartment and a Thai friend, a colleague, or an agent, is definitely recommended in assisting you with your search here. There’s also a Thai language weekly magazine that is cram packed with accommodation which is both privately and commercially managed.

If you know you will be in Bangkok a long time and prefer more space and privacy than is offered from an apartment, then a house is perhaps a better choice. Some people just like to have their feet planted firmly on the ground. However, with a house you will probably need live-in staff, as houses are more prone to security issues.

“Andy Maingam” is a proficient publisher and webmaster of mrroomfinder.com where he owns an operates a 100% free property portal for the tenants, landlords, and agencies of Thailand. The site proves a very useful resource in helping new tenants make informed renting decisions, and is a great tool for home seekers and landlords either looking for or renting out Bangkok Apartments

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Estate Agents, Real Estate Agents, Realtors, Property Vendors call them what you will, it means the same, it just depends where you come from. As I’m British, I’ll use the term ‘Estate Agents’ as it’s most familiar to me.

Most Estate Agents are best known for helping to buy and sell your homes, but nowadays most offer a range of ‘related’ services including purchase, sales, lease, mortgages etc on all types of properties. There are those too that often double as letting agencies, more of which will be explained later.

If you’re in business they can find you an office, if you’re a landlord they can find you a tenant, if you’re a tenant they can find you a landlord, and if you’re a builder they can find you a plot of land or an unfinished project. It’s my understanding that the Estate Agents of Thailand are similar in practice to those elsewhere in the world.

With such a useful one-stop-shop for all your property related business, why is it then that Estate Agents generally have a bad reputation? Well, it’s probably related to the nature of the job.

To be fair, they’re quite often stuck in the middle dealing with the thankless tasks of buying, selling, and negotiating etc. It must be a nightmare at times trying to keep all parties happy.

When things don’t go according to plan, the buyers, sellers, tenants, and contractors etc have to vent their frustrations out somewhere and the obvious choice is on the guys that are being paid to make the job as quick and as hassle free as possible. It’s quite a juggling act!

Another one of the problems with this business and its reputation is this: When times are good, the market is “confident”, and there are more buyers than sellers, and more tenants than landlords, some Estate Agents may treat you badly. By that I mean things like not returning your calls or sending you the promised information and other such upsetting and thoughtless inactions. However, when the market slows down, the good ones’ will stand out in a crowd and be a model of cooperation at your disposal.Sir!

Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to keep serene in Thailand as the pace of business here is generally a lot less hurried than that in western countries. Intolerance, impatience and quick tempered threats will only hinder, never help, your situation whatever it happens to be. It’s always a good idea to not take deadlines and over optimistic assurances too literally and to go with the flow as much as possible. This doesn’t mean sit back and allow for any Agent to disrespect your particular job, it simply means adjust to the ways of operating, allow for hurdles and hiccups along the way, and the whole process will seem a lot smoother.

As with any humans, treat them positively, with respect, and they’re likely to respond more favorably to your case.
Research has shown that buying and selling property, or moving home are perhaps among the most stressful things people are likely to encounter in their life time. It’s not surprising then that a major concern with many folk is how to select an agent that’s considered reputable? The bottom line is that most are but just as in any other business a very small minority is not. This isn’t a problem pertaining only to Thailand either.

The best way to find a good one (if you’re locally based) is listen to personal recommendations from friends, work colleagues and neighbours. Word of mouth recommendations are by far the most trustworthy in the long run, but be slightly wary of people recommending family members or close friends who happen to be in the business.

A lot of high-end rentals are arranged through Estate Agents too, some mid priced but very little if none at all, in the low end vacancies. One assumes this is purely down to little or no profit on the latter. This then beggars the question: Do real-estate agents have their clients’ best interests at
heart? The answer to this has to be yes, if you fit comfortably into their definition of a ‘client’.

I personally used the services of an Estate Agent when I first moved here. I was looking to rent an apartment in the 50,000 THB/Mo. price range. I was ushered into the back of a nice motor, accompanied by an attractive young escort, and driven around Bangkok’s central area for a few hours as she presented me with one potential home after another. Nothing was too much trouble and I found the service invaluable and very time saving. This also gave me a good insight on what was available for that kind of money on which a whole new chapter could be written.

However, stick your head in the door and tell them you’re looking for a pad around the 5,000 Baht a month range and see how you get on! Although they won’t tell you to sod off, I don’t think the service above will apply either.

This is one of the reasons the Mr. Roomfinder project was started as we felt there needed to be a free central place available for seeking out ‘all’ property types at ‘all’ budget levels.

“Andy Maingam” is a proficient publisher and webmaster of mrroomfinder.com where he owns an operates a 100% free property portal for the tenants, landlords, and agencies of Thailand. The site proves a very useful resource in helping new tenants make informed renting decisions, and is a great tool for home seekers and landlords either looking for or renting out Bangkok Apartments.

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