Buying property in Thailand

[Aussie Dave]

Nothing much to say here is there, i think that IAN has told us all there is to know and believe me.......... .he's right.

[Rooster]

Aussie Dave. How could he be right? It is a one sided view. Land has always been a sensitive issue in both Siam and modern Thailand. It is a one sided debate. Throughout our history, foreigners came and take what they wanted by forces. What they could not take, they would try to use their own legal means to force us to follow their wishes. I have suggested in this forum many times before about "the all or none policy." If you wish to own land in Thailand, then you should become Thai citizen. Being a Thai citizen is only shown legal process, but it does not show that you will become a loyal citizen. Disloyalty came in different forms and different subversive process. Annexation of Siam by Islamist, Cochin, and Western colonialists are still fresh in the mind of ethnic Tais. It had divided our people and changed our relationship into foreign relationships. Now, brothers and sisters will destroy each others for foreign ideals and beliefs. It is deeper than foreigners could ever fathom since they are reckless, dishonored, bad dharma, thieves and parasites. They caused indigenous people to become less than second class citizens on their own motherland, our women to be no more than internation \\ ////, our people to live in poverty, our leaders to be corrupted and drunken with power scraps, and much more. If Siam and Siameses were unit and as a whole, we would be energy and economically sufficient people and nation since the Old Siam had all of natural and people resources to a great and free nation.

[Aussie Dave]

Rooster.............I mean that Ian is correct in what he says in regard to the buying of land by farang.
However i seem to need to point out to you that if Ian was allowed to buy land in Thailand, he would be bringing money into the country, and at the end of the day he could'nt just dig it up and take it away, can you understand that?

[Aussie Dave]

Rooster ....bye the way, you have told us that you own property in the USA...............i suppose thats a fair thing, even though American cannot own land in Thailand !................. A bit one sided dont you think !

[Rooster]

Aussie Dave, you do know very well the status of USA and Australia are with regard to indigenous land. USA does not belong to white European descendants. All of the people, who are living in USA without indigenous ancestry, are borrowers and only have keeper status. The land do have spirit if you want to get into religious faiths. I am a US citizen and having been served in the US military, I was able to purchase land with low interest from VA. However, I am just a keeper and not the true owner of this land. The land deed here has long historical record and statement of how this land was granted and not truely owned by different people on my title deed. Oh, I sold the US land already to another veteran many year ago and used the money to build my real homes in Thailand. I do not own land in Thailand as Thai citizen yet since it is so expensive. If anyone want to own land in Thailand, than they should follow the law and make their roots in Thailand. Many foreigners do living in Thailand and bring their money to spend. They owning condominiums and businesses, and houses too under the titles of their companies. If you wish to make 30 years least in Thailand under your name, you can e-mail me. I will guide you to the right agent who will show you how to own houses and properties in Thailand without being Thai citizen. Did I told you that foreigners can buy and own condominiums? Many retired foreigners like this idea of leasing and not owning since they would not have to worry and to deal with inheritant issue. Oh, they can sell their leasing contract too if they wish to move or to buy new property. Aussie Dave, you can think about it since you do not have to worry about such problems when you could enjoying the remaining of your life with quality times on the beaches and with your Thai/Aussie wife. You can not take it with you when you are ready to answer to St. Peter.

[Rooster]

Hey Aussie Dave. I thought that you probably missed this article since business section can sometimes be very boring. This partnership will be good for the business community. In the long term, common Thais will not be able to afford to live and or visit these places. The one of possitive aspect is that this business will help bring/improve the building standards/codes in Thailand to first world standard. Since certain ethnic developers will not meet the world building standards/codes due to profit and their old building habits.

Real Estate/Residential Sales
Dutch Brokerage Taps Luxury Market, 25 February 2006

The Dutch property brokerage My Trusted House (MTH) is expanding into Asia, using Thailand as its base to explore business opportunities in the region. ''We started with Thailand because European people love to take holidays here. After their visits, some people want to buy a house to stay here,'' said Ronald Joosten, the executive partner of MTH Asia Pacific Co.

My Trusted House is a leading property sales and marketing agent in Europe, with a focus on luxury vacation homes. It established MTH Asia Pacific with Thai partners to handle its first operation in Asia. The local partners have not been named.

Mr Joosten said that Europeans felt comfortable about investing in property in Thailand, despite the lack of land ownership rights for foreigners.

''Thailand is very strong in terms of safety, the economy as well as political [stability] compared with other Asian countries,'' he said.

Apart from tourists, the company intends to target as potential customers the large number of expatriates in top management positions with multinational companies in Thailand.

It will also link up with accounting, financial and law firms to help ensure that foreigners earn benefits from their property investments in Thailand.

The strong growth of the local resale market for real estate also appeals to investors, Mr Joosten added.

The company's first venture in Asia is Royal Maritime in Sattahip, Chon Buri. It consists of 25 luxury villas with prices ranging between 30 million and 70 million baht each.

The company will hold its first event, called Living Rich Asia, this weekend at the Raffles Park Nai Lert Hotel in Bangkok, in order to introduce itself and the new villa project to affluent Thai clients.

It will also arrange its first tour of Thailand for 50 affluent European investors in March.

In addition, MTH plans to join with a local cable TV operator to set up Travel TV, aiming to broadcast across Thailand by the end of this year. The travel TV channel will be its key marketing tool following the success in Europe of Liberty TV, its 24-hour leisure and lifestyle channel based in Luxembourg.

The television programming focuses on selling vacation-related products including hotels, airline tickets and property. The channel is currently seen in Luxembourg, Germany France, the Netherlands and Belgium.

MTH has other property projects in the pipeline in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui and Bangkok.

After Thailand, the company will expand its business into other Asian countries, including China and Singapore.

[Rooster]

Oh, Aussie Dave. I think you do know how western economic system operate in regard to mortage system. Although, my parents and I own houses in USA. We are not the actual owners of these houses. The banks and mortage companies owned our houses. And it is depending on where are the properties. We may lose or grain when we sell our houses. Unlike in Thailand, most houses in USA will lose its values with age and locations. My parents sold their two houses at below market values since the economic condition in their city was in recession. They could not even give their houses away. But it was enough for them to use this money to build a new house in Thailand on my mom's family land. In Bangkok, majority of home owners are similar to their western counterparts. The banks are the true owners of these houses. Only few wealthy people will pay cash for their homes. There are few lucky Thais who will inherit property from their families. If you are happened to inherit a house that is about 30 years old or more, you might as well mowing it down and build a new house on the land. Yes, my parents mowed their 40 years old house down before they built a new house over the old house since the neighbors' houses are about one meter above normal ground. In my opinion, I think it is cheaper to sign a thirty years contract and keep my money in the SET/loaning it out than buying to own. The lease contract can be resell to other people if I wish to move somewhere else. Majority of people will make money for resell of lease contract.

[Aussie Dave]

To be honest Rooster, i do not feel comfortable with lease contract.
When one owns a property , one has the feeling of security, of having an asset. This is how i am but we are not all the same. I would not like to own a condo as i feel i am only sharing with several dozen others and not a personal owner.
Thats it mate , do you understand what i am saying?
Another thing, you are saying, i think, that property will not grow in value in Thailand, that does not sound correct?
In Aust i bought my 80 acres for $34,000 20 yrs ago, sold half for $40000. and todays value of the remaining 40 acres with modest house is valued at 1,3 million dollars.
Are you saying that this could not happen in Thailand.

[art]

I am hoping to live in thailand with my thai wife soon.I study so much about thailand,just a few points we can not buy land we can not have freehold .English like freehold! o k, you will say put in wife name.But say we parted,sorry think so much.Lease or company that is the question.

[Aussie Dave]

art mar 2nd.............."but say we parted" and thereby Art, lies the crux of the situation. You would probably loose everything!
Having said that i am sure that there are others who use this forum who have got more knowledge than i have on this matter. Beware of Roosters advice on this one , he likes to help but can be a little 'one sided" at times..............try Ian or Balmain David