To rent or to buy?

[poshglasgow]

Personally, I'd never buy. Rent is extremely cheap in Thailand anyway, so buying doesn't make much sense.

- Life is fluid and things tend to change with time, so if you ever decide to relocate, it's no problem.
- Laws change on a virtual whim in Thailand, and you may find yourself in a bad situation.
- You can only own a condo, not a house (at least not the land on it)
- If you ever have a dispute with the owner / landlord / property managers, it may be difficult to get resolved, leaving you in a bad position if you own. If you're renting, then no problem, and just grab a new place.

Many thanks, cdnmatt, this tends to support the trend of advice forthcoming.

[paborn]

Jellybean , just an amazing and informative piece.

[fedssocr]

I'm still a ways away from retirement but if I were to spend a lot of time in Thailand I would certainly rent a furnished place some place in Bangkok on a public transport line. I suppose everyone's situation is different but I wouldn't want to live full time in Thailand although I could see spending several months a year there. And given how climate change is already causing havoc I don't think I'd buy any waterfront property in Thailand...or any property in Bangkok either.

[arsenal]

Renting is the only sensible thing to do. Any regular visitor to Pattaya can tell you that something ridiculously noisy can appear anywhere and at any time. Or a huge apartment block can go up outside your window.

[frequent]

The best sources of information are, I find, DD Property, Thai Apartment and Hip Flat. They allow users to filter on selection criteria such as MRT/BTS stations, size, number of bedrooms and price. DD Property also has an App; not sure about Thai Apartment or Hip Flat. DD Property and maybe the others also allow you to search via condo name if you find a condo you're interested in. Unfortunately some landlords have only a vague idea of where their apartment is located, it would seem. I've seen apartments listed as near one BTS station in the Silom/Sathorn area, only to find the map shows them out at Chatuchuk

https://www.ddproperty.com/en
https://www.hipflat.com/
http://www.thaiapartment.com/

[snotface]

I bought my condo in Jomtien 13 years ago and have never regretted it. I like the feeling that I own it myself (it's not company-owned) and do not have to consult anyone if I want to make changes. Last year, for instance, I removed a second bathroom I hardly ever used except for storage and thereby gave myself a much larger living room. I have decorated the condo to my taste over the years and it now feels like a welcome haven from the ugliness of much of Pattaya. I love returning to it after a trip and just spending leisure time in it. I am lucky to live in a block which ousted a corrupt female Thai manager soon after I moved in and installed a proper committee consisting mainly of farangs. It now has a reputation for being one of the best run in the area. I am also lucky in that there is not much outside noise. Maintenance fees are quite low and I estimate that I have paid only a third of what I would have paid if renting a comparable apartment over these 13 years. I didn't buy with capital appreciation in mind, which is just as well since constant condo building in Pattaya has kept appreciation to a minimum. Because the pound was much stronger against the baht when I bought it, I would realise a nice pound profit if I decided to sell it, though Jellybean's excellent post shows how hard it can be to get those pounds back to the UK.

I have no quibble with the consensus in this thread that renting is a wiser option in these volatile times. For me, though, buying has worked out well, both for emotional and financial reasons.

[frequent]

I am lucky to live in a block which ousted a corrupt female Thai manager soon after I moved in and installed a proper committee consisting mainly of farangs. It now has a reputation for being one of the best run in the area.

I understand that that is the key success criteria IF people want to buy

[Smiles]

I fully understand that there is a huge difference in general 'comfortableness' between those who live in Thailand (and possibly will die there) and those who come to Thailand for short termer holidays, and long termers who come here for months at a time but then go back home for months at a time.

I'm in the group (a minority) who live in Thailand and will probably die here. Our relationship is sneaking up to 20 years now and frankly, all I want to do is live in Thailand quite happily.
Three years ago we bought a country house in Surin Province, and just this year we've bought a home here in Hua Hin.
Doing that makes me feel happily 'comfortable' (on many levels and in both lovely homes) and frankly, feeling like that should be a goal and a given for anyone in their 70's.

I admit that I spent a large amount of time ~ years in fact ~ on wrestling with the "rent or buy" question, and I'm certain that those who come to Thailand with few intentions of living here should definitely wrestle as I did, and should probably come down on the 'rent' side. Totally understandable.

[frequent]

Three years ago we bought a country house in Surin Province, and just this year we've bought a home here in Hua Hin.

In your own name?