Buying a property in Thailand involves many factors. There are a number of considerations to make before committing into purchasing Thailand Real Estate. Some of these include:

1. The type of property
2. The price of the property
3. The location of the property
4. The reason for purchasing the property
5. The quality and workmanship of the property
6. The legal processes involved in acquiring the property

Buying a Condominium

Thailand condominium developments are booming in cities like Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya. Many foreigners who decide to purchase real estate in Thailand look at purchasing a condominium. Here are the benefits of owning a condo in Thailand:

• Foreign buyers can own the condominium in their own name;
• The condominium is issued with a title deed similar to a strata title;
• Owners may use the title deed as collateral in Thailand;
• Maintenance fees are relatively lower compared to other countries;
• Can be a lot more affordable than houses with land;
• Easier to rent out due to its general size and location;
• Condo resale is faster and more straightforward compared to a land and house.

Many foreigners acquire Thailand Real Estate either for residential purposes, be it to work or to retire in Thailand, or as an investment in what is known as an extremely dynamic and robust economic region.

Buying a House or Villa

Here are some of the benefits of buying a house:

• Larger space for living
• Greater level of privacy
• Full control of maintenance of the house
• Able to enjoy appreciation on the house

Buying a house or Thai villa in Thailand is not as straight forward as buying other kinds of real estate in Thailand such as a condominium. Previously, some buyers have opted to register a Thai company in order to hold ownership. Once their Thai limited company has been registered, then they use the limited company to hold the land. However, our Thai property lawyer recommends the following legal structures:

• Lease
• Superficies
• Usufruct

Buying a Piece of Land

Thailand Real Estate can be broadly categorized into firstly condominiums, houses, villas and lastly, land. In Thailand, they do not use Western measurements for land. Use our online calculator to Convert Rai and Convert Rai to Square Meters when wanting to know the size of the land you are looking at. There are different ways in which to own land. One method is through a leasehold villa investment. It is a favored alternative because it is simple and straightforward. Foreigners can obtain full interest on a lease in Thailand for the registered period. This differs from purchasing through a Thai limited company where you have several shareholders who may have interests that may be different from yours. Also, a foreigner can marry a Thai and purchase land as a couple provided that certain legal provisions are observed.