Lease or Company set up?

[Dempeg]

Opinions please on Lease vs Company set up for Farangs buying house and land in Hua Hin. I know non Thais cannot own land here but heard of ways and means of doing this, even after seeking legal advise I still feel confused about the pros and cons of each.
Appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through the process who can offer some insight.
Thanks

[bsdk1960]

Maybe it's only me but I would be carefull at the moment and wait to see what happen forward,but i'm sure someone can advise you better since I haven't tried none of them.
Good luck with you're purchase.

[Redfan]

Thanks, hope to hear from others who have been through the experience.

[heartofmidlothian]

Whatever you decide to do, get a lawyer to take care of your interests. There have been a lot of cases of good honest people handing over money and never getting the land lease registered in their names. It is almost always farangs cheating farangs and you will get no joy in a Thai court. Do not hand over any money until the land plot lease is registered in your name. This must be done in person at the land office with your lawyer present. Any developer who will not agree to this must not be trusted. I am a little bit bitter about this as myself and 10 others have just had this happen to us. We have all paid 3.5 million baht and have nothing to show for , after 5 years, because we trusted him. Hua Hin is a great place to live, a great place to buy property, great value etc. Get a lawyer to help you.

[Dempeg]

Thanks for your response, sorry to hear of your bad experience, it's exactly why we are doing so much research, it's seems the more you dig for info the more stories like yours emerge.
Surely they should be contemplating relaxing the laws on foreign ownership of land to a more fair and equitable system. Although some Farangs can be unsavory characters the majority of us are honest, hardworking and add a great deal to the economy of Thailand.
We will continue to research the legalities and hopefully find a lawyer who has the interest of their client in mind.
Cheers

[heartofmidlothian]

Take your time to decide what you want to buy. As has often been said before on this forum, rent for 6 months or a year. Do your investigation into who are good and bad developers and find a good lawyer.
There are a lot of horror stories and going to court to sort out issues is a waste of time and certainly
not what you want to do with your retirement. Just talking to the long time expats here will teach you a lot. 30 years leasehold is very simple but no guarantee what will happen after 30 years. Listen to what lawyers have to say on this! Buying a condo is also very simple and safe. Company set up is a bit of a questionmark and probably a good idea to wait and see what is going to happen with new government. Hua Hin is a great place to buy property (if you are careful) and a great place to live.