Newcomer. Looking for advice on Property

[Big Boy]

tarakandi,
While you make several excellent points, I do think you are being extremely harsh on the agents, particularly as there are several good farang agents who will go out of their way to help buyers make the right choice. I am not involved in that business by the way. These good agents will do most of the legwork and enable people who cannot spend months here doing research themselves, and the only issue is identifying the good from the bad. I would have no hesitation recommending JW and those at his offices for example (and I am surprised that he hasn't appeared to bite back on your comments) - a few black sheep does not mean that all the agents can't be trusted. I also think that your technique of

Use the real estate agents only as a source of information

while not illegal is certainly to be frowned upon, as the agents have spent money on both putting that information together, and have an agreement with the people selling the houses, which you appear to be trying to get around. They are a business trying to earn and make money - if someone needs their services and can find a good agent I don't think it is your place to dissuade them with your catch-all slating. As with everything in life, there are good and bad people.

I can only re-enforce what Wanderlust has said about JW.

It has been my intention to retire to Hua Hin next year for some time now (unfortunately the early release scheme that I'm relying on, is trying to keep me for a further 3 years ). Before last year's visit to Hua Hin, I did a bit of research, and JW regularly came to the fore as one of the good guys.

I wrote to him, and explained that I could not commit to anything until my early release scheme came through (with hindsight, that is just as well now), but my family and I were very keen to have a look at what was available within our price range.

Totally free of charge, and under no obligation whatsoever, JW picked up outside our holiday home and spent a day showing us around, taking us into whatever show houses he could and generally gave us an excellent insight to the Hua Hin property scene. He was very honest, telling us the commission he would receive from some developers - in fact he totally avoided some of the developments that would have given him the most profit.

At the end of the day we shook hands, and I said thank you very much - he knew that I could not commit, and he did not make any attempt whatsoever to change my mind.

JW definitely came across as one of the good guys who I have often recommended by PM to several posters on HHAD

[hhenias]

What is a Farang or a Falang anyway?

A few more questions.

1) Is it worth living in Hua Hin, meaning, time goes by not only in a relaxed but also in a civilised way?

2) Are locals friendly and cordial?

3) What do you expats do most of the day?

Thank you
Andreas

[Farang]

We are speaking of my people, so I reply for my people.

My people, the farang (falang), are the ferenghi, the honkie, the roundeye, the Foreign Devil,
bwana, sayyed, tuan, massa, Pukka Sahib of white people, mostly of Caucasian extraction and
from the First World but definitely not of the first water. In short, AusNZ-, AmeCan- or Eurotrash.

1) It is damned site better to live in HH than to die here. And yes, I have experienced both.
Different of my people spend their time differently from rest of my people. Some lay face down
in the gutter, some lay face up, both in a very relaxed and civilized way.

2) Some of the savages are cordial, some are friendly and some wield big knives, but generally
they are a happy-go-lucky lot, and very appreciative of the glass beads.

3) Some of my people play golf with their friends, some play with themselves. A definite minority
of literate ones of my people swap books and the rest trade insults and banter.

_________________
Khun Farang of Prachuap Kirikhan (Hua Hin) (also known as ?The Farang of the farang')

[JimmyGreaves]

We are speaking of my people, so I reply for my people.

My people, the farang (falang), are the ferenghi, the honkie, the roundeye, the Foreign Devil,
bwana, sayyed, tuan, massa, Pukka Sahib of white people, mostly of Caucasian extraction and
from the First World but definitely not of the first water. In short, AusNZ-, AmeCan- or Eurotrash.

1) It is damned site better to live in HH than to die here. And yes, I have experienced both.
Different of my people spend their time differently from rest of my people. Some lay face down
in the gutter, some lay face up, both in a very relaxed and civilized way.

2) Some of the savages are cordial, some are friendly and some wield big knives, but generally
they are a happy-go-lucky lot, and very appreciative of the glass beads.

3) Some of my people play golf with their friends, some play with themselves. A definite minority
of literate ones of my people swap books and the rest trade insults and banter.

_________________
Khun Farang of Prachuap Kirikhan (Hua Hin) (also known as ?The Farang of the farang')

Hilarious.

He no speak with fork tongue!

[tarakandi]

I think this is a very useful discussion and I only hope it can lead to a more positive image of Hua Hin

I would like to clarify a couple of things

6 Use the real estate agents only as a source of information.

The point I am making about using real estate agents as a source of information only, is that you are free to look into the shop window and make note of the types of properties that are available.


7 Once you have decided on the properties you would like to have a closer look at, inform your lawyer who will in turn then gather the necessary information regarding ownership via the land office.

The law in Thailand is such that only lawyers have a legal right to obtain details of ownership via the land office.
I know that agents both Thai and farang do circumvent this requirement, but that does not make it right.

As for the characters which have labelled me as a ?crook? and ?mafia?, it did make my father in law and I chuckle.

Also as for the question WHY DID THE DEVELOPER PAY US? I have absolutely no idea.

[migrant]

Totally free of charge, and under no obligation whatsoever, JW picked up outside our holiday home and spent a day showing us around, taking us into whatever show houses he could and generally gave us an excellent insight to the Hua Hin property scene. He was very honest, telling us the commission he would receive from some developers - in fact he totally avoided some of the developments that would have given him the most profit.

At the end of the day we shook hands, and I said thank you very much - he knew that I could not commit, and he did not make any attempt whatsoever to change my mind.

That is a sign of a good agent.

I was in contact with one, under the same circumstances (not ready, but wanting to look) and was in contact with an agent. He said, no problem, stop by we'll show you around and after a few e-mails I gave him the approximate dates we'd be in town.

We swung by his shop and a sign said gone on vacation (the period covered our time in town)

Now things happen, and I was only interested in looking, so wasn't really upset.

When we returned home I sent an e-mail, sort of a 'sorry we missed you, but we'll be back'

And we were totally ignored.

Doesn't make him a crook, just rude I guess

[buksida]

We are speaking of my people, so I reply for my people.

My people, the farang (falang), are the ferenghi, the honkie, the roundeye, the Foreign Devil,
bwana, sayyed, tuan, massa, Pukka Sahib of white people, mostly of Caucasian extraction and
from the First World but definitely not of the first water. In short, AusNZ-, AmeCan- or Eurotrash.

Nice!

As said above, and not being involved in this industry, the only advice I can give is rock up and spend at least 6 months here in a rented house, have a look around, read some stuff, speak to local expats (that have been here for more than six months), look at the political situation and your own financial situation ... then start to think about a property purchase.

Unless you're loaded then just buy whatever you like and to hell with the consequences!

[Wanderlust]

I think this is a very useful discussion and I only hope it can lead to a more positive image of Hua Hin

I would like to clarify a couple of things

6 Use the real estate agents only as a source of information.

The point I am making about using real estate agents as a source of information only, is that you are free to look into the shop window and make note of the types of properties that are available.


7 Once you have decided on the properties you would like to have a closer look at, inform your lawyer who will in turn then gather the necessary information regarding ownership via the land office.

The law in Thailand is such that only lawyers have a legal right to obtain details of ownership via the land office.
I know that agents both Thai and farang do circumvent this requirement, but that does not make it right.

As for the characters which have labelled me as a ?crook? and ?mafia?, it did make my father in law and I chuckle.

Also as for the question WHY DID THE DEVELOPER PAY US? I have absolutely no idea.

tarakandi,
In my eyes, finding out that a particular property is for sale by looking in the window of an agent and then buying it as if you had just seen it without doing so is not the way to do things. However you may be saying that you are getting an idea of price ranges and areas where property is available, but any seller who has made an agreement with an agent, be it sole or multiple agency, should direct you towards the agent, from both a professional and moral viewpoint; the seller doesn't gain anything from discounting the price by the amount of the commission except for a possibly quicker sale, but he risks still having to pay the commission, and not having the agent as a buffer if the buyer turns out to be a time waster or worse.
By the way, I would imagine the developer paid the agent because it is (a) good business practice; (b) deserved because the agent produced a genuine buyer; (c) in the contract between the developer and agent; and (d) the morally correct thing to do.

[tarakandi]

I think this is a very useful discussion and I only hope it can lead to a more positive image of Hua Hin

I would like to clarify a couple of things

6 Use the real estate agents only as a source of information.

The point I am making about using real estate agents as a source of information only, is that you are free to look into the shop window and make note of the types of properties that are available.


7 Once you have decided on the properties you would like to have a closer look at, inform your lawyer who will in turn then gather the necessary information regarding ownership via the land office.

The law in Thailand is such that only lawyers have a legal right to obtain details of ownership via the land office.
I know that agents both Thai and farang do circumvent this requirement, but that does not make it right.

As for the characters which have labelled me as a ?crook? and ?mafia?, it did make my father in law and I chuckle.

Also as for the question WHY DID THE DEVELOPER PAY US? I have absolutely no idea.

tarakandi,
In my eyes, finding out that a particular property is for sale by looking in the window of an agent and then buying it as if you had just seen it without doing so is not the way to do things. However you may be saying that you are getting an idea of price ranges and areas where property is available, but any seller who has made an agreement with an agent, be it sole or multiple agency, should direct you towards the agent, from both a professional and moral viewpoint; the seller doesn't gain anything from discounting the price by the amount of the commission except for a possibly quicker sale, but he risks still having to pay the commission, and not having the agent as a buffer if the buyer turns out to be a time waster or worse.
By the way, I would imagine the developer paid the agent because it is (a) good business practice; (b) deserved because the agent produced a genuine buyer; (c) in the contract between the developer and agent; and (d) the morally correct thing to do.

Wanderlust


I take your point, but you will never convince me that estate agents have the moral high ground.


What I will say to first time foreign buyers is, Hua Hin is and will always be a buyers market and at this moment in time there are bargains to be had.

If the various exchange rates worry you then it is probably not the right time for you to get into the Thai market.

If however you do decide to buy I would say regardless as to how you go about the purchase you will be making a positive step.

I for one will be looking to buy at least another 2 this year.

[Procyon]

Oh the luxuries of being part of a rich Thai mafia family and being able to buy a house every year. These falangs that think they are Thai are worse than them all and no help to any one

This has been asked before but I would rather deal with a falang than a Thai with a wolf smile and whispers behind my back. So if any body can recommend a good agent because I do not have 20 years to do my research please let me know. It is better by PM because I know this forum does not allow property links.

[JimmyGreaves]

I for one will be looking to buy at least another 2 this year.

Lucky you.

I hope you are enjoying life with all that money as some people just want to make make and make and forget about life. I trust you are category 1

[tarakandi]

Procyn

You strike me as being a very bitter person.

You know nothing about me or my family yet you accuse us of being Thai mafia.

For your information I fly out tomorrow evening to the U.A.E where I will be for 3 months working 10 to 12 hours everyday.

I shall return to HH in late June and if there is an opportunity to purchase property I shall do so, then after 2 weeks R&R I shall return to work.



Jimmy Greaves

Yes I do enjoy my life, especially when I am between projects and I can spend up to a year in HH with my family.

[crazy88]

Tarakandi wrote

"I for one will be looking to buy at least another 2 this year."



SOLD !!! Ready now or custom built . Will throw in a couple of koi carp ponds and bbq's in respect of the double purchase


Bantering on this forum aside you have some valid points(although I do not agree with all of them) .In particular those on getting good legal advice are very pertinent .

Good luck with your investments in Thailand .

As someone said the other day it really is NOT all doom and gloom out there .

Crazy 88

[Big Boy]

Procyon wrote:

This has been asked before but I would rather deal with a falang than a Thai with a wolf smile and whispers behind my back. So if any body can recommend a good agent because I do not have 20 years to do my research please let me know. It is better by PM because I know this forum does not allow property links.

See my posting at 4:45 today. In the case of JW, links to his site are permitted because he is also a HHAD sponsor http://www.huahinafterdark.com/hot-property-hua-hin.htm

[Procyon]

Procyn

You strike me as being a very bitter person.

Not really, I just detect a whiff of arrogance in your posts (as I suspect many others on this forum do) "I am involved with a wealthy hua hin family, have been there for 20 years, and have 11 houses. I only support my well to-do Thai friends and all falangs estate agents are crooks".

These statements do not really help first time buyers as they are none of the above. I would rather hear from someone who has recently purchased a second home and is going through the honeymoon period or growing pains.

Some posts here are very informative and some are total crap.