PET wrote:hhfarang wrote:Not true, I've been doing a lot of research on that very topic for the last several months and the same square meter home in a nice neighborhood in most cities in the U.S. costs less than in Hua Hin, plus it is better build quality from my experience than with the builders/craftsmen here. Of course that's not in California or New York but in most cities and towns in most states you can get a very nice 250 sq mt 4 bedroom home for $150 to $200k or about 5 to 6m baht... way better than Hua Hin for the same price, unless you want to live way out in the pineapple fields.I've got to agree Takiap. I can buy a mansion for $1,000,000 in HH that would cost $5 mill anywhere else.
Yes, but are not those in USA timber framed ?
In all fairness PET, timber frame or not, the house you buy is yours. I would rather have a timber frame house which I know is mine, without regulations in place that essentially allow your home to be taken away from you at any time.
I'm fortunately not in a position where I have anything to lose, but there are many expats here who are. My wife and I earned the money for our home together, and since we have three kids, I would quite happily give up my share if it came to it. However, if I spent a million dollars of my own money, then I would want some sort of guarantee, and in 90% of cases in Thailand, there are no guarantees.
If the government decided they wanted to, I would hate to think how many expats would end up losing their homes. I'm not saying Thailand should change their laws (that's a debate for another time), but until they do, there will be countless people not willing to invest here. Added to that is the fact that, while Thailand is a great place to live, it's far from being the sort of place that's going to attract the very wealthy.
Just my opinion, and as I've stated before, I'm more than happy with it just the way it is.