Considering buying a home in Thailand? The two most popular areas in Thailand for expatriates are probably the Bangkok area, where expatriates living in Thailand for the purpose of business or life experience will probably find themselves, and Phuket, where expatriates and adventure seekers may retire to enjoy the incredible beaches and laid-back lifestyle. Here’s a look at homes in the Bangkok and Phuket area.
Living Options In The City of Bangkok – The city of Bangkok is very big with more than eight million people. It is about the same size as New York City. If you are looking to do business in the city, you will want to reside in high style condos or a high rise apartment. The closer the property is to the center of town the higher the price will be. If you don’t want to reside in a condo or apartment, it will take time to find a single family house because there aren’t that many of them.
Homes in Phuket – The crown jewel of Thailand’s tourism and resort industry is the island of Phuket. Phuket, which gained worldwide notice when the Tsunami of 2004 struck, was a very popular tourist destination, especially for Europeans, before the tsunami. More than four years later, Phuket is still recovering, but a great deal of progress has been made in restoring the area since the tsunami. In fact, the turquoise blue water of Phuket’s beaches is the clearest it has been in twenty years.
Compared to other tourist destinations in Thailand, such as Samui, Phuket has a better infrastructure: it has better roads than Samui, better places to live, and a higher standard of living overall. While Phuket is the wealthiest province in Thailand, the cost of living is still relatively small for westerners considering moving to the area. What’s more, for English-speaking children, Phuket has several international schools, which follow British and/or American curriculums.
As is the case with Bangkok, there is a vast selection of houses for sale in Phuket with considerable variance in style. There is everything from town homes to higher end apartments and the homes of Phuket often look like they are made to accomodate the western view of what is luxury.
If you want to buy a home in Thailand, take care as you will not be able to purchase the land that it is on as there is a Thai law that states that those who come from other places cannot own land. But that Thai law does not prevent you from purchasing units in condominiums or structures like buildings, so if you obtain the help of a reliable real estate agent and do your research, you will find that purchasing a home in Thailand can be a very good experience.
Thailand and Phuket can be a tropical paradise. To find out more about buying Phuket property or for more general Thailand property advice check out the Prime Real Estate Phuket site and property blog.
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