The Pros & Cons of Buying a Condo Vs. a House in Hua Hin, Thailand.
The Pros & Cons of Buying a Condo or House in Hua Hin, Thailand
Based on my own experience of living and operating an Estate Agency (www.huahinfinder.com) in Hua Hin for nearly 5 yrs, having built my own house and many others for our clients, if I had to do it all over again, I would likely and recommend to clients to buy a condo as a better option. Almost all projects I hear about have some sort of problem along the way, building standard is too low, workers need more training, the builder is late in delivering promised results, only 1 month guarantee on construction, and many more.
But before I present my obviously biased opinion, let’s look at the Pros and Cons of buying a house vs. condo.
House:
Pros:
• Larger Living space
• Private Garden
• Pets allowed
• Easier to do Renovations
Cons:
• More remote location
• Difficulties in transportation
• Slower Re-sale
Condominium:
Pros:
• Likely to be more centrally located
• Better Security
• Easier Re-sale
Cons:
• No private land or garden
• No private car port
• Possibly noisier
• Actual living space smaller
• No pets
• Restrictions in Renovations
The main obstacle for many foreign buyers is the language barrier. When you buy a house you are really on your own unless you have a Thai wife or girlfriend who can do some translation for you and even then it can be a hurdle to be understood. The majority of condominiums have staff who can speak enough English and many of the routine tasks associated with a home are the responsibility of the Juristic Person.
If you are planning to buy a house and only live in Thailand part of the year, you will need to find a property management Co. to take care of your garden, pool, pay bills, cleaning and possibly to rent it out. This is a higher cost vs. maintaining a condo.
If you are looking to get a return on your investment quickly, condos are much more easily rented out simply because of the location, support staff in place, security, and low maintenance costs.
Lastly, the main reason I highly recommend buying a freehold condominium in Hua Hin is simply, a foreigner can legally own it 100% vs. a house which a foreigner can only lease the land for 30years on which the house is built on.
If you have any questions regarding the above, e-mail me at info@huahinfinder.com
Geoff