From spacious homes to tiny luxury condos: KC Cuijpers reflects on 23 years of Pattaya property, his friendship with Rony Fineman, and why floor space still matters.
Thailand has a habit of making dramatic announcements, then allowing practical reality to catch up. From pickup trucks to tourist fees, perhaps today’s nominee panic will eventually become another case of the dust settling.
10 things I look at before telling a buyer: "Yes, this one makes sense."
Rental return, capital growth and the numbers that really matter
Over the past few months I have been getting more questions about Thai companies, nominee shareholders and foreign property ownership. Lately, the questions have become much more direct.
If a foreign buyer asks me whether I prefer freehold or leasehold ownership in a Pattaya condominium, my answer is very simple.
Here we go again. Another Thai temple, another investigation and another astonishing amount of money involved. This time police were originally looking into the alleged disappearance of more than THB 92 million from Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya.
When buyers ask me which area of Pattaya they should live in, I never start by naming a district. I first want to understand the people. Lifestyle matters, family routine matters and budget matters. If somebody works in one part of town and their children go to school in another, that will affect daily life far more than a glossy brochure ever will.
At this very moment, I would describe the Pattaya property market with one word: cautious. People still have money and people still want to buy, but they think a little longer before spending it.
For years I have believed that Bangsaray has something Pattaya can no longer easily offer: space, calm, attractive surroundings and room to grow without already being priced through the roof.
After nearly 25 years in Pattaya real estate, I have learned that finding the right property is about considerably more than bedrooms, bathrooms and price per square metre.
A calm look at what the recent DSI action may really mean for Pattaya, foreign homeowners and the future of a more transparent property market.