Phuket Villa Property Favorites

How is it to actually live in Phuket?

Absolutely positively to live here in Phuket but let us be realistic: infrastructure is not all it could be, telephone lines are difficult to get in some areas, some roads are overcrowded and rough, and local driving skills could be politely termed 'exciting'.

Remember it is still in developing at a very high speed among the street dogs and Burmese construction labor camps.

But the Thai people are kind-hearted and gentle, the sea incredibly beautiful, the countryside amazing and important even if you are rich: the cost of living is very cheap if you stay out of the touristic areas. And if you do have a high level of living standard, you can keep it up and it will not even cost half of the price from your own country.

Phuket is growing up fast - major conveniences, big shopping malls, multiplex cinemas, international restaurants and first world services are coming online daily.

Everything you have in Europe, you will find here.

It is just a very pleasant place to live, close enough to conveniences - far enough away from congestion.

And if you live here, please look for the tourist life on the island. Traditional Thai lifestyle persists in the rural areas and smaller communities away from the resorts.

The original make up of the island was of Thai, Chinese and ethnic Malay peoples.

But at present, the vast majority of the population is original Thai - and many of them have migrated from other areas within Thailand in search of "the America dream" within

Several foreigners work or are retired on the island.

A small group of wealthy foreigners who maintain homes on the island are all around.

ADSL is available on some parts of the island and usually works well. You do need a car or motor bike in when you live in Phuket.

The transportation systems on the island are quite limited in availability, scope, and comfort but once you know it, cheap an easy to get a hold on.

And If you are here in Phuket and are not a regular tourist, you can do just about anything that you could do at home - and a whole lot more. Opera and symphony concerts are few but scuba, snorkel, para-sailing a lot.

Hanging on the beach every day of the year in good weather conditions, you probably can not have in your own country.

Phuket is just enough Westernized but not too much.Just enough to be able to find the services and goods you want and need - and not enough to be burdened with the crime and high-pressure lifestyle of the West.

Inb Phuket are 2 'real' international schools on the island QSI and Dulwich International schools.

A local university is the Prince of Songkla and you wil find there a MBA program in English.

You will find top health care at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital and in several other European standard hospitals and the 'international standard' hospitals and clinics arr all around. Staff speaks well English to help you out and even professional transelaters are hired to serve you at his best.

Just take a look at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital in Phuket: http://www.phukethospital.com/

And please bring along your pet, there hare here more animal hospitals that hospitals for people.

Living in Phuket is just great !!!!!

Is Phuket a safe place to live?

Phuket Island is about 530 square kilometers and is populated with only 250,000 people. This population varies with a workforce that grows and shrinks with high and low tourist season.

Do not worry about a new tsunami. Tsunamis are very rare events, in our life time, it probably will not happen again. But we do not control nature. What we do control in Phuket is our strategies against possible tsunamis. The island and Andaman Sea area have now an alarm system that has regular tests and works perfectly. "If" a tsunami ever happens again, everybody will be warned long before it hits the coastal areas. And remember that a tsunami only effect that coastal area and not further into the island.

On the other hand there are humans, over 250,000 over here, and among them also criminals.

We will not make it better than it really is but Phuket is a very safe place to be. There is some crime on the island, though most of it seems to be criminal or 'mafia' related crime where the bad buys are fighting it out with each other. So if you are not one of them, changed are small to get hit. There is some theft and robbery but compared with Europe, it is not even worth while mentioning. If by very rare occasion, a violent robbery does happens, it is spread all over the news as if the island is under attack. Media makes a big thing out of a small incident.

You still have to be careful as in every country, also in Thailand.

Some reports of problems shows up from the deep south of Thailand in the three provinces that have significant Muslim populations. But they are far way from Phuket, on the border with Malaysia. What is happening there is not likely to affect Phuket at all.

And if you want to reduce the already minimum risks of being a victim of crimes, you can have a 24 hours security for almost no money here in Phuket. At this moment lots of new camera related security systems are in use and also cheap to have in service 24/7.

To give you a idea from the level of security, just take a look at this Phuket Directory webpage. Easy link will protect you at all times against every possible crime or bad luck around the clock for only 33 THB per day!!! http://phuketdir.com/easylinkphuket/

It is safe to say that Phuket is a safe place to live and stay.

Can I own a property in Thailand?

The answer is "Yes" and "No"...

NO because ...Under Thai law, foreigners are not allowed to own land. So you never can own land fully in you name.

But YES because ... You do have right to the ownership of buildings distinct from the land.

A sale is mostly in 2 parts. First their is the land, what you can not own and that you will lease for a period of 30 years, renewable a further two times giving a total of 90 years..Than there is the building, distinct from its land and you can own that building completely in your name.

In brief...You can own a unit in a registered Condominium building, or a building distinct from its land and registered leasehold of up to 30 years for all types of land titles.

You can never own freehold land or own more than 49% of the shares in a Thai company that owns freehold land. In that last case, you can be a share holder of the company that owns the land, still the majority of power stays in Thai hands because they always will have 51 percent of the shares. Registered leaseholds are secure and relatively straightforward. Security of the possession of land is assured by the fact that you are the legal owner of the buildings which occupy the land. Therefore, the lesser cannot take possession of the property upon expiration of the lease as the property is separated from the land and will not be a component part under the Civil Law. Even not owning the land and owning the building, nobody can kick you from the land for the whole lease period of 90 years.

If you choose to set up a Thai company that you control, and which can legally purchase land, we will bring you to the Thai lawyer who will take care of that process.

He will give you a large share of the company and will find the other share holders who must be held by Thai juristic persons. They will sign over control of their shares to you. The land will be owned by the company. However, as managing director of the company, you control the voting of the other shares, and therefore you have control over the ownership of the land.

Finding that on your own is as good as impossible: The Thai government announced that it will begin investigating the source of the money used by the Thai shareholders who own 51% of the shares in the company to determine if they are nominees. The use of nominee Thai shareholders is prohibited under the Foreign Business Act (1999) and these laws constantly are more and more cheked out by the Thai government.

Finding that on your own is as good as impossible: The Thai government announced that it will begin investigating the source of the money used by the Thai shareholders who own 51% of the shares in the company to determine if they are nominees. The use of nominee Thai shareholders is prohibited under the Foreign Business Act (1999) and these laws constantly are more and more cheked out by the Thai government.

Can you help me to decide what to buy and where to buy?

Yes indeed, the decision will come from you only but our service is very personal and is starts with a friendly but to the bottom conversation. The more details I know about you and your strict requirements about property in Phuket, the closer I can get to the perfect match. That is the strongest point of selling from Phuket Villa Property, personal approach.

Our team will find the property that fits into your budget to start with. Based on that budget, we will find the most convenient and most comfortable location and in that a property that fits your needs for a fully 100 percent, no less !!!

We can help you make de decision based on hard facts, realistic figures and our own knowledge and years of experience in the world of Phuket real estate.

What can and will you do for me?

We are very proud to say that Phuket Villa Property is a ONE STOP PROPERTY SHOP. Coming to us to buy property gives you an end to end solution because our services cover all aspects of buying property in Thailand. That will start from a very personalized assistance from finding the right property that fits your requirements for a fully 100 percent. Once we have found that, we will assist you with the purchase process. We bring in a team for professional and legal advice. If needed, that service will include setting up a company for you as well as obtaining visa and work permit. If you want to work in Thailand or start up a business, we will stay next to your side until the money will start rolling in. The process of finding qualified employees is a hard task in Thailand and we will be happy to bring you to the labor department in Phuket Towno find them for you. By bringing in experts in their own specific field, nothing can go wrong. Because we bring then in from Phuket town and not from the commercial touristic areas, prices will be low. Because all our team members are Thai and speak fluently English, communication will never be any problem. In case that you are from another not English speaking country such ar Russia, we will bring in professional translator to avoid mistakes and we take the expenses for this service for us. But our after sales service is part of the service. We will bring in the right people to manage your property. That go's from paying utility bills over cleaning the pool to renovate the property if needed. We also will take care of the rental for short or long periods, according to your needs, so you can get the maximum profit out of your investment during the time you do not use it yourself. And if the time is right and you want to sell your property again, we will take thersellFAQ ready to be corrected.ems into our hands and provide the best real estate agents on the island to sell it for you, even if that means that we do not get commission on that. We do not promise you but we just do it for you. But nothing is garuanteed, the only think we can add here is that the success of the past is not a garuantee for the future but doe gives you a pretty good guideline to follow. Thailand has survived lots of bad events and every time it came out stronger then ever before. The only right answer on your question what I can do for you is: everything that is not a miracle and in Thailand, believe it or not, miracles does happen now and then, I will do for you.

Do I have to pay you as agent a commission?

No, you do not have to pay the agent because this amount is paid by the seller directly to the agent or broker. Mostly in Phuket the standard commission is 3 percent but already several owners and developers are offering 5 percent of more to motivate the agents to sell their property. The agents commission is paid by the seller because the agent is putting in efforts by marketing to find the buyer. Although you do not directly pay the agent, he will take care of you when you buy from him. A good agent will find your perfect match in property, bring you there, show it and will make the contact with the owner. Further on, the agent will guide you throughout the whole buying process and provide you with all the assistance you need to do so. The agent will provide you a l good lawyer and will support you with all the local knowledge he has. You uld go around the agent by approaching the developer directly but you do not save on commission and your protection against not fair deals of illegal deals is gone. At the end, the agent can get you a extra discount because he knows the market price of every property in Phuket. Going around the agent only could cost you more money, even ending up with having paid for a property but not owning one... So you do not have to pay the agent a commission but his service is totally in your advance.

Can I save this money and to direct to the developer?

It is known that some agents in Phuket will collect a 5% fee for their services. But to get a potential buyer, they have spend lots of marketing budget such as advertising to help promote the developer.

Developers need agents to sell their property so they will almost never sell behind the agents back. That will cost them lots of business in the future, once the act is know and it always will come to the surface. You can go direct to the developer but will not get any direct advantage of that, surely not financially.

Do you show me many properties?

Absolutely not. We like to save you time to see what you want. It is a short process in 2 major steps. The first step is a confidential, productive and very interactive meeting with our property advisor. Although it is business, brief and to the point, you are our friend in the first place. By having a honest and open conversation about how your perfect dream property looks like in all of its aspects, our representative can narrow down the overwhelming amount of property offers to just 3 potential matches. We keep in mind, every aspect you have given us such as the most determent and that is the price of your available budget. But also location and what kind of property would fit you the best are important. Everything you tell us about your perfect propty is important. With that overall pictures will bring you to a list of just a few properties fitting your needs. After this ground work for the next step, we can go over to that next step and that is showing you the selected properties> That can be done already the next day after we have made the appointments with the owners or developers. We try to get the seller in direct contact with you so you will get all of the agreements and in formation first hand without any person in between. Sometimes prices are negotiable and you could save lots of money by offering the right price but that is not possible in every real estate offer. After you have seen the selected properties, we listen to your feedback before supporting you in the critical decision making process. We help you a comfortable financial planning in your best time frame and work out a very specific plan of paymn. InFAQ ready to be corrected.ems this stage we will secure your money, where you have worked hard for. All of your investments related intentions will be put in writing and worst case scenarios will be taken in account. We have to be realistic and keep in mind the things that can go wrong and already take actions in case of...

Is it better to buy off plan?

If you ask me this question, you know already about buying property in Thailand. For the ones who do not know this system. buying off the plan means buying a property before it has been built. This is impossible if your dream property is already build but many large apartment and villa developments are sold this way. Off the plan buying lets you purchase a future property at present prices, so cheaper than it ever will be. It can result in large capital gains before you even move in.

Buying off the plan is for the developer an insurance that he is building according to the demands and he will prevent the oversupply and unoccupied properties. He also can use a combination of deposit funds, project loans and finance backing to commence construction. So this system is as advantages for you as a buyer as it is for the developer.

The only risks are that the buyer is expected to pay a large proportion of the agreed purchase price before receiving the legal transfer of the property. If the developer suffers from financial problems and caused the development to become unsuccessful, it becomes also your problem. Both developer and buyer may face a substantial lost if neither are properly insured during the construction phase in the event of serious or complete damage to the property. The construction problem may delay delivery and you as buyer buys an unseen site what needs a lots of trust in the developer.

But buying this way has large benefits such as a very long payment schedule that gives you more time to get the money to pay the property. You also have greater say in finishes, floor plan and interior style, almost as it is costume made. You also have more time if you have an investment purpose in buying the property, You have more time during the construction phase to market the property for a re-sale or to put in a successful rental program.

And do not forget the major thing' you buy the property for tomorrow at today’s price, this can result in large capital gains in a rising market, as the Phuket property market is constantly growing, despites all of the wind against. Your property also needs lower maintenance cost.

To buy off plan, you've better use a lawyer to signing a contract who is conducting a full title search on the property and any necessary due diligence.

Make sure you obtain a professional advice on the terms of contract and check out the insurance policy and terms, in case something is going wrong. Our lawyer can limit the damage, our even avoid it. You need trust but it is always good to check out the developer. You should look for protection/compensation in the case of unreasonable delay in delivering the final product, what most of the agreements does not even mention. A experienced agent and a professional lawyer will bring your risk to the minimum.

How much is the "normal" price for a property in Phuket?

There is no such a thing as a "normal" price for a property in Phuket. To determent to price for a property in Phuket, there are lots of factors that coming together and all of them together will determent the selling price of a property in Phuket. Here are a few important price determent factors.

First of all there is the most important factor and that is location. You will see the impression often "location, location, location" and that is what it is all about. You can buy yourself a nice comfortable little house even with a swimming pool for less then 500.000 Thai Baht . But that will be in the north of the kingdom in the middle of nowhere. You will have to drive 2 hours to find a commercial area. That same house in Patong will cost you 35 million Thai baht. But then you are on a walking distance to the commercial area and tourist attractions.

Aside the location, there is the cost of a swimming pool that increases the building price with a amount between 500.000 and 1.5 m THB. The quality of the building material will make a jump in price if that is very high.

If a specific property is very exclusive, for example the last sea view condo in the sold out Patong Tower, the price will tell you that.

There is also the important factor of the view. A villa with unique sea view could cost you double than that same villa with a simple mountain view.

Do not underestimate the desperation of the seller. It is not nice to say but you can do the best deals with a very desperate owner who urgently need hard cash and will sell the property much cheaper than in a situation that they do not need the cash so urgent or not at all. As agent, we know desperate sellers and could point them to you as a buyer hunting for property bargains.

If the property is already longer than 1 year on the property market, then go around and compare the price with similar properties in the same area. The possibility is large to find that this specific selling price is really too high and to much asked for.

So take all this factors together and you will end up with a kind of "normal" price for a property.

A good system is when you have got the price and all of the details, mentioned before, to break it down into all of this hard factors and then make your own conclusion.

Can I finance my payment?

The Thai government and also the banks in Thailand are not keen to give loans to foreigners who want to buy a property in their country. The only official finance is only available when you are going to buy a condominium in FREEHOLD. That can be done through either the Bangkok Bank's Singapore Branch or the United Overseas Bank of Singapore (UOB). Keep in mind that it is a long and difficult procedure to follow and you will have to fulfill many requirements. Rumors that the Siam Commercial Bank Phuket would give loans just staid being rumors. The only kind of loan you can get is when you buy from developers who are financially strong enough to let you pay in installments over a period they offer you. If the agent can interact with the seller and can work out a perfect payment plan for you and the ller agreed, you also could call it some kind of loan. In that case, the official owners documents will stay in the sellers name until you have paid the full amount. Price and the payment schedules broken down into something legible and will be incorporated into a purchase contract you can sign in a flash, with the back up from the agent and if needed by the lawyer.

Are there any 'hidden' costs involved?

Indeed and 'hidden' is here the right word because most of the sellers does not even mentions them. Luckily as in most of the European countries, there is not property tax to be paid to the Thai government. It jus does not apply to a property being used for private residential purposes.

But you do have to pay some costs applied only upon official transfer of ownership from the present owners name to your name for the future. These are falling into 4 categories> First there is the transfer fees what involved 2% of the official selling price.

Secondly there is the stamp duty and that is 0.5% of selling price. Third follows 3.3 %

Business tax. And the fourth kind of payment asides the selling price is the income tax. That is the Thai equivalent to capital gains tax. But do not worry to much on this total amount. Most of this four fees are calculated relative to the government's 'tax assessment value of the property' and this value is well below market value.

The precise methods of calculation are very complex, to complex for us to understand. But as a rough guide for residential sales, expect the total fees and taxes to work out to be somewhere between 2 and 3% of the property market value>The good thing is here that mostly, you do not have to pay this amount all by yourself. It is mostly split between the seller and you as the buyer. So finally the real 'hidden' cost for you is between 1 and 1.5 % from the 'official' selling price.

How do I Pay my property ?

Once you have decided that you are going to buy a property in Thailand, you just follow the payment structure from the seller of the developer you buy from. Although there is not a fix rule, most of the payments would be like this. First. when you sign the contract in Thailand, you leave a deposit on the payment with a credit card or cash. Most of the sellers would mention that this money is 'non refundable' so if you change your mind, you will loose this deposit. Mostly is this 10 percent from the selling price. This is called a reservation fee but legally, it is not obligated. For that deposited. The seller will keep the property for you and not selling it to another buyer for at least 14 days up to 1 month. After that period, you suppose to pay 20 to 50 percent from the selling price by bank transfer, from your country to the seller accou in Thailand. Another 25 percent is paid later and at the 'hand over of the title' the fully 100 percent suppose to be paid. In some developments. a steady payment plan is worked out because the property is not ready to move in and your payments follow the evolution of the property.

Various payment methods are possible but if it is very different from the previous example, than something is wrong. Here we are coming in with negotiating that the payment structure is fitting your financial situation and will defend your sit of the deal.

Unfortunately for some of the developers, money can not been brought into Thailand anymore in a suitcase, full of hard and black American dollars. Every payment has to be legal and there has to be a perfect logic and provable explanation if it comes to the question' Where does your money comes from?' Our lawyer will provide you the needed documents for the money trans actions and will ensure you that you do not loose the payments. Often, the lawyers office is receiving the money from you before pass it on the seller.

Do I need a Lawyer?

No matter how small the investment is, we always advice you to engage the services of a Lawyer.

That is first of all for your own piece of mind and secondly to protect you against everything that can go wrong. Even if you should buy from a established resort or property developer we advice you to use a good lawyer.

He can check things that we can not such as land titles, construction permits and taxation> He will visit the appointed departments and check out that the promises will be held.

Phuket Villa Property gives you a choice of 2 Thai lawyers who have earned their status with top services and they will guide you throughout the process for buying a property in a very simple and fast way. No time consuming boring visits to old offices but direct to the point meetings and actions if needed.

And the best of all this is that we work only with Thai legal councils from Phuket Town who will give you bills according to the low wage country Thailand/ We will keep you far away from foreign lawyers in Patong, giving you European bills to pay. Our lawyers are from Thailand and will get you the same or sometimes better results because they are Thai and for you it will be lots of less money to pay. We work close with a Thai top lawyer in Phuket town: http://www.surasak-lawfirm.com/index.htm

What after I have bought a property?

Villa properly is proud on the fact that we work hard to get you your perfect property match but we work even harden to get you all you needs after you have bought this property.

Also here are your requirements of most importance. If you want us to take care of the property, we will offer you a choice our of of the best managements companies. They all have different programs and prices to fit your needs for the time that you are not in Phuket and that your property has to be taken care of. This programs start from security, over cleaning. maintenance and even deliver your mail and pay your monthly utilities bills. Do not worry when you are not here because we will take care of your property if it was our own.

If you want to make money from your property while you are not using it, Phuket Villa Property will put your property for sale with of the most popular property rental companies on this island, specialized in rental out the kind of property you own. percent will go to the rental company, 90 percent will be send to your bank account. You can choose for a short term high income during high season rental or a less but permanent long term rental contract.

And if the time is right to resell your property, Phuket Villa Property will take the resell into our hands to sell it for you. We will offer it to 10of the most successful real estate companies on the island to put it in their listing for sale. If you are willing to put a marketing budget of 30.000 THB, we can provide you a program that includes 4 months of marketing. Agents on Phuket island take usually 3 percent commission on your requested selling price.

Phuket Villa Property is proud on the after sales service. Once you have bought from us, you are part of our family of who we take care of forever. We are aiming the company goal and that is a long term relationship with you as satisfied client who will be more than happy to send us referrals. And even from the profit we could make from the referrals you have sent us; we will share our commission with you.

How long can I actually stay in Phuket?

The answer on your question is not to easy to give because there are lots of options here.

If you own a property and do not have a work permit you are in fact allowed to stay for only 90 days on a visitors entry stamp at the immigration check point on arrival. There will never be any serious problems for you to stay 90 days.

If you do want to stay longer than these 90 days, then you better apply for a visa from abroad before entering the Kingdom. This will ensure that you can maximize your stay within any given 12 month period.

If you are at the age of retirement in this paradise. you can get a - a non-immigrant 'O' visa, also obligated to obtain outside Thailand. General Requirements are that you suppose to be 50 years of age or older, in a good health with a police clearance from your home country or embassy telling the Thai authorities that you 'behaved' in your country. That same retirement visa will be granted if you have deposited a minimum of 800,000 Thai baht in a Thai bank with proof that this money came from outside Thailand.

Another option is a VIP visa that cost you 1million Thai baht and gives you special rights such as no 3 monthly visa runts, all aimed at to make your stay in Thailand very comfortable, as a real VIP is suited.

If you come to work in Thailand and apply for a work permit.you also will get a 1 year visa after you fulfill the requirements that the kingdom has set up.

The final answer you your question of how long you can stay in Thailand is in fact ' As long as you want. The most details and updates are to be found at the website http://www.thaivisa.com/ and our staff will help you to get the right documents to stay 'as long is you like'...

Can I open a business or work in Thailand?

You can open a business in Thailand but have to know a few things that are important. To take over a business, surely in the commercial area of Patong, most of the time you are asked to pay "key money". That is 1 reasonable large amount 1 time that provides you the "key" to open the business door. But once inside, you still have to pay rent, staff and all the expenses of a normal business. Unfortunately this "key money" allows you only to use the business for a limited time period. And after that period is over, you will have to pay again "key money" and probably more that the first time you did. Example: You want to rent a bar in Soi Bangla, pay 3.000.000 Thai baht key money and rent the place for 3 years at 60.000 Thai baht per month. After that 3 years, you have to pay again key money and the amnt then will be determent by the business or building owner, Be aware if you make your financial business planning because it could happen that your key money is the money that suppose to be you profit and you have worked the whole time for northing. This explanation is based on real stories.

If you start your own business, you need to set up a Thai company and within that company. You can have a work permit for your self.

Roughly setting up the company, getting your visa and workpermit will cost you about 70.000 Thai baht.

Here are some good places to start with:
  To set up your Ltd or Thai company: www.surasak-lawfirm.com
  To get your visa and work permit and to take care of the accounting afterwards : www.phuketaudit.com
  Some usefull addresses to do business, you can find in many sections of Phuket Directory.

A completely other subject is to find you a "normal paid" job in Phuket. You have to keep in mind that if it is a job that a Thai national can perform at 15.000 That Baht per month, the employer will not pay you 80.000 Thai baht to do the same job

Only specific jobs that can not be done by Thai nationals will be paid good. You also can find many jobs based on commission only, such as all kind of sales jobs. For that, you just have to keep a eye on the job offers in local papers as Phuket Gazette: http://www.phuketgazette.net/index.asp#jobs

Lots of companies abroad will need staff in Phuket because this island is expanding at a very high speed. To find that, we suggest you keep a eye on internet search engines and "jobs abroad" or "Jobs in Phuket" could bring you in the right direction.

In any case, coming to Phuket without any savings or financial back up for at least a few months only can get you in problems and often faster than you could imagine. Spending money in Phuket is a lot easier that making it.