Buying property in a South East Asian country can often be significantly different from purchasing in Europe, America or HK, Singapore and Japan. We have listed some common questions we receive here and our response.

i. “Where (Geographically) in Phuket is the best place to buy property”

It depends on what you are looking for, as a rough guide;

The West Coast from Kata up through to Layan tends to be more expensive and has plenty of restaurants, shops, furniture stores and Beaches – There are some genuinely stunning villas and apartments, and places like Surin and Laguna are quite high end, Layan Beach is an up and coming area, often these homes are either retirement, holiday homes or rented out to holidaymakers.

The South tends to be a bit more laid back with lower prices and more of an expat community, Rawai Beach and Chalong tend to be the focus here, with plenty of dive shops and good value family restaurants.

The East coast is rapidly starting to become the focus of some new and exciting projects, the relatively cheap cost of land there alongside the space available has seen many high-end developments emerging along the coast (which has fantastic views of Phang-Nga, Krabi and the other islands).

Northern developments tend to be focused around Mai Khao, Nai Yang and Nai Thon beach, which are long and relatively unpopulated white sandy beaches that combined cover more than 11km.

ii. “What sort of homes are available in Phuket”

The list is extensive from small exclusive spa villas through to apartments, penthouses and expansive multi-level sea view homes. Most of the houses of interest here in Phuket will be either part of a development (an estate) or single one off homes built by expats or wealthy Thais.

If you are looking for a small holiday home, close to the beach and with local amenities to spend a few weeks in every year then the best choice may be with an apartment or penthouse, these range from studio size to 3 and 4 bedroom apartments and penthouses. These will have a service fee which covers things like refuse collection, perhaps water and Television (Cable).

You might be thinking of spending more time here or even retiring here, in which case a villa or house might be more suitable. Villas range in size from around 150 sqm up to 1000+ sqm, although typically are in the 200-400 sqm range. The positive aspect is that you will have more space, a garden and typically a swimming pool, Luxury villas can also prove a lucrative investment if they are rented out for holidaymakers.

iii. “Are the hospitals and schools really up to Western standards?”

Phuket has a wide variety of International standard Hospitals with a wide range of facilities including Acupuncture, Cat scans, Chiropractors, Plastic Surgery and anything you would find in a Western private hospital of a large size. Prices are very low and there are no waiting lists alongside a very high ratio of staff/caregivers to patients.

In terms of schools, there is the BCIS (British Curriculum International School – formerly Dulwich Schhol) which offer both a Primary and the Secondary School which offers IGCSE, GCSE and IB qualifications with optional boarding for children.

Kajonkiet is another private school which runs a popular English language program for pre-school and primary levels. There are also a number of other smaller schools which offer an International standard of education.

iv. “Is Freehold purchasing available?”

Some Apartments or Condominiums can have up to 49% units in foreigners name as freehold, however often developers offer 3 x 30 year leaseholds or the apartment is owned by a company with the owners as equal shareholders. Houses and Villas are typically sold owned by a company, or again with a leasehold of 3 x 30 years.

We would recommend talking to a competent solicitor in the first instance to see what your options are, a good lawyer will make sure that your investment is safe.

v. “What is the general price range of property in Phuket?”

Depending on location and size the view, proximity to the beach and of course building standard, apartments tend to be in the 4 million to 20 million range, with Penthouses often commanding double that. A nice sized house starts at around 6 million baht to 18 million baht. Larger villas will typically start at 20 million baht and can go up to more than 200 million baht for the most impressive, however most are between 15 and 40 million baht.

vi. “What is it like to live in Phuket”

Personally we enjoy the lifestyle here in Phuket very much, it can be a relaxing and fun place to live and the infrastructure is fast approaching what most of us are used to in our home countries. Supermarkets here stock Western Food, the internet connections are getting quicker and more reliable and the Schooling here is certainly a step above anything I have experienced before.

Perhaps one of the most important things is that you can live an enviable lifestyle here without spending too much money for example, a maid, driver, nanny or cook is likely to cost you less than $200 a month. The local people are friendly and generally the communities are Cosmopolitan with a mixture of like minded people from all around the world.

If you enjoy visiting for a holiday, I can safely say that you would have fun on longer visits or living here.

If you have any other questions that you would like answered or feel would be worthwhile being featured on this page, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@phuket-homes.net .