Going through the process of finding an apartment or condo for rent in Bangkok is an important part of becoming an expat and thus a part of Thai society. Beginning your search, you need to do some research about your city of choice to identify and familiarize yourself with your ideal neighbourhoods. Then you need to physically go out and visit some apartment buildings to get a sense of what the market is like. Finally, you have to communicate with Thai building staff members about the stipulations of your contract.
It’s a bit of work to find the perfect rental, but for many expats it’s an exciting challenge. Read below for some of the methods behind the madness to finding the perfect Bangkok property for rent:
Take a walk, and Keep Your Eyes Out.
While this method can be very hit or miss, it can be a good option for those who have a specific location in mind for their future apartment. If you don’t mind doing a little legwork, we recommend picking a starting point that would be the absolute best place to live by (e.g. your work, your child’s school, a particular stop on public transportation, a park, etc.) and walk away from there in one direction for about five to ten minutes. Once you stop, turn around and on your way back to your starting point, keep an eye out for any “For Rent” signs, or look out for buildings that look like condos. If something looks promising, just go there and physically enquire. If you find nothing the first time, pick a different direction to walk in and try again. Continue this walk and look method until you’ve walked the full circumference. This is certainly the most tiresome and time consuming method to finding an apartment or condo in Bangkok, but is one way to find a real diamond in the rough.
Contact an Agent
Quite the opposite of the previous method, you can always have most of the work done for you by contacting an agent. Real estate agents in Thailand can be very helpful when it comes to finding the perfect place to rent, as it’s much easier to have a conversation with an actual person and discuss your options. Plus, when you’re already in contact with an agent, the time it takes to get a new viewing appointment is greatly reduced as well. Alternatively, if you’re not on a big time crunch real estate agents can continue looking for places for you while you carry on with your daily life. All of this being said though, its worth noting that not all agents in Bangkok are qualified professionals, and even some of those who are may schedule your entire day with apartment viewings, even if they know the apartments will not be suitable to you. They do this to prevent you from working with a competitor. Before you go on an apartment viewing with an agent, try to get a feel for the market by turning to the internet and doing a bit of preliminary research.
Utilize search engines
A real estate search engine is the newest and most popular way of finding a property in Thailand. While it is standard practice in many other places around the world, Thailand’s on-line marketplace is relatively young. The fact that you can simply enter in your search preferences, tap a button and immediately receive a list of available rentals that fit your criteria with photos, descriptions and contact information would be a dream-come-true to a Thai home seeker of the past. A search engine minimizes your time spent searching and visiting apartments that don’t work for you, and allows you to do the majority of the work from your own home. There are a large number of sites on the market, although many are written in Thai or have incomplete listing information. A quick Google search will help you identify some of the top sites.
The Tried and True: Word of Mouth
Never forget that personal connections can contribute to the best results. Ask people you meet if they know of anywhere you can look, or turn to on-line forums where you can crowd source information about the best buildings.
Once you find the ideal apartment or condo for rent, you’ll have gotten your feet wet and will then be able to tackle the next step of the assimilation process, by turning your new rental into your new home.
