When looking for property in Thailand, there are many questions to consider. Which is the best location for me? Is this property big enough for my needs? Should I rent or buy? In this post, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of choosing a house or a condo.
One of the first things to be aware of is that – without being fairly flexible with the law – a foreigner cannot simply buy a house in Thailand. You can buy a leasehold on a house, or you can own it through a nominee, such as a spouse, but you cannot own Thai land.
So if you are planning to buy a property to live in, then you either need to focus on the condo market, accept a leasehold, or buy it in a nominee’s name and hope that the relationship doesn’t go sour.
All of this aside, what are the pros and cons of choosing between a house and a condo? A lot of it is down to circumstances, but here are a few of the main differences.
SIZE AND SPACE
Generally speaking, a house is going to be larger than a condo. In addition to having more internal space, more rooms and probably more levels, a house will often have a garden or yard. This could be a clinching factor if you have pets or a young family. While there are some pretty large condos on the market, including multiplexes, the price per-square-metre tends to be considerably higher than for the equivalent amount of space in a house in a similar location – and this is without taking any garden space into consideration.
Conclusion: If space is your primary concern, then a house will in most cases be your best option.
FACILITIES
While a house may have a garden, it may not have a lot else. You will be paying quite high prices for a house with a swimming pool, but this will be a standard feature in just about any condo in Bangkok and other major cities in Thailand. The condo complex will also likely include other worthwhile facilities, such as a gym, restaurant – possibly with room service, shop and laundry.
Conclusion: If facilities are your primary concern, then a condo will more often than not be the best choice for you.
LOCATION
Ah, location, location, location! With the scores locked at 1-1, it all comes down to location. And this is no surprise really. In general, condos tend to be more conveniently located because it is more cost-effective for a developer to build a tower of condos on prime real estate than a housing estate. Whether that prime real estate is close to the beach in Phuket or near the central business district in Bangkok, you are far more likely to find condos than houses.
Conclusion: If you have a car and/or don’t mind using public transport for your daily commute or trip to the beach, then you may find the more remote location of a house to be an acceptable ‘con’. But if, like me, you prefer to be in the thick of the action, then the convenient location of a condo is definitely worth the investment.
What do you think? Share your experiences of choosing between a house and condo.
