Make picking a new family home child’s play in Bangkok with these simple pointers.
It is that time of year again. Swathes of expatriates leave Bangkok at the same time as a new wave arrive. Tied in with school holidays, many expatriates choose to move at the end of the academic year to create minimal disruption to their children’s education. Being new to a city can be overwhelming at the best of times. Every destinations poses its own attractions and challenges which can be magnified with a family in tow. Navigating your way round when you don’t know the travel systems, the language or even if you are not used to the climate.
If you are new to town or even if you fancy moving from your current home in Bangkok, then consider these following points when looking for the right accommodation to suit you and your children.
1. Consider choosing a school first.
Much of Bangkok comes to a standstill during rush hour. This can make the school run or commute to work unnecessarily long. Therefore many choose to live within close vicinity to their children’s school to allow them to easily walk. Hence many families choose the school first and then find a condominium closeby. This is a really good starting point and will be one to make your daily life easier.
2. Check out the facilities.
Despite Bangkok having some great green spaces to explore you may find at the end of the day your children will want to relax at home. Many family orientated buildings are designed with this in mind. They come with a host of facilities dedicated entirely to keeping them amused within the confides of the building. From grass areas, children’s swimming pools, play areas, tennis courts for them to scooter around and some even have ponds to discover. The older condominiums tend to have more space and thus more facilities, but there are compounds built with families in mind that come with a good choice too. The facilities also provide an opportunity to meet your neighbours and form a community.
3. Calculate the distance to other activities.
Due to the heat of Bangkok many play activities take place indoors. If you know you are likely to want to venture out on a regular basis with your children it may be worth considering how far your proposed home is to these activities and also playgroups. Likewise if you love to spend time in the park, then pick somewhere that is easily accessible by foot (if possible) to one of the city’s great parks.
4. Discover who the neighbours are.
There are countless forums and Facebook pages solely for expatriates. Use these as an opportunity to find out who your neighbours are in your building and also to get the inside scope on what it is like living in that building. If you want your children to have friends closeby then this is paramount. Plus, there are some buildings that are managed better than others which is great to know ahead of time.
5. How big are the bedrooms?
Whilst not entirely important big bedrooms are ideal if you do not have space for a separate playroom. Give your children the biggest bedroom and this can be the place for their toys and clutter. Freeing up the rest of your home for more ‘grown up’ space!
Start your new search for the perfect family home in Bangkok but visiting Thailand Property’s comprehensive listings online here.
