Guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 In reply to: Just for the comparison I can tell that my thai family built a new two storey house in their village a couple of years back. Total price less than 40 K I would guess for this price they used cement poles instead of wood, lumber they sawed themselves from their own land or reused from their previous house for the upstairs, downstairs rooms cement blocks between the cement poles, few if any decent windows, tin roof, thin concrete floor. A typical modern Esahn home. Very comfortable by their standards when you consider that they don?t really ?live? in their houses. They are used for cooking and sleeping and TV viewing, other than that the villagers? activities take place outside, socializing, eating, drinking, napping, weaving, gathering food, washing clothes etc., not necessarily in that order?bahnawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 What is the best way for a foreigner to handle a land purchase or lease in Isaan? Should one go through a local bank/realtor or family? I am specifically referring to Udon Thani if anyone has dealings in that province. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 she'll never save it (99,9% will not). A farang has to give the lump sum to her, and still the house might not get built. Family may have to pay debts, sisters, brothers, husbands may find "better" use for it, etc... She might not be the dishonest one in that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Most land purchases are done through family or neighbors in the village. These transactions bear no resemblance to a legally binding land transaction as we know them in the west. They are very casual to say the least. When someone needs a lump some of money for any of a variety of reasons, they often will cut a piece of their land to sell. If the seller has five rai, they may cut off one or more rai to sell (1 rai=1600 square meters). One rai will often be cut into four pieces known as a ngahn (400 square meters). This is the smallest size necessary for a house with room for a garden. I would recommend at least one rai. So you?ve located the land and agreed to a price, usually based on what the seller needs the money for more than any established going rate. Get a fill in the blanks yourself form (agreement to buy/sell), available in most towns where stationary is sold. You assemble the Puu Yai Bahn (village headman) or one of his assistants, the buyer and seller, various friends and family members. You measure the land, dig holes and place poles at the corners. Fill in the blanks on the agreement all in Thai of course. Remember the buyer is your GF. Many people including village headmen are unaware of laws regarding ownership of land in regards to foreigners. All concerned parties sign the agreement including the highest village official available and witnesses. Pay money. Buy beer. Try and take photos of the people present before they wander off. Villagers put far more faith in spoken words than what is written on paper. If there is a problem in the future it helps if you can remember who all was present, not just the ones who signed the agreement. They are more than happy to pose for your photos?.bahnawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Thanks P127, I didn?t really want to go there?..bahnawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJsushi Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 I assume there is a huge difference in the value of land for constructing a house and growing food. Are there any rules of thumb one should follow for each? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 Bahnawk, You sure hit that right on the spot! Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think_too_mut Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 I was quoted, shown a pic of a house, 500K Bht for the house and 150K to build it. 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, porches. The land is already hers (I paid for it). My gf says the house is for the family, to make them comfortable (their standards), she has no intention to live there. Yesterday, she told me that somebody in the village is selling a house, 2 level, 4 bedrooms, 800K Bht. With good chunk of turf around it. It would have cost 1 mil to do it from scratch, she claims. Sao Kaew province, not Isarn but close. Guys, nobody is thinking another costly thing: where do TV, washing machine, fridge, beds, furniture, come from? "You not buy for me?". Add up 150-250K Bht to whatever you are building. Geez, what a power little brownies have over us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 "Sao Kaew province, not Isarn but close" Real close, as they all speak Lao, and alot of people seem to have come from Surin/Korat in the last 30 years or so. Isn't it spelled Issan? "500K Baht for the house and 150K to build it. 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, porches. " Is this house in Sao Kaew city itself and not in small rural type village? Don't think I have ever seen a village house with "bedrooms" in the way we think of it. All I have ever seen is one room divided with partitions (dressers) or something. This will make them VERY comfortable (it will best house in village). We just finished a house (in Sao Keow province, outside Khao Chagan) for a family of 4: mother (wife's sister), father, 5 year daughter, and newborn son. Big (25 ft x 20 ft) main room, 5 X 10 ft "bathroom" attached to back(squat toilet, splash shower - full tile), coated tin roof (brown, not blue), wood trusses, concrete posts, plastered concrete block walls (painted light green, not white), windows with glass and shutters (brown), nice thick hand mixed concrete floor with full tile, 25 x 10 covered porch with concrete pad. All labor done by wife's brother and wife's sister?s husbands (brother-in laws, right?) All in for 100K. No add-ins allowed. "Guys, nobody is thinking another costly thing: where do TV, washing machine, fridge, beds, furniture, come from? Add up 150-250K Baht " Uh, I don't think so. They already have a TV, fridge is about 3k (no freezer, waste of money), washing machine is bucket in back (I had a good laugh at this one), beds are mattress/pads on floor (or a bed bought off furniture truck for 3K on time payments), furniture is maybe a concrete tiled table and wooden platforms on porch (you thinking maybe chairs/ dinning table or something?). Guy, have you ever been there? It doesn't sound like it. Before you invest anymore, go take a look at what others there have and what you need to buy to make someone "comfortable". For a million baht, you can have real "farang house". Family doesn't need it, doesn't want it. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think_too_mut Posted May 4, 2002 Report Share Posted May 4, 2002 ThaiHome, You are right, I have never been there. The quote of 500K was for the material, then they build the house themselves (father and brother in law). I have not invested any money yet, apart from 50K for the land in Wang Sombun, Sao Kaew. Nothing more happens before October. She took pictures of what they have and where they are. (I've been repeatedly asked to visit them but have resisted so far). Cattle elsewhere lives in a better barn than her family, mildly speaking. The fridge is 20yrs old rusted box, hard to tell if it has ever been white. No TV, nothing. I am taking your advice seriously, many thanks. When I roll the film back, she has never tried to do more than a house that looks OK from outside. White goods and the rest must have been my own obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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