There are 3 new Phuket housing projects designed for low income earners and those on financial assistance and reservations for units in these developments have been brisk, according to local media. Prices at the projects start at THB3.79 million and some of the homes will be completed and ready to move into by the end of 2018.

“The National Housing Authority (NHA) is creating 8 residential projects in 3 provinces, including Buriram, Phuket and Samut Prakan. In Phuket, there are 3 new projects. Firstly, ‘Phuket Thepkrasattri’, which is a 3-storey community housing project located near Laem Hin seafood in Koh Kaew. Each house is about 20 square meters,” says NHA Head of the Projects Pakum Noimanee to The Phuket News.

The Phuket Thepkrasattri project will have a total of 66 homes all but 9 of which have been reserved by buyers who qualified for the programme. The development will be finished sometime next year.

“The Phuket Thalang project, which consists of 19 3-storey townhouses, is divided into apartments and located in Srisoonthorn, beside the Phuket Community Housing Office. It is an extension of a pre-existing low income housing project,” says Pakum.

The apartments are 33  square meters in size and all units come with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom. Prices start at THB620,000 and there are less than 50 units available for booking. The project will also be finished next year.

“The 3rd project in Phuket is the ‘Garden Ville Phuket By NHA’ comprising 2-storey townhomes. Each house is about 18.5  square meters and prices start from THB1.59 million. There are 354 total town homes in Garden Ville and about 200 have already been booked,” says Pakum.

The idea behind the programme is to help low-income Thais or those who are receiving financial assistance from the government afford housing. The NHA has developed similar projects in Phuket in the past, all of which have been successful with buyers.

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Foreigners cannot buy land in Thailand, only condominium units and apartments. Foreigners cannot make up more than 40% of the condominium’s unit-owners. However, a foreigner can buy a whole building, minus the land on which it is built.

In recent years, minor changes in Thai law have allowed nonresidents to explore the Thai real estate market. A foreigner can have a 30-year renewable lease, under which the buyer registers at the Land Office an option to renew the lease contract indefinitely, for further 30-year periods.

There are serious drawbacks, however. Lease renewals cannot be registered, and are not effective against a purchaser of the property. And the lessee cannot (without the lessor’s consent) sublease, sell or transfer his or her interest.

Another option is to set up a private limited company with mixed Thai and foreign ownership, the foreign ownership being 49% or less. Companies are allowed to own land. The foreign national can control the company by using a legal power of attorney from the Thai shareholders, handing control to the foreign directors, or through assigning greater voting rights to the foreigner partner/s. This is an effective and time-tested route, most commonly taken by foreigners. The help of a lawyer is very important.

Foreigners can also invest at least THB40 million (US$1,142,857) in a Board of Investment approved project. They will then be allowed to purchase up to 1 Rai (1,600 square meters) of land.

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IN THE PAST DECADE, Thai properties marketed overseas were either projects in prime downtown Bangkok or properties in top resort destinations such as Phuket.

THAILAND has been ranked 34th in the Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI) 2018 put out by property consultancy firm JLL.

A raft of unprecedented benefits in store for lessees

Thailand is bracing for the passage of the leasehold draft bill that is expected to entice more foreign lessees to the property market, according to the Bangkok Post.

The Council of State is due to vet the leasehold bill after public hearings ended on 16 June. The bill has already received cabinet approval.

Under prevailing laws, foreigners can own condominium units but are prohibited from acquiring land, except in special arrangements with the Board of Investment and the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand.

Lease rights are also not transferable and cease automatically at the time of the lessee’s death.

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The Phuket condominium market is expected to rise in line with a recovering economy and the growing population of the island.

Increasing supply and higher selling prices will be the key drivers, while demand is forecast to improve slightly. Local developers and joint ventures will be key players in the market, said property consultant Knight Frank Thailand.

Demand will continue to be driven by international buyers and investors from China, Russia, and Australia. Knight Frank expects a larger portion of South Korean buyers in the following years. Average asking prices per square metre are anticipated to rise in all areas, while increasing demand for luxury condominium units may see prices approaching a new high in 2018, especially for properties located by the sea.

Luxury buyers tend to buy them for their own residence or long-term capital appreciation.

Phuket’s Smart City is also expected to stimulate demand in the city. The initiative aims to transform the province into a “smart economy and smart living community” and establish the city as a hub of digital industry that will attract investors and tourists alike. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

Phuket’s condominium market took a fall in 2017. The total number of units launched last year decreased 29% to 1,736 from 2,478 in 2016. On the demand front, there were 1,147 condos sold in 2017, down 36% year-on-year.

Newly launched supply with a sea view, partial sea view, or no sea view accounted for 44%, 54%, and 2%, respectively. The majority of the developments are in the high-end segment, principally located in Karon, Naiharn, and Bangtao.

Condominium projects launched in 2017 recorded an average take-up rate of 66%, down 6% year-on-year. However, projects with affordable pricing, attractive down payment packages, exceptional amenities, and convenient locations achieved higher sales within weeks of their launch.

The average asking price per square metre for all new condominium projects launched in the Phuket market last year surged to 135,719 baht, up by 2.5% year-on-year.

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Real estate’s reputation as a valuable investment asset strengthens further in the Thai capital

Bangkok’s property market is going from strength-to-strength, according to DDproperty’s latest Property Index.

The Thai capital has displayed price growth with an eight-point increase from 205 to 213 in the first quarter of 2018. This growth is on the back of an improving economic outlook and an expected increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year to 4.2 percent (up 0.3 percent y-o-y), and in part due to the rising cost of developing projects in the popular but densely built-up areas in Bangkok.

The Index has jumped by 213 percent in the last three years, fuelled by hot land prices which has meant that affordable residential developments are being pushed further from the city centre, most commonly along mass transit extension lines.

“The sophistication of Bangkok’s property market is more apparent now than ever,” said Kamolpat Swaengkit, Country Manager for DDproperty. “As values continue to move upwards, property’s reputation as a valuable investment asset strengthens further. Developers are therefore taking note and it is no wonder that the year has welcomed joint ventures between local and foreign developers eyeing potential across the city. They have become a lot more selective on the kinds of projects they work on, with the focus on building the ‘right’ property for the location and ensuring it is suited to its target audience. We have seen a real shift in the market with this renewed attention to detail.”

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