Pattaya Land

There is still plenty of land around Pattaya available, unlike Bangkok, just outside the city suburbs there is nothing but empty land. Land in the Pattaya area land has continued to appreciate in value, but the high value land (near the beach) is just sitting and waiting for a rich opportunist to snap up. However Thailand has laws that prevent foreign ownership. The most common means around this is for a foreigner to place ownership in the name of a Thai spouse, or even friend, but you run the risk of losing it to an untrustworthy person or estranged spouse. Since the government started more vigilantly checking on the status of Thai/foreign companies set up by foreigners in order to own land, this method has become risky.

To find cheap land you will need to get out of town a bit, about 10 minutes by car will do. Selection of area is very important as there is so much surrounding land and demand for areas is spotty. As there is no proper zoning in Thailand and no such thing as rich and poor areas, generally everyone is mixed in. Real estate agents can sell you land, but they are of little help in taking you around and showing all of the different areas.

There are many types of land ownership in Thailand, the safes but is only to consider deeded property, those with ’chanote’ title. Since Pattaya is a relatively new city with no vague historical land claims, there is no problem with questionable land papers as there are in other provinces. A lawyer can help with the land transfer for a fee, but make sure he does the due diligence properly. It is possible to do the property transfer at the land office yourself, but the lawyer option is worth the money considering all contracts and documentation must be in Thai language.