Buying Property In Thailand

When thinking of overseas property for investment purposes the British have invariably and predominantly looked to Spain and France in the past. More recently Bulgaria,The Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Croatia and with their accession into the EU on the first of January 2007 Romania now seems a viable option and alternative. For some of the more pioneering Americans Eastern Europe is also a favourable choice for affordable real estate, offering a low cost and comfortable standard of living. Furthermore the majority of the emerging economies within the Eastern bloc and real estate markets are pro active and working hard to attract foreign investment.

A growing number of US citizens are choosing to move north to Canada where real estate can be cheaper,taxation can be lower, healthcare is far cheaper and the standard of living as high as in America. Countries such as Mexico, Panama and Belize are well known as lower cost locations for US citizens seeking an affordable overseas location. Living costs, real estate and taxation are all low. However the main consideration is the affordability and accessibility of healthcare and of necessary treatment and care, each of the three countries mentioned fails in one way or another. Furthermore, younger Americans may struggle to find decent employment or education for their children in Mexico, Panama or Belize.


The British have always been obsessed with property and the expression 'an Englishman's home is his castle' has never rung more true. With the cost of housing within the UK out of the reach of most first time buyers and those first time buyers continually vying for property with buy to let investors more of the early twenties are putting down roots in more affordable countries. As always though anyone considering these locations are advised to act sooner rather than later.

The Sofia Echo in early January reported that developers have worked on entire apartment and villa complexes in smaller and less popular regions with significant funds allocated to such projects. Investors, it seems, showed more interest in getting a new apartment close to a major city, rather than an old house to refurbish. as a result of continual development the price of property in such regions remained almost unchanged throughout 2006. In some regions, the price of property even went down. Varna region registered a 15 per cent price decrease. The average price per square metre in the region dropping from 600 to 510 euro. Supply also brought down the prices of property in the Bourgas region.

With the advent of cheap air flights this has further enhanced the idea of a dream home in the sun. However can accessibility be correlated directly to sustainable investment potential. Thailand is approximately 10000 miles from the US and approximately 6000 miles from the UK, With flying times of approximately 21 hours and 11 hours respectively. Perhaps not suitable to the masses and ensuring a restricted and select ex-pat presence.

Thailand has three main seasons per year. Northern climatic conditions are preferred by Thais countrywide as the coolest and most comfortable. Generally northern temperatures are between 3-5 degrees lower than the rest of the country, Chiang Mai city is a favoured location and the climate is perfect for visitors. Cool mountain air and bright sunny days ensure that this Shangri-la setting will remain a favourite for many years to come. The North also differs during the rainy season and continuous rainfall is quite rare. It will usually rain heavily for a period between 30 minutes to one hour, once or twice a day and soon dries up after the sun appears. The area is then left feeling fresh and cool. The average temperature throughout the year being approximately 26 degrees.

Chiang Mai has a significant expat community and some figures put the number of "farangs", or westerners at 5,000. Chiang Mai is much of what Bangkok is not. Instead of the flatness of the Maenam Valley one is treated to ranges of forested mountains that sweep northward to Burma. Hill tribes in colorful costumes are common sights hawking their handicrafts around the night market. As Bangkok has no definite city centre, Chiang Mai's is clearly defined by a moat.

Chiang Mai is certainly easier to negotiate than Bangkok. Walking, bicycling and motorcycling are realistic alternatives to driving. Or if you prefer, tuk-tuks are prolific. A relatively well organized system of songtaews (pickup trucks with benches and canopies) run a sort of shared service around greater Chiang Mai. Some can be hired much as a taxi service. Chiang Mai stands on the banks of the Maenam Ping (river) and quite a number of good restaurants are perched along the banks.

There is also a strong emphasis on healthcare and Chiang Mai has several quality hospitals including Chiang Mai Ram,Chiang Mai University and the McCormack Hospital. Along with the presence of US and UK consulates. ATMs are everywhere and currency exchanges are commonplace. Interest earned on fixed deposit accounts is taxable at 15% and collected by the banks.

By: Martyn Witt

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com


Mortgage-Loan-UK is a premier resource for personal finance information along with an extensive collection of mortgage related calculators. For more information on luxury Thailand property and especially chiang Mai property offering resort style living visit us now.

Water Sports Holidays In Thailand

You get treasures of ethnic, scenic, gastronomic, and oceanic pleasures in Siam. Thailand certainly is the fascinating and exotic land of lovely people known for their fantastic culture, cuisine, and overall lifestyle. The land, of course, is well known for its beautiful beaches and pelagic pleasures. It is a wonderful destination for water sports in Southeast Asia.

Thailand definitely is the best pick, if you are looking to have fun & adventure packed water sports holidays. You can really have great holiday, beaching, playing beach volleyball & other beach sports, and enjoying numerous water sports activities, such as swimming, rafting, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, and scuba diving in Thailand. Some famous destinations for water sports destinations in Thailand are – Mae Hong Son, Hua Hin, Phuket, Chumpon, Ko Chang, and Koh Tao.


Mae Hong Son, located near the border of Myanmar along the banks of the river Pai, is a wonderful town in the North West Thailand. The town offers you a nice opportunity to enjoy rafting the Pai River. You can join one of the rafting expeditions that are commonly organized in the heart of Mae Hong Son. Mae Hong Son can be accessed by car or bus from Chiang Mai via the Mae Hong Son loop. The town is also served by the Mae Hong Son Airport.

Hua Hin, in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some 200 km south of Bangkok, is a celebrated beach resort town in Thailand. It is best known for kitesurfing. You can hire your kitesurfing equipment, have kitesurfing instructions from experts, and enjoy kitesurfing. You can also joint kitesurfing lessons & courses for beginners. You can also enjoy numerous other beach and water sport on the beach resort, with an area around 86.36 km². You can also enjoy swimming, windsurfing, wave surfing, and rowing.

Phuket, the largest island and the southern province of Thailand, is best known for its beaches. It is popular destinations for beach & water sports. You can enjoy numerous beach & water sports activities, such as swimming, kitesurfing, yachting, windsurfing, wave surfing, rowing, snorkeling, diving, scuba diving, etc. in Phuket. Famous Phuket beaches include Bang Tao, Surin Beach, Laem Singh Beach, Kamala Beach, Patong Beach, Karon Beach, Kata Yai Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Ao Chalong, and Rawai Beach.

Chumphon or Chumpon, the capital of the Chumphon Province at the shore of the Gulf of Thailand, is a fantastic town in southern Thailand. Located about 463 kilometers away from Bangkok, Chumpon is famous for kitesurfing or kiteboarding, and other water sports activities. You can enjoy numerous beach & water sports activities, such as swimming, windsurfing, wave surfing, snorkeling, diving, fishing, and rowing. The town can be accessed by bus or by ferries.

Ko Chang, located on the Thai east coast 310 km away from Bangkok near the border to Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand, is the second largest island of Thailand. It is famous for sailing and scuba diving. However, you can also enjoy several other beach & water sports activities, such as swimming, windsurfing, wave surfing, snorkeling, diving, and rowing in Ko Chang. The island can be accessed by ferries operating from Laem Ngop.

Ko Tao, an island located near the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand, is widely famous for scuba diving. Diving in Ko Tao is easy and full of fun. Often, you have encounters with turtles, stingrays, barracudas, lots of small fish, and reef sharks. The island is a great place for divers. It is a great place to learn diving, as there are hardly any currents. You can also enjoy several other water related activities, such as wake boarding, water skiing, sumo tube, wind surfing, and sailing. Ko Tao can be accessed catching ferries from Surat Thani, or Ko Samui, or Ko Pha Ngan.

By: james@holiday-velvet.com

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com


Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Holiday apartments in Phuket, and Thailand holiday villas.