Do I have to visit Thailand first if I want to buy one of the properties on your web site?

If you see a property which you really like and want to secure it so that nobody else can buy it before you can get here then we can discuss with the seller whether he/she will be willing to provide an option contract in return for a deposit on the purchase / lease. Option contracts are standard practice in Thai property sales and basically provide the purchaser with the option to proceed with the purchase or lease within a given timescale. The standard deposit for this is 10%, which is 10% of the selling price of the land or property, leaving you 90% to pay upon completion. However, on viewing the land or property, should you decide not to proceed, or can not complete within the agreed timescale, then you are not refunded the 10% deposit money.

If you wish to proceed in this manner, then provided that the seller is willing, we can discuss the arrangement of an option contract for you on your behalf. This option contract can be to provide you the right to purchase or obtain a leasehold contract on the property. It is important to include within this contract all of the elements of the purchase or lease that you will require if you decide to proceed, such as whether fittings and furnishings are included, protection of lease and non-lease rights, etc.

Apart from the 10% deposit for the owner, there is of course a modest fee for the lawyer in order to draw up the contracts on your behalf.

The option contract will have a limited lifetime in which to proceed, usually between 1 – 3 months depending upon the willingness of the seller, otherwise the 10% is forfeited to the seller.

As you can imagine, the above can have a risk of disappointment if you have not seen the property ‘in the flesh’, so the best approach is to arrange a visit, forewarning us of the date of your arrival and the property(s) you are interested in so that we can arrange visits to them during your stay. However, if you can not make it over to Thailand within a reasonable time, and if you are already convinced by the photos and information you have seen that such a delay could result in your missing out on the ideal property for you, then a 10% deposit and contract fees may enable you to secure some peace of mind that purchasing flight tickets for a viewing will not go to waste, and also that you will not let that ideal home slip through your fingers.

If you do not wish to visit Thailand at all to make your purchase, and are happy to conduct affairs from abroad, then it should be possible for us to arrange for a lawyer to act on your behalf for the purchase.