Property
Venture into Thailand’s thriving property market. Explore top real estate opportunities, ranging from luxurious villas to cosy apartments. Stay informed about the latest property news, trends, and legal updates essential for investors and homeowners alike with our news. Whether you’re seeking property in Bangkok, Phuket, or beyond, our articles provide real estate insights and listings.
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Absolute World names new head of real estate
PHUKET: Absolute World Group has announced the appointment of Stuart Coakley as director of the group’s real estate division. Based at the property developer’s Thailand headquarters in Phuket, Mr Coakley is tasked with overseeing the group’s real estate division and growing future real estate strategy for the mixed-use resort developers and fractional and vacation ownership pioneers. Mr Coakley has experience…
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Indigo Pearl Phuket cashes in on big-spending tourists
PHUKET: Indigo Pearl Phuket has added unique products, developed sales channels and worked with quality agents, as part of its strategy to capture the high-spending travel market. The hotel is the flagship property of the long-established, Phuket-based hospitality firm, Pearl Group. Wichit Na-Ranong, owner of the hotel, said that since the group rebranded from Pearl Hotel at Nai Yang Beach…
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Sheraton to be new Emerald in Phuket luxury hotel market
PHUKET: Emerald Phuket Development, confident that the luxury property market on the island isn’t saturated, is bringing the Sheraton brand back to the province after a three-year hiatus. “The Sheraton brand has one of the best distribution systems and traveller loyalty programs. It is returning to Phuket with a firm vision to take its rightful place in Phuket’s competitive luxury…
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Property Update: Urban-style condo launched in the heart of Phuket
PHUKET: Location, location, location is every property expert’s mantra, and Sansiri knows it well. They prove it with their latest Phuket project – THE BASE, located in the very heart of the island. Situated on five rai of land on the bypass road, THE BASE Uptown is in the middle of Phuket’s retail action, just a stone’s throw away from…
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Thailand Property Awards recognize Phuket developers
PHUKET: Phuket developers and developments won the lion’s share of acclaim at this year’s Thailand Property Awards with four wins and six Highly Commended awards. Most notable among award winners was Point Yamu Villas by COMO Hotels & Resorts who won Best Villa Development and Best Hotel Architectural Design, and were Highly Commended for Best Residential Interior Design. Setting a…
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Reaching the end of an era as Bill Barnett’s Property Watch column comes to an end
PHUKET: The older I get, the more the concept of time simply seems to accelerate at a fast and furious pace. Does all that caffeine I’m drinking bring me closer to the end of days, or did someone mysteriously pump up the pace? Over the past seven and a half years I have written this property column, I’ve witnessed the…
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Best Western Patong – quality and affordability reunited
PHUKET: It’s easy to spend big bucks in Phuket. Those who arrive to the island with the popular misconception that “Thailand is cheap” might be sorely disappointed when faced with local prices. They can be easier to swallow when you get what you pay for, such is the case of many high-end resorts and restaurants. Less so, though, when the…
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New rainforest weekend retreat 15 minutes from Phuket
PHUKET: A new rainforest weekend holiday experience with a touch of class is coming soon, just a short 15-minute drive from Phuket’s Sarasin Bridge. The Valley Phang Nga is a new back-to-nature retreat under development just off the main highway (Phetkasem Road) between Phuket and Phang Nga, which will feature hillside camping and cabins with stunning views, nature trails and…
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Property Watch: Too tents? Back to the romance of nature
PHUKET: I’m not quite sure what happened to the age-old art of counting sheep, which can effectively – and quickly – put one in a blissful slumber. This was of course in days past, before Xanax. Looking back at romantic notions – such as the classic folk adventures of Aladdin and Sinbad in One Thousand and One Nights – you…
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Escaping urbanization at Vijitt resort
PHUKET: Blanketing 44 rai of luscious hillside above Friendship Beach in Rawai, lies the Vijitt Resort Phuket. Although the sprawling beachfront resort was subjected to a US$15 million (480mn baht) make-over in 2008, it has an enduring legacy reaching back 38 years. What began in the 70’s as a small family vacation getaway, has been transformed into a top-notch boutique…
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Samui’s tourism market hits mid-year glitch
PHUKET: While many of Thailand’s resort destinations think they are immune to what happens in Bangkok, the reality is that they are sadly mistaken. There is little doubt that the events which played out in the nation’s capital had a profound impact on tourism. Be it from martial law or the globally publicized curfews, there has been fallout in the…
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Sansiri launches Child-Friendly Space in Phuket [Video]
PHUKET: Living up to the standards set by it’s own Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program “Sansiri Social Change”, which aims to help support and improve children’s lives, Sansiri launched its new Child-Friendly Space in Mai Khao to provide education in a safe environment for the children of construction workers. The project, located near the construction site of Baan Mai Khao…
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A journey back to our old town
PHUKET: One of my earliest memories of theater is the three-act play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It’s simple, direct and economical in its depiction of life, love and death in a small town. One of the most notable facts about the play is how the author used metatheater. Metatheater is a technique often used in narrative forms, which can…
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Never a dull moment in the ‘comfortably numb’ zone
PHUKET: Adrenalin junkies simply never tire of flirting with disaster. Take those storm-chasing fanatics you see on reality television as they lean into the wind trying to catch a glimpse of the eye of a hurricane: Just one wrong step and they’re toast, along with their entire crew. Recently, I’ve taken to travelling to India again after a long break.…
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Warning signals for Phuket’s unlicensed accommodation sector
PHUKET: Part of every real estate cycle across Asia since the early 1990s is the appearance of exotic property investment propositions. Imagine it’s Groundhog Day and the past is destined to replay, time and time again. We can always count the condominium hotel sector to surge as we crest a wave of undying consumer exuberance. Over the past few months…
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Thai tourists take to Japan
PHUKET: Mist is covering Mount Yotei like a soft white blanket as I sit in the train station waiting for the 15:15 local to Otaru. Despite being school holidays, and prime-time summer, the weather is decidedly wet. Travel by railway in the country is always one of my guilty pleasures despite this being a business trip. Sitting at the North…
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Property Watch: These are a few of my favorite things
HAVE you ever heard music ringing in your ears or else started humming to yourself in a hotel room? You have indeed stumbled as an extra onto the movie Sound of Music. Not. But hotels that provide an emotional uplift from design, art or creative energy can be a source of inspiration for even the most road hardened traveller. What’s…
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Platinum preparing for first IPO
PHUKET: Platinum Group, a leading operator of malls including Platinum Fashion Mall, is preparing to launch an initial public offering at the end of this year or beginning of next year. Maybank Kim Eng Securities, the financial adviser, is in the process of filing the IPO plan with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The group has 2.8 billion baht of…
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Property Watch: To be, or not too be, that is the question
PHUKET: Whenever a property column starts out with Billy Shakes and the talk turns to slings and arrows, you’d best buckle up the seat belts. Yes, we are again turning our eyes to Phuket real estate after an extended hiatus into the arcane and zig-zag run for the goal posts. Sadly, like Brazil, there is always hope in another four…
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Property Watch: Life in the days of future past
PHUKET: In my lifetime, small men in white suits have walked on the moon. Well, at least they seemed tiny on the television screen. Now, strangers’ voices come out of an iPhone acting as a personal concierge. I still can’t figure out how they fit a tiny person into the iconic Apple device. Yes, technology is a fast-moving landscape that…
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A symbol of prosperity in Koh Kaew
PHUKET: The number 88 has long been symbolic of good fortune, joy and prosperity in Asian cultures and the premium housing development “88 Land & Houses Koh Kaew Phuket” by Land & Houses, one of the country’s leading development groups, is seeking to provide just those for its customers. The 52 rai development is located near the geographical center of…
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Krabi’s marina lifestyle is growing fast
PHUKET: Krabi Boat Lagoon, the sister marina of the long established Phuket Boat Lagoon, is garnering strong interest from Phuket residents seeking a quieter lifestyle and solid investment in the fast growing town. The marina, which opened for business in late 2012, has had a steady flow of Phuket regulars moving their boats to take advantage of the less crowded…
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Life’s a beach, even in Phuket
For those who live overseas or else don’t go near the water, the current ongoing transformation of Phuket’s beaches is nothing short of magic. Taxi stands removed, sun lounges nowhere in sight, and structures on public land being dismantled. Every day seems to take a new twist and turn in this reality show-like event. Who’s safe? Who will go? The…
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Something new in Phuket property design
PHUKET: I’ve never been one for driving by the rear view mirror, and often my imagination likes to take me on a journey into the future. Living for today, or for the moment, is good for self-help types, but never discount the power of wish lists – dreaming big is good. One of my biggest gripes about Phuket’s hotels remains…
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Which island will be the next Phuket?
PHUKET: These days, I seemingly spend far too much time flying around Asia, and one of my hash tags at industry events seems to be #The Phuket Guy. There are far worse things to be called in life, and I’m without a doubt getting off easy. Send in the flip-flops, things might be turning nasty after the sundowners. Aside from…
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Luxury villas by the lake to rent or own
The recently completed By The Lake luxury development, located just minutes from tranquil Nai Harn Beach, offers a hassle-free way to own your own slice of paradise here in Phuket. Tucked away on a quiet and private hillside with picture-perfect views, these two and three-bedroom luxury pool villas are only an 800-meter stroll from the beach. Each villa comes fully…
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Prime deals on eight Sansiri developments
PHUKET: Sansiri, one of the largest real estate developers in Thailand, recently launched the “It’s Prime Time” promotional event in Phuket, offering a “Time for Best Units” promotion across all eight of the company’s completed developments on the island. Buyers will have to move quickly to get a bargain though, as the discount offers are only available until the end…
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Condo chief calls to slash transfer fees as presales fall 30%
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Condo chief calls to slash transfer fees as presales fall 30% The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: A revised taxation and fee structure in the property sector would boost the residential market in the second half of the year, the Thai Condominium Association’s new president said…
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Fostering local attitude for Phuket’s property development
PHUKET: Phuket has seen many property developers go bust, some rise and fall and even fewer, rise, grow and keep growing. Attitude Club is a great example of the latter. Present on the island for 15 years, the company has undergone some major changes throughout its history, but always moving in one and only direction – forward. “When we started…
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Phuket9’s tantalizing timeless style
PHUKET: Chalong-based developers Phuket9 have been busy. Established in 2004, they began life as Phuket Nature Home and re-branded themselves as Phuket9 in 2011. Over the past 10 years they have created an entire community of private lagoon villas, built the Kata Dome Plaza and have now launched into their most recent project – Rawai VIP Villas. Located 300 meters…
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PREA auction of 500 properties starts today
The Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA), in association with real estate agency Harrison, is set to hold a massive property auction in Phuket this weekend, May 17 and 18. The auction, to be held at the Boat Lagoon Hotel and Resort in Koh Kaew, will see 500 properties worth 10 billion baht go under the hammer, including condos, villas and…
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Thai property portal goes mobile
PHUKET: Thailand-Property.com, one of the biggest real estate portals in Thailand, has launched a new mobile site, shifting focus from growing on-site content to delivering more than 100,000 property listings to its user base in the palms of their hands. As the portal’s main site already receives nearly 50 per cent of its traffic through hand-held devices, the new mobile…
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Connecting the Myanmar-Phuket tourism dots
PHUKET: Myanmar is on my mind as I recall the famous line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s classic poem Paul Revere’s Ride, “One if by land, and two if by sea”. The bard might very well have been speaking about Asia’s rising tourism dragon and Thailand’s neighbor Myanmar, though this slight annotation might also be apt: “Three if by low-cost airline…
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Foreign directors: Not only power but also responsibility
PHUKET: MANY foreigners have chosen Thailand not only as their preferred location for retirement but also for doing business. Usually, such businesses are operated under the umbrella of a Thai company due to legal restrictions regulating the conditions under which foreign persons are allowed to carry out business in Thailand. Such a Thai company is required to have at least…
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The darling buds of May
PHUKET: I live a life which is all too often shrouded in deep confusion. It’s not unlike waking on a dark winter’s morning and having the option of resolutely pulling a massive down comforter over my head, thus shutting out any promise of the imminent menace of an all-too-soon sunrise. Sorry, George Harrison, the sun isn’t coming out today, best…
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Gone in the blink of an eye
PHUKET: Humans blink 10 to 15 times a minute. Start rolling out the time-line and you start edging up over 20,000 blinks a day or more harrowing yet, perhaps 40 million blinks in a lifetime. Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Proverbially, the things…
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Moving away from the mass market
PHUKET: Founding member of the Phuket Real Estate Association (PREA) and president of Phuket-based developers The Onella, Sam Sethi, is a Phuket native and part of a successful family-run business on the island with a strong record in residential and hospitality development. Over the past 20 years, Sam has focused on developing mixed-use commercial and residential properties that are a…