It is enough to look through tourist’s newspapers files for the last year to make certain that interest of our compatriots to local square meters is actively warmed up by local developers and realtors.

Thailand for a European is like another planet: the way of life here is very similar to ours, but at the same time, it completely differs. At the brand new and scrupulously clean airport of Bangkok, our Pulkovo is a children's playground in comparison with the giant, visitors are greeted by boards with a wish of a long life and health to the king.

Another planet

This country actually does not have "shaggy" cars and buses. Industry and agriculture are well developed, underground trains in Bangkok are silently flying over our heads somewhere at the level of the third floor, and from the level of the eighty fifth floor of the sparkling skyscraper Baiyoke Sky one can enjoy the view of the highways disbanding every which way, but thereby, monarchy reigns here.

His Majesty Pumipon Aduliadet (also known as Rama IX) is the monarch not only constitutionally, but also by avocation. He is not simply the hereditary governor of the kingdom, but a manager; early in life, he received a brilliant political-economic education in Switzerland. Crowned in the far 1946, during a half of the century he can be seen in the poorest areas ruined by downpours and huts. He supervises the government programs concerned with formation, public health services and road building. On currency units, posters and calendars that can be found in any small shop or office, he is portrayed with a notebook, a map and a professional mirror camera.

Unlike the Russians, Thais never curse their authorities. To speak ironically about the king means to hurt any subject of His Majesty Pumipon Aduliadet. They call him their father here. It is also necessary to notice, that His Majesty has deserved such relation because of his active participation in his people’s life. Thereby, military coups d'etats and changes of parliamentary leaders who were caught stealing occur in Thailand approximately as frequently, as our presidential elections.

The local winter is much warmer and tenderer than our summer. In December, they have a holiday season. On Fridays and Sundays, multikilometer jamming line up around Bangkok (just like in our country) and even two-and three-storied highways are unable to help. After all in comparison with their roads many our federal lines are just a vista. Around the city, there are villages with some small shops, a church (precisely speaking, a pagoda), farmer houses and summer residences. Among the summer residences there are also hovels from strong, like iron, boards as well as quite decent private residences

At the wet season and during the parching summer there is nothing to do in Thailand. One has to hide from heat, moving by bounds between shopping centers of Bangkok (as we dive from one warm shop into another in the hard winter). Modern glassy and concrete shopping centers are stretched for blocks in many directions, that is a real happy hunting ground for fans of shopping. Underprivileged areas of the city remind our “Khruschev-era” neighborhoods. However, thereby, apart small restaurants with cheap exotic meal and small shops there are many Internet clubs, where children from lower-income families actively amuse leisure. There is an impression that computer literacy is in their blood.

Despite the tropical climate and mouldering soils (harvest is several times a year in Thailand remove some crops in a year); the nature does not indulge subjects of His Majesty Pumipon Aduliadet. After tropical rains and forest fires, it is necessary to do a big repairing of roads (just like in our country after spring impassability). Downpours easily wash off massive concrete overhead roads, but the tourists coming here in the winter do not guess it at all: by the beginning of the season, everything is ready repaired and restored. In Thailand, energy carriers and cargo transportation are very expensive, but foodstuff, communication and cement are almost free, as we think.

A piece of tropics for a Siberian

Most likely, there will be no crisis at the real estate market of Thailand. It is too hot to be in crisis.

By our standards, the real estate of Phuket is the cheapest possible. However, indeed, if you study the market with the help of the Russian-language catalogues you will soon get an impression that the prices for apartments in houses under construction are not cheaper than prices for apartments in new houses in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. There is one small detail: an apartment, which costs 100-130 thousand euros, is a practically irreproachable and perfectly furnished accommodation unit in elite condominium or villa with a land plot. The objects offered for sale in Pattaya and on Phuket are distinguished by dramatic difference of price and quality parameters. The real estate market is divided into “external” and “internal” with perfectly different price situations and rules of game. A studio apartment in Pattaya can be purchased for 10-15 thousand euros, three-room apartment – for 25-36 thousand dollars. It will be a well-furnished and perfectly renovated accommodation unit that is much more descent than a bed-sitting room in apartment house of bearing-wall construction built in the period of Bregnev government or three-room apartment in the region center of Russian province. Indeed if you do not have permanent business in Thailand such a purchase would possibly be senseless as during your absence somebody will obligatory settle there and monthly maintenance costs amount to several hundreds dollars. The lion’s share of the community charges is charges for electricity, which is necessary for conditioners’ work. The local people try to save electricity using energy-saving lamps, but conditioning the houses in the summer period is very expensive.  

Anyhow, in the resort regions of Thailand, many Russians settled down (among them the majority is migrants from Siberia and Far East); also, there are many citizens of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, who run their own business as well as many Germans. They are mostly pensioners. If you have a European pension, which far exceeds the average salary of Thais, you will feel practically like retired millionaire. Nevertheless, elderly Europeans settled in tropics are not very active real estate purchasers: they prefer travel around the country moving from one rental apartment or bungalow to another.  

The Kingdom of Thailand (Pratet Thai).

The state is situated in the South-west Asia, on the East of the peninsula Indo-China and North of the peninsula Malacca. It borders on the East with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia. 
The capital is Bangkok. The full name of the state was made an entry into the Guinness World Records as the longest in the world. 

The area is 514 000 square kilometers.

Population: 65,44 million people, generally Thais (more than 15 ethnic groups), also Malayans, Chineses, Khmers, Tibet Burmeses, tribes of Miao and Yao and others.
Climate is of 2 general types – tropical in the North and monsoonal in the South. Three seasons: hot (from March till May); rainy (from June till October) and relatively cool (from November till February). In April, the temperature achieves 29oC, in December 25°С. There is no common for all the country rainy season. From August till September, it is dry 20–24°С. The official language is Thai (Siamese). In Cities English, Chinese, Japanese languages are widespread. 

The government: constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is His Majesty Pumpion Aduliadet.
Time: four hour ahead the Moscow time in winter and 3 in summer. . Currency: Baht. 1euro = 44 bahts. .
Religion: 93% — Buddhists, others – Moslem, Christian, Sikh, Gentoo. The king, according to the constitution Buddhist patronizes religions. The Law firmly protects all the religions, that is why there is no sectarian violence.  

Real estate. The prices are still growing – by 10-15% a year. The average price per meter is as in Saint Petersburg. Meanwhile for average Thai it is too expensive and the main purchasers as a rule are foreigners. Real estate is commonly sold in the health resorts, mostly in Pattaya and on Phuket. The Crisis has not yet begun here and the experts cannot say with certainty how the event will go on in the nearest future. 

Visa. To visit with the tourist purpose for less then 30 days - not required. While intersection it is necessary to present to the officer of the Frontier Service the international passport with two blank pages for stamps of access and aggress and filled in migration card. The officers generally pay special attention to the appearance of the document – tourists with wrinkled, wet, dirty passports may be not allowed to enter the country. Fees are not collected.  

Nest: Philipp URBAN, Boris KAPITULSKIY

Magazine “Suburban Survey of Real Estate”

Provided by Prian.ru