Samui Jane Realty

𝑶𝒇𝒇 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖?

𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝟏

the honest pros and cons before you fall in love

This new series is for anyone weighing up a villa in Koh Samui who is not yet sure whether an off plan build or a ready resale home suits them better. It will help most if you are leaning toward off plan, the path with the most moving parts.

𝓞𝓯𝓯 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓷 𝓿𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪

✓ You shape it. Floor plan, materials, finishes, all to your taste, decided before the first wall goes up, as far as the structure and retaining walls allow.
✓ A fresh lease. The land lease is registered new, so you start near the full 30 years, usually around 29 to 30.
✓ Brand new and modern, with a fresh warranty behind it.
✓Stronger ROI ( return on investment) compared to similar resale property
✗ You cannot stand in it yet, so you are trusting the drawings and the developer’s track record.
✗ You cannot easily picture it. Often there is just a building site, so you read 3D renders and imagine the finished home. Not everyone finds that easy.
✗ Delays happen, and you carry the project all the way to the finish.

𝓡𝓮𝓼𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓿𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓪

✓ What you see is what you get. You walk into a finished villa, tidy and complete, exactly as it will be.
✓ Faster. You can often move in, or start renting it out, almost straight away.
✓ The garden is grown, the neighbours are known, and any quirks are already on show (most of times).
✗ The lease clock is already running. You often step into fewer than 30 years left, unless a brand new lease is registered at the sale, and fewer years usually means less value and a harder resale later.
✗ Someone else chose the layout, the style, and the materials.
✗ Older building, possible wear, and little or no warranty left.

The money side is where the two really part ways. With off plan you buy below the finished value, so there is equity in the villa from the day it is done, often around 25 to 30% below completed price at the earliest stage, narrowing to single digits near handover. You also pay in stages across the 10 to 18 months of the build rather than all at once, so your cash stays free to work elsewhere, and some investors even spread a single budget across more than one project, though more projects also mean more building risk to manage.
A new villa tends to rent better and hold stronger nightly rates too, which lifts the return for an investor or a part time owner who rents it out most of the year. A resale villa, bought at full finished price, usually gives a softer return, so it tends to suit someone who mainly wants to live in it rather than chase top yield from day one.

In Part Two and the posts that follow, we will go through exactly what to look for in the agreements before you commit to an off plan project, so you can avoid the common pitfalls.

I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal advice. Whichever road you pick, do your due diligence first.

𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒆𝒕. 𝑶𝒇𝒇 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔

the small contract that decides whether your deposit is safe

When your offer is accepted, the first thing you sign is the reservation agreement. It is a short document, but it does the heavy lifting. It takes the unit off the market, locks the price for you, and sets the rules for everything that follows. Usually you pay a deposit, often around 10%, into an escrow account or other agreed stakeholder account at the same time.

This is the moment your money leaves your hands, so the wording has to work for you, not just for the seller. Keep two simple questions in your head the whole time: what exactly am I paying for, and what gets my money back.

One thing many buyers miss: the agreement should set a clear reservation period. That is the window that covers the due diligence and ends with signing the sale and purchase agreement. Inside that window, give the due diligence its own defined number of days, so nobody is left guessing.

A good reservation agreement should spell out:

• The exact unit, the price, and everything included, such as furniture, appliances, and parking

• A deposit held in escrow or another agreed stakeholder account, not paid straight to the seller, and counted toward the final price

• A clear clause that makes the deposit refundable if the due diligence fails or the foreign quota turns out to be unavailable

• The reservation period, and the due diligence period inside it, ending with the signing of the sale and purchase agreement

• Who pays which fees and taxes on transfer day

• A fair chance for the seller to fix problems. If your lawyer finds something, the seller usually gets an agreed period, often seven to ten days, to put it right. If they fix it, the deal continues. If they cannot, your deposit comes back.

• What happens if either side simply walks away

At a minimum, the due diligence written into the agreement should cover:

• The title

• Zoning and building regulations

• The building permit

• The house book (Tabien Baan)

• The servitude, meaning the easement rights for road access

• The foreign quota status of the building (for foreign freehold purchases)

• The sale and purchase agreement itself

• For a new building, the construction agreement as well

After that, add anything else that matters to you. Each of these points can be the exact line between getting your deposit back and losing it. So if something is important, it belongs in here, in writing, before the money moves.

A handshake and a friendly chat are lovely, but they are not the contract.

I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal advice. But read this document slowly, and ask your lawyer to add anything that protects you before you sign.

𝑨 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑨 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏.

🔥 NEW DEVELOPMENT Tranquil Lamai villas - 2 bed, 2 bath- 5,799,900 thb ( approx USD 177,962) 🔥

📍 Location: Lamai
📜 Ownership: Leasehold
📐 Land Size: 266 sqm
🏗️ Built Area: Approx 103 sqm
🛏️ Bedrooms: 2 bed
🛁 Bathrooms: 2 bath
🏊 Pool: 7x3m private pool, plus shared swimming pool

To see more information on this listing, follow the link below:
www.samuijanerealty.com/villas/lamai-tranquil-2bed-villas-koh-samui

📲 Or contact Jane at:
WhatsApp: https://wa.me/+66822411019
Email: [email protected]
Line: jdprorealty

wa.me