Finding a condo apartment in Bangkok

 

Trying to find an apartment in Bangkok has been somewhat frustrating. Not because of price, because condo owners have cut prices and are ready to discount -- in one case 5000 baht off advertised rent.

But it’s not working for me. So far.

It’s just the pathetic  size of the new apartments. There are a slew of new towering residential infernos, 25 to 60 storeys. Many are on the BTS or MRT lines. That’s a good thing, of course. But builders have been copying Canadian developers (and probably other developers around the world). They want to offer sardine cans at inflated prices.

Here’s what I WAS looking for. I set a budget of about 12000 baht ($360 Canadian). I most definitely can find apartments for around 5000 baht in the distant soi’s and districts or far down the Sukhumvit soi’s. Also, some new buildings had rents in this range, but they were far off the ends of the transit lines although they were quite nice units.

So my budget means a studio apartment if I want a modern building with working elevator, built-in washing machine, microwave oven, two-pot stove burner, well sealed windows, sunlight that enters the whole apartment, sit-down toilet, three-prong (with ground) electrical receptacles, pre-wiring for internet and TV, tallish refrigerator, more modern safety systems such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler system, and  more. Note, most units are rented out furnished so I'm not asking for anything out of the ordinary.

But studios only run 25 to 35 square metres, or about 270 to 375 sq. ft. So when you walk in, all you see is the  bed. Off to the left or right will be sparse cupboards and counter space, two-chair dining table, a TV shelf and TV off the end of the bed, a bit of space to reach the far balcony glass sliding doors and an all-in-one washroom (toilet, shower and basin sharing one small floor area -- you could perform all three functions at once!).

Owners are asking 9,000 to 15,000 baht ($300 to $500 Canadian). One-bedrooms are running $10,000 in areas off the beaten path to 22,000 and way up. In new buildings, most of which are within minutes on foot or motorcycle taxi of a transit line, the floor area can be as low as 35 sq. metres to as much as 55 (600 sq. ft.).  And yes, you can pay much less for a one-bedder if you wish. There are few reasonble apartments for 5,000, even downtown, according to some teachers I met. If you want cheap, ask a teacher where to go. You can also  Go Thai; you’ll just have to buy your own fan and buy a big pail and water scoop for your 3000 baht unit or even less.

So you see even one-bedders are claustrophobic at 35 sq. metres in my world. You won’t have any room for work table unless you sacrifice the small table and chairs, the sofa will be so close to the TV you can stretch your feet to the edge of the stand,  you will have about a two-plate countertop in the "kitchen", although the washroom and even the bedroom are likely to be quite spacious, oddly enough.  From what I've seen, I wouldn't choose this area size because the space is not well designed. This size could work if properly used.

I’ve seen brand new places, still wrapped furniture and freshly painted. Many new developments seem to favour built-in furniture, with bland wood-like veneer, bottom-rung sofas and chrome legged chairs and tables (I dislike chrome on everything including well known motorcycles). You may even find a CRT colour TV. Of course, no one cuts corners on air conditioning, an absolute must 12 months a year in the Big Sauna.

I checked out some older units, which are quite a bit bigger at 50-plus sq. metres up to the one-bedroom size. They were pretty good deals too, compared to similar prices for the New Modern Style(tm) condos, as they're advertised on Craigslist.com, which looks like the best source of apartment rentals in Bangkok. But they exceeded my budget. NMS, by the way, means to me smaller, beiger, blander, equally expensive.

After a week of frustration, I had raised my budget. In talking with others, I realized a good point was lost: you want a place that’s home, a roomy place you don’t mind spending time in and working in, as I want.  I’ve learned in the past, if you don’t like your home, you spend far more time and money out of it. So I plan to rent a liveable and enjoyable space, which should mean a few less nights out on the town, a big savings right there in just one week. 

So what are my needs:

HARD STUFF:
Near transit: BTS Skytrain or MRT subway, either one will do. Although I don’t like to be on top of the line; within a few hundred  metres down a soi (side street) is fine. There are fast motorcycle taxies everywhere, all assigned to their individual soi’s. And the trains are fast, efficient, air-con’d and relatively inexpensive compared with back home. Being near transit also means being near a major road because there will be the odd taxi ride home when transit closes at midnight.
Work space: I need a decent portion of the space for the computer, desk and chair to carry out this blogging thing and other writing projects.
Electricity cost: Some buildings overcharge by as much as double the government rate of about 3.x baht  per kilowatt/hour over a certain usage rate. Two years ago I was paying 7 baht. That really shoots up the monthly bill, needless to say. I remember one electricity bill on soi 36 of over 2500 baht. Should be about 1500.
Good internet service: You never know about this until after signing up with a provider. The service in my serviced apartment on soi 22, Sukhumvit is appalling. Even Thai sites such as banks and government departments are very slow to load.

SOFT STUFF

A balcony: I smoke but don’t do so inside my unit. So a balcony is an absolute must.  That’s pretty easy to find in Bangkok.
A view to some greenery: I find it very soothing to look on some greenery, especially trees. Maybe old hat to Thai people but to this westerner, a swaying, sun-dappled palm tree is a thing of beauty. Looking straight out onto an expressway, of which there are many here, is not conducive to relaxation nor is it very pretty.
There are many more things such as style, layout, etc. but they’re mostly personal.

I’ve seen some 18 to 20 apartments now -- much to the chagrin of my two agents -- and walked many soi’s east of downtown, along the Sukhumvit line. I saw at least six more yesterday, including a two-bedder in nearby Thonburi, now recently linked by the BTS. It’s definitely cheaper down there.

I’ll update later.

As a last note: When pricing things out, you have to think in baht and what Thai people would base a decision on. Maybe 20,000 baht sounds pretty good when translated as $600 for a one-bedroom place, but that is very expensive for a working Thai and me, who is soon going on a much lower income. When you compare the $600 to the apartment’s area of 42 sq. metres or 450 sq. feet, it doesn’t seem such a good deal, even to a westerner. It’s important to transition to the local currency without having to translate into your native one.

Photo note: This is the view out of one particular good place near Pra Khanong, but the garbage dump below and appearance of a construction shovel were bad signs.

Comments

[Martyn]

1.

Rick reading your post and the comments attached, it appears you might have to head further out of the Big Mango to get the value you are looking for. Malcolm and Mike mention Kanchanaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan, maybe you should consider heading further afield and getting some of those beautiful views that help you relax. Like Mike I'm not a Big Mango fan.

[Mike]

2.

Rick, such is the price of the Big Mango.

It really depends what you want I know but down here 4000-6000 a month will get you a house or bungalow near the sea.

The Internet works(most of the time)although we are a bit short of water and the electrics 3.87 Baht a unit :-)

Why we even have a new Tesco coming soon, but don't tell everyone else they will want to leave BKK.

PS you might get the impression that I don't like Bangkok......true

[malcolm]

3.

Hey , Come on over to Kanchanaburi , we've got it all and only 2 1/2 hours from the Big City if you get a hankering for big city life for a few days then back home to peace and quite and saftey and of course clean air . JUST A THOUGHT . malcolm

[glenn]

4.

During my college years I lived in a Jr 1 Bedroom that was 450 sq ft (42 m²). It had a small galley kitchen leaving good space for the living and a tight but workable bedroom. The bathroom was also a reasonable western-sized with bath. It's plenty if you don't collect too many possessions.

For the last twenty years I've lived in a comfortable downtown 650 sq ft (60 m²) space. More than enough for a single man ... if you don't collect too much. Still working on the purge. Looking incredibly neat in places. :)

A properly laid out 42 m² space should serve you well. As Boonie said, "The best and in my view only decent source of apartment rentals in Thailand is word of mouth."

Good luck!

[Talen]

5.

Rick, I feel your pain. When I was looking originally my budget was 10,000 baht but the only things available were very small 32sqm studio apartments that were off the beaten track so I had to up my budget as well. I'm happy with what I have for 15,000 baht but it's still not that big at 46 sqm.

Either way it really does need to be home. I looked at it this way, I'll be spending a considerable amount of time in the condo so it might as well be comfortable, be close to everything and fit my style.

Watching out for the electric rates is also a biggies. One place I looked at told me the electric rate was 8 baht per unit! Luckily I am paying government rate. I also lucked out as the internet and cable are free.

[bangkok condos]

6.

Well my previous experience at Bangkok staying one was not good and i am thinking to purchase my own at Bangkok ,But really nice information..

[Boonie]

7.

The best and in my view only decent source of apartment rentals in Thailand is word of mouth.
Your requirements are very western. You'll pay a premium for that.
Internet: I use an aircard - cheap, secure, flexible, albeit a little slow (200, - broadband is 500+), but usable. You might want to consider it. If internet access isn't a consideration you'll have a much better choice of property. "Building internet access" is not alwasy as good as you might hope for and can raise security issues too (Man-in-the-middle attacks etc).

Have a nice day, Boonie

[Jon]

8.

Hi Rick,

I well know the situation and absolutely agree you are right to 'go local' on price...earn baht, spend baht and you'll not go wrong.

Btw, mailed you a suggestion of a guy who helped me, might be worth a shot....

Bonne chance sir.