Buying a Condo

@Bigrad Wolf = I would not trust this "agent" with a single dollar. Plenty of honest sellers around without any risks. Foreign ownership could be only verified by looking at the owner's name and passport country.

The agent you mention is yet another Thai scammer. Never pay any money for anything in Thailand, especially property, until you get it or proof of it.  There are good agents - Google real estate agents in your area. Or go to websites like thailand property dot com and check out their listings in your desired area and then check out the agents. Pick 2 or 3 you like, and go and see them in their offices to tell them what you are looking for. Sign nothing - agree to nothing - dont go look at anything - you are checking them out for 'honest and professional'.  Then select which on or one you like and tell them what you want to buy and where. Agents in Thailand have no licence no registrationno nothing - and there is very little Govt control - and SFA an Expat can do if they get ripped off.  Also Agents dont 'own' any listing in Thailand - the scammers are always stealing properties advertised by others - and most Sellers will sell direct. That is one of many reasons why Thai agents will not do much for you and will want a deposit - but you must not fall into that trap - pay nothing to an agent in Thailand - they are not like in the West - meet and agree with Owner AFTER you get proof they are owner by using a lawyer.  Yes - get an Expat lawyer to check the proiperty ownership officially - tell the Agent/Owner you want all the details so youur lawyer can check (never say who that is) and if they are scammers or cheaters they will 'run away'.

IMO if you are buying a Condo, you should decide which block of condos you like and go in and see the building's management - and ask them what if any Condos are for sale.  But again be careful - they may be on a deal/bribe to refer all such requests to an agent who will pay them a kick-back if someone buys. Some Condo blocks advertise in the lobby what units/condos are for sale - to Thais and to Expats.  If/when you find a few that are for sale that you like then make offers - do no select one - select at least 3 that you would be happy to live in - keep looking until you do - dont try to gran the first one you like - buying property in Thailand is a slow game - those in a hurry will usually get ripped off or at least miss out on a good price.

Things are good at the moment for sellers in Thailand - Russians and Ukrainians buying and the Chinese about to come back.  Now is not the time to buy - wait and research and look around - and get a Lawyer in your local area - not a Thai lawyer - you want an Expat company - but again, check several of them out. There are Expat scammers too - some people jump out of the Thai scammer's pan and end up in the Expat scammer's fire. 

Trust no one when buying property in Thailand.  There are plenty of websites and publications about buying property in Thailand - do the research while looking around. Would you walk into a used car dealership and buy the first car you see that looks good? Real estate in Thailand is no different (often worse) and it costs a lot more money to buy a used property than a used car.

NEVER EVER buy property in Thailand 'off the plan' - and anyone that offers you that sort of option is a 99% probably a scammer. 

NEVER EVER pay a 'holding deposit' to an Agent/Owner before you even see a property in Thailand - and anyone that requires you do that is 100% probably a scammer.

@Bigrad Wolf  You are right, before decide to buy the condo you have right to see the title deed with owner document before make reservation otherwise no need to make reservation with this agency, find another agent

So I am interested in a condo advertised.
I contacted and an agent answered. I was given a process of 1) Booking or reservation payment 2) Pay the rest as agreed upon by both parties on stated dates.

I said give me a Chanode (?) of the unit I am buying so I know the name of the Foreigner who currently owns. Agent said it is confidential and she will release it when I am ready to book.  I said if seller is selling, he/she should be open to ownership proof documents. 

That's where I left off my chat with agent. Am I wrong to ask for a proof first before Booking? It seems illogical to wire money to an account name who is presumably the owner, and THEN wait for a proof (Chanode) that the person is actually the owner.
-@Bigrad Wolf

If you're going to buy a condo unseen online without being cheated, then buy from a well known real estate agency. That's the only way to limit the risks.

Thanks for all replies.    Yes I will not pay a cent until I'm given a Chanote which even then could be a fake. 

But upon receipt of Chanote  or Nor Sor 4 that has the land and condo unit number, I'm willing to risk 100K baht to deposit

1) Video chat with agent to prove she is what I see on her FB account and website

2) The bank account of "owner" is named exactly as the owner in Chanote.

I am the one who actually offered the above.  This was after when I said I will come to Thailand as a tourist and to meet and show, which she agreed.  To me, that is a sign of good faith because online scammers cannot intrude someone else's (a foreigner at that) home unless the owner is selling.   Even if there is a renter, which this property has, the owner would have advised the renter on the schedule and names of people who will come to his/her property for viewing.   I would have thought she (agent) would bail out when I said I need to meet her and for her to show me the place first before I make any deposit, but she did not and asked when and there was no push for any booking deposit online.   Her advice was to make sure my bank can deposit to the owner's foreign bank (not Thailand), and that is why the booking fee of 100K B comes into play. 

I  also did reaached out initially to 2 other agents.  My agent was the first one to reply.  The 2nd agent who replied came back to me and did say the exact price I offered with the first agent.  To me that is key becasue it probably means the 2nd agent talked to the owner, and the owner said beat my current offer's price.  The 3rd agent was trying to get the Chanote but replied today to stick instead with my current agent.  Another ciritical piece of info because what probably happened  is 3rd contacted owner and owner said same thing and further probably mentioned the 1st agent also has a buyer (me). 

Okay as I'm typing this, my agent messaged me with pics of the Chanote.  I will check it now.   

Good updates here my farang friends.

• Just had for frist time video chat with agent and confirmed she is the one on video, which means she not impostor
• She said she scheduled tomorrow with owner who scheduled with renter for her to do a virtual tour. If that happens, I will then deposit 100K baht.
• Then we meet within a month for me to do actual onsite inspection (no need to hire an appraiser because it is just small 1-BR unit nothing more than 55 sqm , I just don't like renting if I can buy. Don't want drama of inflation if I can hedge by owning.
• IF it passes my sniff test, I will pay the rest ("owner" agreed to work out the rest of payment within 3 months). 
• Agent is actually advising to deposit direct to the "owner" who is in his/her home country. Then I guess owner pays agent her commission. But what she was telling me is it is cheaper as there is no tax to pay from Thai bank if I can wire direct to the owner, which makes sense.  My understanding is banks offer wiring services and they charge fees and value-added tax for such. By not using a Thai bank as a conduit for the transacation, I can eliminate the middleman so to speak.
• Now if it does not pass my sniff test, I lose B100K.  But I guess that is how the rules are for reserving something.  I could opt not to pay reserve but could potentially lose it to another buyer and be back to zero when I'm in Thailand. 

Weird but the Chanote does not state the unit number of the condo being sold.   Agent said it will not -- only address of building in Chanote.  The unit number she said will be in the Sales Contract.  While I do expect the unit number to be in the Sales Contract, shouldn't the Chanote also state it?  I own 2 condos in 2 different countries and both have the unit number on the respective titles. 

Or are we saying there are 2 documents -- a Chanote for the freehold land, AND an Or Chor 2 (Condo Title) which will then have the unit number?

Oh man I am scampering here.  Which is the truth -- Chanote with or without condo unit number?

This does not state anything about including the condo unit number. 

https://www.thailandlawonline.com/27-chanote

Anyone here who has a Chanote can verify which is which?

Instead of Floor and Unit number, the Chanote I got has a number / number. I'm guessing it's the unit's designated number out of the total units -- for example, 72/150 could possibly mean 72nd unit as designated over 150 total units sold.  This 72nd designated unit could be on the 9th floor, 905 unit.   Just wondering if you have seen that or has something similar. 

This is an example I saw on Freshbangkok.com so credit to them

The unit number does have a format of "number / number".  Has anyone of you condo owners here seeing that from your chanote?

https://freshbangkok.com/can-foreigners … -thailand/

Updattes:

• Agent sent me transcripts of her chat with "owner"
• Agent sent me existing Lease Agreement between "owner" and tenant showing "owner" name as same name as the one in Chanote and in the bank account.   The tenant's passport was also provided so I know the face when I go there in a couple of weeks.
• Agent said she was sales person of the condo even when it was still land, and her FB showed pictures of her along with other people on an event with the developer
• I asked where in Chanote can I see "Foreign Quota" or to that effect and agent said it's not in there. Asked her how can government know and control law of 49:51 if Chanote does not say buyer's nationality. What if Foreigner sell to Thai, and vice versa?
• I found Wise site. Surprised how easy to use. I will rely on this buying baht

Some great updates there. A big one is coming up with virtual tour tomorrow. Then I pay B100K booking fee -- all without landing in Thailand. Dear Lord help me not get scammed.

Update:

• Because of the baht currency fluctuation to the dollar, I proposed to "owner" to lock the rate now.  This protects us both ways.  Since we are both foreigners, dealing in dollars makes more sense. 
• As some of you may know or have experienced, last year up to October, baht currency become favorable to the dollar as it kept going up.  October 2022 would have been the best time to close a deal and buy property.  From there, currency becomes unfavorable to the dollar up to January 2023, the worst time to buy a property.  And now, we have a move towards the middle of the October highs and the January lows.
• However, stretching the history of baht to 5 years, we can see it has been stable at the range of 30-35. 
• Locking it at 34 gives me more cushion from the potential to drop between 30-34.   
• Of course if it goes up to 35, I lose BUT 2 things: 1) I value sleeping well now not having to worry about fluctuation were it to drop to 33 next month for example, and 2) If it goes up to 35 or higher, that is also a good thing as I can buy baht and stash now with my Wise account for future use.   

Can anyone know how to check Chanote if fake or authentic.   Has anyone done this?   My thought is going to Chonburi Provincial Land Office but there are 3 of them.  Does it matter which?  I guess it matters if they are doing this old-school -  pulling authentic copy files from cabinets.        But if modern school -- it should not matter as they could pull digitally the scanned authentic copy file.  Then they could attempt to match mine with that.  It matched, then it is authentic.   

Updates:

• Re the format "number / number", I came to realisation that that is how addresses are in Thailand.  So it is not a unit number really.  In the unit number portion of my Chanote copy, it states "Or".   Is that short for Or Chor?  But agent always tell me it's just Chanote, and Chanote does not have the unit number.  How weird is that. 
• The Virtual Tour was a "success".  i saw the unit number, agent is accompanied by someone from Juristic Office which was awesome, they knocked on door, and tenant was expecting them.   Got toured, so yeah, I didn't really need to see the place... it's more about convincing me that the "owner" probably contacted tenants about potential buyer vieiwing.  Of course, it is also possible everyone in cahoots -- "importor/owner", agent scammer, fake juristic officer, tenant (who could also be the "impostor/owner".   The tenant is not the one whose pic was shared to me in the Lease Agreement copy buy was introduced as husband.  The purported "lessee" who signed to the lease agreement - the wife - was not present.   I would have been happy if I saw here there but she was not during the virtual tour.  She could be by the pool, gym, work, anywhere.   Or she could be just a made up person. 
• Anyways, still great update assuming virtual tour was authentic   .... paid Booking Fee of B100K
• Booking my flight to giet some of my concerns first hand allayed via persoanal due diligence.

Anyways, this is really gonna end up really terrible or really successful.

Btw, my embassy is not much of help. In one week I got nothing. But I guess they have better stuff to take care of than setting up a schedule for me in a week.

@Bigrad Wolf

You have to go to the land office in the district where the condo is located. For example, if the condo is located in Pattaya, the land office should be the one for Banglamung district. You can google it and there are location details. The house number should be on the Chanote,at least it is on the Chanote to my condo.The first number in a Thai house address can be a whole block, a street or a soi = an alley. The second one if we're talking about a condo is the unit number. For example 76/122.

@Bigrad Wolf
You have to go to the land office in the district where the condo is located. For example, if the condo is located in Pattaya, the land office should be the one for Banglamung district. You can google it and there are location details. The house number should be on the Chanote,at least it is on the Chanote to my condo.The first number in a Thai house address can be a whole block, a street or a soi = an alley. The second one if we're talking about a condo is the unit number. For example 76/122.
-@Leeds forever!

Thanks but Oh shoot. I am in trouble then because the number after the slash on the Chanote is not same as the unit number. So as an example, the unit is 0905 or 905, the Chanote would state " / 182". Why not " / 905", I don't know.  Hopefully there is a list I can find in Juristic Office or Land Office that "converts" or "maps out" the last number to the unit number -- but that's like a Wild Wild West, as opposed to just having the unit number itself stated on the Chanote.  Of could be fake.. Only time will tell...

Agent keeps on insisting the Chanote is about land and address of the land while the unit number is on sales agreement.  But as I told her, Sales Agreement means nothing to the PLO (provincial land office).

@Leeds forever! Btw, did you receive an Or Chor 2 (Condo Title) as supplement to the Chanote?  I ask because Conto Tilte almost assures Unit Number on it.

@Bigrad Wolf
You have to go to the land office in the district where the condo is located. For example, if the condo is located in Pattaya, the land office should be the one for Banglamung district. You can google it and there are location details. The house number should be on the Chanote,at least it is on the Chanote to my condo.The first number in a Thai house address can be a whole block, a street or a soi = an alley. The second one if we're talking about a condo is the unit number. For example 76/122.
-@Leeds forever!


Thanks but Oh shoot. I am in trouble then because the number after the slash on the Chanote is not same as the unit number. So as an example, the unit is 0905 or 905, the Chanote would state " / 182". Why not " / 905", I don't know. Hopefully there is a list I can find in Juristic Office or Land Office that "converts" or "maps out" the last number to the unit number -- but that's like a Wild Wild West, as opposed to just having the unit number itself stated on the Chanote. Of could be fake.. Only time will tell...
Agent keeps on insisting the Chanote is about land and address of the land while the unit number is on sales agreement. But as I told her, Sales Agreement means nothing to the PLO (provincial land office).
-@Bigrad Wolc

If a chanote is just about land why is there a precise layout of the condo? Maybe a chanote for a piece of land differs from a chanote for a condo. I don't know and I'm not that interested to find out. This is Thailand, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand does. What I don't understand is why you're buying a condo from back home,instead of renting a condo for 1 to 3 months and then go condo-hunting. You're gaining nothing doing it this way, and it's not the smartest way to do it. There are loads of condos for sale or for rent, especially after the pandemic. You can pick any condominium building and there will be condos for rent or sale.

If a chanote is just about land why is there a precise layout of the condo? Maybe a chanote for a piece of land differs from a chanote for a condo. I don't know and I'm not that interested to find out. This is Thailand, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand does. What I don't understand is why you're buying a condo from back home,instead of renting a condo for 1 to 3 months and then go condo-hunting. You're gaining nothing doing it this way, and it's not the smartest way to do it. There are loads of condos for sale or for rent, especially after the pandemic. You can pick any condominium building and there will be condos for rent or sale.

-@Leeds forever!

There is a layout of the condo but sadly no Unit number, which is unlike yours. That is the issue I see with the Chanote presented to me.

Still working and cannot really stay in Thailand more than 3 weeks so condo hunting online just makes sense for my situation. I have a particular set of preferences for a condo so they come in rare for me all things considered. 

Btw, guys, I was able to touch base with the "owner". He has his own business and have a website, youtube channel, etc.  He was quite friendly and definitely knows my name and the deal as I introduced myself as such. My greatest fear was to be anwered by "What Title and what deal and who are you?"   He asked me what proof I need which was so awesome.  And before I could reply, I got pics of him inside the unit, videos, etc.    The key here is I was able to tie the name and face that I had to sites and FB account of the person.  That is YOOOJ!

Still being very careful though.

If a chanote is just about land why is there a precise layout of the condo? Maybe a chanote for a piece of land differs from a chanote for a condo. I don't know and I'm not that interested to find out. This is Thailand, the right hand doesn't know what the left hand does. What I don't understand is why you're buying a condo from back home,instead of renting a condo for 1 to 3 months and then go condo-hunting. You're gaining nothing doing it this way, and it's not the smartest way to do it. There are loads of condos for sale or for rent, especially after the pandemic. You can pick any condominium building and there will be condos for rent or sale.
-@Leeds forever!

There is a layout of the condo but sadly no Unit number, which is unlike yours. That is the issue I see with the Chanote presented to me.
Still working and cannot really stay in Thailand more than 3 weeks so condo hunting online just makes sense for my situation. I have a particular set of preferences for a condo so they come in rare for me all things considered.

Btw, guys, I was able to touch base with the "owner". He has his own business and have a website, youtube channel, etc. He was quite friendly and definitely knows my name and the deal as I introduced myself as such. My greatest fear was to be anwered by "What Title and what deal and who are you?" He asked me what proof I need which was so awesome. And before I could reply, I got pics of him inside the unit, videos, etc.  The key here is I was able to tie the name and face that I had to sites and FB account of the person. That is YOOOJ!

Still being very careful though.
-@Bigrad Wolf

I don't know how many years you have to work before you're moving here,but you have forgotten something,or you might not know. As a condo owner you must pay a maintenance fee every year.The fee is based on size, you pay per sqm. If you're going to stay a maximum of 3 weeks per year, you're saving 3 weeks in a hotel, but instead you have to pay the maintenance fee which might include a water cleaner + some other crap they're coming up with. Where I'm staying the fee is about 269 baht/sqm. You should ask how much it is for your condo. If it's a small condo the maintenance fee per year might not be very high.

Yup it's 50/sqm * 50sqm so B2500 per month * 12 = B30K/year.  Not too bad, about  $850/year.  The beauty of a 50 sqm property. 

It will be rented out so I can take the maint costs from the inflows.   I'm assuming utilities are paid  if I have and by tenants. 

Yup it's 50/sqm * 50sqm so B2500 per month * 12 = B30K/year. Not too bad, about $850/year. The beauty of a 50 sqm property.
It will be rented out so I can take the maint costs from the inflows.  I'm assuming utilities are paid if I have and by tenants.
-@Bigrad Wolf

Electricity and water is always paid by tenants. If you pay for cable tv per month, then that cost will also be paid by tenants, unless cable is included in the rent. Is the maintenance fee ฿30k/year or did I misunderstand your calculation?

-@Bigrad Wolf
Where I'm staying the fee is about 269 baht/sqm.
-@Leeds forever!

Whoa why so high?

@Leeds forever!  You got it B30K per year or B2.5K per month. 

@Leeds forever! You got it B30K per year or B2.5K per month.
-@Bigrad Wolf

That's in my opinion a very high maintenance fee. Sounds like a rip-off. It's ฿600/sqm. I'm paying a total of ~฿269/sqm and my condo is 76sqm. What about electricity? I hope you're paying the government price which since September last year is ฿4.73/unit before tax. One unit is 1kwh. The price went up 3 times last year, in Jan,May and Sep mainly because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Dec 2021 the price per unit was just ฿3,90/unit before tax. It will be very interesting to see if the price per unit will go back to normal when/if the war is over.

@Bigrad Wolf Hi , this is how it went for me , I bought a condo 20 years ago , as a holiday home , 1.4 million bt, from viewing to completion was 3 days , paid a low yearly fee for service charges, insurance and 13,000 a year to accountant , after a year we found there was a stream under the building , sump pump installed , cost shared between all units , water tower on roof was leaking , cost of repairs shared between all units , car park was crumbling , cost shared for re-surfacing , swimming pool subsiding , cost shared again , cctv installed , cost shared again, interior /exterior painting , cost shared again . There was unexpected charges every year until I decided to sell 12 years later . Think carefully . Also bear in mind the exchange rates . When I bought £1 = 75 bt, now £1 = 39 bt .   If exchange rates go back to where they were at the start you have lost more than  50% of the value should you wish to sell. Good luck .  Terry.

@Bigrad Wolf Hi , this is how it went for me , I bought a condo 20 years ago , as a holiday home , 1.4 million bt, from viewing to completion was 3 days , paid a low yearly fee for service charges, insurance and 13,000 a year to accountant , after a year we found there was a stream under the building , sump pump installed , cost shared between all units , water tower on roof was leaking , cost of repairs shared between all units , car park was crumbling , cost shared for re-surfacing , swimming pool subsiding , cost shared again , cctv installed , cost shared again, interior /exterior painting , cost shared again . There was unexpected charges every year until I decided to sell 12 years later . Think carefully . Also bear in mind the exchange rates . When I bought £1 = 75 bt, now £1 = 39 bt .  If exchange rates go back to where they were at the start you have lost more than 50% of the value should you wish to sell. Good luck . Terry.
-@Terrymedlicott

"costs shared between units" , that's what the annual maintenance fee is about. Most important is how many owners are paying the annual maintenance fee,the more the better, and some planning from condo management. Planning is not exactly Thai people's strong suit,though. It seems to me your place was a real dump with that many problems.

@Leeds forever! You got it B30K per year or B2.5K per month.
-@Bigrad Wolf
That's in my opinion a very high maintenance fee. Sounds like a rip-off. It's ฿600/sqm. I'm paying a total of ~฿269/sqm and my condo is 76sqm. What about electricity? I hope you're paying the government price which since September last year is ฿4.73/unit before tax. One unit is 1kwh. The price went up 3 times last year, in Jan,May and Sep mainly because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Dec 2021 the price per unit was just ฿3,90/unit before tax. It will be very interesting to see if the price per unit will go back to normal when/if the war is over.
-@Leeds forever!

My research indicates the range in Thailand is 25-80 baht/sqm/mo.   Per year, the range would be 300-960.   Mine  of 600 is in the middle.  Yours is outside the bottom!     I thought you were quoting per month. 

@Bigrad Wolf Hi , this is how it went for me , I bought a condo 20 years ago , as a holiday home , 1.4 million bt, from viewing to completion was 3 days , paid a low yearly fee for service charges, insurance and 13,000 a year to accountant , after a year we found there was a stream under the building , sump pump installed , cost shared between all units , water tower on roof was leaking , cost of repairs shared between all units , car park was crumbling , cost shared for re-surfacing , swimming pool subsiding , cost shared again , cctv installed , cost shared again, interior /exterior painting , cost shared again . There was unexpected charges every year until I decided to sell 12 years later . Think carefully . Also bear in mind the exchange rates . When I bought £1 = 75 bt, now £1 = 39 bt .  If exchange rates go back to where they were at the start you have lost more than 50% of the value should you wish to sell. Good luck . Terry.
-@Terrymedlicott

Thank you for sharing.   Yes I'm being very careful on this as you can read from my posts.  Doing alot of due diligence.  Taking it slow.  The baht has stabilized 30-35 the past 5 years.   But there is a go around, sell in $ price, forget baht.  If baht then just adjust the baht price.   

@Leeds forever! You got it B30K per year or B2.5K per month.
-@Bigrad Wolf
That's in my opinion a very high maintenance fee. Sounds like a rip-off. It's ฿600/sqm. I'm paying a total of ~฿269/sqm and my condo is 76sqm. What about electricity? I hope you're paying the government price which since September last year is ฿4.73/unit before tax. One unit is 1kwh. The price went up 3 times last year, in Jan,May and Sep mainly because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Dec 2021 the price per unit was just ฿3,90/unit before tax. It will be very interesting to see if the price per unit will go back to normal when/if the war is over.
-@Leeds forever!
My research indicates the range in Thailand is 25-80 baht/sqm/mo.  Per year, the range would be 300-960.  Mine of 600 is in the middle. Yours is outside the bottom!   I thought you were quoting per month.
-@Bigrad Wolf

You said your maintenance fee will be 30k/year. I don't give much for your research, 30k/year is a lot for a 50sqm condo. One of the variables when calculating a maintenance fee is how many condos there are in the building.

The price went up 3 times last year, in Jan,May and Sep mainly because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Dec 2021 the price per unit was just ฿3,90/unit before tax. It will be very interesting to see if the price per unit will go back to normal when/if the war is over.
-@Leeds forever!

What's interesting is I am observing both Russians and Ukrainians visiting/coming to Thailand for potential refuge from war.   Are they going to be friends and drink beer together now here?  Then fight again when they go back there?   We'll see. 

You said your maintenance fee was 30k/year. There's no condominium anywhere in Thailand where the maintenance fee is 25-80 baht/month. With that money they can't afford to buy 1/4 gallon of paint. You must have misunderstood the maintenance fee.

-@Leeds forever!

Nott baht per month.  Baht per SQM per month.  This says 25-60.  I saw another that states 40-80 so I just stated 25-80.

The price went up 3 times last year, in Jan,May and Sep mainly because of the Russia-Ukraine war. In Dec 2021 the price per unit was just ฿3,90/unit before tax. It will be very interesting to see if the price per unit will go back to normal when/if the war is over.
-@Leeds forever!

What's interesting is I am observing both Russians and Ukrainians visiting/coming to Thailand for potential refuge from war.  Are they going to be friends and drink beer together now here? Then fight again when they go back there?  We'll see.
-@Bigrad Wolf

Ukrainians are not running away from the war. Russians are running away, especially men because they are cowards and they are afraid of getting drafted if they are back in Russia.

This is my source of B40-80 / sqm / month.

https://pulserealestate.net/investors-g … enance-fee

You said your maintenance fee will be 30k/year. I don't give much for your research, 30k/year is a lot for a 50sqm condo. One of the variables when calculating a maintenance fee is how many condos there are in the building.-@Leeds forever!

I would have liked it if less but it's in the middle of what it is in Thailand. I understand you are aghast because you are only paying small fee but it does not mean the fee I am getting charged is out of the range. I'm just in the average cost.  Your is out of range, sir. So congrats then? 

You said your maintenance fee was 30k/year. There's no condominium anywhere in Thailand where the maintenance fee is 25-80 baht/month. With that money they can't afford to buy 1/4 gallon of paint. You must have misunderstood the maintenance fee.
-@Leeds forever!

Nott baht per month. Baht per SQM per month. This says 25-60. I saw another that states 40-80 so I just stated 25-80.

-@Bigrad Wolf

You shall not believe everything you read especially from property agents. The amount is not just because of "age and different equipments". The fee is for fixing everything that the condominium management is responsible for, like repairs,painting, re-tiling the swimming pool(s),paying salaries for the staff, pruning trees etc etc.

You shall not believe everything you read especially from property agents. The amount is not just because of "age and different equipments". The fee is for fixing everything that the condominium management is responsible for, like repairs,painting, re-tiling the swimming pool(s),paying salaries for the staff, pruning trees etc etc. -@Leeds forever!

Haha I did not even looked at that phrase, I was just after the range of fees / sqm / month in Thailand.

@Leeds forever! The charges were in addition to maintenance fees ,  The company was View Talay , building 2A,  a popular and well respected firm in the jomtien / pattaya area .