By Clayton Wade
Managing Director
Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd.
clayton@premierinternational.com

We have travelers and tourists from all over Asia now looking at Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard as their new-found paradise in the sun.
An unprecedented growth in tourism is being experienced with moves being made to secure Don Muang Airport’s continued use as Bangkok’s second international airport, upgrading Utapao Airport to an international flight destination and Phuket Airport is slated to double the size of its international airport as well.
Along with this incredible influx of visitors is an insatiable thirst for Pattaya’s real estate properties, especially condominiums under construction.
Yes, we are seeing more and more property development and with it more and more competition for those house and condo purchasers out on the marketplace.
While competing for these buyers, property developers need to do an incredible amount of advertising, and their credits and credentials become more and more critical in publicizing their particular housing and condominium developments to the buying public.
Look what happened here in Pattaya just a few years ago with the real estate brokers in Pattaya and their advertising practices.
First it was a membership logo for a Thai national real estate organization in their ads and on their websites, and soon after several certification logos started appearing with those real estate organization membership logos. Before we knew it local real estate agencies were advertising their companies with 3, 4 or more association and certification logos behind their company names.
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that how you present your real estate company, house or condominium to the public has become more and more critical here in Pattaya.
Associations, certification and awards credits are what we use to discern the best from the rest of the pack as these types of accolades are what give a real estate company, house or condominium development that edge over the other companies and developments out on the marketplace.
Those real estate companies and house or condominium developments are recognized as better in one way or another and these associations, certification and awards credits translate into sales and that means money!
So this brings us to the question, does the Eastern Seaboard need its own property awards event?
That question was posed by me to the Thailand Property Awards just four years ago as at that time the Thailand Property Awards event did not even include regional (Phuket, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Eastern Seaboard and Chiangmai) awards categories, but only Thai national awards.
It was because of this that I thought that it was time (4 years ago!) to start an awards event that featured the Eastern Seaboard region exclusively.
When I brought this idea up with the Thailand Property Awards organizers, the first thing they did was put the brakes on any thoughts of a competing or external awards organization and suggest that the Thailand Property Awards themselves begin including regional property awards categories as well.
Looking back at the past four years of awards presentations, we have seen the meteoric rise of our Eastern Seaboard property developers and developments.
During these early years we saw our Eastern Seaboard come out of nowhere to show itself as Thailand’s leading resort and residential development area with the Horseshoe Point developers year by year for the first three years in a row taking the Best Villa Development award and, in their third year, two of the most coveted national awards: Best Villa Development Thailand and Thailand Green Award.
This year even more so for the Eastern Seaboard with the fabulous Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resort on Koh Kood having won the same top awards for Best Villa Development Eastern Seaboard, Thailand Green Award and Best Villa Development Thailand, in addition to earning Best Interior Design and Best Residential Design.
No regional developers or developments in Thailand have garnered as many top awards as Horseshoe Point and Soneva Kiri… Not Phuket, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, or even Chiangmai!
In just six years of Thailand Property Awards events with four years now featuring the regions of Thailand and the Eastern Seaboard is the undisputed leader in real estate property development with no other region even close.
Having said all that and knowing that there is ferocious competition out there, should we create our own Eastern Seaboard awards event?
Does the Eastern Seaboard have the credibility or even the know how to accomplish such a feat?
Some are unhappy with some of the results from this year’s event, feeling that they could do a better job deciding who is the best from our area.
My question is: Do you even know what it takes to organize such an event?
My other question is: How are you going to show the credibility necessary to organize such an event.
Every year there are some people that are not happy with the results, and I myself still do not understand a couple of the decisions made over the past few years here on the Eastern Seaboard, but I know the Thailand Property Awards organization (Ensign Media) has a great group of industry professionals and here on the Eastern Seaboard we have three judges who are hugely successful in their own right as well as very knowledgeable and experienced real estate businessmen.
They know what they are doing and they have the support of ten national panel members behind them.
The Thailand Property Awards have a system of checks and balances with a great team of professionals supporting those checks and balances and with one of the world’s top accounting firms, BDO Advisory, behind them insuring the credibility of the entire awards process.
It’s a lot of work, and an awards organization needs as much credibility as possible because the opposition and negativity is always fierce when it comes to awards.
Just look at some of the awards we have seen bantered about over the past few years.
We have seen an international real estate awards organization credit a Pattaya Condominium as being the Best Condominium Development in Thailand.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in Thailand more than 20 years now and don’t remember seeing the best condominium in Thailand here on the Eastern Seaboard. Have you?
We have seen an international real estate awards organization credit a Pattaya developer as the Best Developer in South East Asia, and I really don’t remember seeing the best developer in South East Asia here on the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand. Have you?
Having said all of the above, it is simply my opinion, but do realize that honest and credible awards presentations are very difficult to organize and accomplish as they take hours and hours of work compiling entry details and doing just the basic work involved in such a process, which necessitates people with experience and who know and understand the process.
When all is said and done, the Thailand Property Awards is the biggest and best awards showcase for Thailand’s residential property development industry.
If you honestly feel that there is something the Thailand Property Awards can do to be better, please feel free to contact me or the organization directly as we are all eager and open to constructive and helpful suggestions.
As we continue on with the Thailand Property Awards–and even if someone starts a local Eastern Seaboard awards event in addition to it–remember, the Eastern Seaboard rocks when it comes to credible real estate property development, and we have the awards to prove it!

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd., for preparing this Pattaya Today report.
Clayton Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years.
Clayton Wade has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
He was personally responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed most all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Clayton Wade is known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations, including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show. His many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.
Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals, which may be seen by visiting their website at: www.premierinternational.com. Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com

Pattaya is no longer the forbidden fruit that only the brave come to play in; often tagged Disneyland for adults, that term no longer remains reserved for its wicked nightlife scene, Pattaya is now the place to work and play in Thailand.
Not convinced? Well consider the tragic impact of the recent floods that resulted in many Bangkokians visiting Pattaya for an extended period. The outcome, which was covered on national news, is many working expats never returned to their offices in Bangkok, instead choosing to relocate. You see Pattaya is no longer the beast of yesteryear and now offers real breadth to many. Pattaya is becoming the place to work in Thailand.
If Pattaya starts to attract better businesspeople then that brings with it better innovation and improved business, Bangkok clearly edges this town in quality of workers available but Pattaya can certainly catch up.
The play element of Pattaya has never been questioned, yet it has always been underestimated. Forget the bars for a moment and think restaurants, international golf courses, beaches, football clubs, Sanctuary of Truth, Nong Nooch Gardens, wake boarding, elephant rides, and the list really goes on and on. In every leisure category you can think of it is highly probable Pattaya delivers. Within the next twelve months the first phase of the largest water park in Asia will be open too, just ten minutes away from central Pattaya. Now that’s going to be huge.
At inspire-emagazine.com we present all this online and on video so you can see for yourself just how much there is to do. We never tire of finding new things and often wonder if we will ever get to cover everything, such is the scale!

by Dan Cheeseman
condominiumpattaya.com

This article wants to lay the facts down and help you make an informed decision as to whether buying a condo in Pattaya is good business for you, as there are mindless and often unsubstantiated views across town that often muddy the waters. Cleary buying a condo is not for everyone.
Let’s start with raw materials. Now this increases every year, which means building costs go up, so what you buy now should naturally appreciate in line with this, or at least you would hope it would.
Land scarcity is another overlooked factor. Jay Young, sales manager from Vistas, recently commented that condo prices in Naklua have already seen sharp increases as land is already scarce. Buy now and you have secured some of this land availability. Condo developments are currently securing some of the best locations, so wait too long and there is every chance you will miss out on prime locations.
There is much developer competition at the moment and this is good for buyers as it raises the value you get from your purchase as they developers seek to go one better than the competition. If this competition were to decline you could expect the value to fall.
Do look for reputable developers. You can find them all at www.condominiumpattaya.com, which remains the only site that provides enlightening video presentations to better show properties and opportunities.
We are also the only website with such strong focus on new, off-plan builds in town.
It’s not always plane sailing though as political, economic and natural disasters can also ruin the best laid plans. But all looks rosy in Thailand at the moment (arguably better than in your home countries).
What agent should you use to help your search? Well in truth the standard has got much better in recent years and the majority will be very helpful in finding the right condo for you. Agents tend to be very homogenous with very little differential, so look for reputable agents amongst the clutter. CondominiumPattaya.Com works very closely with all developers not just as agents but strategic and marketing, plus we offer promotions such as free golf membership for a year, so do feel free to contact us for assistance (dan@choicegroupasia.com).

by Khun Dee

As the weather in Pattaya heats up, real estate sales are cooling down, and that creates an ideal buying climate for those yearning to own a piece of paradise.
As our high season comes to a close, holiday makers from Europe, Australia and the Americas are returning to the cooler climes of their homelands. At the same time, we see the departure of hordes of Russian visitors–a mainstay of support in Pattaya’s home-buying market of late. Consequently, with fewer prospective buyers in our midst, home sellers are more ready to deal on price, terms and amenities. That opens the door to more bargains for long-term renters looking to buy, and for the thousands of tourists opting to stay even as high season ends, and giving at least some thought to buying a condominium or a house.
And this happens to be the ideal time to be looking for available homes here. Not only is the weather ideal this time of year, but the local real estate market recently emerged from a lull in sales activity and, even more recently, was unjustly hit by the negative publicity related to devastating floods last November. Pattaya didn’t get wet, but property sales took a bath.
Furthermore, many owners of condos and houses appear eager to sell their properties before the approaching hot season puts a further chill on real estate sales. Most visitors have left or are about to leave Pattaya and, therefore, there are and will be fewer prospective buyers here to support the asking prices on the extensive number of homes currently on the market.
So if a permanent home in Pattaya is in your future, and you want to take advantage of what many consider a buyers’ market, explore this growing city to see its many wonderful neighborhoods, surrounding villages, and available houses and condominiums within everyone’s financial reach.
Buying property here is not unlike the process in your home country. Whether you’re an experienced real estate investor or a first-time buyer, take a look at the eight tips below and consider any decision carefully. As you conduct your search for the right home for you, keep in mind the three most important elements of buying property: Location. Location. Location. That tenet is as true here as anywhere.
Beyond that, know exactly what you want in a home and how much you can afford to spend. When you’re ready, select an established real estate agent with whom you will enjoy working. And before signing any contracts, consult a reputable attorney of your choosing, mindful that regulatory control of the real estate trade is virtually nonexistent in Thailand.
Buying house or a condominium here is easy as one, two, three (nueng, sawng, sam, in Thai). To make it even easier, we have eight (peht) home-buying tips to help guide you through the process:
1. Make a list. Write down what you want: a house? a condominium? a town home? How many rooms do you need or want? How many meters overall? What features do you require? Swimming pool? Garage? Etc. You’ll save yourself days of hunting if you outline your goals in advance and focus on homes that conform to your ideal. Don’t waste time falling in love with a home that doesn’t suit your needs.
2. Establish a price range and stick to it. Figure out how much you can afford or want to spend and look only at homes that fall within your range. Don’t be swayed by bigger, more fancy homes or by smooth-talking sellers.
3. Spend as much time as needed to find an locale that you find comfortable and convenient. Consider proximity to shopping, schools, entertainment, transportation, municipal services, etc.
4. Choose a real estate agent who comes highly recommended by a trusted friend or by several independent sources. Someone with solid credentials and a good reputation. Ask for references and check on them.
5. Have your agent prepare a list of homes that meet your requirements (price, features, location, etc.) and visit those homes with the agent. After each visit, provide the agent with feedback so that he or she will better understand your likes and dislikes.
6. If you find a house or condo you are serious about, arrange to have it examined by a contractor, architect, electrician, plumber and/or any other expert who can point to potential problems–particularly if you are buying an older home. Sellers here are not  required to disclose defects, so you must check out construction and operating systems yourself, knowing that after the close you will have no recourse.
7. When ready to make an offer, discuss any defects with the seller and negotiate for a lower price reflecting the cost of repairs, or insist that he perform the repairs as a condition of sale. Do not allow minor flaws to kill the deal if you really want the place. On the other hand, keep your emotions in check. Be guided by your established price range and list of features you demand.
8. Have a trusted attorney review the deal. Sign nothing without his or her counsel.

How often these days do you hear somebody around town discussing Pattaya’s huge oversupply of residential properties?

Is Pattaya and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard overdeveloped?
Do we have an oversupply of condos and houses?

For those of you new to the area–and even those that have been here only a few years, it definitely looks very much like a residential property oversupply.
Looking back to the beginning of our last inflationary property-development cycle (nick named The Boom), which started in 2003, paints a much different picture.
Yes, as far back as about 2005, when The Boom was only in its second year, many of us here in real estate were complaining that there was definitely an oversupply of homes throughout the Eastern Seaboard.
Now think about that. How could they continue developing and feeding an oversupply of condos and houses for eight years?
It is now 2012 and there are still so many of us calling ‘foul’, as most of us are absolutely certain there are too many residential properties in the region.
Having said that, it struck me recently that this oversupply was merely a matter of perception as most of us still have this image of Pattaya as the ‘cute little fishing village.’
Well guess what, folks. Pattaya is a city now. A fast-growing city!

Baan Hadd U Thong Condo

Sure, just like the late 1990s up until 2003, many of us thought that Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard had way too many residential properties. Particularly and so much like today, many of us thought that we had way too many condominium apartments available on the local real estate market place.
You may be interested and even surprised to know that two of Pattaya’s most expensive and sought after resale condominiums–the Saranchol and Baan Hadd U Thong–were full with bank repossessed condominium apartments right up until about 2003. During that late post-Asian economic crisis period in the late 1990s, both projects had 20 to 30 repossessed units and virtually nobody was buying property at that time. Siam City Bank had about 30 repossessed condos at the Saranchol Condominium, and Thai Farmers Bank (now Kasakorn Bank) had about 25 units at Baan Hadd U Thong. Almost the entire ‘B Side’ of the Baan Hadd U Thong Condominium building was repossessed by the bank with no buyers in sight.
Another interesting point was that neither Siam City Bank nor Thai Farmers Bank ever lowered their units’ selling prices. Both banks simply waited until the ‘next’ inflationary property development cycle kicked in and the market came back.
Again, looking back at that time, we saw foreigners first starting to purchase condos in those two buildings about the year 2000 and it took less than three years to sell them all.
But what happened? Most of us in real estate today know that both the Saranchol and Baan Hadd U Thong 250+ square meter units skyrocketed from their repossessed selling prices of 7 to 8 million baht and quickly quadrupled to their present prices of well over 20 million baht.
Just what does all this tell us?

Saranchol Condo

It makes me realize, once again, that Pattaya is no ‘cute little fishing village.’ It is very much a thriving metropolis and a city that is very much on the go–with property development everywhere!
Just as we experienced in that late 1990’s to 2003, today we may have lots–no–tons of condos and houses on the market, appearing very much like we have once again found our residential property market incredibly overbuilt.
Yes, we may need to slow down a bit and we may have an awful lot of condos and houses to get rid of, but I am telling you now, they will sell as we have definitely begun another inflationary property development cycle here in Pattaya and throughout the Eastern Seaboard.
Just like the rest of the world, Thailand has thousands of villages and towns that will either experience a surge of growth only to settle into being just another village or town or they just seem to always have been small and quaint, like they are.
Not so Pattaya! Pattaya and the entire Eastern Seaboard are growing rapidly–one of the fastest growing  areas in Thailand.
If you have any question of that fact, simply look back at the complexities and growth of the area’s traffic over the past five years or so.
Why I can remember just a number of years back when traffic congestion in Pattaya was when we had to stop for a red light on Second Road and you could get anywhere in Pattaya within 15 minutes.
So what’s my point? My point is that whether we are in the midst of a fast-selling property boom or we are clearing out a condo and house oversupply, Pattaya is not going to stop building and developing for decades!
Half  full or half empty, whether it’s a residential oversupply or a ready, willing and able purchaser undersupply, we are watching this vibrant city going through its growing pains, but don’t think for a moment that Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard should or will ever cease building and developing. Not a chance.
Yes, Pattaya, there’s no stopping you now.

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today report.
Clayton Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of the corporation’s manufacturing facility in Thailand, and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed most all of the start-up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Clayton Wade is known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations, including appearances as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile show. His many accomplishments in promoting real estate on the Eastern Seaboard include being a guest speaker with several top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia. Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit their website at:www.premierinternational.com. To contact Clayton Wade, call +(66) (81) 634-2915 or email:clayton@premierinternational.com

By Clayton Wade
Managing Director
Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd.
clayton@premierinternational.com

Unbelievable. That is all one can say. The Thailand Property Awards 2011 proved to be the best year yet for Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard, and an incredible year for the ultra-luxury jet-set hideaway known as the Soneva Kiri Six Senses Villas & Resort on Koh Kood.

Once again, all top real estate agents, property developers, interior designers and architects throughout Thailand’s housing and condominium industry attended this year’s lavish dinner and awards event December 6 at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok.
This year’s industry spectacular began with an entertaining wine reception, featuring fine wines, appetizers, and the top industry players and dignitaries. Then there was a four-course dinner pleasantly accompanied by a classical musical quartet.
The award presentations, which are highly regarded and much sought-after, were made before an audience of more than 500.
Terry Blackburn, Ensign Media managing director and organizer of the event, deserves a tremendous amount of credit for having produced, in just these few years, Thailand’s cutting edge residential property awards venue. Each year, in every category, Blackburn and his Ensign Media team receive more and more entries from all over the country, thus increasing the competition.
The judging process was more rigorous than ever this year, from having a central Bangkok panel make the initial short-lists and then regional judging teams undertaking site inspections for the condo and villa categories.
The final list of winners was delivered to the events podium by Paul Ashburn of BDO Richfield Advisory Limited, one of Thailand’s largest accounting and advisory firms.
With last year’s sensational ‘Triple Crown Win’ by Horseshoe Point (Eastern Seaboard’s Best Villa Development, Thailand’s Green Development Award and Thailand’s Villa Development of the Year), we Eastern Seaboard residents were excited and looking forward to knowing which of our own entries might win this year.
Presentations began with the development awards. For the Eastern Seaboard, it was just the beginning of a record-breaking and spectacular tour de force by Soneva Kiri Six Senses Eco Villas and Resort with their director of public relations and communications, Benjawan Sudhikam, accepting the Thailand Property Awards Eastern Seaboard Best Villa Development award. Highly- commended finalists were Palm Oasis, The Vineyards La Residence and Sedona Villas.
Next, the Eastern Seaboard’s Best Condo Development Award was presented to Sylvie Schaffer of the Tropical Dream Pattaya Co., Ltd. for the Tropical Dream Condominium.
An interesting occurrence this year in the Eastern Seaboard’s Best Condo award category was that Nova Group’s low-rise boutique condominium, Nova Ocean View and their latest flagship The Cliff rose above all challengers and placed as finalists–scoring second and third.

As a judge, I am working hard to see the condominium award split between the high-rise category and the low-rise boutique category. This is something much needed here on the Eastern Seaboard as we have many fine boutique developers and buildings but are starting to see some incredible Eastern Seaboard high-rise condominiums entering the Awards competition.
The next award, for Best Residential Agent (Resort), went to CB Richards Ellis (Thailand) Co., Ltd.,  followed by Colliers International Thailand Co., Ltd. and Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd.
The exceptional part of this award is that all three companies won as Eastern Seaboard entries. Now that’s three out of three winners for Best Residential Agent (Resort) coming from the Eastern Seaboard.
As you can see, by this time in the evening the Eastern Seaboard already had stacked up some pretty impressive wins, but the best was yet to come.
Soneva Kiri Six Senses Villas & Resort on Thailand’s Kood Island was just beginning their awards sweep, picking up Best Residential Architectural Design, which went to Habita Architects for Soneva Kiri by Six Senses Resorts and Spas. Best Residential Interior Design also went to Habita Architects for the same project. Now that’s three awards already and Soneva Kiri Six Senses was just getting started!
Towards the end of the awards presentations, the Thailand Green Development Award was to be presented. And it went to Soneva Kiri Six Senses Villas–their fourth award of the evening.
One of the last awards of the evening was the coveted Best Villa Development award. When the winner was announced, the room broke out in thunderous applause and cheers as a surprised Benjawan Sudhikam once again rushed to the stage for a record-breaking fifth time to accept the award on behalf of the Soneva Kiri Resort.
Now Folks, that’s a Thailand Property Awards triple crown plus two: Eastern Seaboard’s Best Villa Development, Best Residential Architectural Design, Best Residential Interior Design, Thailand’s Green Development Award and the Thailand’s Best Villa Development Award.
Once again, it really makes one realize just how competitive Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard have become and continue to be in Thailand’s residential real estate game.
Bravo Eastern Seaboard!

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today Newspaper report.
Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed nearly all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show, Clayton Wade’s many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.
Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit the website at: www.premierinternational.com Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com

By Clayton Wade
Managing Director
Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd.
clayton@premierinternational.com

The Thailand Property Awards 2011 judge’s site visits for the Best Condominium Development and Best Villa Development have been made and the score sheets have been tallied.
As well, all of the Thailand Property Awards 2011 Non-Development Awards categories score sheets for Bangkok, Eastern Seaboard, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Chiangmai and Phuket have been tallied and are in as well i.e. Best Residential Agent (Resort), Best Residential Agent (Bangkok), Best Commercial Agent, Best Property Management Company, Best Property Consultancy, Best Overseas Property Agent, Best Agency Deal, Best Property Website, Best Residential Architectural Design, Best Commercial Architectural Design, Best Landscape Architectural Design, Best Hotel Architectural Design, Best Residential Interior Design, Best Shared Ownership Development, Thailand’s Green Development Award and finally the Real Estate Personality of the Year Award.
Once again, all top real estate agents, property developers, interior designers and architects throughout Thailand’s housing and condominium industry are waiting to see and hear who will be the winners at this year’s lavish Thailand Property Awards 2011 Gala Dinner and Awards Event, where these coveted property awards will be presented on Tuesday December 6 at Bangkok’s Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.
Of course, these Thailand Property Awards are very highly regarded and the last five yearly awards events have shown that these much sought-after property awards are by far the highest symbol of achievement that a company or an individual can receive here in Thailand’s residential real estate industry.
Yes, the votes are in and very soon it will be time to celebrate Thailand’s very best in the residential real estate industry.
Having said that, you might ask yourself, just how these awards are decided and what exactly is the process that produces them.
As for the Development Awards for each region, i.e., Best Condominium Development, Best Villa Development and Best Commercial Development, the judging panel is made up of ten professionals including real estate agents, appraisers, lawyers, architects, etc. Together they examine and score all the category nominees and make the initial short-lists of five properties in each of three categories: condominium, villa and commercial development.
Simon Landy is the head judge and organizer. Other judges include Clayton Wade, Ian Hamilton, Kittisak Aguru, Teresa Biesty, Kris Limcharoen, Leong Choong Peng, Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai, Sonthya Vanichvatana, Sunchai Nuengsit and Khemajit Choomwattana.
The next step in the process is to have the appointed regional judging teams undertake site inspections at each of the residential developments.
Joining me this year on the Eastern Seaboard judging team was Pongstorn Sangruchi, Somnuek Tanthathoedtham and Sunantapat Chalermpanth.

The list of Eastern Seaboard Best Condominium nominees has been reduced to three finalists:  Nova Ocean View, Nova Group’s The Cliff and The Tropical Dream Condominium.
The Eastern Seaboard judge’s calculation of scores for Best Villa category this year was so close that the Bangkok panel of head judges decided to allow four nominees: Palm Oasis, Sedona Villas, Soneva Kiri by Six Senses and The Vineyards La Residence.
The undisclosed list of winners has been submitted to BDO Richfield Advisory Limited, the accounting and advisory firm.
After last year’s impressive triple crown win by Horseshoe Point (Best Eastern Seaboard Villa, Thailand Green Development Award and Thailand’s Best Villa Development), the Eastern Seaboard is poised with multiple entries to make their presence known once again as Thailand’s hottest real estate development location.
This year’s Thailand Property Awards finalists include the Eastern Seaboard’s Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood for Best Boutique Developer, both Horseshoe Point and Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resort and Spa Koh Kood for Thailand’s Green Development Award, Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for Best Resort Residential Agent, Habita Architects for Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood for Best Residential Architectural Design, Habita Architects for Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood for Best Hotel Architectural Design and Habita Architects for Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood for Best Residential Interior Design.

Yes, the Eastern Seaboard’s Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood are finalists in five separate categories. We could be looking at a potential landslide of ‘Best of the Best’ awards for Soneva Kiri Six Senses Resorts and Spas Koh Kood. Having said that, just give us a couple more years and I think we will be seeing more Eastern Seaboard entries entering the arena of Bangkok’s finest condominium developments as the luxury condominium category is the only and last category the Eastern Seaboard has yet to conquer.
Look out Bangkok! Here comes the Eastern Seaboard!

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today Newspaper report.
Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed nearly all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show, Clayton Wade’s many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.
Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit the website at: www.premierinternational.com Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com

Considering the very best home layout and design specifications for your dream home.

As many of you may not realize, the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand has a number of notable housing design and construction talents and with a little comparable shopping you can meet a trustworthy and quality designer/builder for your home.
If you like the idea of an owner-designed home, then the next step is for you to become the home designer. When you design your own home you can build a house that you will feel is truly yours.
As a judge for the Thailand Property Awards, I meet the very best residential home designers and developers each year and, I am proud to say, the Eastern Seaboard has several of the best in Thailand.
If you are looking for a designer/contractor to work with in designing your dream home, consider David Thomas of Palm Oasis, Terry Collins of The Vineyards and Mitch and Nancy Jacobs of Sedona.
These are three high-quality developments that feature custom-built design involvement from their purchasing clients.
With this in mind, we would like to discuss the best ways to go about designing your home, estimating material costs, scheduling the construction and the final construction agreement contract necessary to build your dream home.
Most architects will be happy to work with you. A good architect can put your design and layout ideas on paper, ready to be executed by a proper construction team. The architect can work side-by-side as your guide to designing a home, using your ideas, existing custom-house plans and of course the architect’s creative expertise.
Making suggestions towards your own home design can be fulfilling, but just as important, you will be getting exactly what you and your family are looking for in a fine home.
It can also be an exciting and special opportunity for you as you take the first steps in designing the layout for your new home.
So, if designing a new house is something you are seriously considering, you most likely want to know whether you should use an architect or designer.
If you do not yet have an existing set of plans, you may want to select plans from a magazine, book or CD. Will such design plans meet your criteria? What kind of budget do you have in mind? These are just some of the questions that must be answered before you begin the process.
If you do decide to work with an architect or designer, they will be able to work through many of these considerations and questions with you. Every new home design will present challenges and obstacles, which will vary, depending on your own lifestyle, the location of the land parcel, your budget, etc. Together, with just a little time and effort, you and your architect or designer will create an initial conceptual design and layout.
Not being a design expert, you may appreciate some pointers to help you formulate your own layout plan before you sit down with a home-design professional. Let me present several considerations to help you visualize and develop a layout to suit your family’s needs and interests.
Home Design Step One: You may want to start by looking through a few home-design magazines and books or by taking a walk through a few designer-home neighborhoods, but do not be afraid to start from scratch and don’t be afraid to just sit down with a pen and paper and start sketching some home layout plans.
Being creative is what it is all about so go ahead and brainstorm a bit. Remember, the more accommodating the home design is to your own family’s needs and interests, the more joy and pleasure you and your family will receive as the years go by.
Home Design Step Two: Another great starting place in the home design process is to review some of the most popular and successful house designs. Many great plans are readily available from famous architects via the Internet. Search the Web sites of some favorite and well-known home architects and see what plans might work for you and your family.
Another great source is the many fantastic ‘design your own home’ CD’s that are out on the market. Many of these offer scores of top home designs and a good number actually take you step by step through the process of designing your own home via computer graphics.
Home Design Step Three: Bring your own set of plans to the table and work with a professional home design architect. They are very used to ‘working out’ home design concepts with their clients. They need your input to visualize just what will make your family home special and unique. Just as well, you will appreciate the home design architect’s many years of experience and insights into the logistics of home design.
An experienced home design architect will know which of your ideas can be integrated into your home layout plans. An experienced home design architect also will identify any of your layout ideas that might need to be altered.
Before appointing an architect, gather as much information about your home design needs and personal tastes. It would be a good idea for you to prepare in advance a list of the characteristics and objectives of your home design. This may also include some of your drawings, clippings from magazines; photos of houses you like, lists of spaces you require in a home and their sizes. Such useful information will provide inspiration and ideas to both you and your home design professional.
Maybe it’s time for your new dream home. What do you think?

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today Newspaper report.
Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed nearly all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show, Clayton Wade’s many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.
Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit the website at: www.premierinternational.com Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com

Introduction

Yes, from a small fishing village almost cut off from the outside world just 40 years ago, Pattaya has become Thailand’s most successful beach resort town, attracting holiday seekers from every point on the globe.

As Pattaya has also attracted incredible numbers of new foreign residents and investors, its residential property market has experienced an incredible rise over the past eight years and has reached a point within the past year that has surprised everyone.

The Thai government supported this steady and robust growth in sales of houses and condominiums by reducing the costs involved in transferring title for residential property purchases during the late 1990s Asian economic crisis.

Currently, residential property sales of new construction are growing at a phenomenal rate, and the real estate market in Pattaya has never looked so fantastic.

Historical insights

One of the most dominating factors stimulating Pattaya’s high-end property development was the huge affect the automobile manufacturing business had on Pattaya and the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Starting in the mid 1990s with Ford, General Motors and then shortly after, BMW, three of the world’s largest and most respected automobile manufacturers moved into the Eastern Seaboard, kick starting what is presently known worldwide as the Detroit of the East.

Each one of these automobile manufacturers would attract a minimum of 25 to 35 major international suppliers, all of which set up their own factories and offices on the Eastern Seaboard industrial estates.

At the beginning of this expat executive invasion was a strong need for high-end single-family houses and condominium rentals; supply was insufficient during the mid- to late-1990s, thus leading to inflated rental prices.

During this same period it became evident that expat executives were showing a very high interest in renting exotic modern-tropical and Bali-style homes and large beachfront condos.

It wasn’t long after this that a number of local foreign and Thai designers and developers started building and/or purchasing detached houses and condominiums as investment properties to be leased to the many expat families moving into the Pattaya area.

During the worst days of the Asian economic crisis, Pattaya and the entire Eastern Seaboard could barely keep up with the expat executive’s demand for high-end single-family houses and condominium rentals.

Furthermore, once the exchange rate, which had slipped from 25 to 50 baht to the US dollar in late ’97, had stabilized in ‘99, Pattaya started to see foreigners buying homes as private residences, as there were more and more foreigners moving to the Eastern Seaboard.

As the year 2000 brought in the new millennium, so did Pattaya bring in a new era in which we saw the beginning of what would within a few years be identified as the Pattaya property boom!

Bubble, bust and boom

The Bubble

To truly understand and appreciate the dynamics of the current Pattaya property boom, one must look back to the early- to mid-90s. It was during this period of time that Thailand’s real estate business was red hot and properties in Pattaya could not be built fast enough for the tremendous consumption.

Thai nationals were spending massive amounts of money on real estate and the returns were almost immediate.

The average Thai consumer did not need to know anything about construction quality, interior design or the marketing and sales of property. Prices for land and homes in Pattaya were going up so fast that it seemed you couldn’t lose investing in real estate.

The Bust

And then the Asian economic crisis hit and the Thai real estate investment dream overnight turned into a nightmare. With the exchange rate plunging to well over 50 baht to the dollar by late ’97 and so many Thai bank loans attached to the U.S. dollar, the banking industry saw a steady stream of non-performing loans.

By the end of the melt down there were only two of almost 60 Thai finance companies that had not gone under. Only two finance companies survived and it was going to take several years to process the non-performing loans and market the repossessed properties.

Then of course, we all experienced the unprecedented Thailand real estate property boom from 2003 to 2007, which also was met with a colossal bust with the world economic crisis and Thailand’s own political chaos.

The Boom

We are hearing the B word again. Yes, people are having visions of the bubble economy of the early- to mid-1990s Thai Property boom and the 2003 to 2007 foreign property boom and are wondering if it all isn’t happening again.

There are housing developments and new condominiums coming up almost everywhere. Pattaya is experiencing unprecedented growth…and the properties are selling!

Market saturation or just the beginning?

This tremendous investment and construction boom we are experiencing is absolutely astounding, but is Pattaya overheating?

Although the local house and condo resale market is suffering the repercussions of so many newly-constructed houses and condos on the market, Thai purchasers still lead the pack as they have been the biggest buyers of new residential construction in Bangkok and Pattaya for almost two years, and the Thais seem to have an unquenchable thirst for purchasing real estate.

Is Pattaya over saturated? Not yet, as the city is showing all the signs that it can experience continued property sales in detached houses and condominium apartments, so just relax and enjoy the ride, as the Pattaya area continues experiencing a strong and growing interest being shown by Thais and foreign investors alike, which appears to be able to continue filling the housing demand for a number of years to come!

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today Newspaper report.

Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.

Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed nearly all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.

Known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show, Clayton Wade’s many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.

Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit the website at: www.premierinternational.com Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com

The Eastern Seaboard/Pattaya’s luxury home market is maturing well. Is this because the world economic crisis is getting worse and worse while the Eastern Seaboard is getting better and better?

Or is it due to the Thai Land Department Banglamung District office appearing to take a stand to less seriously scrutinize any foreigner trying to purchase land via company nominees? Or the fact that foreigners have for some time been finding the local visa process to be quicker and less difficult for them to get visas? And of course, there is nothing better for the Thai real estate market than a good year or so without political chaos.
We have been hearing people say that Pattaya’s detached housing market is extremely overbuilt. That it has gone flat, and even that it is dead.
Well I have been seeing a different story brewing all over the Eastern Seaboard and in particular just a bit south of Pattaya and south along the Eastern Seaboard and I, for one, am really curious as to what this says about the areas future growth.
Yes, Huay Yai, Phoenix Golf Area, Bangsarey and Silverlake are all showing great signs that the area’s future does have luxury houses well situated within our real estate marketing adventure.
We are now seeing experienced and savvy Bangkok developers and international investment groups coming into our area bringing great designs, great materials and craftsman capable of finishing a well-designed luxury home with the best materials.

Most of us know about the Ban Talay beachfront development with its 128 million baht dream home on the beach! But have you heard or seen what’s going on in and around the Silverlake Vineyards area?
There are a number of housing developments near Silverlake in the Bangsarey and Na Jomtien areas, but there are a few developments that are sure to be major players in the residential property development game in tandem with the successes of Silverlake.
Just around the corner from Silverlake and on the shortcut to Wat Yan is an impressive development called the Silverhill-Residence, which is on a hillside overlooking its own lake, Wat Yan, and the ocean beaches in the distance.
Silverhill-Residence features 30 contemporary-design villas on a total area of more than 30 rai or 47,000 square meters of land.
Another large, high-end residential development of several hundred rai is the secluded and private estate known as Buraran, which is located on the rolling slopes of the Bangsarey Hills with its fabulous sea views over Bang Saray Village and the scenic islands in the distance.

The Buraran project consists of connecting waterways and lakes and is encircled by a tree-lined ring road with a system of cul-de-sacs defining individual house plots.

Buraran also features an impressive clubhouse with swimming pools, two tennis courts, guest rooms and a wonderful open air bar and grill surrounded by some of the nicest luxury homes on the Eastern Seaboard.
Yes, just about everyone in Pattaya knows of Silverlake. And these days, most Bangkokians have heard of Silverlake. Thais from every corner of the Kingdom arrive in cars, vans and buses every day, but did you know that there was no Silverlake just a few years ago?
Yes, just a few years back Silverlake was just a local watering hole and reservoir known only to the local Thais that lived in the area.
Today, the Silverlake Estate Development Company has one of the most gorgeous settings for their spectacular Tuscany-designed country restaurant, bar and grill, their beautiful vineyards, rolling hills, a sparkling lake and of course the incredible Buddha Mountain.
How about that! The newest luxury estate home market made up of expensive high-end, detached single-family houses is right here on the Eastern Seaboard.
Yes, with the gorgeous beachfront Ban Talay development having lead the way, we are really beginning to see an interesting phenomenon that appears to be well on its way to being one of the Eastern Seaboard’s finest new property niches.
Now we must ask ourselves the obvious question: Where are all the buyers for these expensive luxury homes?
Again, with all of the traumas effecting the real estate industry over the past few years, one has to ask what and who is driving this luxury home market here on the Eastern Seaboard?
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t this seem to be the absolute worst time in the past 15 or more years for foreigners to purchase detached houses in Thailand? Well isn’t it?
No, that’s not what sales statistics are telling us. In fact, new detached luxury homes are selling well and particularly with the better and more experienced developers.
Yes, as the Western world seems to be sliding deeper and deeper into financial woes, we are seeing more and more foreigners deciding to relocate, retire and/or just get a foothold here by purchasing a luxury detached house.
As Pattaya and the entire Eastern Seaboard continue to grow and grow with better and better infrastructure, more and more foreigners are realizing that this area offers the best long-term residential lifestyle in all of South East Asia with the future only looking better.
Just think about it, where in all of Asia can you find all of the healthy lifestyle amenities that are available to foreigners here?
Yes, Thailand has been through some hard times politically, but just look what a very short period of stability has done for us here on the Eastern Seaboard.
So, let’s not sell ourselves short. Thailand is an absolutely wonderful place to live and there seems to be no obstacle big enough to turn foreigners away. With the high season beginning in about a month or so, we are already seeing great signs of another robust and high-geared season of developers, speculators and good folks that simply can’t wait to buy a home and live in the Land of Smiles!

Our very special thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Pattaya’s Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. for preparing this Pattaya Today Newspaper report.
Wade has been running the Premier Homes Real Estate Co., Ltd. with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 15 years. He has been in the real estate industry going on 25 years. Having started his real estate career in the United States, he was licensed and practiced both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
Wade personally was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the start up phase of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three-year exclusive with the company. Following that experience he placed nearly all of the start up executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations including his appearing as the resident real estate consultant for Thailand’s Property Profile Show, Clayton Wade’s many accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia program.
Premier Homes is Pattaya’s leader in exclusive property sales and rentals. Visit the website at: www.premierinternational.com Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +(66) (81) 634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com