Buy property in Phuket

A twenty-minute conversation about the brief and the budget, to rule out what does not fit. Then a shortlist: three to five properties with an honest account of what each does well and where it is weaker than the others.

Then viewings — in person on the island, or by video if you have not arrived yet. We film not what is in the brochure but what is next to it: the road, the neighbouring plot, the view at the actual time of day.

Once a property is chosen, due diligence begins. We check the land title, the building permit, the developer’s history and completed projects, and the contract — amending the clauses normally written in the seller’s favour.

The transaction goes through a lawyer. Payment is via escrow or against milestones fixed in the contract. After handover we help with furnishing, the management company and tenants.

A foreigner can own a condominium apartment outright — freehold — and in every building that quota is capped at forty-nine per cent of the floor area. The rest is sold as leasehold: a thirty-year lease with renewal. There is a price difference and a risk difference, and both need to be understood before the deposit.

Foreigners cannot own land. Villas are held through a long land lease or a Thai company — both work, but each carries conditions and consequences that not everyone discusses honestly.

The yields promised in presentations are almost always calculated on high-season occupancy. The real figure is lower and depends on the area, the management company, and how many similar units are letting in the same building.