– Tell us, how did you get the idea to buy a home abroad?
– I very often spent my holidays in Thailand and always stayed in quality chain hotels, but even the best of them share a common drawback. Five-star chain hotels can provide maximum comfort, but you still cannot get enough privacy when you need it.
I often stayed at the Banyan Tree hotel villas on Phuket, but recently they require booking a villa six months in advance, which is very inconvenient. Also, a hotel villa always feels like someone else's home; you can't truly relax there. I needed a house where I could store personal belongings (so I wouldn't have to fly with them every year), comfortably and safely vacation with my family, and if necessary, meet with business partners. Buying a house in Thailand solved all these issues once and for all.
– Buying real estate is a serious step, especially when it comes to expensive luxury villas. Why did you choose Thailand over European resort areas, for example?
– I have been to almost all European countries and consider the kingdom to be one of the best places for a vacation. Unlike European countries, the climate here is excellent, allowing you to feel comfortable at any time of year, and the level of service is no worse – honestly, in many places even better than in Europe. No advance visa is required to enter the country, which greatly simplifies vacation planning. An important factor is the friendliness and responsiveness of the local population.
I had long wanted to buy real estate specifically on Phuket. The island combines developed infrastructure and clean beaches with white sand, while still having plenty of secluded spots, excellent ecology, blue sea – in short, everything needed for a vacation. The Bang Tao area is rightfully considered one of the most comfortable for wealthy people from around the world. It has one of Asia's largest professional golf clubs, Laguna Phuket Golf Club, designed by renowned designer Max Wexler, an equestrian club, many restaurants, shops, spa salons, and a very high level of guest service. Moreover, the area itself is quite private – despite the abundance of hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, only residents of our village can enjoy Layan Beach, with entry strictly by special cards.
– Did you search for the property yourself?
– Of course not! I believe everyone should do their job professionally. So I entrusted this matter to specialists who can gather all the necessary information about the property and handle the paperwork competently and quickly. It was important to me how long the company had been in the real estate market, because experience determines the qualifications of employees and the efficiency of the firm. I contacted several well-known real estate agencies on the island, explained my request – what and where I wanted to buy, my budget, and considered the options offered, including transaction arrangements. Assessing a company's level of work depends on the quantity and quality of its completed transactions. Small firms often cannot afford a spacious office and a large staff.
The office of the company EAST-WEST, with which I ultimately worked, is on one of the floors of a business center in the heart of the island. There they listened to me carefully, explained the special aspects of the transaction, showed me what to pay attention to, and offered to look through several catalogs published by the company itself, with photos and descriptions of villas. The agent – unfortunately, I don't remember his name – drove me around the island for three days and showed me all the offers that interested me.
– Tell us about the villa itself.
– This property was one of the first offered to me, but I'm not in the habit of rushing in such matters, so I looked at several other options before agreeing to buy this villa. It is located just 300 meters from the beach in a gated villa complex, each villa fenced with trees planted along the fence. The main house is 360 sqm, the garden is 1500 sqm. The villa has parking for two cars, a deep seawater pool, and a servant's annex. The garden is adorned with flowering tropical trees and a well-kept green lawn, all bushes neatly trimmed. The paths in the garden are laid with white stone. To the right of the house is a gazebo with wicker furniture. Next to it is a stone bar counter with a built-in barbecue and a refrigerator for drinks. To the left is a jacuzzi. The water there is always cool due to the shade provided by a sala built over the jacuzzi. The lighting in the jacuzzi and pool turns on automatically at dusk, as does the lighting of the trees in the garden.
The villa itself is two-story, decorated in a modern style with elements of antique decor. The ceiling height on the first floor is almost four meters. The interior uses a lot of white, which creates additional volume. On the first floor there is a spacious living room with access to an open terrace by the pool, to which large glass doors lead. Modern kitchen appliances are harmoniously integrated into the overall design of the house. I liked the kitchen's equipment – all appliances are of high quality and pleasant to use. The kitchen and dining areas are separated by a bar counter of the same style as the kitchen itself. Overall, all the furniture in the villa is solid and expensive. In the living room there is a large L-shaped white leather sofa, opposite it a bookcase takes up the entire wall, and on the walls hang paintings by famous Thai artists – Niti Wattuya and Surasi Kusolwong.
From the second floor there is a wonderful view of the lake lying by the house. The perimeter of the second floor is occupied by an open balcony. There are three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. One of the bedrooms is slightly larger than the others. Two walls in this bedroom have huge glass doors. One leads to the terrace around the second floor, the other to a spacious balcony with light rattan furniture: two armchairs, a small table and a sofa. From this balcony you can see the sunrise. And the neighbors are just not visible – the nearest villa is a hundred meters from ours and is hidden by very tall fan palms.
– This is a beautiful expensive villa. There must have been some difficulties with registering it as property?
– There were no difficulties. From the registration options offered by EAST-WEST, I chose a long-term land lease for 30 years with an extension for two more terms of 30 years each. As a result, the villa belongs to me personally as property, and the land is leased for 90 years. Everything is transparent and clear. The transaction did not take much time.
To oversee the preparation of documents, I first hired my own lawyers in Russia, but Thailand has its own laws, which are different from Russian ones, and as a result, for the documentation part, I relied entirely on the agency's staff.
The staff of EAST-WEST helped me at all stages of negotiations, preparation and signing of documents on the transfer of rights to the house and land, transfer of money from Russia and settlement with the seller. After the money transfer and issuing the bank check, the entire registration procedure took only one day. Impressive speed of work and competent approach to all nuances of the transaction.
– You have owned the villa for a year. How often do you vacation on Phuket and how do you spend your holiday here?
– I come here with my wife on average three times a year, for three to five weeks. Sometimes we bring our older son, but more often he prefers to vacation here with friends, without us. The company that services the houses looks after the villa in our absence. We call a few days before arriving on the island so that everything is prepared by the time we arrive – buy drinks and food, clean and freshen up the house. The real estate agency EAST-WEST recommended a Thai management company, which now takes full care of my house – hires and supervises the gardener, cleaners, pool specialist. During our stay in the house, this company provides a car with a driver and a personal manager who helps with all current issues of life in Thailand.
Son is into diving, while I prefer to play golf and travel around the islands on a sailing yacht. My wife has taken up yoga and Thai spa. Often friends join us. We have barbecue parties, hiring a professional bartender for such evenings who makes drinks for us.
– Do you have any plans for the near future regarding your property?
– No definite plans. I will continue to vacation on the island as usual. The only idea now is to buy a personal yacht. There are several yacht clubs on Phuket that will take care of the boat while I am in Russia. On this matter, I again turned to our realtor, who recommended a reliable seller.
I am very satisfied with my purchase and grateful to the company EAST-WEST for professional assistance in acquiring such a wonderful house.
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