Nine things to know before you buy.

Thai law caps foreign ownership of any condominium project at 49% of total floor area, freehold. The remaining 51% is reserved for Thai nationals or Thai-majority entities.

What this means: when you buy a unit, the building must have foreign quota remaining. We confirm quota status, foreign-quota price (sometimes at a slight premium), and any pending releases before we recommend a unit.

Foreigners can own condominium units freehold (in fee simple, forever). Land and standalone houses, no — the standard structure is a 30-year leasehold (renewable in some structures), or a Thai company structure (not always advisable).

Practical implication: full-service condos in central Bangkok are almost always freehold for foreigners, which is why we focus the portfolio there.

Acquisition: 2% transfer fee, sometimes split between buyer and seller. Stamp duty 0.5% if applicable. Specific Business Tax 3.3% if seller has held under 5 years.

Ownership: very low ongoing tax. Building common-area fees and sinking-fund contributions are the main recurring cost.

Income: rental income is taxed; we structure to optimize legitimately. Resale: capital gains taxed via withholding tax based on appraised value, not actual gain.

Foreign Exchange Transaction Form (FET) is required for the inbound transfer. Above 50,000 USD per transaction the bank issues a certificate, which you keep.

On exit, you can repatriate the principal you brought in (per FET records) plus any income legally earned, without restriction. The discipline is documenting the inflow correctly upfront. We handle the FET paperwork with you.

DTV (Destination Thailand Visa, 2024): 5 years multi-entry, 180 days per stay. Broad eligibility. The growth driver of the rental market right now.

LTR (Long-Term Resident): 10 years, work-permit-included track for high-earners and pensioners. Tax incentives.

Thailand Privilege (Elite): 5 to 20 years, prepaid. Premium service, no work rights.

Gross yields published by listing portals are misleading. Net yield after vacancy, management, taxes, sinking fund, and minor capex lands 5.5 to 7% in the corridors we cover. Higher in DTV-aligned full-service stock.

Capital appreciation has averaged 6 to 9% p.a. for new-build full-service in Sukhumvit and Sathorn over the last 7 years. Past performance is not future, but the DTV demand pull supports continued upside.

Resale buyers can be foreigners (must keep within quota) or Thais. For full-service stock in central Bangkok, the foreign-buyer pool is deep across HK, SG, China, Japan, Europe, US, ME.

We track time-to-sale for our managed inventory and bring resale buyers when you are ready. Standard hold horizon we underwrite for is 5 to 10 years.

Tenant placement, lease admin, rent collection, owner reporting (actual yield vs projected), repairs, vacancy management, annual tax filing. Standard fee 10% of rent. The reason: we want our underwriting to look good in 5 years, not just on the brochure.

Most foreign investors buy in their personal name as freehold under the 49% quota. Simplest, cleanest, smallest setup cost. The Chanote title registers in your name. We default to this unless there is a reason not to.

Sophisticated investors with multiple properties or estate-planning needs sometimes hold via a foreign holding company. The standard structure: a BVI or Cayman or Singapore Pte Ltd company owns the Thai SPV that holds the property. Inflows still go through FET.

Reasons to consider the holding-company route: portfolio of 5+ Thai units, multi-jurisdiction asset structure, family-trust succession planning, tax optimization at the home-country level. Reasons to skip it: a single property, no estate-planning need, cost-sensitive (annual maintenance ~5,000 to 15,000 USD per offshore entity).

We work with private-banking partners and tax advisors in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Cayman to set up the structure if it fits. Talk to us before you decide.