Plai Laem covers a large part of the north east peninsular from Big Buddha in the south west to Tong Son Bay in the north and across to where it meets Choengmon in the east. It is principally a residential area but includes the famous Wat Plai Laem with its massive statue of the 18-arm image of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion and the Laughing Buddha statue sitting in the centre of a lake inhabited by voracious Catfish. This is the location of many fairs and concerts accompanied by impressive firework displays. Part of the temple is the famous Big Buddha situated on a man-made peninsular just to the west of the main temple. There are a number of high quality hotels in this area including the Six Senses and Tong Sai Bay. Beaches here tend to be narrow and often fully covered at high tide.

The airport is close by with arrivals 10 minutes and departures 15 minutes away.

Situated in the popular Park condominium development in Plai Laem, this well-maintained townhouse offers one of the few opportunities to own a Foreign Freehold property that is not an apartment. The property overlooks the landscaped gardens and has  the use of two communal swimming pools. Road access at the rear leads to the covered parking adjacent to the rear entrance.

The accommodation is on two floors although the ground floor is split level. The front access from the communal garden area is by way of steps to a private terrace which leads through sliding doors to the living room which has a ceiling fan and air conditioning. Steps lead up to the Dining/Kitchen with fitted kitchen cupboards, black granite counter tops, double bowl stainless steel sink, 2 ring electric hob and extractor hood and fridge/freezer. To the rear is a bathroom with hot water shower, wash basin and w.c. Steps lead down to the rear entrance, car standing and store rooms.

Stairs lead up to a central landing. The main bedroom is to the front overlooking the garden and has a double bed, ceiling fan, air conditioning, wardrobes and sliding doors to the balcony. The en-suite bathroom has a hot water shower, wash basin and w.c..

To the rear is the second bedroom with twin beds, fan, air conditioning, wardorbes and en-suite bathroom with hot water shower, wash basin and w.c.

What is a Foreign Freehold?

There are restrictions on Foreigners owning real estate in Thailand, specifically land. They are however permitted to own in their own name a structure on land. Full title to both land and house is therefore not easily possible.

The exception to this is provided by the Condominium Act 1979 which specifically allows foreigners to have a freehold interest in a Condominium unit in their own name. There are restrictions on the number of units in a building that may be owned by foreigners and only 49% of the space in a building may be so designated.

There are rules about how the Condominium must be paid for. The entire purchase price must be transferred into Thailand in foreign currency and converted to Thai Baht here. A Foreign Exchange Transaction Form will be issued and must be presented to the Land Office on registration of the purchase. This also allows the same amount to be transferred out of Thailand at a later date without tax implications.