So you are thinking of moving to Thailand to start a small business? Maybe a small shophouse, restaurant, guesthouse or hotel? How much is this going to cost you? Can you trust realtors and agents to help you make the purchase or you should you go on you own and maybe take a Thai person with you to translate?

The best way to buy is from a Thai, not a foreigner. Buy it empty and furnish yourself. In order to do this, it's better to come here in person, rent a bike or car and look around WITHOUT an agent. To give you an example, a townhouse for Thais is about $20 000, for a foreigner it' s usually about $80 000... same shell. Condo can be as low as $15 000 but over $50 000 for foreigners because it has a "European Kitchen" ect...but really that "western standards" stuff is only flat screen TV's curtains and fancy bathrooms, definitely not worth 3 times the price!

Why? Because the Realtor and agency spent about $10 000 on furniture and decorating, so they pocket $50 000 on you because you don't speak Thai or know any better. Same thing for a guesthouse, finding a good solid empty shell is best and then furnish from auctions or hotels. Of course mattresses and bed sheets should be new but the rest? If a dresser was good for the Hilton before why wouldn't it be good enough for a guesthouse? Plenty of second hand goods to furnish it yourself.

Pattaya Guesthouses Information

When coming to Pattaya for the first time you will need to find some kind of accomodation in a hurry! So what should you choose, a guesthouse, hotel, condo or furnished appartment? It all depends on your budget of course...but usually all these Pattaya accomodations share similar features. The only difference is in the presentation of the rooms and lobby. Usually a guesthouse will suffice for the average traveller to Pattaya Thailand.  So what should you look for in your next accomodation on your trip to Thailand? Here are a few things to consider to make you choice a little easier:

Common features of most hotels

• DVD and cable TV
• Security
• In room safe
• Location
• Gueshouse ownership