A Skeptical Eye - Eight Things to Notice

A Skeptical Eye: Eight Things to Notice When Shopping for a Condo

When shopping for a condo in Thailand, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and distracted by sea views, huge TV screens, and fancy decor. Here are eight questions that should help anyone shopping for a condo in Thailand focus on factors that affect a property's true value and usefulness. 

1. What are the doors like? The front door is the first thing you see in any condo and a good indicator of the overall quality of the unit. The fit and functionality of all the doors and windows can add value when they are good and cost money when they are not. Front and sliding glass doors significantly impact temperature and noise control. The front door should be properly fitted and form a good seal. If you find a unit with double-paned sliding glass doors set in quality PVC frames it is a bonus and a good sign the unit will be energy efficient and quiet.

2. Is the lighting adequate? Overhead recessed lighting is common in most condos in Thailand, but it is important to determine if it adequately lights a space and does so efficiently. Outdated fluorescent, incandescent, and halogen lighting are energy-wasting and dangerous. LED lighting can and should be used in any condo building. If you are considering a condo with old-style lighting solutions, add the cost of replacing it with LED to the purchase price. It’s one of the most cost-effective home improvements you can make. 

3. How is the space cooled? The appliance that impacts our electric bills the most here in balmy Thailand is our air conditioners. Spaces having the advantage of a natural cross breeze or that don’t get blasted with direct sun for long periods are the easiest to keep cool. The age, capacity, and process of air conditioners should be something every condo shopper is concerned about. Units over 10 years old tend to be noisy and inefficient. Modern air conditioners using “inverter” technology are much quieter and are designed to keep the temperature constant. 

When you’re inspecting a condo, turn all the units on and listen for noise, feel how quickly the room cools down, and sniff the air coming out for signs of mold and mildew. A funky smell might indicate these units haven’t been properly maintained.

4. What about electrical outlets? When builders are looking for ways to cut costs, reducing the number of lighting and electrical outlets is a sneaky shortcut. Make sure there are proper outlets where they’re needed. If you see several outlets clustered on one wall it might indicate some are missing in another room.  If you find a couple of outlets higher on the wall where a flatscreen TV might be mounted, it is a good sign the builder was paying attention to this useful detail. Another good sign is GFCI outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms for your safety.

5. Is the kitchen made to be used? The kitchen is a good indicator of a unit’s overall quality.  Inspect the cabinets to see if they are made of material such as pressure-treated particleboard. 16mm is good but 18mm is better. Look to see if the handles and hinges are quality stainless steel or just rusty cheap scrap metal. 

Make sure you know what the kitchen countertop is made of. Granite or Corian are superior to tile, laminate, or porous natural materials like marble. Look for a water heater under the sink. Make sure there is a smoke ejector over the cooking surface and that it works. Check to see if the hob works with convection cookware. If there’s an oven, is it good quality with a convection setting and an exhaust fan? Does the refrigerator fit the size appropriate for the number of people living in the condo?  A kitchen that’s poorly equipped or “just for show” is a waste of space.

6. Is the bathroom equipped with quality fixtures? If you’ve ever shopped for toilets, sinks, and showerheads you know how varied the quality and prices can be. Fortunately for us in Thailand, many of the best items are manufactured here for international companies like American Standard, Kohler, and Grohe. There’s no excuse for having cheap bathroom fixtures. 

When you’re out condo shopping, tap on the bathroom faucet to see if it is metal or plastic. Take a look at the toilet seat … is it ill-fitted and cheap plastic or is it a quality piece of the entire design? Turn on the shower to see if there’s enough water pressure to work the “rain shower” feature.  

Find out where the water heater is located and inspect it. How old is it? Is it from a well-known quality manufacturer? Is there a warranty?  Turn on the shower with hot water to see how quickly it heats up.  Nothing’s worse than moving into a place and finding out you have a quirky shower.

7. Is there enough storage? The hardest part of evaluating a condo is how much storage is available compared to how much stuff you have to store. Many people who move to Thailand are scaling down both in space and stuff when they get here, making it even more difficult.  Kitchen and bathroom cabinets should be standard, and wardrobes depend on how many occupants you project for the space. The tricky part is with large items like bicycles, surfboards, or golf clubs. Stand in the middle of any place you are considering and imagine the largest item you have to store. Now, where would it go?

8. What’s the neighborhood like … really? Even when you find a place that answers all our critical questions inside, it is important to consider what’s going on outside the walls of your new place.  

If you go to a neighborhood you’ve never been to at 10 AM on a sunny Wednesday it could be completely different at midnight on a Saturday. Maybe that dead-end street that was so private during the day is dark and scary at night. Perhaps the peace and quiet of your new building in the daytime will be disrupted frequently by the restaurant across the street that turns into a karaoke joint every night.  If you are serious about a place you should go there at different times of the day to see if it fits your lifestyle.

No place will be perfect but an experienced realtor should be able to offer solutions and source reliable contractors to make any changes and upgrades that may be necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask for their help and to see similar projects for reference.  

It’s easy to be distracted by some sexy features of a condo like a spectacular sea view or luxuries like a big leather sofa. But when it comes to real property value and livability, keeping a skeptical eye on the details always pays off.