Bangkok’s Accommodation Seeking Dilemma
It’s often said that you only get what you pay for? In most cases it’s a true statement but not so with the Thai Housing market. High price is not always high quality just as low cost doesn’t automatically mean low standards. There are so many options available out there in Bangkok but the question is how to find these places?
I soon came to realise that Bangkok really was in need of a good free & honest Accommodation Finder. An easy to use, no nonsense, interactive website, designed specifically for finding a diverse range of apartments around the Greater Bangkok area. What was needed was a website that listed homes from as little as 1,000 Thai Baht a month upwards.
For most people the hardest part looking for decent accommodation is finding it. This is especially true in the low to mid price ranges. It can prove to be an absolute nightmare. There are usually only 2 options available which I’ll explain:
Some months ago, a few friends were chatting over dinner. That very common subject was raised by one of group, which went like this: “I want to move to a new place. Does anyone here know of any ‘nice’ apartments around the XYZ area”?
Option 1 - Word by Mouth. Of course, the rest of the group started to ask obvious questions like, how much do you want to spend? How many rooms are you looking for? What size do you need? Do you want a place with a pool, gym and mini mart? And a whole bunch of other questions, answers and suggestions were exchanged.
The outcome was that no one came up with anything suitable. Sure they knew of a few places but they were either too big or too small. Many were out of budget or too far from his office, otherwise he didn’t like the neighborhood. Then, just when price and size seemed perfect the building and rooms were a complete letdown. There simply weren’t enough choices offered to him.
Option 2 - Search yourself. Our buddy had to do what so many others did before him. He trudged around the hot sticky main roads and side roads of Bangkok in a directionless search for his ideal home. He haggled with motorcycle taxis, clashed with deranged street dogs, leaped over hazardous pot holes and suffered the relentless heat and awful humidity that this city doles out so cruelly to the lost pedestrian. After an unbearable week of the above, he eventually gave in and settled for a compromise home rather than one he really wanted.
If only our friend had been able to get hold of a short list of potential properties prior to his search, the whole experience could have been a lot less time consuming and much more productive. He certainly could have used an easy to use interactive property portal then!
The problem is this: When it comes to accommodation in the ‘low to mid price range, the Estate Agents of Thailand are not truly interested. Go into their office and tell them you’re looking for a crash pad around the 5,000 to 8,000 Bathmark and see how helpful they are!
The odds are they won’t assign you a pretty looking escort for the day who respectfully accompanies you into the back of a luxury limo as she enthusiastically presents you with one studio squat after another!
Although some agents advertise such properties on their websites, it’s not unusual for the phone numbers, prices, and other details to be out dated, incorrect, or both, which shows their lack of commitment to dwellings of these types.
There are websites too that boast a comprehensive database listing nothing but budget priced accommodation but there is a catch! You have to pay a subscription fee to get access to it, and even then you won’t know how useful it is until you pay up.
Home Hunting in Bangkok can be a stressful, traumatic, nerve-racking and sweaty experience to say the least, which is why the idea to build a free accommodation finder for the home seekers of Bangkok, Thailand, was implemented and life suddenly became much easier for the Kingdom’s accommodation hunters.
“Andy Maingam” is a proficient publisher and webmaster of Mr. Roomfinder dot com where he owns an operates a 100% free property portal for the tenants, landlords, and agencies of Thailand. The site proves a very useful resource in helping new tenants make informed renting decisions, and is a great tool for home seekers and landlords either looking for or renting out Bangkok Apartments.
Tags: accommodation, bangkok, Home, hunter, property portal, seek, seeking, thailand, website