Real estate, they say, is one of the best forms of investment one can make. True enough, land or condominiums do not depreciate in value over time. Because of this, real estate is one of those investments that are considered immune to the market forces unlike currencies.
However, like any form of investment, some are good, and some are undesirable. Just because real estate does not go down in value as time passes, it doesn’t mean you should gobble up any property that you can find in front of you. You need to be diligent. That’s the mark of a good and wise investor.
When choosing a property for your investment, it’s best to ask yourself the following questions.
What Will I Do With It?
There are many purposes for which people invest in real estate. For most, it is to be a roof over their heads, or a land to build their house in. When you know what to do with your property, the selection process is considerably simplified. You can also apply your own preferences to your choice, because you’ll be the one to use the property.
When you’re doing the investment for income purposes, however, you’ll need to be more meticulous and ask yourself more questions like….
Is the Property Located Near Possible Developments in Business and Infrastructure?
Each real estate agent you meet will tell you that location is a premium when choosing properties to invest in. It’s like putting money into the currency or stock market – you need to position yourself where you’ll get the most returns out of your investment.
In real estate, it means looking at the place the property is located. Is it near to an upcoming mall? Is it in close proximity to other businesses or commercial properties that you’ll be competing with? Is there considerable human traffic in the area that can be converted into business?
For residential properties, they don’t need to be too close to businesses, although being in close proximity to the malls, supermarket and other businesses considered essential is a plus. The property should also be within easy access of essential services like hospitals as well.
What’s My Budget?
In investing, money is everything. You can filter out your choices effectively once you know how much you can afford to spend. Budget also helps simplify the process – when you know what your budget are, you can easily search for properties online that you can visit later on. Filtering your results by your budget will reduce the number of properties you’d have to spend money to visit.
Lease or Buy?
Finally, ask yourself: are you open for leasing or do you want the property in your name? In Thailand, the latter is only possible if you’re a businessman with permission from the government. Majority of foreigners that acquire property in Thailand are doing so on lease – the property may not be in their name, but they have a certain degree of freedom in deciding what to do or how to use it.
Investing in real estate is a wise choice. As long as you do your due diligence, your investment will work out just fine.