I started working in property with Sansiri in 1990 with just one piece of land that belonged to my family in Hua Hin, a seaside resort on the Gulf of Thailand, in the southern Thai province of Prachuap Khiri Khan. We built the first luxury property in this area, and it still stands now. Since 2000 the company has grown significantly, and we are now among Thailand's leading real-estate developers.
It's a great time for British buyers to start looking at investing in property in Thailand again – whether it's in the affordable segment or the luxury segment – as the current government has brought back a lot of political stability in the past 18 months. Many British expats living in Hong Kong and Singapore have already been major buyers of our projects, and lately we've also had a lot of interest expressed by buyers from China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan.
Thailand's capital Bangkok, in particular, has a lot to offer, as the weather is great for most of the year and we also have seaside and mountain resorts not far from the city. There is a lower cost of living in Bangkok compared to other major international hubs. The rental market is good too and there are also lots of excellent international schools. There are also two large international airports with three direct flights to London so it's a well-connected city.
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In March this year we completed one of our most notable projects to date, 98 Wireless, the most luxurious home in South East Asia. It's located on Witthayu Road in Bangkok – the most prominent street in the city – right next to the American ambassador's residence.
The 25-storey condominium has been designed in collaboration with Ralph Lauren Home, and has a distinctly New York look and feel. The exterior is similar to the building on Madison Avenue where the Ralph Lauren Flagship store is located and it's very exclusive, with only 77 two and three bedroom residences and three penthouses available to buy. It's not just a showcase for Sansiri, it's a showcase for all of Thailand, to demonstrate that we can deliver superior real estate to rival any major city in the world.
We've really focused a lot on details and craftsmanship within the interior. For example, as I travel a lot and have stayed in many six-star hotels, one thing I noticed is that marble is very important. Much of the interior of 98 Wireless is made from marble, and we've used rare Statuario marble, hand-selected from the quarry in Carrara, Italy, where Michelangelo sourced the stone for many of his works.
Aside from this, we have almost 140 other projects in progress with prices ranging from £25,000 to £5m. Pattaya is a resort city on Thailand's eastern Gulf coast that's becoming increasingly popular, and many Russians, Scandinavians and Australians are buying there because of the number of hotels, high-rise condos, shopping malls and restaurants in the area.
At Sansiri we pride ourselves on offering a complete home and lifestyle experience, by helping to construct lives, not just buildings. Through our property management firm, we ensure the building is well looked after. If you want to rent it out to a tenant we can help you with that, we can help you sell if you want to move, and we can also do repairs and provide a cleaning service. That's why we're the number-one company that sells to foreign buyers because we take care of everything.
We are also currently working on the first-ever 'brand' condominium in Thailand, 'Khun by YOO', with designer Philippe Starck and the YOO design studio. It's at the centre of Thong Lo, one of the most fashionable parts of Bangkok, that embodies what Thailand is all about – amazing culture, food, fun and friendly people.
SRETTHA THAVISIN is president of Sansiri PLC. Founded in 1984, the company has since launched almost 300 projects, totaling more than 78,000 single houses, townhouses and condominium units in 14 provinces in Thailand. It is also official partner of UNICEF, donating emergency funding where it's needed most; sansiri.com
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