Pattaya is loosely translated as ‘the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season’. It’s not the most romantic translation that I’ve seen but technically it is correct. Located on the eastern seaboard of the Gulf of Thailand, Pattaya is approximately 140 km south of the city of Bangkok. This coastal resort has become one of the hot spots for travellers in Asia, offering its visitors a wide variety of entertainment and activities at very reasonable prices. Pattaya has more than 20 golf courses within an hours drive of the city center and other activites include shooting, horse riding, water sports, scuba diving, bungy jumping, bowling and many more. The list is endless and in the evenings a fantastic nightlife awaits you with a large number of bars, restaurants and night clubs. Pattaya truly has something for everyone.

Driven by its popularity as a holiday destination and a location for western expatriates, Pattaya is an area of extensive property development, especially hotels, condominiums, and housing estates. Steadily rising prices of buildings and land have also led to investment and speculation, contributing to the growth of the town’s economy. However, if we can offer a word of warning about buying off plan, some of the local developers were caught out by the speed of the credit crunch, leaving them with insufficient funds to complete their projects. This means that some have been shelved leaving initial customers in a state of limbo with funds locked in a project and unsure of when building will commence and what the final completion date will actually be.

Conversely, we have also noticed that some developers are offering numerous discounts, easy payment plans, free furniture, free kitchens, 0% interest over 5 years and one was giving a Toyota Fortuna Free with the sale of his property. Some developers with  Villas for sale in Pattaya  are desperate to sell and buyers will be surprised at the discounts and bonuses available, so don’t be afraid to ask.

If you’re considering making your pattaya home a lifetime investment, then hiring a Team of Thai and English Staff in Pattaya can help to save you time and money. Whether you’re looking to sell or find your property in Pattaya, together, we’ll determine your needs and make your experience in buying or selling a stress-free transaction. Pattaya Real Estate is more sophisticated and challenging than ever before, so it’s best to hire a professional who understands the industry and is positioned to stay ahead of the game. We advise you to take your time and search through the myriad of listings, which are generally updated weekly.

Investing in the Pattaya Property Market:

Pattaya’s development program is in full swing and is transforming the region with a noticeable industrial and commercial expansion. Improvements in the City’s infrastructure, the recently opened Suvarnabhumi International Airport, and the high speed motorway and rail links, means that the timing couldn’t be better. If you’re considering investing in the Pattaya Property market, an astute investor can expect immediate high rental returns and short term capital appreciation. Pattaya is an attractive location for foreigners and there’s something for everyone in this beach resort with city status. A year round tropical climate is accompanied by palm fringed sandy beaches, an uncontrollable nightlife of varied entertainments, and a range of sporting activities that will leave you completely exhausted, but totally satisfied.

More reasons to buy properties in Pattaya include modern International hospitals, trendy and spacious shopping centers, the low cost of living, the genuine friendliness, warmth and hospitality of the Thai people and the amazing festivals make the region and Pattaya City an extremely popular choice for people wishing to relocate or for retirement.

There is an alternative option for investing in the Thai property market. There are often opportunities to become an investment partner for new real estate projects. Property developers require a large capital to complete their projects, and some may seek additional private investors and capital funds. Generally, the developer has sufficient capital funds to purchase large plots of prime development land but often requires additional capital funds to realize and develop the project. This provides excellent opportunities for a private investor to participate and gain a high return of investment, typically up to 30 % within 12 months and possibly up to 50 % within 2 to 3 years. Achieved by registering a mortgage on the title deed of the land or transfer the land title deed into the name of the investor, the value of the land is normally at least double the value compared to the amount that is invested. Based on both parties entering into an investment agreement, the investor would transfer the land back to the developer, after the investor has been fully reimbursed with the invested money plus an agreed interest. This unique opportunity is available in Thailand and is proving to be popular with short to mid-term investors.

At Your Pattaya Home (YPH) we possess a range of experience and expertise that helps you sell or buy your dream home in a hassle-free and professional manner. By taking advantage of cutting edge technology, products and services, we’re continually recognized for our innovation, leadership and initiatives among Pattaya Estate Agents. We welcome investors to use our experience to help you navigate this unique property market in Pattaya. For more impartial and free advice please visit our web-site at  www.yourpattayahome.com

As the far islands are uninhabited and a little further from Bangkok the visibility tends to be marginally better than at the Near Islands. All of the Far Islands have large amounts of Jacks, Trevellys, Barracuda, Rabbitfish, Angelfish, Butterflyfish, Wrasse, Gobi’s and as with the near islands thousands of Damselfish, as well as some Giant Reef Rays, some up to 2 metres across. A variety of sharks can also be found in these sites.

Koh Rin:

Koh Rin has three main dive areas each of which can easily support more than one dive. Hin Ton Mai also known as South Rock is a very popular dive spot as the fish life is very varied with lots of Moray Eels and Barracuda. There are plenty of both hard and soft corals, coral whips as well as very good invertebrate life such as nudibranchs, brittle stars and feather stars. This site has very good coral life down to 16 metres. Hin Khao also known as North Rock has as much coral life as South Rock and has lots of rock outcroppings that are homes to many sharks and eels. This is an excellent site for searching around for the more unusual nudibranchs, pipefish, razorfish and others that like to hide away. The site has good diving down to around 14 metres. Koh Rin bay. This site is, unlike the two rocks previously mentioned, part of the main island of Koh Rin. Although this site only goes down to a maximum depth of 12 metres it is well protected from currents and is therefore a nice relaxing dive when compared to both South and North Rock.

Koh Man Wichai:

Koh Man Wichai has two excellent dive areas, the first of which ‘The Wall’ cannot be completed in one dive. The Wall is a 7 metre high coral wall that runs down from 9 to 23 metres and is a dive in itself. The area around the wall itself is an excellent dive site, you can start your dive from the bay and go out along the soft coral line at 18 metres, finish half of your allotted time and come back to the boat along the hard coral line at 12 metres, two environments in one dive !! As each environment is different with the larger fish among the soft corals this is for me the best dive to be had around Pattaya islands. The other dive site at Koh Man Wichai is called ‘The Fingers’, the fingers are a set a rocks stretching from land out to sea to a depth of 12 metres, the hard coral and fish life is very good and as there are five fingers ( but no thumb !!) it is like diving across a large hand.

Koh Hu Chang:

Koh Hu Chang is a very small island that although quite shallow at around 10 metres has some very good corals and abundant small fish life. Koh Hu Chang probably has more sea anemones than either Koh Rin or Koh Man Wichai and as it is well protected from the wind is a good relaxing dive spot.

Koh Klung Bedan:

Koh Klung Bedan is another small dive site that is also quite shallow, maximum coral depth being 12 metres. This dive site has many Staghorn and Table corals as well as Boulder corals that have many Christmas Tree worms.

Koh Phai:

Koh Phai or Bamboo Island is controlled by the Royal Thai Navy, who restricts the use of the beaches, but the small sheltered bay at the south of the island is ideal for beginners.

If you are interested in more information or wish to dive in Pattaya please contact me at Adventure Divers in Pattaya, or visit our website at www.pattayadivers.com