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For sale: Unrenovated Fisherman's house,
Salakkok.
This was going to be 'Baan Rim Nam 2'
as it's a house a friend bought off a local last year and the plan was to
rebuild it during this low season and have it as a long term rental
property. However, we're not particularly wealthy, so the money we put
aside for rebuilding this house has now been allocated to a new speedboat
and we've decided we're busy enough with one little guesthouse and a
boat or two without having to worry about a place on the other side of the
island too. Plus our friend in Bangkok doesn't want it for herself. So, it's for sale.
Houses of this type
are next to impossible to find on the west coast. In Bangbao a house in a
comparable condition would cost 2-3 million baht. Rebuilt, refurbished
houses of this type have sold for 7 million baht recently. Prices are
unlikely to rise this high in Salakkok until a road around the island is
completed. However, the location is great.
It's no longer possible to build an
entirely new fisherman's house on Koh Chang. The positions of all
current houses are marked on satellite photos of Koh Chang which are held by
the planning officials. Therefore, there's a limited supply of this
type of house and with any land with sea frontage costing a minimum of 3 million baht/rai
or more anywhere on the island, having a fisherman's house is the ideal,
affordable way to live by the water.
The area:
Salakkok is a fishing
village in the South East of Koh Chang. The village is on the shores of a
mountain backed bay. Mangrove forests line the edge of the bay. The
area has very few visitors. It's not inaccessible by any means - only
a 20 minute drive from the ferry piers but as no public transport runs to
this area of the island and there are no long sandy beaches nearby the vast
majority of visitors never see Salakkok Bay.
The house:
This isn’t a property
for anyone wishing to buy a house that is ready to move into. It's in need of a
total rebuild. You aren't buying the existing house, you're buying the right to
build a new house in an existing location. It is an investment for someone who
has seen how prices on the west coast of the island have risen several hundred
percent in the last 4 years and knows how hard it is to find any affordable
property for sale anywhere on the island.
The house has a water
supply,
electricity and a phone line can easily be installed. The actual ‘land’ for sale
covers a 30 metre long length of the footbridge with the house in the centre.
Therefore, there’s plenty of room to expand the property. The footbridge
was built by the local government and allows access to this house plus several
others, that are owned by local fishermen, 100 metres further along the walkway.
At present there's very little sign of tourism in this area of the island.
If peace, quiet, and fishing or canoeing are your things then this is an ideal
spot.
Rebuilding costs:
We had envisaged a nice
2 bedroom single story house, large deck, kitchen etc and also make a landing
from where we could put kayaks in the water. The total cost for something
like this would be 500,000 - 700,000 baht depending on the amount of refinement
or western fittings that are required. So, for around 1 million baht or a
little more, you can have a very nice brand new holiday home or rental property.
Note:
As with all fisherman's
houses anywhere in Thailand there are no title deeds. There can't be as
these types of houses aren't built on dry land. Ownership is determined by
the name on the government issued address book. The name on the address
book can be that of a Thai national or of a Thai registered company. One
argument against buying this type of house is that the government could take it
off you at any time. But, in boring reality, it's not the sort of thing
that's likely to happen. Feel free to search newspaper archives or ask
your lawyer for any examples in Thailand where a legitimate owner has been forced to
move with no compensation being paid by the government.
(The photo below was taken before the roof blew off in late 2005.)
Price:
650,000 baht or make me an offer :-)
If you're interested,
contact me.
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