Ko Samui Real Estate

Despite how easy glossy brochures and slick sales representatives try to make buying in a second home seem, investing in a holiday home requires a lot of research and due diligence on the would-be owners' part. The promise of tropical sun rays adding a blanket of glitter across the warm ocean surface may have brought you to Koh Samui in the first place, but deciding to live full-time in paradise, is a full-time job. Luckily for interested investors, the island's government and businesses have been doing their bit to make Samui a viable place to set down roots. Accredited international schools, world class resorts and restaurants, well-equipped hospitals, and a host of entertainment venues make up an infrastructure landscape that is conducive to a long term island lifestyle.

There is one international airport on Koh Samui, which some say is not sufficient to bring in the tourist numbers needed to fill the resort and villa beds. On the other hand, another school of thought claims that the relative exclusivity of the direct flights help sift the type of tourists, and limit the traffic to allow the island to maintain its natural beauty and boutique feel. While the truth most likely lies somewhere in the middle, Bangkok Airways, the main feeder airline to the island, already codeshares with regional carriers including Eva Air and recently SilkAir, while Air France, Etihad, Air Berlin and KLM also bring in visitors from further afield. Additional codesharing is in the pipeline, with Malaysia Airlines and Finnair reported to come on board by the end of 2011, and Japan Airlines to join the party in 2012.

With all the necessities in place, now comes shopping around for companies that can make your dream home a Samui reality. With the maturation of the private residence market, professional and global service providers followed suit, be it architects, interior designers, or landscape artists. Before any work starts on the property, seek out sound legal advice. While it may sound like common sense, many would be buyers are sucked into the spell of an exotic destination and forget that normal rules apply. Due diligence should be done on the piece of real estate, and a good lawyer would be able to share advice on the legal and tax implications.

One of the niche markets that both Thailand as a whole, and individual resort villas are targeting, are meetings and destination weddings. These short term but high impact events are big income generators, and with the calibre of services available on the island, is a sector poised to take off in popularity. That's good news for individual investors, visitors, and Koh Samui as a whole. Regardless of whether you're buying to live or for investment purposes, make sure the product is good, and invest in a trustworthy a property management firm to ensure the property appreciates in value when the land around it does.