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[nahia]

The best lesson I learned about buying a home in Thailand is that it really pays big time to think through exactly what you're doing before you go do it. This may sound common sense, but believe me, it's easy to get big headed about spending a lot of money in Thailand - especially when you have a substantial income from a western country!

It's easy to get ambitious when your dollar is worth many times the Thai baht! Overnight you're a millionaire (in Thailand at least), and you can build a huge home with no expenses spared, using all the best materials money can buy. But wait a second - before you go do it, here's a few things to keep in mind...

The first thing is that you should be careful about over-spending, and keep to some sort of budget. Sometimes materials and prices of things (builders, carpenters, wall tiles, cement and furnishings for example) can fluctuate wildly. One day you're paying $300 for those beautiful doors, and tomorrow you're charged $700 for the same thing. Ouch. You ordered, they delivered.

The other thing that can catch you out is falling into the trap of impressing everyone around you with your wealth, and beautiful new home. Sometimes it's better to stick to the budget, and just build your home to lockup stage - and do the interior essentials (like painting and furniture buying, and that essential hot tub) down the track a little, or at a later date.

Ultimately it's better to get the home completed (albeit in a simple style), so at least you can move in and start living the great Thai life, rather than stressing out over building and material costs because you blew out your budget. The point is to crunch your numbers carefully. Don't be tempted by the emotional 'got to have the best home in the street' side of things and you'll do well with your new Thai home!