The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

If we look at several decades of history, it is undeniable that Thailand has experienced a number of sudden political changes and this has scared a number of possible investors. It is important here to make a distinction between one's reading based on feelings and the actual impact on the capacity to preserve and grow an investment. 

As human being, we often let the feelings take the best of us. If we look at facts, at a macro economic level, coups did not have a large impact on the economy. This can easily be verified crossing Wikipedia information with world bank data.

From a global economy stand point, the position of Thailand is singular: 

1. The growth achieved over several decades has been remarkable. Considerable investments are on going to further develop many communication lines, which will place Thailand with a further competitive advantage compared to many neighboring countries.
2. The internal market is getting strong and transforming, leading to a number of opportunities as it is transitioning from a developing to a developed market style of economy. This offers a potential to address both national and international markets at the same time.
3. At a time of geopolitical tensions, Thailand is probably one of the safest bet in the region because of its "neutrality stance" and a long history of none interference. While some might question this from a philosophical point of view, there is not doubt that from a business perspective, this is rather a good news.

There is much more to be said of course about this topic but we are trying to keep answers short. We have formulated our answer this way because we want to challenge a number of assumptions that are often affecting investors' reading and decision making process. Factchecks are important.

The short answer is yes but depending on what you want to buy, the answer is not straight forward. On a regular basis, the Laws are changing which can offer as well new opportunities. In any case, we would recommend to have at least 3 Millions Thai Baths minimum to invest. 

As the type of investment, the budget and the nationality are criteria influencing the possible scope to setup a company or to purchase a real-estate asset, we advise you to contact a trusted advisor to check what are the possible options. This is a role we can play for you as well. 

Without proper support, you risk choosing the wrong setup which could have some unintended consequences: Since late 2022, for example, the Thai authorities have launched multiple investigations focusing on companies that are using Thai nominees to from a company. Sanctions can be heavy if you follow this model. 

It all depends what you want to achieve. There is no simple answer to this. Let's take a few examples:

• Condominium purchase:  A place to live in will follow a different logic than a purchase aiming at creating a passive income. Aiming for the two at the same time is very difficult so it is important to decide which direction you want to go before purchasing a property.  Beware of advertisement promising a high yield that is guarantied for a period of two years. 
• Company creation: Creating a company in Thailand can appear as a complex process but in effect, once you understand the rules and regulations, it is not a too complicated process. This is even more true if your investment capacity is important and/or if you bring a know how. The tax system is quite attractive compared to many other countries even if this is not the best in the world. The most important here is to have a concept. Opportunities are numerous if you have an entrepreneurial mindset. 
• Project development: At first look, the market can look crowded but if you check carefully the competition, you will quickly realize that very often, the offer is quite limited a a unique model. There are a number of niche market that are completely ignored. 
• Purchase of company plus real estate: If you have the resources, this is probably the quickest way to invest and to generate an income. Yet, to achieve this, the cost will be higher than if you create your own business. There is as well a number of risks that must be mitigated. For this you need a good team to help you with the purchase process. This is not just a simple negotiation as you have to cover as well all aspects of due diligence as well as the process to acquire the asset and company. Even if you are used to do this, we recommend you add to your team an additional expertise that is specific to Thailand. Otherwise, there might be some important elements to be covered during the purchased process that will not be considered. 

The list of possible purchase is much longer than this. We are here only giving you a quick idea. No matter your objective you can contact us to get additional information and even to help you achieve your target. 

Many believe the global economy is going to slow down further and that recession is going to hit hard. As a result, many are thinking that investing now and in the near future is not a good idea. 

This is similar than normal reactions many have when the trade market is going down. Investor tend to pull out when the market goes low, creating losses while people who are not reacting emotinaly are on the opposite investing even more. In the long run, there is no doubts that the ones who are investing when the eceonomy is low are the main winners both on trade market and for asset purchase as the money invested brings more value overall. 

Yet, do not buy anything. You need to understand where you step in and why or the risk level you will be exposed to will increase significantly.

Like in any country, there are multiple ways to increase a wealth: You can aim for an increase of the value of the asset your purchase as well as the creation of passive income through rents. Last but not least, you can run a company (or own a company that generates profits). The latest category can in effect bring the most returns, especially if you have the expertise allowing you to purchase a company with financial difficulties and to transform it into highly profitable business. 

While this looks straight forward, achieving this is not always that simple as you need as well to understand the culture of the country you operate in. 

If you are not careful, chances are that you will lose value in the asset you purchase rather than increasing it. This is a mistake many foreign investors have made when buying a condo or a house in particular. 

Overall, there is no magic solution as everyone would then implement the same. For our perspective, all comes down to understanding the market, the customer expectations and defining clear strategies. Opportunities exist.  We are not disclosing here what we see as opportunities as well as what our clients are developing for obvious reasons. If you are serious about launching an investment cycle in Thailand, you can approach and test your ideas. We can sign contracts to protect your concepts without problem if you already have the comprehensive solution. 

Thailand has achieved a quite high level of development compared to many of its bordering countries. This, in itself is an advantage because with the development of the country, the internal demand is strengthening and the consumer expectations are changing. This is creating a number of opportunities because the offer is not adapting quick enough to address new expectations in many different areas. 

Thailand has been investing massively in the strengthening of its communication lines. We see this as a competitive advantage compared of many other countries in the region. 

Thailand is becoming one the the main hub for regional offices and administrative headquarters in the region. Many international companies opened offices in Thailand. From an workforce perspective, it is then easier than in many other countries around to find the required expertise. On the other side, you must offer competitive package to ensure staff retention as the competition is high. Do not underestimate this last point or you will have to constantly hire, which will then reduce any possible outcome.

First of all, language can be an important element to conduct a negotiation but this is clearly not the only factor one need to integrate. We advise you to take the time to understand the background of the seller if you want to conduct a negotiation by yourself to adjust the negotiation style you have to use.

In Thailand, negotiating is not always about facts and price at first. Getting to know the parties involved is therefore important. To achieve this, you can always rely on agents but be careful as if the payment is done with a commission approach, intermediaries are unlikely to bring the price to the market price as this reduces their income. When you buy a house or a condominium, this does not have much impact but when you buy a major asset, any slight variation in the price lead to an important difference for all parties. 

Last but not least, timing is important: Do not start a negotiation if you are not sure to buy 

(providing the due diligence exercise is conclusive). Once the negotiation is engaged you might be able to get a better price if you can really deliver quickly your end of the deal.

If you are buying a company, there is a worldwide logic to investment but many sellers are actually overestimating their assets value. For example, we have seen hotel owners trying to sell their properties with over 100% premium compared to the effective value. Finding an asset that is for sale at the right price can therefore be quite a challenge. Time required to search a property can be quite long. The best way to find suitable prime properties/assets is to have a network to get access to off market properties. Prices are often more align to international standards that way.

If you are buying a condominium or a house, the market is highly distorted. The price at which are displayed the properties is very often over evaluated.  When a new seller is willing to start selling his property, he or she is considering the advertised price in the same neighborhood with similar characteristics. As a result, the new property is again highly over evaluated but the owner does not know that. Many agents in Thailand do not push the price to market price as the prospect of commission is much lower. 

The direct visible impact is that if you take time to study the market, you will see that many properties are on sale for many years. After two or three years attempting to sell at this price with multiple agents, the owners are starting to decrease the price but this does not even cover the depreciation of value because the house is aging and more renovations are required. This makes a vicious circle for the seller and it makes the search for a proper value complicated. 

Properties that are not overpriced will be sold quite quickly. From an investment perspective, if you are buying an overpriced property, you are unlikely to recover your loss in value. It is therefore critical to understand the market or to rely on experts that are contracted to perverse your interests.