Baan Pattaya

The Baan Pattaya brand belongs to Baan Pattaya (2002) Co., Ltd. Before the Ascent estate was launched the company was called 109 Real Estate (2555) and was registered in 2012. The group's construction arm, 109 Construction, had been taking on contracts for public and private clients before the company moved into housing. The specialisation is narrow, and that is where its strength lies: the company builds estates of houses and does not take on condominiums. The office and the site are in the same area, Huay Yai, and some of the completed estates are there too.

Baan Suan Pruksa 1–4, Baan Balina 1–4 and Baan Pattaya 5–6: three ranges and ten phases. These are not promises but estates where people live, and you can come and walk through them. Baan Balina stands out for its Balinese architecture, in the facades and in the layout of the plots, and it is what made the developer recognisable. Baan Pattaya 5–6 are in a more contemporary style, and the company kept what buyers choose it for: generous plots.

A house with its own land instead of an apartment on a floor is a different set of decisions. The developer's houses have a private pool, a separate Thai kitchen in addition to the main one and space for two cars: a set built around living here permanently rather than coming for a season. The separate Thai kitchen is a detail that is rarely understood at a first viewing. It is there so that high-heat, strong-smelling cooking stays out of the main house, and its presence says the house was designed for life here rather than for a picture. The group also handles what begins after the keys change hands: renovation, interiors and fitted furniture, upkeep of the house and help with reselling or letting the house. Appliances, a charger for an electric car and solar panels for the roof are offered separately.

Ascent is this developer's estate in Huay Yai: 45 single-storey houses in four models. Ascent 125 is 273 m² with three bedrooms. Ascent 135 is 333 m², the same three bedrooms on a larger floor area. Ascent 140 is 358 m² with four bedrooms. Ascent 150 is 427 m², three bedrooms and five bathrooms. Plots on the estate run from 600 to 880 m². Every house has its own pool, solar panels and security systems, and the electrical cables across the whole estate are laid underground. Floor plans and an up-to-date price list are sent on request.

Buying a house is different from buying an apartment, and that is the main thing to understand in advance. A foreigner can register an apartment in full ownership under the foreign quota. With a house it works differently: the building is registered in the buyer's name, while the land under it is held through leasehold or a Thai company. The structure depends on the particular estate, and we go through it before the deposit is paid, not after. On top of the price come the costs of registering the transfer and the maintenance fees for the estate.

Huay Yai is an area south-east of Pattaya, set back from the coast and north of Bang Saray. Here they build estates rather than towers: plots are larger, buildings are lower, and a car is needed to reach the beaches. International schools and golf courses are close by. This is a deliberate choice by the buyer, not a compromise. People who take a house here have usually lived in a condominium already and know what they were missing.

A house with its own land is a format for permanent living or for a long winter stay with the family. There is a garden, a private pool and no neighbours on the other side of the wall, but there is a flip side: running costs are higher than for an apartment, and a car is needed for the shops and the beach. As a property to let, a house behaves differently from an apartment: there are fewer tenants, but they stay longer. The numbers on a purchase like this need to be run for a specific estate and a specific house, not by general rules.

We will send up-to-date prices and the floor plans and show you the completed estates by this developer: you can drive round them and see how they look years after handover. We will go through the ownership structure for the house and the land and calculate the full amount with every cost included. The price for you is the same as at the developer's sales office: we take no money for the search or for support. The houses in Ascent are built, so you can look at them in person and not in pictures.

• What does the developer Baan Pattaya do? The company builds estates of private houses in the Huay Yai area outside Pattaya and does not take on condominiums. The brand belongs to Baan Pattaya (2002) Co., Ltd., and the construction arm of the group is 109 Construction. • In what year was the company founded? The property company was registered in 2012 under the name 109 Real Estate (2555): the number in a Thai company name is the registration year in the Buddhist calendar. When the Ascent estate was launched it was renamed Baan Pattaya (2002) Co., Ltd. The construction arm, 109 Construction, had been taking on contracts for public and private clients before the company moved into housing. • Which estates have already been built? Three ranges and ten phases: Baan Suan Pruksa 1–4, Baan Balina 1–4 and Baan Pattaya 5–6. Baan Balina stands out for its Balinese architecture, while Baan Pattaya 5–6 are in a more contemporary style. The developer also has a rental project, Baan Pattaya Haven. • Which estate does the developer have for sale? Ascent, an estate of 45 single-storey houses with private pools in Huay Yai. The houses are built, so you can come and walk through them instead of choosing from a presentation. • What houses are there in the Ascent estate? Four models: Ascent 125 with 273 m², Ascent 135 with 333 m², Ascent 140 with 358 m² and Ascent 150 with 427 m². Plots on the estate run from 600 to 880 m². Every house has its own pool, a separate Thai kitchen in addition to the main one and a garage for two cars. • Can a foreigner buy a house from this developer? A house is bought differently from an apartment: the building is registered in the buyer's name, while the land under it is held through leasehold or a Thai company. We go through the structure before the deposit is paid, and it depends on the particular estate. • How does running a house differ from running an apartment? A house comes with a plot and a pool of its own, and instead of condominium fees you pay for the upkeep of the estate. The running costs come out higher: the pool, the garden and the house itself all need looking after, and a car is needed for the shops and the beach. This is worth working out in advance rather than after the purchase.