Robert Collins CEO Savills Thailand which is celebrating their 30 year anniversary in Thailand this year. Locally they provide a full range of real estate sale and consultancy services.

WILLIAMS MEDIA sat down with Collins to gather some insights into his property journey and experiences in the Thailand real estate market. 

Who is your typical client?

In Thailand, we act for a wide spectrum of clients including high net worth individuals, corporate clients and juristic entities for property management.

How do you best help a buyer or investor?

The Savills Bangkok team is recognized locally as the best in class for assisting investors seeking property locally or anywhere in the world. We operate through the Savills international network of offices and in 2018 the Bangkok based team concluded sales on almost every continent.

What advice would you have for those looking to enter markets like Bangkok or Phuket and set up a real estate business?

The real estate agency community is now a quite congested space. The local market has no governing accreditation for real estate brokerage services, which has enabled ease of entry for brokerage start-up’s. The result is arguably that there is now too much competition.

What would you like to see changed in the industry in the next 2 years?

The market would benefit from licensing and regulation of real estate brokerage businesses. The experience for buyers and sellers would be given an opportunity to improve, fee scales could be more transparently managed and any potential for conflict of interest reduced.

What are the opportunities in the marketplace at the moment? are there any particularly interesting assets that you are working on at the moment?

The Aquila in Phuket is the most significant local asset we are representing. This is an expansive ultra luxury 10 bedroom residence on Kamala beach in Phuket. There is simply no comparable property like it currently available in Phuket at this time.

Click here to read more about The Aquila in Phuket

What advise do you have for people looking to buy or rent real estate in Bangkok for work or Phuket as a holiday investment/retirement property?

For a work related requirement the commute to work will be critical. Know in advance how you plan to travel during rush hours and select accordingly. In Bangkok there are a wide range of modern public transport networks, however not all residential areas are serviced equally with some more suited to private vehicle ownership. For a resort home, again the commute is essential to build in to your expectations. Some popular beaches are located quite a journey from airports. For Bangkok residents the resorts towns of Pattaya and Hua Hin remain popular as they are both an easy drive from Bangkok and are great for weekend get-away’s.

Where is the demand coming from for Phuket villas? What countries are enquiring on these assets?

Sales volumes in 2018 have been slower than hoped, whilst there is some Hong Kong based buyer demand, the more significant sales transactions have been with UK, US and Australian buyers. The China market is certainly relevant but at the higher end the appeal for Chinese buyers remains more towards purchasing property in London, Sydney and Canada.

Are you noticing any trends with buyer inquiry? 

The China buying trend has been relatively fleeting with much of the volume of buying within a range of USD 100,000 to 200,00 per property. At this price range the low to mid market has been the only significant beneficially, with very little impact on the luxury upper end of the market. There are some concerns that the China buying trend is already slowing, however the actual sales performances are not made public, so it’s quite difficult to accurately gauge.

Where do you see the Phuket real estate market in the next 10 years?

Phuket will remain the premier resort location for south east Asia. The island benefits from its central location in the region offering a genuine weekend get-away opportunity for both Hong Kong and Singapore based executives and families. No other resort location with the attributes of Phuket comes close to offer this overall package.

For more information about the Thailand property market email Robert Collins CEO Savills Thailand via the contact details below.

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