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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    home inspections

    Anyone know if home inspectors exist in Thailand? Probably not, and I guess if yes they'll be as bent as everything else, but worth asking.

    Next best I suppose better than nothing is to drag along a Thai builder.

    Also open to other ideas.

    tia

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Thanks, would need an English speaker, if they explain anything to wifey she would say kaa to them and it's ok to me.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Good lead, seems there are quite a few 'inspectors', anyone used their services?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Anyone know if home inspectors exist in Thailand? Probably not, and I guess if yes they'll be as bent as everything else, but worth asking.

    Next best I suppose better than nothing is to drag along a Thai builder.

    Also open to other ideas.

    tia

    I hear you about 'bent as anything' - you just don't know who to trust

    I am available for travel expenses +5k a day and for that, you get an English speaker and I will deliver any report you want at no extra cost.

    lol OK.. sorry couldn't resist.

    Seriously... i struggled with the same requirement during the build of our place. I was, as you know working in the Middle East and PJ, while fearsome (check with K.Pot) is not, shall we say, au fait with building practices, good or bad.

    We employed the OrBorTor engineer

    1. he was familiar with the build as he did the calculations and, in effect 'approved' those plans
    2. he is not affiliated to the builder in any way and in fact was quite happy to flex his muscles as and when required
    3. he had plenty of general building knowledge, as you would expect
    4. he ws not expensive - 1000 per visit and hes certainly been worth every penny for the visits hes made
    5. he will do the snagging list inspections and is sure to use his experience / knowledge to find much more than we could ever hope to do.

    so... depending on what you have in the OrBorTor office, it could be an option to consider, at least.

    i am available from Mid August if you want to go with Plan 'A'

  5. #5
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    Ask your mother in law to inspect the house....

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thai Dhupp View Post
    I hear you about 'bent as anything' - you just don't know who to trust

    I am available for travel expenses +5k a day and for that, you get an English speaker and I will deliver any report you want at no extra cost.

    lol OK.. sorry couldn't resist.

    Seriously... i struggled with the same requirement during the build of our place. I was, as you know working in the Middle East and PJ, while fearsome (check with K.Pot) is not, shall we say, au fait with building practices, good or bad.

    We employed the OrBorTor engineer

    1. he was familiar with the build as he did the calculations and, in effect 'approved' those plans
    2. he is not affiliated to the builder in any way and in fact was quite happy to flex his muscles as and when required
    3. he had plenty of general building knowledge, as you would expect
    4. he ws not expensive - 1000 per visit and hes certainly been worth every penny for the visits hes made
    5. he will do the snagging list inspections and is sure to use his experience / knowledge to find much more than we could ever hope to do.

    so... depending on what you have in the OrBorTor office, it could be an option to consider, at least.

    i am available from Mid August if you want to go with Plan 'A'
    Thanks, will check with wifey and look at the local OrBorTor route. Edit: For Pattaya she says no orbortor, but gets the gist.

    Expecting to be well sorted/screwed by August, but if not then you're welcome to poke around.

  7. #7
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    Very confusing thread. You need a home inspection for what?

    You say you could drag a Thai builder along..............are you building something without anyone in charge looking after it?

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat Pragmatic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanlic View Post
    Very confusing thread. You need a home inspection for what?
    Agreed.

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Viewing, would like to end up with one that isn't going to electrocute, flood or cave in on us next week or month.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Anyone know if home inspectors exist in Thailand? Probably not, and I guess if yes they'll be as bent as everything else, but worth asking.

    Next best I suppose better than nothing is to drag along a Thai builder.

    Also open to other ideas.

    tia
    I am a retired builder living in Khonkaen I am currently building myself I can assist contact me via email if you want

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    Viewing, would like to end up with one that isn't going to electrocute, flood or cave in on us next week or month.
    Ah! so you want to knock the house down and build a new one....I can do that

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    That's one good way, another is to have a competent someone give it a twiceover.

  13. #13
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    You do it yourself


    Peeling paint at eaves can be a sign of termites in rafters, brown stains on ceilings could be signs of a roof having leaked or burst pipes.

    Swollen paint or patches on concrete walls above skirting height is a sign of rising damp Fungus or black streaks showing through paintwork is common if built with red brick which has about zero insulation value and can cause condensation.

    Check timber skirting boards is there are any by knocking them or poking them with your finger if you find they are soft in place you just found a house you won't be buying. It's either been flooded or has termites or both.

    Rotting timber at the bottom of doors is a sign of flooding but tbh get rid of your agent and go ask the neighbors who will tell you the truth and may highlight something you miss about the house........they love to gossip

    If there's no air con you may have to upgrade your electricity supply to handle the extra capacity but the cost won't break the bank.

    Don't be shy check under the sink kitchens and bathrooms can look fine then you discover later they have rotting shelves and bases

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Ok, a home inspection was conducted and highlighted several defects, a few electrical issues that the owner is happy to fix, couple of small leaks, then loads of minor chips and cracks, nothing structural or serious.

    A walk through the village and nearby villages shows that even newer houses are already sporting cracks and chips, so I guess that's down to Thai material, design and workmanship with something thrown in for extreme weather conditions.

    There is no problem so far, and won't be a problem, but as an exercise for others 'living in Thailand' it might be useful to know who 'should' pay to fix everything.

    My logic says the vendor, since the buyer pays for the optional inspection which includes two visits, first to find the faults and the second to make sure they are fixed, which is pointless if they are not fixed. Inspector agrees on both counts.

    Vendor says it's a Thai house and Thais buy as is, not their fault that the buyer is a (fussy) farang but they're happy to put it all right if we pay for it. Also sounds fair, and much like buying a used car or whatever you buy as seen.

    Inspector holds firm that the buyer paid for the inspection so the owner should be responsible to right the defects, and adds of course you are free to compromise.

    Middle ground says start by asking which defects the owner will put right free of charge.

    Owner says wiring no problem will do, (small) leaks we can discuss, and chips and cracks are also minor and wouldn't cost much; but when filled and painted these would leave blotches all over the place, so would have to paint entire walls/fences/plinths and once involved it makes sense to do the entire outside. Fair enough, though quote was 80-100k all in, which sounds a bit high and is probably rounded up to include wiring and leaks.

    Best indicator I can think of with little else to go on, would be if anyone has had similar experiences.

  15. #15
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    If it were up to me I would work out what price I was prepared to pay for the house and then deduct the cost of repairing any defects and that would be the final offer I would make to the current owners.
    No need to stuff about working out who fixes what and who pays for what.
    As a buyer you don't have to buy if you have any doubts.
    In my opinion that is what an inspection is for to work out how much it is going to cost you (the buyer) to fix it up to your standards so you don't overpay and then get hit with extra cost for repairs.
    I agree that it is sold as is and the seller is not responsible for anything. They will however pay in the end because they won't be able to sell the place at their price.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat Pragmatic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jabir View Post
    A walk through the village and nearby villages shows that even newer houses are already sporting cracks and chips, so I guess that's down to Thai material, design and workmanship with something thrown in for extreme weather conditions.
    It's usually due to lack of compaction on back-fill or not leaving the ground to self compact before first building. I'd go for a 2, the longer the better, years wait before building on land that has been raised. I've never seen a compaction machine in all the years I've been here.
    Last edited by Pragmatic; 20-06-2019 at 02:48 PM.

  17. #17
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai View Post
    If it were up to me I would work out what price I was prepared to pay for the house and then deduct the cost of repairing any defects and that would be the final offer I would make to the current owners.
    Same thing I would do. All else too complicated.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ootai View Post
    If it were up to me I would work out what price I was prepared to pay for the house and then deduct the cost of repairing any defects and that would be the final offer I would make to the current owners.
    No need to stuff about working out who fixes what and who pays for what.
    As a buyer you don't have to buy if you have any doubts.
    In my opinion that is what an inspection is for to work out how much it is going to cost you (the buyer) to fix it up to your standards so you don't overpay and then get hit with extra cost for repairs.
    I agree that it is sold as is and the seller is not responsible for anything. They will however pay in the end because they won't be able to sell the place at their price.
    Thanks, that sounds fairer than my thinking and also what will probably happen.

  19. #19
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    Going by the thread title, I honestly thought this was a thread about how much Thai immigration wanted to humiliate you.
    Good luck with the build.

  20. #20
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    As somebody said before, work out what the house is worth now, as it is, and don’t pay more than that. You fix it up at your cost, but using materials and workers that YOU choose. If the owner was to fix it up you can bet he would use the cheapest materials and labour, and next year you would still have to repair the “repairs”.
    Thais are generally reluctant to buy a used house so the seller would probably not have much option but to take a reasonable offer from you.

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat jabir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikenot View Post
    As somebody said before, work out what the house is worth now, as it is, and don’t pay more than that. You fix it up at your cost, but using materials and workers that YOU choose. If the owner was to fix it up you can bet he would use the cheapest materials and labour, and next year you would still have to repair the “repairs”.
    Thais are generally reluctant to buy a used house so the seller would probably not have much option but to take a reasonable offer from you.
    Thanks, am on the fence between committing, then get my own materials/labour for a better result, downside is disruption, vs paying and letting the owner do it. On the plus side they're middle class professionals that were educated and lived and worked in Singapore and the US, so they do have some understanding of fair play, but also tbf that's taking quite a risk.

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