HOW BUYING A SAMUI CONDO REALLY WORKS

From the ad to the Land Office, step by step

This is the freehold foreigner quota route, from “I like this one” all the way to holding the title in your name.

Step 1: Check before you fall in love.

Before you make any offer, find out how many square metres of foreign quota are still free in that building. If there is no quota left, there is no freehold in your name.

Step 2: Make an offer, then reserve.

You make an offer to the owner. Once it is accepted, you sign a reservation agreement and pay a deposit into an escrow account or other agreed stakeholder account. The deposit is often around 10%, though it varies, and it counts toward the final price.

This agreement is the backbone of the whole deal. It sets the price, the timeline, and exactly what your lawyer will check next. (The reservation agreement and the due diligence each deserve their own post, and those are coming.)

Step 3: Due diligence, where your lawyer checks everything.

While the unit is reserved, your lawyer confirms the title is clean, with no mortgage, no court cases, and no other claims sitting on it. They also check the building permit, the access and right of way where it matters, the house book (Tabien Baan), the IDs of both seller and buyer, and the foreign quota status of the building.

Step 4: Sign the contract and send the money the right way.

When due diligence is clear, both sides sign the sale and purchase agreement. Around this point you send the money from abroad, in foreign currency, so your Thai bank can issue the FET.

One thing many people get wrong: ideally, the whole price, including the deposit, should be sent from overseas into the same account, under the exact name that will go on the title. If a deposit has already been paid locally, speak with your lawyer and bank early to make sure the foreign ownership requirements can still be satisfied.

The full amount arriving from abroad is what lets you register as a foreign owner.

Step 5: The cashier’s check.

With the contract signed and the FET in hand, your lawyer arranges a cashier’s check from the bank for the purchase price, ready for transfer day.

Step 6: The Land Office, where you walk out an owner.

Everyone meets at the Land Office. If the papers are in order, it is usually finished in a single day. The cashier’s check is handed to the seller, or their representative, at the same moment ownership is transferred.

The fees and taxes are settled here too. In Koh Samui the rule of thumb is around 6.3% of the registered value of the property, usually split equally between buyer and seller unless they agree otherwise. The exact figure can move a little with the age of the building and a few other points.

Your name goes on the Or Chor 2, and you are officially the owner. If you cannot be there in person, your lawyer can act for you with a power of attorney.

I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal advice. But in this order, with a good lawyer, it is a clean and familiar path.

𝑫𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒚𝒆𝒓, 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓.

If you’re curious about what types of villas currently offer the strongest investment potential on the island, you can browse Jane’s latest Koh Samui property listings here.