Koh Lanta Realestate Travel Guide

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The pattern of land division, the high ratio of beaches to visitors, the difficulty of getting here and the non-commercial nature of the local population all act against Ko Lanta becoming a crowded commercial island like many other Thai destinations. Koh Lanta is loved as the place where time stands still – the ideal place to clear one’s mind from the stress of modern life. [more]

Koh Lanta real estate and property trends

Two trends in the Koh Lanta property and real estate market are emerging clearer and clearer over the past few years.

Koh Lanta has increased in popularity over the past 5 years, and the type of visitors has changed during this period from mainly backpackers, to mainly families and professionals. Backpacker resorts on beachside land which were small and primitive are upgrading or being replaced with resorts offering better facilities and charging higher prices. Together with large increases in the number of visitors, this has created a strong demand for land which has seen land prices increase very quickly and availability drop. There is no indication that price increases will slow down.

Another trend is reflected in the increasing size of pieces of land for sale on Koh Lanta. A few years ago when demand was low, it was possible to buy a few Rai in the beach. Owners soon discovered that the leftover land was difficult to sell. Now the land from the beach to the roadway, and sometimes behind it is being consolidated and offered for sale as one unit at the same high beachfront price.

We are convinced that those trends will continue and probably accelerate on Koh Lanta. Driving factors include:

• A rapidly recovering Thai economy with increasing confidence means that many investors with cash are actively seeking investments
• Thailand is the only completely safe and secure travel destination in Asia
• Koh Lanta is seeing annual increases in visitors of up to 50% per year, with similar increases in the number of rooms available
• Visitor profile has changed significantly from backpacker to families and executives, with large annual increases in spend per person
• Koh Lanta is currently the hottest and most talked about destination in Thailand and in Asia, with TV crews for all corners of the world visiting almost weekly, articles in leading edge publications such as Conde Nast Traveller, Elle and many more
• Lanta is a small island with limited land. Three years ago you could decide to buy almost any land you could see and it would be available. Now is hard work to find land still on offer

Buying Koh Lanta homes

With only a few dozen foreigners owning land in Ko Lanta, there are very few foreign style homes here and these seldom become available for sale.

Buying undeveloped land for home construction is not for the faint hearted. There are many difficult bureaucratic procedures involved in obtaining a legal address, road access, electricity and water, permission to build and more. Local officials seldom understand English and local bureaucratic procedures are such that most foreigners experience great difficulty.

Koh Lanta Land for Sale

Land on Ko Lanta is an excellent investment. Prices are climbing quickly and almost any land will increase in value at a rate not to be found in western economies. There are also techniques that can make investment in Thailand extremely tax efficient.

Small pieces of land are generally more expensive than larger pieces. Roadside land has increased sharply in value over the past two years. Mountain side land with sea view varies in price depending on the steepness, quality of the view, distance from the beach, availability of road access and distance from the nearest electricity supply.

Koh Lanta construction costs

Due to the ferry costs and weight restrictions, building materials typically cost 30 – 40% more on Koh Lanta than on the mainland. If you are building on a the southern half of the island or on a steep slope with no paved roads, these prices may increase by a further 30% or even more.

Road transport for heavy construction materials along steep unpaved roads is not reliable during rainy season and deliveries may cause long and expensive delays in construction.