TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT OR LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SERVICES:

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Asia Finds a Niche – Housing For Hobbits

Category: , Posted:11 Dec 2012 | 17:38 pm

Jingle Bill, Jingle Bill. Is the very Merry Season here again already? Apparently so given the greenscape in every retail space my eyes come to rest on. Either that or I've land face down in the street in some drunken Irishman's nightmare.
Hollywood is cranking fast and frantic this year as the epic big screen of the Hobbit is upon use. Bilbo and his crew of freaks, little people with pointed ears and alien inspired round-headed types are among us. I'm not quite sure on the exact political correctness on all manner of Hobbitology. Are there male and female Hobbits? Naturally coming from Thailand the question could be raised about transgender taglines? Do Hobbit's believe in God or is that place they come from just too damned fine to want an alternative universe.
Here we go now with generation Hobbit or as those Mad Ad Men (and women) would say Gen-H. The whole Gen thing seems to be running out of steam. What happens after Gen-X, Y or Z? Do we start again, double the alphabet or add numbers after? Again sitting on a low-cost airline as I write this it seems the sheer stupidity of my fellow passengers is rubbing off.
But meanwhile back on point, the truth is that Hobbit's and Asian real estate have been simpatico for quite sometime. Certainly this year in Thailand the age of Mickey Mouse flats, or to be more polite entry-level condominiums has dominated the center sales stage.
Whether it's been idle chatter from developers in Pattaya saying 20 square meters was far to big; to the recent spate of cheap small condos, which have captivated Phuket, Hua Hin, and Bangkok. A few years ago AirAsia came into the limelight with that adage "Now Everyone Can Fly." For the property market it's now a case of "Now Everyone Can Own a Condo".
Recently I took a look at a new ready to be launched budget condo project's show flat and found my mind drifting to those dog kennels that the privileged class use to house their trophy poodles way up in first class on a legacy airline.
But then I realized the genius of it and a new niche market -Hobbit's. It's mistaken to think that the wee folk can only be found in New Zealand. Last time I checked there were only 23 people living in that faraway country. Yes, it's beautiful. No doubt of the most specular places on earth but would want's to live in the shadow of such beauty all of the time. You'd find yourself continually weeping for now particular reason. Grandiose schizophrenia is never more than a lamb chop away.
So unbeknownst to most of us, Hobbit's have been invading every property market in Asia and buying up these small boxes; which when you are less than a few feet tall, would seem to be more like an ultra-villa. Plus they are from New Zealand so their expectations of luxury and indoor plumbing are well below the line from the rest of us.
Smart money is flocking to Gen-H condos as clearly these people breed like rabbit's and royalties from all those Lord of the Ring's pictures have created a deep market. Silly me. I'd been pondering the rapid rise of the new LCC's (low-cost condos), and it had plagued my downtime for most of the year. Enter a lightning bolt of clarity. Problem solved.
While no one is quite sure how deep the market is, given the region's property experts have yet to figure out the demographics of the Gen-H market. For now developers are humming along with Randy Newman as he sings out about the short people. But in this case short is the next big thing or more correctly Hobbit's that is.

Other News

Read more

The C9 Sessions. Property Market Update – Thailand’s Short and Long-Term Rental Market

Category: Hotels|Real estate, Posted:03 Mar 2025 | 16:12 pm The C9 Sessions is headed to Bangkok on Tuesday 11th March 2025. One of the hottest topics out there at the moment is Thailand’s rental market.  With a backdrop of surging tourism numbers vacation rentals are in high demand. While on the investment side, longer term letting is becoming an increasingly attractive yield play for […]
Read more

Gen Z Is Disrupting Travel: Slow, Smart & Experience-Driven

Category: Hotels|Tourism, Posted:23 Feb 2025 | 05:41 am The way  Gen Z travels is reshaping the hospitality and tourism industry. Gone are the days of rigid schedules and whirlwind itineraries—this generation is rewriting the travel playbook, prioritizing slow, meaningful experiences over checklist tourism. The NextGen Thai Travelers 2025 Report, released by C9 Hotelworks in collaboration with Dusit Thani College, reveals how over 600 […]
Read more

The C9 Sessions Travel To Singapore For Branded Residences Event

Category: Hotels|Real estate, Posted:20 Feb 2025 | 06:21 am The C9 Sessions will be in Singapore this coming Monday 24th February 2025 in our latest event. Branded residences are becoming a significant asset class in both the real estate and hospitality space. As property developers, real estate investors and property buyers are learning, brands are at the forefront of the trend. Join us for […]
SiaJai logo

Thailand's Leading Homecare Marketplace