One often overlooked benefit of Thailand's immigration initiatives is the Guardian Visa.
In essence the GV allows one parent to obtain a long stay visa when a dependent is enrolled in a Thai school.
These are issued for a one year term and two of the primary requirements are a deposit of THB500,000 into a Thai bank and a property ownership or proof of house rental.
Phuket's international school's provide assistance in documentation and overall the program is a strong driver for both real estate rentals and full ownership.
Starwood Capital's Baccarat brand has gotten its real estate mojo rolling with its New York offering.
Part of a hotel and residence offering 60 one to four bedroom units and Penthouse.
An opening of the hotel is expected by year end.
Former General Manager of the Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Andrew Turner is onboard to lead the property.
Expect to hear more of Baccarat in Asia's real estate crazed luxury drive.
As the region's real estate sector continues to reach for the sky, Thailand's property market is buzzing about the mega Super Tower project in Bangkok.
Developed by Grand Canal Land the tower will rise 615 meters with 125 storeys in the sky.
Set as a mixed use project, components include corporate offices and a luxury hotel complex.
One of the design USP's has been a green approach with LEED guidelines being followed.
Point Yamu by Como has won top honors in two categories at the annual South East Asia Property Awards held in Singapore.
The twin awards are for Best Villa Development Thailand and Best Hotel Architectural Design South East Asia.
A ceremony was held last Friday night at Singapore's Shangri- La Hotel.
Point Yamu by Como has seen a constant stream of accolades since opening.
I've just returned from Hong Kong where Minor is exhibiting their latest property offering the Anantara Chiang Mai Serviced Suites.
A weekend event is being held at the Mandarin Oriental and is also featuring Minor's Residences at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai and The Estate Samui at the Four Seasons.
There is a strong move in Thailand to penetrate the China market and Minor's starting in Hong Kong is clearly aimed at cashing in on Chiang Mai's increasing popularity with the emerging segment.
The Anantara Serviced Suites Chaing Mai is a joint venture between Minor and Natural Park Public Company Limited.
The property features 44 units in a seven story building that is expected to complete in early 2016.
Branded hotel managed residences are continuing to come into vogue across the region with more products targeting ongoing hotel rental yields and aimed at relatively lower pricing points then seen pre-Global Financial Crisis.
One the island's early era property advisors Eric Synder has died from skin cancer according to the Phuket Gazette.
Synder who was 70 lived on the island for nearly 40 years and in the late 1990's and early 2000's ran a noted property consulting firm Jairak Enterprises in Phuket town.
He is well known throughout the real estate sector and one of this lead attributes was his strong knowledge of Thai and the legal system.
A recent news article in The Business Times has highlighted how Singapore's real estate brokerage houses are now having to look further afield given the country's residential market downturn.
According to the piece the current state of affairs is not unlike falling off a cliff with agencies reporting a downturn of 20-50% on profits.
Many brokerage houses are no looking at opportunities to sell overseas properties to stem the downward trend.
A high cost of fixed overheads such as office rentals and staff are being cited as reasons why agencies have to now concentrate on top live revenue enhancement.
Ireland real estate is rebounding.
At the height of the Irish real estate crash, the country was a very dark place with little hope.
Press reports from Agence France-Press quote that residential property prices in the country have risen 14.9% for the year, through August.
While it's easy to sit in Asia and think all of property opportunities sit in our corner of the world, just look at Dublin where market values have surged nearly 25% year-on-year.
In the East versus West debate, there is a lot to be said for buying undervalued property in the West these days.
One of the leading controversies in the islands real estate sector remains the luxury property under scrutiny on Phuket's prime north west coast.
The issue over possible encroachment into Sirinath National Park remains as unclear today as it did a few years again when it was making news headlines.
As the most recent development now has an escalating dispute between the Land Department and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
Claims and counter claims over the issuance of land titles and the gray area of a moving boundary continue to stand in the way of resolution.
Expect legal proceedings and a long drawn out set of actions in this manner, though for those owners who hold land titles they presumed to be legal, the issue remains a black eye in the property sector for the moment.
