What to Look at When Buying a Condo, a 12-Point Checklist Before You Decide

Key Highlights

• The question of what to look at when buying a condo comes down to 12 points in four groups, covering location and commute, the building itself, the unit, and finance and paperwork.
• Rank them by what a mistake costs to undo rather than by personal preference. For a 3,000,000 baht unit sold inside five years and replaced, a Thai buyer pays roughly 137,800 to 148,300 baht to reverse the decision, or 4.6 to 4.9 percent of the price.
• A foreign buyer pays more to reverse the same decision, roughly 197,500 to 208,000 baht or 6.6 to 6.9 percent, because the reduced transfer fee applies only to Thai nationals.
• Three things can never be repaired, being the location, the unit orientation and the building. Unit condition, which is where most viewing time goes, is the group with the lowest repair cost and some items are still under warranty.
• A sensible service charge is measured as a share of unit value rather than as baht per square metre. The range found in the market is 0.41 to 0.63 percent of value per year, and anything above 0.8 percent deserves an explanation.

Why is this 12-point checklist ranked by the cost of backing out?

Most guides on what to look at when buying a condo hand you a long list where every point carries equal weight. The problem is that viewing time is limited, and almost everyone spends it on what the eye can see, which is the unit condition, the furniture and the view. That group happens to be the one with the lowest cost to fix later.

The ranking in this article is built on a single question. If you get this point wrong, what does it cost to start over. Points you can fix for a few thousand baht deserve little viewing time. Points that cannot be fixed at all except by selling the unit should be settled as a pass or fail before you even book a viewing.

Choice is not the constraint. What is missing for most buyers is a decision order that eliminates options quickly without skipping the points that matter.

1) Which three mistakes cannot be fixed, and what does backing out cost?

The three that cannot be fixed are the location, the orientation of the unit and the building itself. No repair addresses any of them. The only exit is to sell and buy again, and that exit has a price you can calculate in advance.

The price comes from four items. The first is specific business tax at 3.3 percent, which the seller pays when the unit has been held for less than five years, in place of stamp duty at 0.5 percent for a seller who has held it longer. On a 3,000,000 baht unit that is 99,000 baht against 15,000 baht. The second is the registration transfer fee on the replacement purchase, currently 0.01 percent or 300 baht for a Thai individual buyer who meets the conditions of the current measure.

The third is the sinking fund on a new building, collected once at handover at 500 to 800 baht per square metre according to Silverman, published 4 August 2026, which is 17,500 to 28,000 baht for a 35 square metre unit. The fourth is one year of service charge paid in advance, which at 50 baht per square metre per month comes to 21,000 baht.

The full cycle therefore costs roughly 137,800 to 148,300 baht, or 4.6 to 4.9 percent of the unit price, before counting the months on market, agent time and the risk that prices move in between. That figure is what a mistake on any of the first three points actually costs.

Compare that with the other end of the scale. An independent unit inspection for a unit up to 35 square metres costs 2,000 to 3,500 baht at the rates published by S Inspector for 2025, and a title search at the Land Office costs around 200 baht according to Condo Reviews Thailand, updated 12 February 2026. Those two line items buy certainty on the points that cannot be undone, for under 3 percent of what backing out would cost.

2) What should you check on location and commute, points 1 to 3?

This group has three points and all three can be settled before you book a viewing, which makes it the right filter for cutting a long shortlist down to a short one.

Actual walking distance to the train, not the straight-line distance

Point 1 is the real walking distance. Many listings quote a point to point measurement in a straight line, which tells you nothing about how many times you detour, how many roads you cross, or whether there is a footpath the whole way. The check you can run yourself is to walk from the project entrance to the actual platform at the time of day you would use it, with a stopwatch running, rather than reading it off a map.

Point 2 is the quality of that walk. Two routes of equal length feel completely different when one has a broken footpath, a footbridge to climb, an unlit soi at night, or a stretch alongside a main road with no shade. Walk it a second time in the evening before deciding, because the same route at ten in the morning and at nine at night are not the same route.

What surrounds the project today and what could change within three years

Point 3 is the surroundings, and it has two layers. The first layer is what already exists, including convenience stores, markets, hospitals and schools. The second layer is what does not exist yet but could, such as the empty plot next door that may become a tower blocking your view and your airflow.

To check the second layer, walk the neighbouring plots and look for construction permit boards or land for sale signs, then ask the juristic office of the building next door whether any project in the same soi has filed for a permit. It is a question you can answer in a single day, and it prevents a disappointment that no amount of money will fix afterwards.

If you want to compare several areas before walking any of them, the Bangkok condos for sale page on PropertyScout filters by district and by station in one view.

3) What should you check about the project, points 4 to 6?

This is the group buyers spend the least time on and the group with the most items that cannot be fixed, because it concerns the building and the common property rather than the unit you are buying.

Developer, building age, and the juristic person's maintenance

Point 4 is building age, and the question that tells you far more than how old the building is, is what date the condominium was registered. The reason is that the five year structural defect warranty runs from the condominium registration date, which belongs to the building, not from the date each individual buyer takes transfer. That structure is the one most projects use, and property101thailand, updated 15 October 2024, and the after sales service page of Chaoprayamahanakorn Public Company Limited state it the same way.

The consequence is that someone buying a leftover unit in a project registered three years ago receives only two years of remaining structural cover, while finishes carry a one year warranty and consumable fittings carry six months, both counted from each buyer's own transfer date and therefore identical for everyone. Those two clocks start on different days, and no listing tells you so.

Point 5 is how well the juristic person runs the building. Three documents answer this. The first is two years of financial statements. The second is the current sinking fund balance. The third is the minutes of the most recent general meeting, which tell you what the co-owners argue about most.

A co-owner has the right to inspect the juristic person's income and expenditure accounts, and a refusal carries a fine of not less than 50,000 baht, as summarised by Dharmniti in its article on co-owner rights, updated 12 October 2022. The catch is that a prospective buyer is not yet a co-owner. The practical route is to ask the seller, who already is one, to make the request, and to write into the reservation agreement that the deposit is fully refundable if those three documents are not produced by an agreed date.

One more detail helps you read the documents faster. A juristic person's accounts must be audited within 60 days of the fiscal year end and filed with the Department of Lands within three months of the accounting period closing, as summarised by AMT Audit. If a project tells you the latest set is not ready long after that window has passed, that is an answer in itself.

Actual occupancy rate and the proportion of rented-out units

Point 6 is how many owners actually live there compared with how many rent their units out. No public source publishes this per project, so this article gives you no figure for it. What it gives you instead is three ways to estimate it in a single day.

The first is to count overflowing mailboxes and blank nameplates in the ground floor lobby. The second is to compare the number of cars in the car park on a weekday night with the total unit count. The third is to open the rental listings for that building and see how many units are advertised at once. A building with an unusually high number of simultaneous rental listings for its size is one where most owners do not live there, which affects both noise levels and whether general meetings reach a quorum.

For a sense of scale, look at the Bangkok condos for rent page on PropertyScout. Across the city there are close to three rental listings for every sale listing.

4) What should you check inside the unit, points 7 to 9?

This group splits again into what comes with the unit's position, which cannot be changed, and what is simply condition, which can. Buyers who spend all their time on the second part always miss the first.

Floor, direction, view, and soundproofing

Point 7 is floor and orientation. The price gap between a high floor and a low floor in the same building runs at roughly 15 to 25 percent according to Superagent, published 29 April 2026. Converted into money using area price per square metre, a 35 square metre unit in Asok carries a floor premium of about 1,498,000 baht, while the same size unit in Bang Na carries about 749,000 baht, at the same percentage.

In other words, choosing a floor in the inner city is a decision worth well over a million baht, while in an outer area it is a decision worth a few hundred thousand. The time you give this point should not be the same in both places.

Point 8 is sound insulation, where the common assumption is that a higher floor is always quieter. Height only helps with noise arriving from street level. It does nothing for noise generated inside the building, whether from the neighbouring unit, the lift lobby or the building services. The check you can run inside the unit is to stand still with the windows closed and listen for one minute, then open them and listen for another minute. The difference between those two minutes is what the glazing actually blocks.

Actual usable size against balcony area

Point 9 is the size you can actually use. The area stated in the contract is a gross figure that includes walls and the balcony. A 30 square metre unit with a 4 square metre balcony leaves noticeably less indoor space than a 30 square metre unit without one. Measure it with a tape on the viewing day and compare it against the number in the paperwork.

The statutory minimums under Ministerial Regulation No. 55 of 2000 require a residential unit in a multi-unit building to be no smaller than 20 square metres, a bedroom to be no smaller than 8 square metres with its narrowest side no less than 2.50 metres, and a bathroom to have a floor to ceiling height of no less than 2 metres. Those figures are what the law will pass, not what is comfortable to live in.

The question worth asking on the viewing day is how the contract adjusts the price when the measured area differs from the stated area. You will get a far better answer then than after transfer.

5) What should you check on finance and documents, points 10 to 12?

The last group decides whether the price is reasonable and what is attached to the unit that you cannot see yet.

Price per square metre compared with the area average

Point 10 is price per square metre, the only unit that lets you compare units of different sizes. The Bangkok average sits at around 197,000 baht per square metre according to Bamboo Routes, updated 2 April 2026, broken down by area as follows.

Area	Price per square metre
Chidlom and Langsuan	Around 267,000 baht
Silom and Sala Daeng	Around 252,000 baht
Thonglor	Around 246,000 baht
Asok	Around 214,000 baht
Ari	Around 175,000 baht
Rama 9	Around 163,000 baht
On Nut	Around 132,000 baht
Bang Na	Around 107,000 baht

Divide the asking price by the contract area and compare it with the figure for that area. If it sits clearly above, ask what justifies it. It may be a higher floor, an unobstructed view or fitted furniture included in the price. If nothing explains it, that gap is your room to negotiate. Own Property Abroad, updated 15 May 2026, puts the discount buyers typically achieve off asking prices at 5 to 8 percent.

Common area fees and encumbrances

Point 11 is the service charge, where sources disagree. Plus Property, updated 10 July 2026, puts the Bangkok average at 35 to 45 baht per square metre per month with the top tier at 95 to 150 baht, while Sansiri, updated 24 November 2025, gives a range of 40 to 85 baht. Condo Reviews Thailand puts mid-range buildings at 40 to 80 baht and luxury buildings at 100 to 180 baht and above. Each source draws on a different set of projects, so use them as a frame of reference rather than as an answer.

The test that actually decides the question is to convert the charge into a share of the value you hold. When each tier's rate is matched against the price per square metre of the same tier, the baht per square metre figures differ by more than four times, yet the share of value collapses into a narrow band of 0.41 to 0.63 percent per year. Once your own calculation passes 0.8 percent per year, ask which services that money funds.

Do not forget the two sums due on transfer day. The sinking fund at 500 to 800 baht per square metre is collected once and is not returned when you sell, and service charge is collected six to twelve months in advance. For a 35 square metre unit at 50 baht per square metre per month, those two together come to roughly 38,500 to 49,000 baht, which is many times the 570 baht in transfer and mortgage registration fees payable within the current measure.

Point 12 is encumbrances. The debt-free certificate is the document that decides whether transfer day happens at all, because a Land Office official cannot register the transfer of a condominium unit without it, under section 29 paragraph two of the Condominium Act. Write into the contract that the certificate must be issued before the next instalment falls due, and state that the deposit is refunded in full if it is not.

Three extra points that apply only to foreign buyers

The first is the foreign ownership quota. Foreign nationals may hold freehold title over no more than 49 percent of the total unit floor area of a building, and the quota is calculated from area rather than from unit count, so larger units consume more of it. Ask the juristic office to confirm in writing how many square metres remain, not how many units.

The second is the cost of backing out, which is higher for a foreign buyer. The reduced transfer fee of 0.01 percent applies only to Thai individual buyers, so the replacement purchase carries the standard 2 percent, or 60,000 baht on a 3,000,000 baht unit rather than 300 baht. The full cycle therefore costs roughly 197,500 to 208,000 baht, or 6.6 to 6.9 percent of the unit price, which is about 59,700 baht more than a Thai buyer pays for the same mistake.

The third is funding and representation. Money brought in above 50,000 US dollars needs a foreign exchange transaction form, and the sending name must match the name that will appear on the title. Financing is available at roughly 50 to 70 percent of value, at rates of about 5 to 8 percent over 15 to 30 years according to Expatica, updated 2 February 2026. An independent lawyer costs 30,000 to 80,000 baht per Condo Reviews Thailand, which against a reversal cost of 197,500 baht or more is the least expensive insurance on this list.

If you are looking specifically at resale units, the seller side paperwork and tax position deserve more depth than this page gives them. The PropertyScout guide on what to inspect when buying a second-hand condo covers the five year holding line and how to split the costs in negotiation.

6) Scoring weight table for when you cannot pass every point

No unit passes all 12 points. The real question is which ones you can live with and which ones you cannot. The method that works is to split the 12 into two groups before scoring anything.

The first group is judged pass or fail and must never be scored, because a fail here cannot be offset by points earned elsewhere. The only remedy is the reversal cost of 4.6 to 4.9 percent of the unit price, or 6.6 to 6.9 percent for a foreign buyer.

• Point 1, actual walking distance to the train, judged pass or fail, because you cannot move the building.
• Point 3, surroundings and neighbouring plots, judged pass or fail, because you cannot control them.
• Point 4, building age and condominium registration date, judged pass or fail, because remaining warranty cannot be restored.
• Point 7, floor and orientation of the unit, judged pass or fail, because changing them means buying a different unit.
• Point 12, encumbrances and the debt-free certificate, judged pass or fail, because it can block transfer day outright.

The second group can be scored, because each item can be repaired or compensated with money. Weight them by what the fix costs, so the more expensive the remedy, the heavier the weight.

Point that can be scored	Weight	Reason for the weight
Point 11, service charge and sinking fund	High	It recurs every month for as long as you hold the unit
Point 10, price per square metre against the area average	High	You negotiate it once before signing
Point 5, quality of the juristic person's management	Medium	A general meeting can change it but it takes years
Point 6, owner-occupier share against rented-out units	Medium	It shifts with the market cycle on its own
Point 8, sound insulation	Medium	Glazing and seals help but building services noise does not go away
Point 2, quality of the walking route	Low	You can pick another route or another way to travel
Point 9, usable area against balcony area	Low	Furniture planning recovers part of it

In practice, eliminate every unit that fails the first group before scoring anything, then score only the survivors. That order stops you from spending weeks on a beautiful unit that fails a point no money can fix, which is the single most common mistake first-time buyers make.

Frequently asked questions about buying a condo

What to look at when buying a condo for the first time if you only get one viewing

Spend the entire visit on the five pass or fail points, which are the real walking distance to the station, the surroundings, the condominium registration date, the floor and orientation, and the encumbrance paperwork. Photograph every part of the unit condition instead and inspect it properly on handover day, because that group can be fixed later and some of it is still under warranty.

Which documents can I ask to see before paying a deposit

Three sets. Two years of juristic person financial statements, the minutes of the most recent general meeting, and the debt-free certificate for that unit. In practice a buyer is not yet a co-owner, so ask the seller to request them and write into the reservation agreement that the deposit is refunded in full if they are not produced by an agreed date.

How high does a service charge have to be before it is too high

Do not judge it on the baht per square metre figure alone. Convert it into a share of value by dividing the annual charge by the unit price. The band found in the market is 0.41 to 0.63 percent per year. Above 0.8 percent per year, ask for the financial statements and find out which services that money funds.

If I realise after buying that I chose wrong, is selling worth it

It depends which point you missed. If it is a fixable one, repairing is always less expensive than selling. If it is one that cannot be fixed, reversing costs a Thai buyer roughly 137,800 to 148,300 baht on a 3,000,000 baht unit, and a foreign buyer roughly 197,500 to 208,000 baht. The largest single item is the 3.3 percent specific business tax due when the seller has held the unit for less than five years, which also tells you what waiting until the five year mark is worth.

Can a foreign buyer complete this checklist without a lawyer

You can run every check on this list yourself, but two items are worth delegating. Confirming remaining quota in square metres and reviewing the sale and purchase agreement both carry consequences that only appear on transfer day. An independent lawyer costs 30,000 to 80,000 baht, against a reversal cost starting at 197,500 baht for the same unit.

Summary

The short answer to what to look at when buying a condo is that you look at 12 points, but you give them very different amounts of time. Settle the five that cannot be fixed as a pass or fail first, then score the remaining seven by weight.

The single criterion behind that ranking is the cost of backing out, which on a 3,000,000 baht unit is roughly 137,800 to 148,300 baht for a Thai buyer and 197,500 to 208,000 baht for a foreign buyer. Set that against 2,000 to 3,500 baht for an independent inspection and around 200 baht for a title search, and paying for both before you commit is a very small price for the certainty it buys.

Once you have a shortlist that clears the first five points, the next step is to book viewings and prepare your handover inspection list. Browse verified listings

Prices and availability are subject to change and are not guaranteed. Property information is general guidance only. This content is not legal, tax, or financial advice.