CHALONG is one of those places people tend to go through on the way to somewhere else. Drivers head south to Rawai or swing right for Kata or Karon. Divers catch speedboats from the pier.
Yet it only takes a lunch at KanEng@pier or a dinner at Jimmy's Lighthouse to realise that Chalong has plenty to make it a desirable address.
Gary Ebsen, 56-year-old managing director of Chalong Bat View Condominiums, did not need that much convincing.
He says the Bay View project is an opportunity to buy an affordable property in one of the fastest-growing areas of Phuket, and that it provides "a greater chance for significant appreciation" than the more established areas of the island.
What's on offer? Sixty-nine modern open-air two-bedroom and two-bathroom condominiums with an ocean view, in a five-storey building that includes a 25-metre infinity-edge swimming pool on the fourth floor.
Beach access, moorings for watercraft, elevators, 24-hour management, exercise and workout areas, an in-house coffee shop, massage services, a car rental and a travel agency are all part of the package.
Prices range from 3.9 million to 7.9 million baht, with both resdients and investors expected to find the location attractive. The condos are all 90 square metres with the price rising according to the outlook.
Found by turned left at a 7-Eleven just 400 metres south of Chalong Circle, the project is due for completion in August, 2008, with about 60 rai of open space around the building.
Mr Ebsen predicts better times for Phuket, even though property has come through the bad times well.
"In the three years since the tsunami, prices have risen over 300 percent on average," he says.
"You combine airline crashes, bird flu and other natural and man-made disasters and Phuket emerges as a truly bullet-proof market."
He thinks Chalong Bay View Condos is helping to set the pace for location, view and value, with Serenity Terraces, Rawai Seaview, Palm Breeze and Oxygen among other brands now on offer nearby.
He rates Phuket highly on location, climate and infrastructure.
"We use a globe of the world to help customers choose a location in the tropics for their retirement or vacation home," he says.
"We ask them to place their thumb on the Tropic of Capricorn, and their middle finger on the Tropic of Cancer, spin the globe with the other hand, and count the number of places where their finger wants to jump off.
"Phuket is always one of the top three tropical locations."
As for the future, he says that property values and growth potential vary greatly depending on the region of the island.
"The more established areas of Laguna-Bangtao, Surin, Kamala, Patong and Kata-Karon have all experienced some of the largest price increases in the world over the last few years," he says.
"This is likely to slow down until other areas like Chalong-Rawai, the east coast and the north end of the island close this price gap."
He sees buying off the plan as the standard method of buying a condo on Phuket, with many foreign buyers trying to create equity in their condo by buying off the plan.
"Location is the key to any real estate investment" he says. "By taking a calculated risk you can benefit from the predictable price increases as the prject is completed."
For more, call Gary Ebsen on 087-898 7062. Online: www.chalongbayviewapt.com
Yet it only takes a lunch at KanEng@pier or a dinner at Jimmy's Lighthouse to realise that Chalong has plenty to make it a desirable address.
Gary Ebsen, 56-year-old managing director of Chalong Bat View Condominiums, did not need that much convincing.
He says the Bay View project is an opportunity to buy an affordable property in one of the fastest-growing areas of Phuket, and that it provides "a greater chance for significant appreciation" than the more established areas of the island.
What's on offer? Sixty-nine modern open-air two-bedroom and two-bathroom condominiums with an ocean view, in a five-storey building that includes a 25-metre infinity-edge swimming pool on the fourth floor.
Beach access, moorings for watercraft, elevators, 24-hour management, exercise and workout areas, an in-house coffee shop, massage services, a car rental and a travel agency are all part of the package.
Prices range from 3.9 million to 7.9 million baht, with both resdients and investors expected to find the location attractive. The condos are all 90 square metres with the price rising according to the outlook.
Found by turned left at a 7-Eleven just 400 metres south of Chalong Circle, the project is due for completion in August, 2008, with about 60 rai of open space around the building.
Mr Ebsen predicts better times for Phuket, even though property has come through the bad times well.
"In the three years since the tsunami, prices have risen over 300 percent on average," he says.
"You combine airline crashes, bird flu and other natural and man-made disasters and Phuket emerges as a truly bullet-proof market."
He thinks Chalong Bay View Condos is helping to set the pace for location, view and value, with Serenity Terraces, Rawai Seaview, Palm Breeze and Oxygen among other brands now on offer nearby.
He rates Phuket highly on location, climate and infrastructure.
"We use a globe of the world to help customers choose a location in the tropics for their retirement or vacation home," he says.
"We ask them to place their thumb on the Tropic of Capricorn, and their middle finger on the Tropic of Cancer, spin the globe with the other hand, and count the number of places where their finger wants to jump off.
"Phuket is always one of the top three tropical locations."
As for the future, he says that property values and growth potential vary greatly depending on the region of the island.
"The more established areas of Laguna-Bangtao, Surin, Kamala, Patong and Kata-Karon have all experienced some of the largest price increases in the world over the last few years," he says.
"This is likely to slow down until other areas like Chalong-Rawai, the east coast and the north end of the island close this price gap."
He sees buying off the plan as the standard method of buying a condo on Phuket, with many foreign buyers trying to create equity in their condo by buying off the plan.
"Location is the key to any real estate investment" he says. "By taking a calculated risk you can benefit from the predictable price increases as the prject is completed."
For more, call Gary Ebsen on 087-898 7062. Online: www.chalongbayviewapt.com
