What inspired you to start a career in Real estate, and how did you get started?
I never had any intention of pursuing a career in real estate. However, I was staying in Korat on one of my usual trips to Thailand as a tourist. I decided to buy some land and build my house there. Doing this gave me better insight into house building which would stand me in good stead later. Before this, I had also gained valuable experience renovating buildings in England. Then, one of my old friends who was already working in the real estate business called me up and offered me a job in Pattaya, so I came down, and this is where it all started.
What inspired you to start a career in Real estate, and how did you get started?
I never had any intention of pursuing a career in real estate. However, I was staying in Korat on one of my usual trips to Thailand as a tourist. I decided to buy some land and build my house there. Doing this gave me better insight into house building which would stand me in good stead later. Before this, I had also gained valuable experience renovating buildings in England. Then, one of my old friends who was already working in the real estate business called me up and offered me a job in Pattaya, so I came down, and this is where it all started. Twenty years ago, when I had no experience in sales, someone advised me to always pay attention to what a client has to say before answering and offering advice. This has stuck with me ever since and is invaluable advice. To this day, all the experience I gained from the early days has stayed with me. Forging everlasting relationships with developers, brokers, and freelancers, which had, over the years, become invaluable.
Growing the business
My wife and I created Best Pattaya Property after she started her own business and worked from home for several years. Although, as the company grew, we identified a need to give the right impression we wanted for our business, working from home had its limitations. In addition, we decided the profile brand of the company required a high street presence, so we decided to open our own office on Soi Siam. The Thai market is adequately covered by Peach, my wife, who has an extensive contact list and a reputation after many years in the business. People often seek her out within the industry for help and advice.
How have we kept up to date with the ever-changing world of real estate?
Like everyone else, we have had to embrace the digital age. Real estate has gone online. Word of mouth is excellent when you get a recommendation from someone, but you have to be able to have a presence in all aspects of digital media. To showcase your business, a well-designed website is essential; a solid social media presence is also required. People are on the go and need the ability to contact you and look at what your company offers, whether on mobile or desktop. Although this is very important, having a good old-fashioned contact book is also essential. Whether you have a notebook old school or a contact list on your phone, I have known many developers for more years than I care to remember, but I can always guarantee that I will get an invite to the lasted project on offer. This is a testimony to my time and experience in the business. I have had the same phone numbers in my contact book within the real estate industry since 2002.
Agent, brokers, and contractors, the service we offer
Our philosophy is that if we still need to get the property our clients want, we will always contact our preferred broker's partner if we don't have the listing. But, of course, it can work the reverse way, and sometimes we have a property that a broker has a customer for. This works well when clients want to live in certain areas and villages. For example, we recently had three houses in a village that a broker's customer was looking to relocate to. Our service is always based on the premise that we are honest and transparent, and if we recommend a property to a client, we are completely satisfied that it is the best value and the right choice for our customer.