Realestate Seminar coming to Pattaya 8 August

Saw this artice in the Pattaya Mail regarding the upcoming Real Estate Seminar and wanted to pass it along:

Real Estate Seminar - 8 August 2012 Eastern Grand Palace Hotel, Soi Khaotalo, Pattaya

REBA-ES and the Agency for Real Estate Affairs proudly present a Seminar on the recently surveyed Pattaya property market.

The survey was conducted by Dr. Sophon Pornchokchai, PhD, D.FIABCI, CRS, MRICS.
Gain a better understanding of the up-to-date market position as recently surveyed for investment purposes with:
An in-depth analysis of residential properties including single houses, duplexes, townhouses, shophouses, condominiums and land plots by eight price ranges.
A most comprehensive survey covering 650 projects; whereas, 250 projects are in Pattaya City, 330 projects are in another six urban centres in Chonburi and 70 projects are in another three urban centres in Rayong.
The most updated survey for Pattaya (July 2012) and other local urban areas (March 2012).
Reported by Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai, PhD D.FIABCI CRS MRICS, president, Agency for Real Estate Affairs (www.area.co.th) which is the first and largest real estate information, valuation and research conducted in Thailand since 1994, together with a panel discussion by renowned major real estate professionals with expertise on the Pattaya market.

The Program

12:00 Registration
13:00 Opening speech and keynote address by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
Introduction by the president of the Real Estate Brokers Association Pattaya (REBA Eastern Seaboard)
13:45 Presentation: Major Findings, Pattaya Property Markets and Outlook, Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai, PhD D.FIABCI CRS MRICS
15:00 Afternoon Refreshment
15:20 Panel Discussion: Pattaya Property Outlook, 2012-2013
(Panel participants yet to be confirmed - a developer, a broker and a government officer)
Introduction by: Mrs. May Watson, president, REBA Eastern Seaboard
17:00 End of the session.

The Organizers

Real Estate Broker Association Eastern Seaboard: www.rebaes.com is an association of brokers and agents in the Eastern Seaboard region of Thailand. It was founded in 2006 with individual and corporate members. Within the association, there are also sub-committees to help uplift the professional practices of members to always have better professional services to consumers.
Agency for Real Estate Affairs www.area.co.th is a property consultant firm as well as real estate information, research and valuation centre in Thailand. It specializes in real estate consultancy services while refraining from real estate brokerage and self-interest property developments to avert a potential conflict of interest; thereby insures the integrity of our valuations and research works.

The Research Team Leader

Dr. Sopon Pornchokchai PhD D.FIABCI CRS MRICS, is a research team leader for Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard as well as the speaker to present the research findings. He earned a PhD in land and housing from the Asian Institute of Technology, a Certificate in Housing from Katholieke Universiet Leuven and a Certificate in Valuation from LRTI Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. He has been conducting market research in Pattaya and Nationwide for over 20 years.

Fee

Participation: 850 baht per person including handouts and refreshment.
Comprehensive research paper: 4,000 baht per copy.
Fees can be paid to any REBA-ES member or direct to the Agency for Real Estate Affairs http://www.trebs.ac.th/English/SUMMARY/seminar_pattaya.php

Good time to invest in Pattaya?!

Pattaya on course to see record numbers!!

• Pattaya is on track to accommodate a record 8 million hotel guests this year, the highest-ever for a Thai resort destination, as improvements in the domestic market and infrastructure boost demand, says a hotel industry report.
 
C9 Hotelworks, the hospitality consulting firm, recently released a report highlighting a 66% hotel occupancy rate for the Eastern Seaboard city last year.
The report stated in 2010 and 2011, occupancy rose by 17% and 9%, respectively. Visitors to the region doubled in 2010 despite fallout from the financial crisis and political turmoil.
Bill Barnett, managing director of the Phuket-based firm, attributed Pattaya's rise to solid infrastructure, a strengthening domestic market, international brands and changing perceptions of the city.

"If you visit Pattaya, you're sitting next to the country's capital with an established tourism market. It's the yin to Bangkok's yang," he said.

Infrastructure is the most important factor, said Mr Barnett. The proliferation of low-cost flights and improved toll roads to the area has made Pattaya an ideal weekend getaway for Thais, who account for a quarter of the market there.
 
Pattaya has clearly eclipsed Hua Hin as a weekend destination, he said while joking that the hour-and-a-half drive to the former sometimes matches the time it takes to cross Bangkok.

The report shows the international tourism market has flourished as well.

Russian and Chinese tourists flocked to Pattaya last year, and the Civil Aviation Department said total arrivals at the nearby U-tapao airport rose by 39% from 2010.
Chinese, Russians and Thais together accounted for nearly 60% of all Pattaya visitors in 2011.
But Pattaya is not all tourism. The second-best property market in Thailand is reaping the fruit of the nearby auto-manufacturing sector.

In terms of a second business district outside of Bangkok, the Eastern Seaboard is developing, and Pattaya is benefiting from that, said Mr Barnett, adding that 60% of the occupancy at the Holiday Inn Pattaya is from corporate functions.
He said the rise of brand-name hotels and megaprojects will help, while the Cartoon Network will open a 1-billion-baht theme water park early next year.

These big demand generators will make the market sustainable.
Mr Barnett, who has worked in the Asian tourism industry for 27 years, said investors are stuck in the past, as investor sentiment has not kept up with market realities.

The real estate market is hot, and there is no oversupply of hotel rooms in the pipeline, signifying well-balanced growth.
"As long as the Thai middle class is growing strong, Pattaya isn't going anywhere," said Mr Barnett.