Koh Mak Property – Introduction
Some Backgound Information
Koh Mak has only recently been discovered by expats looking for a spot for a holiday home. However, since 2006, when work on the first small housing development began, prices for land – especially beachfront or with sea views has risen dramatically. There is a limited amount of land for sale on the island as the vast majority of land plots belong to the extended families who are direct ancestors of the founders of the island. Occasionally beachfront land comes up for sale but it is rare to find a small plot ideal for a boutique resort and impossible to find a plot a few hundred square metres in size for a house on the beach. Therefore, homeowners usually live inland. As the island is relatively small, they are never more than a few minutes walk or scooter ride from the beach.
You can’t expect to have all the comforts of home at your fingertips if you live on Koh Mak. But satellite TV is available and internet connections via satellite or mobile phone are also relatively simple to set up. Water is from private bore holes and electricity comes from the island’s generator trucks which are parked in the centre of the island near the local government and police offices.
Title deeds for land on the island were all upgraded in 2009 and so the vast majority of the land plots now have Chanote titles which makes ownership more secure.
Current land prices, as of mid 2010, are from around 2 million baht / rai upwards for land in the centre of the island with no sea views to 5 million baht / rai upwards for beachfront.
Building costs are higher than on Koh Chang or the mainland as all materials have to be shipped on the once daily slow boat and workers have to be organised to load and unload the boat. Due to ongoing construction on the island it is now possible to find workers quite easily without having to hire builders from the mainland.
Although Koh Mak is a very nice laid back island it isn’t the most exciting place in the world. To enjoy living here you need to be the type of person who can organise your own activities and don’t rely on having a wide variety of bars, restaurants and shops to visit on a regular basis in order to keep yourself occupied.
