Bangkokpost.com, November 13, 2006
It may be overshadowed by Thailand's more famous resorts, but Krabi is no less attractive with many arguing that it is in fact more appealing _ and poised for a real-estate boom of sorts.
CB Richard Ellis chairman David Simister expects 2007 to be the first big year for Krabi's property market with chances of capital appreciation being very high.
A good example of interesting developments to watch is Koh Jum Estates, a boutique project offering plots on an island with west coast sunset views and a truly white sand beach. No developer on Phuket can claim to have offered anything similar in years since all the prime sites have been taken.
Even so, Mr Simister remains confident in the Phuket market's long-term prosperity. "There is going to be an upgrading of stock in Phuket, there is going to be the launch of branded properties with more professional developers, but I believe that the market now is Phangnga and Krabi, and it probably stretches from Koh Lanta to Khao Lak. Khao Lak is obviously still suffering [since the 2004 tsunami] but there are people with residential projects there.
"The criteria are accessibility and the specifics of the sites, which is very much the view _ and there is an awful lot of spectacular scenery in this area."
