New Developments in Pattaya: Presale and Under Construction

Presale and under construction: what the labels mean

At presale a developer has opened reservations, but the site may be little more than a hoarding and a sales gallery. You get renders, floor plans and sometimes a show unit. The choice of floors and views tends to be widest at this point, while there is nothing yet to check on the ground.

Under construction means work is visibly under way. Ask us for recent site photos, or visit, and judge from the pace of work whether the stated completion date looks realistic.

Buying off-plan from abroad

Most international buyers never see the site before signing, and that is workable as long as the paperwork is right. Prices are set in Thai baht and paid in several transfers as the building goes up, so if you earn in another currency the final cost will move with the exchange rate between instalments. Each payment should arrive from abroad in a foreign currency, and you keep every bank confirmation: for a condo unit, they are needed to register ownership in your name.

The trade-off

What you gain

• Staged payments under the developer's schedule instead of the full price at once.
• First pick of floor, orientation and unit type.
• Time to save, move money at your own pace and plan the move or the letting.
• A new building with new systems; the contract sets out what the developer's warranty covers and for how long.

What you carry

• Delay risk. Even sound developers finish late, so the delay clause in your contract matters.
• The gap between render and reality: finishes, the view, and what may rise on the next plot.
• Developer risk. Look at how they delivered earlier projects; the developer's page on our site lists their other buildings when we have them.
• Limited exit. Not every contract lets you assign the unit to another buyer before completion.

Checking the project card

• Status: presale or under construction.
• Completion: the planned quarter and year, when the developer has given them.
• Payment plan: each stage, its share of the price and when it is due, when the developer has published one.
• Developer, with a link to their page and other projects.
• Images: for an unbuilt project these are almost always the developer's renders, not photographs. A render shows the intention, not the result.
• Foreign quota, for condo units; not verified does not mean no.

Handover: the step to prepare for

When the building is finished, the developer invites you to inspect the unit before transfer. That is the moment to list every defect — cracks, damp, an air conditioner that does not work, uneven tiles — and ask for repairs before you pay the balance. If you cannot attend, a professional snagging inspector or our team can do the walk-through for you. Also compare the actual floor area with the area in the contract; the contract decides what happens if they differ.

Where new projects are going up

Jomtien is where much of the city's new condo building is happening, Pratumnak sees fewer and smaller new buildings, and Huay Yai is mostly new villa and housing estates. For houses only, go to villas in Pattaya; for apartments at any stage, see Pattaya condos.

Questions for the contract

The reservation and the sale and purchase agreement with the developer decide what happens if things do not go to plan. Ask a lawyer to check the clauses on late completion and compensation, refunds, assignment to another buyer, permitted changes to the design, and who pays the fees at transfer.

Prefer to move in sooner?

If you would rather see the actual unit before you buy, look at ready condos in Pattaya, or browse everything in the project catalogue.