.....As I have tried my best to actually keep an ‘Eye On Pattaya’ and its real estate sector, I do at times get myself into trouble ... and sometimes, into a lot of trouble!
As I am sure you can imagine, it’s not always easy in a town like this to be a journalist – and report honestly on what you see and experience!
There are a number of things that will work against you, namely advertisers with vested interests. Now that’s advertisers with vested interests in not being exposed as disreputable and/or financially incapable, that can be very dangerous for a journalist to cover (or uncover!) in a published editorial.
As I have published my ‘Eye On Pattaya’ editorials over the years, I have received, via emails and conversations, a good number of ‘tips’, questions, suggestions and complaints about our real estate industry.
And this is where the title for this editorial begins ‘What Is Acceptable To You’?
One of my most recent emails was from a local person who showed himself, through his comments, to be quite knowledgeable about the local construction seen.

Negative comments
This person made a number of very negative comments about some of the local construction going up in and around the Pattaya area – right before our eyes.
In fact, and I must admit, this person shed light on a few ‘construction issues’ that I had not realised when commenting on a development in a recent editorial.
It was just recently, in last month’s editorial, in fact, that I wrote about one of our leading construction and design teams and the highly trained work force behind them.
I went on to say that you know, when you drive ‘on site’ at this particular development, that you have ‘arrived’... and quickly you realise that this is not ‘typical’ Pattaya design and construction.
So, just what is ‘typical’ Pattaya design and construction and is the answer to this question something that is safe to discuss or write about in Pattaya – or is this simply something we will ‘read about’ in the future?
Right about now a good number of you are saying to yourselves ‘This Is Thailand’ ... this is how the Asians operate ... but no, we are talking about ‘Farang Kee-Kong Farang’ – foreigners cheating foreigners here.
As mentioned in that same recent email I received “if the farangs can’t group together to keep Pattaya from destroying itself, why should the Thais care?”
My second question for this editorial is: “When are we foreigners going to group together to keep Pattaya from destroying itself?”
Many of us have seen and heard about a number of ‘high profile’ website forums that had posted web blogs with very hot topics full of complaints about one development or another only to see that ‘hot topic’ all of a sudden disappear!
Now I mentioned at the beginning of this editorial – and I have said it time and time again – we cannot expect or rely on our publishers, worldwide web and/or television presenters to do anything about the ‘problems’ that arise within our real estate industry.
It’s just not going to happen any time soon!

Developers beware
But developers beware and be forewarned – the moment your advertising money stops ‘rolling in’ – it will be “don’t let the door hit you on the backside on the way out” time and you may find yourself “back in their news” with no fancy photos, but only “negative” property details if you ‘trash’ our real estate industry!
So ... what’s it going to take? Are we going to wait until a group (and there is a very large group!) of foreigners put up a website filled with photos and information about those ‘failed and failing’ developments that have collected millions of dollars, but are not ‘coming up with the goods’?
It has been a few months since I have brought up this topic, but things have not gotten better, in fact, they have gotten worse.
To ask the question again: “What can foreigners do to keep Pattaya’s construction sector from destroying itself?”
I wrote more than a year ago that the Pattaya real estate sector does not want a skyline of unfinished buildings ... well guess what folks, we’ve already got them!
Why do I care? What concern is it of mine? There are a good number of hard working and very honest real estate brokers in the area that are trying hard to make a living and we are the ones that will be here when the ‘dust settles’.
We are the real estate agencies that will be ‘left holding the bag’ ... the ‘should I trust a Pattaya Real Estate agents bag’?
I can see a day when we foreigners do work together. In fact, we now have the Real Estate Brokers Association - Eastern Seaboard as one very good example. But REBA-ES is not the answer to this problem.

“Policing’ itself
We need the construction and design industry to start “policing” itself as I propose that those many reputable and capable condo and housing developers out there start working together (as the real estate brokers within REBA-ES) with the Pattaya City Hall to ‘protect themselves’ and ‘protect their industry’.
We do have some really great construction and design companies throughout the Eastern Seaboard and they have long-term plans to continue construction for years into the future.
I would love to see these same great construction and design companies form their own association with one another to keep our industry “on track”.
Let’s work together as the areas real estate agencies and developers build trust in our areas brokers and construction.
That would be acceptable to most all of us. Ω

A little more about our columnist

Our thanks to Clayton Wade, managing director of Premier Homes Real Estate for preparing this ‘Eye On Pattaya’ report.
Clayton Wade has been running Premier Homes with his wife, Khun Supap for more than 12 years.
He has been in the industry for 22 years, having started his real estate career in the United States, where he was licensed to practise both real estate sales and property management in Seattle.
He was responsible for bringing in the first 53 General Motors executives for the ‘start up phase’ of Thailand’s General Motors manufacturing facility and had a three year exclusive deal with the company. Following that he placed most of the ‘start up’ executives for the Eastern Seaboard’s BMW manufacturing facility.
Clayton is known throughout the Asia-Pacific region for his writing, public speaking and television presentations.
His accomplishments in promoting Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard real estate industry include having been a guest speaker with several of Thailand’s top political and business figures on CNBC’s Managing Asia programme.
You can visit Premier Homes’ website at: www.premierinternational.com
Clayton Wade may be contacted by telephone at +66 (0)81-634-2915 or by email at: clayton@premierinternational.com