BIO: As the owner of Apollo Assets Co Ltd, Mr. Vorathep Srikuruwal is a prominent figure in the real estate industry of Thailand. He has established a track record and extensive experience as a visionary leader in this field.
STORY: Vorathep came across a bank property he thought would be a good investment. He bought it for half its value and even got the bank to give him a loan. His biggest mistake was never visiting the property in person before buying. If he had, he’d have seen its terrible state.
LEARNING: If you’re thinking of buying anything, whether cheap or expensive, first go there, and have a look. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you have to buy it.
“Walk through that property, touch it, and do a lot of homework before you buy it.”
Vorathep Srikuruwal
Guest profile
As the owner of Apollo Assets Co Ltd, Mr. Vorathep Srikuruwal is a prominent figure in the real estate industry of Thailand. He has established a track record and extensive experience as a visionary leader in this field.
His business acumen has enabled Apollo Assets Co Ltd to reach great heights, placing it among the leading players in the Thai real estate industry.
Having earned a reputation for excellence, innovation, and integrity, Vorathep continues to contribute to the growth and development of the Thai real estate market.
He is happy to offer free real estate consultancy, whether buying /selling/renting/leasing or prelim valuations of the assets in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand.
Worst investment ever
Vorathep started his real estate business in 2007 as a family business. About 10 years later, after building about seven projects, Vorathep saw an opportunity to buy two commercial shophouses in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The building was on the main road, just two minutes from one of the CBDs. The property belonged to a bank.
Vorathep did a lot of homework before investing in the property. He checked the location and everything nearby (using Google Maps). He also used his knowledge of Chiang Mai to evaluate the property. The market valuation for the shophouses was $400,000. The property was roughly 800 square meters in size. The four-story building had a rooftop that could be converted into a lovely boutique hotel, office, or restaurant.
The real estate mogul told the bank he’d be interested in getting the property for $200,000 because it was a non-performing asset. Three months later, the bank called and said he could have the property for $200,000. He just had to pay 1% of the value ($2,000), and the bank would provide him a loan for the property for another eight years. The deal seemed too good to be true. Vorathep did the math and saw that if he rented the property, he’d get about $4,000, pay $2,500 to the bank, and make a profit of $1,500 monthly. It was a good deal, so he accepted it.
Vorathep put a for rent sign on the building, but six months later, he had no tenants. This shocked him because the building was in a decent location with a bank, shops, hotels, and a university nearby. After two years of paying the bank loan out of pocket, Vorathep decided to do something because the building was still not bringing in any income. He visited the building for the first time. Yes, Vorathep didn’t do a property visit before paying for it. He had relied on the photos the bank had sent him and Google Maps.
The building was in a horrible state; no wonder nobody wanted to rent it. A year later, Vorathep flew to Chiang Mai after the COVID lockdowns. He went to the building next door and spoke with the owners, mother and son. He offered to sell the building to them. They were interested in buying it for $150,000, but Vorathep got them to pay $220,000. He didn’t make any profit from that sale.
Lessons learned
- If you’re thinking of buying anything, whether it’s cheap or expensive, first go there, and have a look. Don’t judge the book by the cover.
Andrew’s takeaways
- Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you have to buy it.
- Be very careful when purchasing bank properties.
No.1 goal for the next 12 months
Vorathep’s number one goal for the next 12 months is to take more care of himself and run the 21km half marathon.
Parting words
“Thank you very much!”
Vorathep Srikuruwal
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