Finding a House or Apartment in Thailand
Once you have found suitable employment in Thailand, it's time to find a place to live.
Odds are good that your job will be in Bangkok, the country's political, financial, and cultural capital. There are many expatriates living in Bangkok, and thus many agencies set up that would be happy to help foreigners find apartments. One such agency is ThaiApartment.com, owned by Acute Realty. The site allows you to search by budget (in baht, of course) and see photos of selected apartment units. You can also search for houses, townhouses or condos, and even for office space.
According to this eHow article, you can go about your apartment search in Bangkok as you would in any other city, by taking to the streets and following up on any promising For Rent signs that you see. Also, if you are staying in a hostel, guest house or hotel, try asking the staff for advice. They might have a friend or family member who needs to unload a great apartment.
If you are at a later stage of your career and you're ready to buy a house in Thailand, you may find a much better deal for your dollars, converted into baht, than you would in the United States. Try ThaiProperty.com, which specializes in the Pattaya area, about an hour's drive from Bangkok. The site has photos of its properties and resources to help you build, renovate, buy or sell property. Pattaya boasts beautiful beaches, so you may be able to snap up some beachfront real estate for a bargain.
Likewise, if you are in Phuket, in the south of the country, check out RealEstatePhuket.com. Properties in this area, far from the capital, are likely to be even more inexpensive.
A discussion forum on PhuketInfo.com has a good rundown of what pitfalls you might want to avoid when buying property in Thailand. It is difficult for foreigners to buy land in their own name, but if you have a Thai wife, she should be able to take care of this for you. (You may, however, take out a 30-year lease on the property in your own name, even if you are single.)
Thailand also does not have a mortgage system in the same way that the United States does, so unless you are able to plunk down all the cash up front, you may have to find a private company that offers a finance plan tailored to your needs. Good luck, and happy house hunting!