A place of your own

Kessara Thanyalakpark is a member of the prominent family that runs Sena Development and she’s also an assistant professor, so the tips you get in her new book “30 Secrets to Getting Rich from Real Estate” are rock-solid.
“Real-estate investment might seem complicated, but it’s not that hard,” Dr Kessara reassures the curious. “If you study the details, have enough information and think carefully at every step, it’s quite simple. What you need first is knowledge, such as how to spot the right locations, what designs to look for, budget planning and maintaining an emergency budget.”
The book doubles as a guide for folks simply looking to buy their first home, and Kessara insists it’s untrue that only the well-to-do can own houses. “These days anyone can buy a house. With the tips in this book you have better ideas, whether you’re buying a place to live or just making an investment. Having a house is no longer just a dream.”
Both a developer and a lecturer in banking and finance at Chulalongkorn University, Kessara sees the market from both angles. Even if you’re buying a home to live in, it’s still an investment, she points out, since the value steadily increases – as long as you make the right choices.
She covers new-built houses, second-hand homes, condominiums, single and detached houses and even commercial buildings.
Meanwhile Kessara continues to run Sena’s Baan Ruam Tang Fun “live to give” project. The firm builds good-quality homes and offers them at reasonable prices. Then, once all the houses are sold, the profit goes to public hospitals for buying medical equipment and adding facilities.
All those involve in the house; suppliers, staffs (from executives to marketing and sell team), and including house owner will be part of the charity.
Kessara’s father, Sena’s founder Teerawat Thanyalakpark, underwent treatment for cancer at Siriraj Hospital and witnessed the many underprivileged people seeking medical help. That’s what inspired the non-profit project.
“I know from firsthand experience that, when a loved one falls ill, the quality of treatment is very important,” she says.
Sena’s first Baan Ruam Tang Fun effort was on Lamlukka Khlong 2, comprising 254 town homes and home offices. By 2007, once all the units were sold, the firm was able to donate more than Bt40 million to Siriraj Hospital.
On Lamlukka Khlong 4 the project entailed 184 townhouses, twin houses and home offices and raised Bt40 million for a kidney centre at Royal Thai Police General Hospital. Then there was a set of four condominiums completed this year, and the firm has donated Bt40 million to the Ramathibodi Foundation.
Sena’s donations to public hospitals and foundations in 2014 will total Bt120 million, and at no point has the quality of the homes been compromised. Good designs and location play an important role in the project’s success.
“Before people buy a house they spend about half their lifetime earning the money, so a house becomes the owner’s pride and joy,” Kessara says. “And that’s why I wanted to write this book, turning my knowledge and experience into simple tips for people thinking about buying a place of their own.”

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Rich if you’re smart

Kessara will conduct a seminar on “30 Secrets to Getting Rich from Real Estate” tomorrow from 1.30 to 4.30pm in the third-floor auditorium of the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Admission is free but seating is limited, so call 1775. Find out more at www.sena.co.th/seminar.
Also on hand will be Samma Kitsin, director of the Government Housings Bank’s Real Estate Information Centre, and inspirational author Wisoot Sangarunlert.
Some of the proceeds from sales of Kessara’s book are also earmarked for the Baan Ruam Tang Fun project. It costs Bt200 at all leading bookstores.
Learn more about Baan Ruam Tang Fun at www.RuamTangFun.com and www.Facebook.com/ruamtangfun.