Bangkok, Thailand, Houses, Condominiums, Apartments

Viewing houses, condominiums or apartments starts with choosing the right location. Bangkok is vastly spread out, as a city of approximately 8 million people, and Thailand is as tall as the U.S. west coast.
In the Bangkok region, approximately half of all expats want to be in the central business district (CBD), or somewhere along the two skytrain routes serving that area, namely on or near Sukhumvit-Phloenchit Rd. or the Silom subdistrict. This area is almost purely highrise luxury condominiums and serviced apartments, though there are some individual homes and townhouses scattered around, sandwiched within the concrete maze.
The other half of expats are spread around Bangkok's suburbs, and are usually those who prefer a house and a quiet, spacious neighborhood, or else more economical housing, and/or to experience the Thai way of life (middle to upper class Thai). New housing estates near the expressways have many expat residents.
However, if you plan to commute into town, you should know which parts of the "expressway" are often jammed at what times, where the skytrain (and soon to be underground train) goes, and what other modes of transport are available (e.g., private and public expressway vans to a skytrain station).
The purpose of this section is to give you a general orientation to Bangkok and its regions, show you the most popular expat business and residential locations, review some of nicer places for expats, introduce you to some of the less conventional but nice places where some expats live off the beaten track, and attempt to give you a general feel for Bangkok and its different regions.
It is best to find a home well suited for you from the outset, because your environment and amenities can make a significant difference for your life here. A little more time and money spent up front will usually prove well worth it many times over, in the long run, in terms of your quality of life in Thailand, as well as money saved.