Flood Tip 101 – Don’t buy a house in a former rice field

Due to the increase in population and migrant workers in Bangkok, the demand for housing has skyrocketed. New housing estates are popping up all the time in the suburbs. If you are thinking of buying a house, you might want to check on Google Earth first what it was like there before. In this case it is very obvious that the houses were built on former rice fields. If it is low lying and also near a river, the chances are higher that you will not only be flooded, but also for a lengthy time. The satellite image below shows what this area is like. The whole area is low lying rice fields. If you check out the “history” feature on Google Earth you will see for yourself many other housing estates built on what was water before. If you insist on buying or building a house on what was a former rice field, it might be a good idea to choose a house like the ancestors did that is built on stilts!