As residential developments in prime areas are becoming mature, the neighboring location like Ratchadaphisek Road beomes a spotlighted territory. Siritanong Property Co., Ltd. saw the opportunity early and launched The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao, whose first phase is already sold out. The second phase, which will be demonstrated in this review, sits a short distance from the first one. The project is nestled in Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley where its two entrances are close to MRT Ratchadaphisek and MRT Lat Phrao. Developed with the concept Minimal Living with fully-furnished units at 2.3 million baht. This tranquil low-rise condo could be your looking-for property.
(Reviewed: 14 November 2016)
Project Name: The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao
Developer: Siritanong Property Co., Ltd.
Address: Ratchadaphisek Soi 19, Ratchadaphisek Road, Din Daeng Sub-District, Din Daeng District
Website: www.themaplecondo.com
Call: 02-167-55086-7, 099-289-6709
Project Area: 1-0-11 rai
Project Type: 8-storey condominium with 159 units
Target market: Consumers with minimum salary of 30,000 baht who can capitalise on MRT; consumers who love lifestyle settings on Ratchadaphisek Road
Construction Progress: Starts January 2016, expected completion in April 2017
Elevator: 2-passenger elevators from Kone
Parking: 60 cars (38% of units)
Facilities: Lobby, 3×8 m. swimming pool, fitness, mini library
Security System: Key Card Access, Digital Door Lock, 24-hour security guards
Selling Rate: 85-90% are sold
Terms of Payment: Booking Payment 10,000 baht, then ready to move in
Sinking Fund: 500 Baht/Sq.m. (single payment on the transfer date)
Maintenance Fees: 50 Baht/Sq.m. (1-year advance payment)
Starting Price: 2.3 MB
Average Price/Sq.m.: 80,000 Baht/Sq.m.
Unit Type
1-Bedroom 28.42 – 38 Sq.m.
2-Bedroom 37.69 – 59.53 Sq.m.
The project has simplistic look in its residential units’ design, regarding the concept of Minimal Living. You will feel much serenity in the project not only through the tranquil surroundings, but the small number of residents as well. The architectural design depicts different shades of Maple as several vertical lines on the facade, contrast with the main colour of grey tones on the background. The building is built in U-Shape, embracing the swimming pool at the centre, while the glass-wall fitness is built nearby on the first floor.
The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao
Project’s model and surrounding areas
On the sides of the project are a bicycle assembler and a single house
The road in front of the project can lead you to either Vibhavadi Rangsit Road or Lardprao Road at the T-Junction
A large-scale single house aside the project
Opposite side is a single house as well
Units facing the swimming pool direction will have the view of the neighboring residential projects
Nearby projects, The Corner and The Unique
Fitness, lobby and mini library zone is located on the side of the swimming pool
Facilities
Lobby
Fitness
3×8 m. swimming pool and sunbathing deck
Show Unit Review (Fully-furnished)
Specifications:
Flooring: 8 mm. laminate flooring in living room and bedroom (ceramic tiles for the units next to the swimming pool); 30×30 cm. ceramic tiles in kitchen and bathroom
Refrigerator: 5.9Q Sharp
Air-Conditioning: 9,200 BTU Mitsubishi for 1BR unit, 12,000 BTU Mitsubishi for 2BR unit
Washing Machine: Front-load type from Samsung
Bathroom Sanitary: American Standard branded, Water-heater from STIEBEL ELTRON
Kitchen Set: Starmark
Furnishings: Index
*Ceramic tiles has the benefit of low water-absorption, which prevents the floor to swell
1-Bedroom Type 4 30.67 Sq.m.
Living Room on top of the floorplan, Kitchen in bottom left, and bedroom bottom right. The balcony is next to the kitchen
Digital Door Lock from Samsung which is hardly found among condos with average price below 100,000 baht/Sq.m. The HDF (High Density Fibre) Door has strong stability and is environmental friendly
The first area of your unit is the living room where sofa from Index and washer from Samsung are provided (the actual unit has the washer in the balcony). The ceiling height is around 2.4 metres
The space between the sofa and TV is slightly distant where The suitable TV size is at least 40″
Plenty of sockets at the back of TV
The bedroom size is around 2 x 2 metre where the project provides a king-sized bed with complete mattress and bedding. The side are sliding windows to open up for natural wind
The wall at the end of bed are sockets for you to set up a TV on the wall
The closet provided is in white tone and has several levels of storage
Next, the kitchen is located next to the bedroom, zoned by a sliding door as a closed kitchen design
The balcony is next to the kitchen where there’s faucet and drain for washing machine usage or manual washing
Sink from Hang which merges with the synthetic-stone coountertop as one
3-level storage on the upper cabinets
Drawers on the lower cabinet
Sockets for electrical appliances and colourful splashback of the kitchen
Typical bathroom fittings with basin, toilet and shower room, except the wooden shelf which adds modernity to the room
Towel rail near the entrance and stylish wall in the shower room
2-Bedroom Type 6 43.67 Sq.m.
Kitchen on the top left of floorplan, 2 bedrooms on the right side, and living room and bathroom at the centre
Spacious living room with the entrances of bedrooms and kitchen
The provided furnishings are covered with plastic
The bathroom is in the common area, close to both bedrooms
Air-conditioner and switchboard near the room’s entrance
Bedroom #1
The project provides this room with a 3.5ft bed but it can actually accommodate a queen-sized bed if you prefer
Closet and dressing table beside the bed
Bedroom #2
A queen-sized bed is provided in this bedroom
This bedroom comes with a sliding-door closet instead
Sliding windows on the sides of both bedrooms
Closed kitchen with black-tone countertop and white upper cabinets
Colourful splashback above the countertop
Faucet for washing usage in the balcony
Bathroom
Bathroom sanitary from American Standard and water heaer from Stiebel Eltron
The wooden shelf behind the basin is one-of-a-kind design in the bathroom
Ratchadaphisek Road
There is no doubt why this road is another ideal passage for residential developments; it has several department stores, premium offices, and, most importantly, the MRT public transits which run along this thoroughfare. As this is the road where a large portion of people’s workplaces are located, many aspire to have a residence on this road for the convenience of transportation.
Ratchadaphisek Road near Rama IX Junction
Another dense-population area is Ramkhamhaeng which is a short drive to the right from Rama IX Junction. However, the absence of public transits makes that area more suitable for those who own a personal vehicle. On Ratchadaphisek Road, around Rama IX Junction, there are CentralPlaza Rama 9 and Fortune Town situated on each side, with MRT Phra Ram 9’s entrance in front of each place. A short drive upward, you will find SET Building and AIA Capital Center, the two eminent organisations in Thailand.
Ratchadaphisek Road and surrounding routes
Parallel to Ratchadaphisek Road is Vibhavadi Rangsit Road (orange) where you can either drive on the ground or take Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway to reach Don Mueang Airport and further districts. To reach Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, you can take Pracha Songkhro Road (yellow) at Huay Khwang Junction, or Sutthisan Road (green) which also has another exit on Lat Phrao Road. To demonstrate, Huay Khwang Junction is renowned with Huay Khwang Market, an array of food and clothe retails that open till dawn. There, is the famous Ganesha Shrine (Phra Prik Ka Net), where numerous locals come to pray and make wishes daily. To the northernmost part of Ratchadaphisek Road, you will find Lat Phrao Road (pink), and Suan Lum Night Bazaar around the corner. If you turn left at Lat Phrao Intersection, you will be driving toward the grand junction (Ha Yaek Lat Phrao), where there are CentralPlaza Lardprao, Union Mall, Horwang School, and 5-star hotel Centara Grand.
Ratchadaphisek Soi 19
Project’s location which can be reached through two entrances
The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao is situated in Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley where MRT Ratchadaphisek is situated a few steps from the entrance. However, the project can be reached from Lat Phrao Road through Lat Phrao 26 Alley as well, where you would find another public transit, MRT Lat Phrao. Both entrances are 2-lane streets which comprise a lot of low-rise residences along the way, due to the government’s restriction which allows residential property in the alleys to be built with 8 storeys at maximum. In spite of the great supplies, low-rise condos offer a small number of units; this is why several projects in this alley are sold out promptly after the launch, including The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao, whose 85-90% of the units are sold out at the time of writing.
From the project, you can reach Vibhavadi Rangsit Road through Song Sa-Ad Alley, and Chokchai Ruammit Alley
The mini-bus (right of the taxi) usually runs throughout Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley. You can take them to reach the main road, or get back to the project
*The government has limited condos’ height in the alley as they can be reached by small-sized fire engines due to the road’s width. Units on the upper floors of high-rise condos in the alley would be unreachable in the case of fire. More, high-rise developments in the alley would cause more damage to the surroundings when collapse. In contrast, the height restriction is offset with the greater serenity earned in the environment.
Living Factors
Lat Phrao Road
Department Store: CentralPlaza Lardprao, Union Mall, Big C
Educational Institutions: Saint John International School, Saint John University, Horwang School, Chandra Kasen Rajabat University
Hospitals: Paolo Memorial Hospital, Chok Chai 4
Amenities in the project’s proximity
Ratchadaphisek Road
Department Store: CentralPlaza Grand Rama 9, Fortune Town, Esplanade, Tesco Lotus
Educational Institutions: University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce
Department stores on Ratchadaphisek Road
Getting to the project’s sales gallery
Alight at MRT Ratchadaphisek and take Exit 2
Follow the sign Exit 2 which leads you to find Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley
We spotted the project’s advertisement along the way
You will notice TWZ Building as you exit the MRT Ratchadaphisek
A few steps ahead you will find Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley
Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley
Walk into the alley until you meet the T-Junction
Turn right at the T-Junction
Walk straight in this direction for around 200 metres
The project’s sales gallery will be located on your left as shown in the picture
Low-rise projects in Ratchadaphisek 19 Alley
The project is around 500 metres from MRT Ratchadaphisek
Lifestyle Amenities
Pa-Te Restaurant
Play Yard
V 24
Positions of the 3 places
In general, renting would be an ideal investment at the project. Short-term speculation is apparently not a feasible practice for investment here, as the starting price does not surge any higher, and the project is soon to be ready-to-move-in by April 2017.
If you need a mortgage, most Thai commercial banks do not allow it for foreigners due to the government’s restriction. However, there are a few private financial institutions that do; MBK Guarantee is one of them who offers a 10-year mortgage with an interest rate at MRL (Minimum Loan Rate) +2%, whereas the MRL is 7.125% according to Thanachart Bank (data derived on 22 Jan 2015). In this case, you wouldn’t need to marry a Thai spouse or work in Thailand, but your bank account is needed to be assessed for at least 6-month backward.
If you are married to a Thai spouse, you can have a mortgage from some commercial banks. Kasikorn Bank would give you the mortgage with the credits amount 80% of the unit price, but you need to have a work permit at least for 1 year if you work in Thailand. Meanwhile, UOB Bank offers a mortgage with a credit amount 80-95%, but you need at least a 2-year working permit if you work in Thailand.
A suggested practice is to make sure that your installment-per-month for the mortage, is lower than the rent price you earn from the tenant, otherwise you wouldn’t make a profit from this investment.
*Terms and conditions are varied in each financial institution
Benchmark
L Loft
Project Name: L Loft Ratchada 19
Developer: Lert Development
Address: Ratchadaphisek Soi 19, Ratchadaphisek Road, Din Daeng Sub-District, Din Daeng District
Project Area: 0-2-73 rai
Project Type: 8-storey condominium with 70 units
Starting Price: 2.35 MB
Average Price/Sq.m.: 93,000 Baht
Unit Type: Studio 25.5 – 25.6 Sq.m., 1BR 36.6 – 52.71 Sq.m., 2BR 35.2 – 39.3 Sq.m.
The Unique Ratchada 19
Project Name: The Unique Ratchada 19
Developer: Ten Thai Development
Address: Ratchadaphisek Soi 19, Ratchadaphisek Road, Din Daeng Sub-District, Din Daeng District
Project Area: 0-2-54 rai
Project Type: 8-storey condominium with 76 units
Starting Price: 2.5 MB
Average Price/Sq.m.: 80,000 Baht
Unit Type:
1BR 32 – 38 Sq.m. (61 units)
2BR 58 – 74Sq.m. (13 units)
3BR 107 – 109 Sq.m. (2 units)
Wire Condo Ratchada 19
Project Name: Wire Ratchada 19
Developer: PWK Development Co., Ltd
Address: Ratchadaphisek Soi 19, Ratchadaphisek Road, Din Daeng Sub-District, Din Daeng District
Project Area: 0-1-49 rai
Project Type: 8-storey condominium with 46 units
Starting Price: 2.5 MB
Average Price/Sq.m.: 90,000 Baht
Unit Type:
Studio 27.19 – 30.78. Sq.m.
1BR 31.22 – 48.22 Sq.m.
2BR 48.66 Sq.m.
Other projects in the project’s proximity
Compared to high-rise condominiums on Ratchadaphisek Road, The Maple @ Ratchada – Lat Prao offers almost a half-lower starting price, while still being close to a public transit; one disadvantage could be the less facilities, but the serene atmosphere of the suroundings and less residential units could are the offset. The project is a ready-to-move-in residence as it provides fully-furnished units which come with all necessary interiors and appliances. The Starmark-branded kitchen is a high-end offer that you rarely find among the same-segment condos too. If you are an urbanite who looks for affordable-price property on Ratchadaphisek Road, the project is very ideal.
CARAPACE Hua Hin-Khao Tao one of the interesting projects which is not far from Hua Hin. It is located at Khao Tao beach near Petchkasem road. There are many room types available. The space varies between 26 to 43.53 square meters. Full facilities access in the common area whether it be the Grand Lobby, All Day Dining, Fitness, Swimming Pool, Water park, Beach Club. The price starts from THB3.5 million.
Supalai Icon Sathorn is a 56-storey (not included rooftop) luxury condominium with 787 units. The project offers a variety of unit types, and is close to the BTS, MRT, BRT as well as the Rama 4 and Sathorn expressway entries. The starting price is 8.2 MB.
The Triple Y Residence is located in a mixed-use development, Samyan Mitrtown, which comprises office, retail, residence and facilities Starting 4.49 million Baht
