Imperial Park Sukhumvit is one of many new projects adding thousands of new housing units onto the outer Sukhumvit stretch near Srinakarin and Bang Na.

While traffic congestion here has worsened threefold in the past year, the heavy build-up of industrial traffic and explosion of sites from On Nut to Udomsuk has not scared away punters from what may be an acute housing glut.

Imperial Park's 16-rai gated community is half a kilometre from the top of the soi. Its sales staff say they have sold half of its 80 detached homes.

One reason for its popularity is that prices start at Bt5.2 million, which is a tad cheaper than branded projects in the area.

Another reason is that much of the key infrastructure, such as roads, clubhouse and a swimming pool, have been erected. They provide much-needed confidence to buyers who are nervous that many of the new popular sites won't get off the ground.

Buyers are willing to accept its smaller plots of 50 square wah to 70 square wah in anticipation they can move in soon and not risk buying a project that won't be built.

The number of detached-home estates today is also shrinking, as several trend-mad developers have jumped onto the bandwagon to build townhouses.

The townhouse fad is almost certain to produce tears. Small firms are blindly following big companies such as Plus Property, Asian Property and Areeeya, which have launched large estates with units selling between Bt3 million and Bt5 million.

To bring prices down in order to compete, Imperial has designed no-frill detached homes with ceiling heights of about 2.5 metres. The prices do not include kitchens or air-conditioners.

If buyers want a back yard that is piled to avoid subsidence, they need to pay additional charges. If they want more balconies, they also need to pay more.

To be fair, Imperial is doing well despite the fact that its interior layouts are a few notches below that of the professional townhouse builders.

Still the first choice of most home buyers is to own a detached unit, so many are willing to compromise their expectations and settle for less-than-perfect homes.

The three types of homes available at the site are Prince, Queen and Lady.

They offer built-up areas from about 180 square metres to 220 square metres. All have three bedrooms.

The gated community is built along a 600-metre road that runs from the main gate to the end of the estate. The houses flank the -metre wide road.

There are currently three show units at the front of the project.

During a visit last week, about half a dozen homes were under construction opposite the viewing homes to entice buyers who prefer ready-built units. Most of the units are Prince and Queen types, and they are selling from about Bt7.2 million because they sit on slightly larger plots of about 70 square wah.

But an inspection of the show units reveal that the interiors, though adequate, are far from luxurious. The overall tone is at least a decade old. Putting it positively, people who are accustomed to frugal designs will probably take kindly to the Spartan effort.

For example, in the Prince model the bathroom for the master bedroom is the smallest in the house, which is something of a rarity in the Grade-A housing market.

Also, none of the master bathrooms have bathtubs. The sales staff said homes that are not yet built can accommodate some changes - at additional costs of course.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation