One frequent comment by home-buyers visiting Sansiri's detached-housing projects in the past was that the homes were desirable but the prices so high that the houses were beyond their reach.

Indeed, until recently, Sansiri's houses were often selling from Bt7 million a unit, such as those under the "Setthasiri" brand.

But with the shift in market trend towards the more affordable middle segments and the saturation of supply in luxury segments, Sansiri has turned its attention to tapping the more core segment of the market.

To be sure, while sales were sluggish in luxury homes, middle-class housing has bucked the trend and continued to sell extremely well throughout this year.

Recognising that the purchasing power of the middle segment is largely limited to the Bt3 million-Bt5 million range, the developer has created the "Saransiri" brand.

The new brand offers colourful units from Bt3.5 million to Bt5 million.

Sansiri has also recently offered an upper-middle brand called "Burasiri" in a bid to capture the Bt4 million-Bt5 million segment.

Its first two Saransiri estates are on Rajpruek-Chaeng Wattana and Ram-Indra roads.

These locations are further out in the Bangkok suburbs but are considered well-linked by good infrastructure.

Using the elevated highways, commuters will take 20 to 25 minutes by car to reach the inner city.

"We call Saransiri affordable beauty, for it was created to provide quality homes at reasonable rates," said Sansiri senior marketing manager Samatcha Promsiri.

Sansiri has already sold 90 out of its 179 units in the first phase at the Rajpruek estate.

A second phase with 111 homes will be launched later next year.

The big advantage of Saransiri homes is that the units are completed. "Buyers can visit the site and see for themselves what they are buying," said Samatcha. "For units that are still in the middle of construction, buyers may be able to make some alterations or additions."

A few families have already started living in the Saransiri estate at Rajpruek, a new area that has opened up with the new Rama IV Bridge.

The bridge connects Rajpruek Road to Chaeng Wattana Road on the Bangkok side.

Most of the area is still paddy fields and farms, which makes Rajpruek one of the more tranquil green zones in the outer suburbs.

The maintenance fees are set at Bt20 a square wah, and the estate will be managed by Plus Property Partners.

The price of the homes includes air-conditioners and wallpaper, and the company is offering special interior packages.

The profile of Saransiri customers is mainly young families and couples. "They are well-educated and take great enjoyment in natural settings such as gardens, landscaped parks and water bodies that surround the estate," said the senior manager.

The homes come with a guarantee for one year, while the garden area carries a guarantee of three months.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation