How to buy property in Phuket
This is the practical version: who you need around you, what gets checked, and in what order money changes hands.
Assemble a small team
An agent to find and access the land. A licensed Thai lawyer, appointed by you, to verify and draft. A surveyor if boundaries are unclear. An architect early if you are developing, because design constraints can rule a plot out before you buy it.
Verify the essentials
The title document and the registered owner. The exact boundaries on the ground. Legal access to a public road. Utilities availability. Zoning colour and what it permits. Any mortgage, charge or servitude registered against the land.
Stage the money
Payments are usually staged: a reservation or deposit, then the balance on transfer. Conditions for the return of the deposit should be written, not spoken.
Funds coming from abroad should be documented properly on arrival in Thailand. Your lawyer and bank will tell you what form the evidence should take and why it matters later.
Keep the record
Keep the title document copy, the contracts, the receipts, the transfer paperwork and the correspondence. Buyers who keep a complete file have a much easier time when they build or resell.