Furnished property packages: check the inventory before you compare prices

What “fully furnished” fails to tell you

A photograph can show a complete room while the purchase includes only selected items. Curtains, kitchen equipment, lighting, linen and decorative pieces may follow different lists. Even an included sofa may differ in size or material from the showroom version. The useful comparison begins with the contractual specification, not the atmosphere created by staging.

Ask whether each document is an illustration, a sales estimate or an agreed contract attachment. Keep its date and revision. If a package changes during negotiations, preserve the previous version so that the buyer can see what has been added, removed or substituted.

Build an inventory by room and function

Record item, quantity, size, specification, inclusion status and the evidence to check at delivery. A brand name alone may be insufficient where several models exist. Where a model is not fixed, ask what quality or performance is agreed and how a substitution will be approved. Do not promise a particular product unless the binding documents support it.

For appliances, ask who provides warranty information and how a non-resident owner can request service. For built-in furniture, clarify whether installation, fittings and any final adjustments are included. These questions concern scope; warranty rights and remedies require transaction-specific advice.

Compare a package using a gap register

The register should say “not confirmed” when no answer exists. It should not quietly convert an unconfirmed item into an included one.

Calculate the ready-to-use cost, without counting twice

Use the purchase price, included package, separately quoted upgrades and remaining essential items. Check whether delivery, installation and applicable taxes are already inside each quote. Do not add a second furniture budget on top of a package that already covers the same items.

For illustration only, suppose one offer includes the agreed basic package at no separate price, while another requires 250,000 THB for that same scope and 30,000 THB for delivery and installation. The comparison difference is 280,000 THB before any other differences. These invented amounts are not a Phuket furnishing estimate. Replace them with dated written quotations for the actual unit.

Link payment and handover to the agreed list

Before handover, prepare a check against the inventory: item present, specification matched, condition observed, operation checked where appropriate and unresolved issue recorded. Photograph discrepancies with permission and ask who will correct them. An installer saying that a replacement is “equivalent” does not establish that the buyer agreed to it.

If the home will be rented, ask the intended operator for its separate operational requirements. A furnished home can still lack the equipment, permissions, safety checks or services needed for that use. Keep that assessment outside the furniture seller's general marketing promise.

Questions buyers and agents ask

Is a rendering part of the inventory?

Only treat it as binding to the extent established by the relevant documents and advice. Request a written itemised list rather than inferring inclusion from an image.

Should I compare packages by their advertised discount?

Compare actual scope and total cost. A discount on an unspecified package does not establish value or suitability.

Can the agent confirm the apartment is ready to let?

Not from the inventory alone. Legal use, management requirements and relevant inspections need their own checks.

Sources and scope

RICS: International Land Measurement Standard is a general due-diligence reference. The inventory structure and invented calculation are IBG Property editorial tools, not a local price survey or a warranty statement.

Educational material. Examples are illustrative; legal, technical, tax and investment decisions need case-specific professional advice.