Geert Brouckmeersch Giving sound advice from 25 yrs experience in the field is also not apreciated. I'm sure the Island beachcumbers know it all already.
Robert Connell If you look again you will see that I never (and never will) use the word 'decent' and lawyer in one sentence. Except for picking their brains for research purposes or in litigation, they are absolutely useless and bottomless money pits. In Thailand they're also extremely lazy and slow, they outsource most of their work like accountancy which they tend to sell at a triple rate. Been in business here with 2 companies for over 11 yrs. bought and sold real-estate ... never used one and never needed one lawyer for nothing! But you do need a good accountant. Hire that one direct and skip the (lawyer) middleman.
Realtors, however,... there are (very few) good ones. But hard to find.
These laws and regulation together with the numerous options are so complex and extended... it's impossible to put a correct answer into one FB post.
Best is to talk to a (decent) realtor and or a lawyer (although you won't need one to buy property you might consider paying one for his advise only) and narrow answers down to your personal situation.