When buying a Phuket apartment, an investor quickly faces the question: furnish it yourself or take the developer’s furniture package? For renting out it’s no small matter: a rent-ready unit starts earning immediately, and turnkey furnishing saves time and ensures a standard for the management company. Let’s cover what a furniture package includes, how much it costs and how it affects rental and yield.
Contents
1. What a furniture package is
A furniture package is a ready turnkey set of furniture, appliances and decor for a unit. The developer or its partner furnishes the apartment to a single design, and it’s fully ready to move in and rent right after handover.
For an investor it’s a way to avoid furnishing yourself: no searching for furniture, no shipping or assembling it, especially with a remote purchase.
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2. What’s usually included
The contents depend on the project and package level, but typically include:
- Furniture — bed, sofa, table, wardrobes, cabinets.
- Kitchen — appliances (stove, fridge, microwave), tableware by option.
- Appliances — air conditioners, TV, sometimes a washing machine.
- Textiles and decor — curtains, lighting, accessories.
- Bathroom — basic fit-out.
Several package levels (basic/premium) are often offered for different budgets and standards.
3. How much it costs
The cost depends on area and specification level. A real example from the Layan Verde project:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Unit B4-319 (36.18 m², leasehold) | $224,776 |
| Same unit furnished | $235,650 |
| Furniture package (difference) | ~$10,900 |
So the package adds around $11k to the unit price. The exact sum depends on area, level and options.
4. Why it matters to investors
For renting out, a furniture package solves several tasks:
- Move-in readiness. The unit can be rented right after handover.
- Management standard. A single furnishing level fits the management company and rental pool requirements.
- Time savings. No need to search, buy and assemble furniture yourself.
- Convenience with a remote purchase. Everything’s ready without your presence on the island.
For short-term rental in a condo-hotel, ready furnishing is effectively essential: the guest must move into a fully equipped unit.
5. Package vs DIY furnishing
| Parameter | Developer package | DIY |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Fast, turnkey | Slow: search, logistics, assembly |
| Standard | Single, for management | Depends on you |
| Remote purchase | Convenient | Hard without presence |
| Design flexibility | Limited by the package | Full |
| Price | Fixed add-on | Could be cheaper/pricier |
DIY furnishing gives more design freedom but needs time and presence. For a rental investor, the package is usually more practical.
6. Effect on yield
Furnishing doesn’t directly “raise the percent” but affects it indirectly:
- a ready unit enters rental faster — less downtime;
- meeting the management programme standard supports occupancy;
- the owner earns a net yield of around 8–10% via the rental pool (60% of net profit).
When calculating ROI, build the package cost into the entry price — it raises the base but also makes the unit a working asset from day one.
7. Pitfalls
- Not budgeting for the package. Furnishing is part of the entry price; count the full cost, not just the unit.
- Renting without furnishing. For short-term rental an empty unit doesn’t work — the guest needs everything ready.
- Ignoring the management standard. DIY furnishing may not fit the pool’s requirements.
- Chasing savings at the cost of quality. Cheap furniture wears out fast under short-term rental.
- Forgetting depreciation. Furniture needs refreshing over time — build it into the model.
8. Case: a turnkey rental unit
Consider a typical scenario. An investor bought a unit remotely for short-term rental. Furnishing it themselves meant flying in, sourcing furniture, arranging logistics and assembly — weeks of time and the risk of missing the management standard. They took the developer’s furniture package (+~$11k to the price): the unit was handed over fully ready and entered the rental pool immediately at ~8–10% net. There was no furnishing downtime.
Takeaway: the furniture package isn’t a “spare option” but a tool for launching the asset into rental quickly. For a rental investor, especially remotely, it saves time and ensures a management-ready standard.
I’ll select a unit with a furniture package for rental and calculate the yield including the furnishing cost.
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Informational only; the composition and cost of a furniture package depend on the project and specification level — confirm current terms for the specific unit.