How do I buy property in Thailand?

We are a Norwegian family who are doing some research into moving to Thailand for a longer period. Our dream is to buy a small resort close to the beach. Not one of those 5 star resorts, but rather a 2-3 star bungalow resort. Preferably a "fix'r up'r". We have looked at locations as Lanta, Samui, Hua Hin etc. We seem to have fastened a bit on Lanta for several reasons, like, the Swedish school, prices on such properties and the fact that its not as busy as Samui or Hua Hin, with that referring to traffic and being able to drive ourselves. We hope you can help us with recommendations on good and trustworthy real-estate companies? We are also open for other locations and advice about what to do and what not to do? if you have advice on other locations we also like you to mention something about schools and why this location is good. We would also like to hear from others who have done this similar things in Thailand. We need more information about rules and regulations, the financial side of it, like how much can we expect to earn and how much do we need in starting found and more. Hope to get some good advice!