“Can I actually buy a condo in Pattaya as a foreigner, in my own name?”

It has to be a condo in a development, not a house or land. Within any condo building, foreigners can own up to 49% of the total floor area.

The money has to come in from abroad, in a foreign currency, through a bank. The bank gives you a certificate showing it came in, and it's converted to baht for the purchase. You don't have to send the exact price: bring in ฿8 million for a ฿6 million condo and that's fine.

Thailand is very accommodating about foreign ownership, as long as it's the right type of property. Most of the risk is in who you buy through and which building you pick, not in the law.