Happyman108

Get a electric airpump from homepro or tesco etc, fix a Coocase topcase with remote/alarm on your motorbike which come with car charger plug........especially useful if on touring trip withour fear of flat tire.

https://www.facebook.com/coocasethailand/photos/t.100004998243931/416613041775182/?type=3&theater

Depend on where you actually living now......try driving around to look for higher ground just in case heavy rain started and u can start your travelling plan. Once more places start flooding, you can see parking lots in mall like Airport plaza, KSK, Maya, Central fest, Prome getting full at fast speed. Most parking in mall are free, you can park for few days and bring your car back later......just check on the building overnight parking rules if any.

Was at Central fest few months ago and bought LED tv, fridge, massage chairs etc for new home, spend 300,000 above and got a VIP parking card......and till now, on and off still do shoping at H&M, M&S etc especially during the 70% sales . Not too many customer but sometime just the right time of sales promotion they did to attract some shoppers.

3BB near Promenada Resort Mall no problem

Just went over to My hip condo behind Big C extra or the new coming Platinum mall to pay my last installment before it's ready to hand over in Nov, and I met a Chinese guy from China who just bought 2 units (balance around 8-10 units) in My Hip condo and another 6 more units in the new project The Treasure (ready in 2016).........and I'm sure he's paying in cash and not loan from local Thai bank. Guess the bubble still can last a little longer...

Did you do any research before buying? Did you get a contractor/engineer to take a look and give you an assessment? I went over there to the building that has been complete for about 2 years now (the one on the soi where the gym used to be before they moved). A friend in Bangkok asked me to check it out for him as he was interested. The construction was unbelievably poor quality. The columns in the underground parking structure were about 1/2 the size they should be. That was the first thing I noticed. There were stress cracks everywhere in the concrete. At the time I was there the building was less than a year old and already tiles were falling off, the pool leaked and there were cracks in the deck, tiles falling off.... One of the worst quality building projects I've ever seen. The security guard showed me around a bit and told me they were having a difficult time selling because the building was falling apart after it was less than a year old.

Thanks elektrified for the info, actually did not do much research on My Hip 2,3 &4 but just look at My Hip 1 and look ok to me. My Hip 1 is around some time as Convention Condo about 5-6 years back, and do have some issue with cracks and tiles falling in the pool area. But the management is responsible enough to repair and keep it well maintain so the building is still looking good and strong after 6 years.

Beside, My Hip is having another new project The Treasure, so I'm sure they will try their best to ensure better quality for this coming Hip 2,4&4 as it will affect their sales of The Treasure if My hip owner stay complaining......cross my finger

Lastly, I felt most condo in CM is not 1 grade condo and price are consider cheap with just USD 60-70,000 for a 40sqm +/-, I don't expect a perfect condo without any defect, but as long the structure is strong and management willing to make repair and to touch up is fine. ....I have seem worst condo from KKN actually.

Choose the brand you want and call up their office asking for a project pricing, normally every brand will have project manager to offer you. Another way is to go to homepro or homework expo in Bangkok, they will have discount item and even negotiable during the show.

A friend who live nearby ask me to go on the opening day to check out this new place, so I was there on the opening day after their free buffet hour (never like to have free food anyway). When arrive there as usual walk around to check the place out and my friend already ordered a beer sitting outside as in aircon area full of "common faces".... I was hungry and wanted to order some food and drinks, but look at the price of burger, beer etc and told my friend to move with me for dinner at other local bar. Sorry, their price is really not right in CM, not to mention is way out of city.

Even the neighbourhood resident is not willing to pay such price, I don't think I will drive 20-30 mins out of city unless the food is really good.....

I quit McD after having the best burger in white plate (now known as 4 corners) at JJ market. And also no more coke, after watch BBC news interviewing CEO of coke from Europe.

1. Wife is from CM

2. Cost of living lower

3. Quality of living is better

4. Weather is nicer

5. Thai girls bother to dress nicer hence look prettier

It seems I live in a different world than so many in Thailand and the CM area... I cannot imagine why anyone would travel half way around the world to a lovely tropical country and live in low rise / mid rise / high rise condo in a fast growing and increasingly urbanized area... Simply amazing ... Never the less... the real culprit over the past two- three years has been the political turmoil with abundant violence, followed by military take over, and now we have a systematic crackdown on foreigners working and or just living in Thailand (for reasons justified or not).

In my estimation the whole concept of over built - over hyped condo and other housing types in CM and elsewhere in Thailand is on very shaky ground. The economics of over building in the presence of happenings that discourage immigration of those with disposable income done on a large scale portends a really bad future outcome (IMO). Maybe the Chinese will save the day - but I really doubt it.

And this discussion says little to nothing about the overbuilt resort, hotel, guest house, bungalow, etc, rental market in CM and elsewhere that will end up competing with empty condos. Which only adds to the prognosis of a bad outcome... It is the law of supply and demand governed heavily by available disposable income of available customers ... which are factors greatly ignored...

" Maybe the Chinese will save the day - but I really doubt it."

I mean why would the Chinese possibly want to invest in Thailand when they have all the real estate bargains they could possibly want on their own doorstep

Take a Stroll Through the Ghost Cities of China

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100533574

Some Chinese are sending their kids to CMU to study English and Thai, just met some Chinese student who study in CMU for 1 year and was learning Thai for past 2 years in part of their Uni subject when they're in China.

Some or most of these kids parent are from middle upper class and can afford to buy a 45sqm condo anytime. Beside, main city like Guangzhou, ChongQing, ShenZhen etc Condo price are easily above 180,000 baht/sqm for a 70 years lease hold condo. So when they compare CM as 2nd city of Thailand selling at around 50,000 baht/sqm for a free hold condo, this is a real bargin for them.

Just went over to My hip condo behind Big C extra or the new coming Platinum mall to pay my last installment before it's ready to hand over in Nov, and I met a Chinese guy from China who just bought 2 units (balance around 8-10 units) in My Hip condo and another 6 more units in the new project The Treasure (ready in 2016).........and I'm sure he's paying in cash and not loan from local Thai bank. Guess the bubble still can last a little longer...

Guess is due to fasting month for some Muslim friends who need to pray hence need to wash both hand and feet before prayer....this problem should be over after 28 july.

Buy a condo and rent it out, use the rental return to rent the house you like

Was flooded quite badly previously and is sort of known place that flood if heavy rain continue for few days. As for those shop house was due to too much karaoke, pubs etc previously and now most have moved out except for few.

There's a new project from karnkanok if not wrong, was considering that new project but fear of flood so I bought somewhere near to Promenada mall, not too far from city and yet away from flood and noise

Well back to the initial question :
 

"What would your options be for staying long-term (months, years) in Thailand if consecutive tourist visas are out? ED visa?

Cambodia is looking mighty attractive all of a sudden."

Guess wil be either a ED visa or moving out of Thailand  

 

And there's still a visa that is call Tourist visa.....so if u step into Thailand with tourist visa, you can still wash your car, carrry a 7/11 bags and go on with you working life to build a website, selling on ebay or whatever work u have (u dun need to resign from work to go on a holiday) as long you have a valid tourist visa.

No, at the point where you go on with your working life you stop being a tourist and must go get a non-immigrant visa outside Thailand or convert your tourist visa entry to a non-immigrant one at an immigration office, followed by getting a work permit. It says "employment prohibited" on the visa sticker, if I remember correctly. There may be a "gray area" consisting of simply answering urgent emails or telephone, the sort of stuff you may have to do on holiday upon emergencies. But it surely isn't tapping away on a laptop developing websites or executing transactions on ebay.

 

This is exactly why the immigration is now cracking down. They don't want people working illegally in Thailand.

 

Its say employment prohibited but not working prohibited.....but my last sentence is more import that u may have miss it :

"But if someone were to be "tourist" for more than 30 days, he's either very rich or he got the wrong purpose in wrong country."

The problem now is more people are getting tourist visa but they are not a tourist, they just want to stay in Thailand and work online paying no tax for their work, or some are working legally without valid work permit. I think the Thai govt is considering these online worker as non performing tax payer as compare to whose on work permit or eductional visa whereby taxes are collected, and a real tourist who stay in hotel do spend quite a bit on food and stay.

What's so difficult to get a valid permit to stay & live in Thailand???  

And there's still a visa that is call Tourist visa.....so if u step into Thailand with tourist visa, you can still wash your car, carrry a 7/11 bags and go on with you working life to build a website, selling on ebay or whatever work u have (u dun need to resign from work to go on a holiday) as long you have a valid tourist visa. 

But if someone were to be "tourist" for mroe than 30 days, he's either very rich or he got the wrong purpose in wrong country.

Think best option is ED visa, and is good to learn Thai since you're staying here.......you actually pay for the education or language and hence apply a valid legal visa for it. Stop the visa run and get the right visa.

There must be a purpose we want to live in a country, being married, study, working, retired etc, and most if not all will have a right visa for right purpose. But if someone want to work but apply a study visa, then be risk of getting caught. And for your case of living in Thailand working online, is still consider as working whereby u need a work permit and u can apply for non O visa base on your work permit.......but since u feel that u are not working in Thailand company and should not be getting work permit, then best option is to apply education visa or move on to another country that you can legally work online with work permit. 

Suggest to take a look at Ambassador Bilingual School (ABS). We decided on ABS after check out most of the international school which is too costly (range 220-300k+) while local bilingual school with int'l program like Varee or ABS cost 80-150k.

http://www.absbilingualschool.com/new/index.php/en/

Guess everyone love USD

Beside USD I guess small stuffs for girls like perfume, chocolates, etc will be good.

Guess will be easier to solve Phuket transportation problem but seem forever......

"Police investigation found that Mr Clifford had been drinking and in an argument with a female friend when the pub they were at closed at 5am. Later he argued with another male Caucasian, this was supported by available CCTV film which showed them at 6.17am.

A police report revealed that Clifford had attempted to get into the closed Kad Suan Kaew shopping mall by jumping fences and then getting on the roof. They added that the roof over the electricity room could not hold the man’s weight, and that is why he had fallen to his death. He appeared to have fallen through a rooftop accessed from a first floor balcony and died upon impact with the electrical generator machinery at ground level. Investigations will continue."

Another drunken death, RIP

I guess I should have said that unlike the dot.com bubble, I don't expect C.M. real estate prices to drop 50-70% overnight. But there will be a correction. How much? I have no idea. One thing for sure, what goes up must come down.

Or....it just stops going up, and goes sideways for a while. That seems to be the case for Thailand real-estate. No buyers does not mean lower prices here for some strange reason.

Agree, either stop going up or maybe just lower 10-20% for those in need of cash or unable to repay their loan. I remember not seeing few of my neighbours (leaving their house empty for more than 1 year) but just some house agent sometime bring others to view for rental or sale, after almost 2-3 years and waited price to up 20-30% and reach their idea price they finally sold them.

Whatever goes up will come down, but is unlike stock & shares.....property can go up 50-200% but down only 10-30% due to inflation....I dun see the increase of noodle price from 20 baht to 35 baht will be going back to 20 baht in future.

Not even a company address in their website......dun think will trust their 12 months package by just tel and email.