theswedishguy

Quote

6 hours ago, jonclark said:

 Are you suggesting that neither a terrorist nor wanted criminal would self-disclose their location to immigration on their TM30 as required by law? Now that really isn't playing by the rules is it?

 

 

 

You understand the rules? The travelers never have to do anything. TM30 is something the owners of condos/hotels have to report. One huge point you are missing is that owners are responsible for the actions that people you rent to. As a condo/hotel owner: is your job to check visa and that they don't do illegal stuff in your property. This is a great way to stop illegal immigrants. 

What is all the fuss? As a renter/tourist you will never see TM30.

The bigger problem is that most condos register the guests against a fee for TM30. There is no verification as usual in Thailand. Somehow non owners can register TM30s and make 200 THB for each guest. That is the problem. Otherwise if this worked as it should: how hard is it for you as an owner to write down their passport number/visa number and register them at your condo? It takes minutes and as an owner you want passport copies and so on if there are any trouble with the tenant. 

yes. I got fined for TM30. yes. I was angry as hell because I have registered TM30 every time I arrived in TH. But the immigration had registered an adress I used many years before I bought a condo. As a foreigner: there is nothing I can do. I have no rights. I can't complain to try to make Thailand better. (why does their computers have my adress wrong?). Just pay the 1600 and smile. Since I got a legal receipt: it was a real fine. 

We should copy this system to the west and save our native countries. (Thailand: you arrive without proper passport = 1 page news in Thai media. Happened once last year. Fines for the airline. Sweden: You arrive at the airport. Throw away the passport and seek asylum: You get by law free housing, money, school, healthcare as long as the asylum process takes. Thailand is right. Not the west)

I know him. The funny thing is that he talked to about crypto in mars 2018. As an it expert I know about the block chain and mining.  I wonder if he started the website after that talk.  

Corruption gone?

Funny how Jomtien immigration still extends visa without the applicant go there. Just a handling fee of 2000. 

Funny how I only got 14 days extensions instead of 30 on my tourist visa unless I paid 2000 extra. (I didn't.) Funny how during high season there is a 100 morning/ 100 afternoon limit on extensions. Forcing people to wait 3+ hours. (and its hell for me with a broken back). Just pay xxx and skip the queue. 

I love this country and I follow every single rule since I am a guest in this country. I fly home to get a legal visa. Provide bank with 200K THB. Show housing. Show that I have an income each month. For Thailand, I am netting 1 million THB into their economy each year without any "rights".

So.. please treat us who follow every single rule better? Just last year I was fined 1900THB for TM30. I provided TM30 every 3 months but the information on their computer was from an address I had 2 years+ ago. I have registered 6 times after that with the new address. But I can't argue. I am just a white evil farang. An ATM machine. (Meanwhile, my home country has replaced half the population with immigrants and they have 300K "paperless" people staying. Getting free healthcare, money, schooling and so on. Stuff that I /my parents cant get even after the Swedish government steals 90% in tax each month) 

How hard is it to take a certificate of income and change the amount / date on a computer?  It takes minutes. 

Since these papers can’t be checked by Thai authorities, maybe that’s the reason for money in Thai bank?  At least they can check it then?  

What I mean: 

when I apply for th visa I have to show bank account with money +400k the for 6 months. Airplane tickets. Rental / own condo papers. A certificate from an employee in my EU country. 

Aiplane tickets: just book tickets. Print out and cancel. Th can’t call the airplane company and get the info. 

Money bank: just print out ordinary statement and fix it with enough money on computer. And so on. 

Its just for show/ hustle. They can’t check this stuff outside th. 

Btw opening th bank account is usually easy if you agree to a 2000thb year card fee. And opening an account is the first thing you always should do if you stay in th. How else do you transfer money from home / here?  Using credit card? With zero fee? But loose 7-15% on lower exchange rate?

remember that Thai money is locked in Thailand. That’s why we get great exchange rates for open money. I loose about 1% when transferring foreign money to th. 

And the home banks / cc cards loves to con us. If you let your eu bank exchange your money to thb: loose 10%.  You have to get foreign money to th - only loose 1% 

and for for people who do not understand. Take 10 dollars and go to your us/eu bank without fees. Exchange it to euro. Then dollar. Then euro. Somehow magically you loose 7-15% each exchange. 

Btw is it really that hard to get your pension payed to a foreign bank? In Sweden they had papers ready for it since so many immigrants live in Sweden as refugees and moved home to the country they fired from and get their Swedish pension there. 

And the prerson in the tread complaining about th banks.  At least th have real money something that eu/U.K./us don’t have because of fragmented banking.  There’s no value in money in those countries. No gold reservers. USA people would show me a dollar with gurarateed by fed bank. They do not understand that psychical money is less than 3% of all money in the west. It’s all fake. We have been conned.

th and majority of non western countries have real /locked money with a real valuation. 

(If you do not believe. Check your countries gov bank. Sweden is honest: the valuation of Swedish krona is set by the market.  Just 50 years ago money had real value with gold but then the banks can’t lend out money that do not exist and get interest.  That is what happened in the west. We pay interest on something that does exist and it’s legal. Swedish banks are amounts the best in the world and they are proud of 16% liquidity. Only 84% of their lending out does not exist but generated interest. 

Just this thought experiment USA: the government debt is 20 times higher than all printed money. So. How can the loan be payed back?  And how is money that do not exist lended out?  And this is true for all countries with fragmented banking. The lending is 40 times higher than all money printed. And that is why eu/USA have to print money each year since interest takes money supply out of the system. And when the real money is to little: bank crash like 2008. 2001. 1991. 1983. 1976. Every 10 year since our western governments stole the real value of money and we have fragmented fake money banking / casino stockmarket where you actually do not own anything. It’s the depo that legally owns it. But that’s another story. But almost everything we believe as real in west is in real world fake/sham. 

You know you are old when you start complaining about how things are today. 

The millennials are the most self-obsessed people that feel entitled, at least in most western countries. They take selfies 100 times each day and post it. Gain "status" by showing expensive(worthless) stuff they buy, what they do, expensive dinners. 

But as old people: we have to accept that this is normal for them. But it is scary. Most of them are totally brainwashed. Say one wrong word and they clamp down. Remember in the west: middle age men are the root of all evil.

For me, as old the sad thing is that nothing will be fun again in movies/TV/media. Todays CGI crap movies that are shot digital (and digital cameras have default wrong colors = every scene is color "corrected", that is why everything looks fake). I can not enjoy an animated movie presented as "real". But people born after 1995 have never seen a film. For them this is normal.  Same with TV/Movies west "diversity". Each movie/TV show has to have 1 person from each race in the west. Just look at latest Star Wars movie, instead of casting the best persons for the roles (just like work where they hire after diversity instead of best-suited person) Everything is about dividing the people to create conflicts so that the Power can continue the absurd 0.001% owns over 50%. The printing presses prints more money than ever in the west, but it is more important to be a "good" person and fight for the nonsense that does not matter/is not really like diversity. Diversity does not exist in the other 190 countries. Only in the west that is owned by... well you know/can find out if you want. 

Well.  It works. 

Remember when mc Donald’s and KFC entered Thailand in the 1990is.  A full meal costed under 100 thb.  In 2000 there was suddenly a ton of overweight Thais. 

The we we got the tax on junk food and meals cost 170-260 thb and weights have gone down. 

Taxes should be used for bad things. Tax on work (like Sweden’s 31% work tax) kills real jobs.   Thailand is such a step up taxing foreign stuff to promote its own country. Something that is illegal in EU and a corner reason of all problems there. 

I will hovever be angry if PepsiMax is taxed. My only joy in life and a reason why I moved from Sweden.  A bottle in Sweden cost 80 thb. In Thailand 22 thb. 2 bottles day - save 3600 thb per month.  

Like people above wrote. Nothing to much to worry about. 

We are visitors and by their own law: it’s immigrations officers that have full control. You  can have a visa and get denied .

what I have learned is not to worry to much and using an visa agent helps. (Not that you need it. It’s just convenient for me). 

A part of the fee to the agent is to help you pass, if you know what I mean. Technically the agent missed th rules and my visa had expired 1 day earlier.  The migration officer pointed it out to me. One of the agents came over.  Nothing said and I got 60 more days. 

—

2 years ago when I went to local migration to extend visa: they wanted 5000 to expedite it. Either do tests with me, come visit my home at least once a week or pay fee.  

Had as a year visa. Suddenly this changed it to 6 months. 

Thats how it just is and I have to accept it. Technically we can’t be tourists over 5 month and 30 days since then we should be taxed in th. That is probably the only law I’m breaking, but th do give out 6 month multi tourist visa that I use today. 6 month + 3 month for the last entry 9 month.   Yes. They give out 9 month tourist visa and 6 month is maximum. 

This would be solved if marriage was banned in all countries. Marriage is from a time when we got married at early age and died at 30 years old. 

There is no reason that it exist today. Just take it away and as a bonus we get rid of the problems that someone wants to marriage same sex and so on. 

Biologically:  if a man have sex 100 women - can produce 100 offsprings. A women having sex 100 men - 1 offspring.  We are genetically coded different.  Men are happy, easy and just want to have fun. Women want 1 man to guard the cave. Provide.  That’s why all women starts to psychological tear down their partners.  A tactic most women use is to have different opinion of the same issue all the time.  

Anything you like they will try to break down and give back. This is genetics that we should know that no other women likes us and we stay at home and guard the cave. 

Women don’t know that they do it. It’s so deep genetically. 

Btw. According to all movies I watch. Should the wife join them in a three some and prove why she is better?  Or if western movie: join the other women and run away with her?

in Western countries we have a bunch of local rules/laws planning building. In TH there is none of that. Its not a criticism, just the difference in thinking, and that "everything will get solved".  No pre emptive thinking. 

I live in Pattaya in one of the new high rise buildings. Just this complex is 1000 apartments at Soi2. Electricy: the first year we had power outages at least once a week.  The last month the transformator for this grid exploded. TWICE. 

The sewer problem is because of this. Erecting 50000 new condos in Pattaya in a 5 year term and no new infrastructure = electricity, communication and sewer problems. Maybe politicians should deal with this instead of making Walking Street "clean"?

Its a matter of planning and using resources right.

(Culture differences. Again: no disrespect but more of a funny reflection.  I take a motorbike taxi. He drives wrong way one way street. He takes shortcuts on walkways. If something happens. Its lord Buddha's will.  The person is not responsible. That mentality is the sewer problem. Its a great mentality 90% of life, but please add some boring Germanic planning/ordning. Love this country. Love the way of life. I just want it to be better for us all) 

On 7/15/2017 at 8:38 PM, KittenKong said:

Money for nothing. An offer no Thai can refuse.

you understand that western currency have no value today? There is no gold reserve. 97% of western currency today is digital, created from nothing by banks.   Crypto currency have a value: the energy it takes to create it. Western values have no value.

Simple facts.

Swedes: look at the riksbank homepage and how they explain the value of the currency "The value is determined by market forces. Sell and buy prices".  Everything in west today is a huge bubble, created by banks, that are allowed to lend out 90% of something that don't exist and get interest on it.  (A bank needs 10-15% real money of the money they lend out.  1 dollar in the bank and the bank can lend out 10 dollars. 9 dollars created from nothing) 

Anyone can open a Thai bank account. Just find out what branch that do it + the extra cost.

In my case I have to pay a 2000THB insurance each year. Thats it.

A TH bank account is essential to save a ton of money. Most Westerners are not used to countries with "locked" currencies. In west the banks/and government also loves to hide all the bank fees and credit card fees. Its insane that its illegal in most western countries for shops to take a fee for credit card users or even show how much it cost.  Each CC transaction have a minimum fee of 50cent even if the transaction is declined. Otherwise the fee is 3-5%.     Now you know why west is a "money free" society. The banks have a hidden 3-5% fee.

Locked currency vs open currency.  Usually when you exchange currency at banks/CC cards/agencies: today there is no open fee. The hidden fee is that we get 7-11% less than the spot rate of the currency is. Fun to waste money: exchange from one currency to another and back and see how much you loose each time.

Thailand that have a locked currency crave for foreign cash.  Instead of loosing 7+%, I loose under 0.5% when I transfer to my Thai bank account. But here is the other trap that I was not told about.  The first year in TH, when I transfered money from my farang bank to Thailand, the farang bank exchanged the money to THB. I lost 10% each transfer. 

The correct way is to send your currency to Thailands bank and let them exchange it. Under 0,5% loss.

The cost for me transferring for example 100K Thb today is a flat fee of 400thb + loss of 0,5%.

If you use credit cards, even "without fees". Check the exchange rate. Do they exchange the money in TH or home? Do you loose 5, 7 or more % each transaction? 

It amazes me how many don't understand this. Even me. I lost 10% of my salary each year only because my home bank forced the currency conversion home instead of TH.

---

In Pattaya I know what bank to go to, to get a account. Its just 2K/year. Krung Thai at xx branch. 

5000 is cheap. When my Iphone 6S was "lent" in Pattaya they demanded 10K.
With find my iPhone I could track the phone were it was. Somehow they cracked the pin code, but they could not crack the iCloud password = they could not wipe the phone. 

I talked to the police. Showed maps where my stolen phone was. Well.. People live here know whats happens next. Somehow the lender managed to get the police of the case.

For weeks I had fun sending findiPhone localization pings waking the "lender" up 2-4 AM each night. Each time they tried to use the phone, the got a new nasty message that they stole my phone.

After a month they gave up and send the phone back to me via post office. I promised 5K to pay, after I received the phone. Maybe Im a stupid person. I payed, since I promised. 

I know as a farang in TH: I have no rights here against the national population. Thats is just how it is.

Go to the tourist police and explain the problem: "what do you want us to do about it?"

Wow. Actual conversation. 

Maybe take some guns. Go to the lender and get back all my stuff that is stolen? Like police should do?

---

My Thai teacher later explained to me how its done: Bring a case of Singha to the police station at beach road. Go to operations on second flor. Give a beer each time they help.

In januari. (7-10). Three times I tried to extend my Visa. Got there 8.35. Waited. 

Told to come back later same day. Come back later. Asked to come back next day.

On the day my visa expired they finally accepted and gave me a que number (830 in  the morning. Come back 13.00. Got number 197 of 200)

I own my own apartment. Have tourist visa. Still have to make TM30 and report myself.

The above reasons are why I have a multi entry visa and skip the 30 days extension and instead go to Kambodja. Migration looses 1900 (and sometimes they want extra money 1000-5000. 1000 for not only extending 15 days instead of the legal 30 days or 5K for "VIP service" on my old EDU visa)

I follow Thai laws. Respect the country. Get legal visas in my home country. I inject about 1.5 million THB/year to the economy. Still.. I wish this was easier. 

The funny thing is that now my passport have 10 Cambodja Visa so the immigration officer asks/thinks I have to many. With a multi entry visa.  I love this country, but they sure treat us as ATMs sometimes. 

6 month multi entry - 9 month when you time it right. 

The visa is valid for 6 month and if you get in on the last day of the six month you get 60+30 days more. 

I 'I personally have back to back visas. You don't have to get it in your home country if you can prove residency where you apply for the visa. 

Different ambassys have different rules. In Sweden Finland :

have 200k baht for 6 month in a bank account (done with photoshop)

have a contract where you live in Thailand 

Show proof of employment in home country. 

- back to back visas. 

Prove to Thailand you have money, living and are not working. 

The he best thing with this visa is that I don't have to extend it each 60 day at immigration for 1900thb. Instead I do

a visa run to Cambodia. No paperwork. No spending a day at migration + tm30 and 60 days instead of 30. 

9 month and take a trip home and extend. Acceptable. Have almost 3 years back to back tourist visas in TH. 

I am a tourist but to young to get a retirement visa. Wish TH changes the age rule that don't apply to many. 

Since I do a lot of internet shopping and look at local TH currency rates each day.

It always amazes me how much the CC cards rip us of with the exchange rates. If I for example buys something from US Amazon. The CC card exchanges my currency to dollars. No fees, but the exchange rate is 10% under the trading rate.

This currency loss is something that happens between all "open" currencies. You can test it: Exchange dollar to Euro and see how many times you can exchange. If you start with 100 dollars its about 8-10 times before all money is gone because of rip-off currency rates. This is the banks profit margin.

Thailand have a locked currency. Thats why we get so great exchange rates for our local currency. If I take paper bills from my country and go to a good exchange booth in Pattaya: I loose 1.5%-3% compared to the spotrates. 1/5 compared between open currencies. 

Since I have a TH bank account I transfer directly to my account. If I send my currency and let the bank exchange the currency: I loose less than 0.5%. Something nobody told me. My original bank in Farrang country forced exchange to Baht in home country. Lost 10%.  You have to bring your currency to TH.

Also remember that CC cards charge the shop 3-5%. Even failed attempts are charged 50 cent! Its inane that todays CC cards have a tax on all shopping and get 3-5%. If I pay with real bills: it should be 3-5% cheaper (but that is illegal in EU countries. You have to protect the banks and hide the fact that CC cards take 3-5%. Debit cards take 0.1-0.3%. Thats why good companies in TH demands debit cards, not CC cards).

Imagine if all countries introduced government CC cards so the government got the 3-5%?

Imagine the tax income that would cost us no extra, but today thats straight into the banks profit margins.

How quickly this have gone in west. Just 15 years ago in EU you did all shopping with cash. Today CC cards = banks gets 3-5%

(I have a TH CC debit card. A secret US CC card = why I know every single charge they do and a home country CC card)

Just a hint: Transactions fees are unimportant.

Its the exchange rate/and how they exchange money. 

You loose 7-10% exchange rate on almost all CC cards. This because Thailand have a locked currency. 

If you transfer your currency to a Thaibank and exchange: Less than 1% total currency loss/fees. 

Otherwise: bring your currency/dollars and exchange in TH (or travelers checks).

If you visit TH often: always open a bank account in TH. And for Euros: Its great to have a TH bank card. No Value added tax when you shop online with the TH card. Euro cards are by EU law, must add local VAT (in my case: 25%). Love my TH bank card. 
Got it on a tourist visa. Just have to pay 2000TH/year for an insurance/the bank card. Transfer money from EU country with about 0.3% currency loss and a 1 time transfer fee for the EU bank (about 800THB). Free ATM in TH. No bank charge TH.

Fight the western bank system. They are ripping us of. 

Remember to check the exchange rate that your CC card gives you. Most CC cards take 7-9%.

How you pay/transfer money to Thailand can net you almost 15% extra. I have a thai bank account and send money from Farang country. My bank forced my transfers in Thai baht. Only later did I learn that I lost almost 10% because of this. Sending money in farang currency and letting the bank change money in Thailand, you only loose 1%.

Remember the evils of CC cards. Every purchase you do the banks take 3-5%. A hidden tax in west. In Thai still many companies do the right thing and charge extra for CC cards. 

Most western money have no value today. If you check your governments banks page they say: The value of the money is what the market sets it at. 

The days with money backed by value is gone in west thanks to fragmented banking. This is a new fenomen since many countries as late as 1960-1970 had real value in gold backing the currency. 

In west today 97% of the total money don't exist: its digital money. You have to understand this system to understand why money fluctuates in value and why we have bank crashes every 10 year. 

Someone, often the goverment mints 100 currency. This is lend to banks. The banks in fragmented banking are allowed to lend out 8-12 times the amount of money they have. The 100 = The bank can lend out 800-1200 currency. Suddenly "money" is created and generates interest to the bank. Yes: In west: we pay interest in something that don't exist.

Most nationalistic countries like Thailand don't allow for money to be transfered out of the country. Therefore they can defend the value/lock the value of the currency. Many western countries had like this until late 1980is. This is  the reason why we with foreign currency only loose 0.5-1% when we exchange money to Baht. They want our foreign money.  
Compare this exchange euro to dollar: You loose 7-10% each time. All "open" currencies have this bank tax. 

Thailand have locked their currency to USD. If USD up against you currency = Thai baht up. If USD down = cheaper Baht.

Thats is the real reason. 

Western currency have today no value in the real world. Its just like the stock market: a big gambling house. I wish western countries cared about its own countries: Why should companies be allowed to bring out huge amount of money? Why should foreigners be able to buy land/house and so on.. But in brainwashed west: Thats normal. We are just tools to pay tax and make ThePower richer with interest on something that don't exist. 

Just a hint to OP:

Money in most countries have no real value.

For example USA/Most EU countries only 3% of total amount of money is physical money. The rest is virtual money. US people think their money is protected by the Federal reserv, but they forget that 97% is just "air".

This system is why we have economic crisis every 10 year and why the 1% gets richer and richer. 
The secret is this: Most countries have fragmented lending. If you take a loan for 100 dollars, the bank only have to have 10 dollars. Suddenly 90 dollars is created in thin air and you have to pay interest for it. Best business idea ever.

Since the loan amount + interest exceeds the physical printed money its technically impossible to repay all loans. 

Fragmented banking is in most countries just 55 years old. Before that money had real value in gold/assets. 

This leads to economic crisis when the banks don't have enough real money to lend out more money. That is the real reason for 2008 crash. Suddenly the banks didn't have enough money and had to stop lending. Forcing people to sell houses/shares/assets. Since no one could get a loan: the value plummets and the banks could get housing/assets for a fragment of their value.  Officially they had a "loss", and this loss is used as a tax write-off for the banks. Funniest thing is to "save this system" all western countries gave the banks money. Exempt Iceland that put the bankers in jail. (and the media, that is owned by the same people as the banks in west keeps this very quit. Today with EU crisis: Island is blossoming) 

Since lending gets larger and larger in west, the governments print more and more money to avoid bank crashes. Most EU countries have doubled its physical  money in 10 years. There you have the real reason for the plummeting Euro.

Now: Thailand is great with low amount of loans and huge amount of currency. 

In most EU countries banks today don't even have money. Everything is done by card. Why? So the banks can control the money flow since they have to have 10-15% in real cash. Another plus is that credit card companies/ PayPal and such gets 3-5% of each transaction.  Our "great" politicians in EU have banned businesses to charge consumers for these 3-5%, so everyone we buy something in west there is a hidden 5% bank tax.

The most absurd thing is this: In most EU countries money is gone. Bills payed over internet. Food bought with cards. Most countries have limit how much money you can get from the banks. (In Sweden for example its 2500 euro/month, If you sell a house for 300K, you can't get this money.Its impossible. Only 2500 euro per month). The absurd thing is that printed money is larger then ever to cover for the banks loans.  Each year EU countries print 10% more currency and there is no money in society. Where is all this money stored? Banks in Sweden for example have no money.

Money laundering is nothing. 

This is brainwashing from "ThePower". Why they want to remove money from society. (to curb "crime"). In real life its to control the people and make the bankers more rich.

Just take the 3-5% fee that CC cards take. Imagine if the state instead issued these cards and got 3-5% each sale? They could lower taxes and so on... But... In west, where there is no democracy: The Power/Media/Banks and politicians are the same. Its the same less than 1% that own 80% of the worlds all assets.

Hunger/healthcare/School for all the world could be solved if the richest 400 person shared their wealth. Money they got from lending out money that don't exist and get interest for it. 

Please wake up!  Fight the power in west. 

(and here is why muslims are "hated" in west. Islam: 0% interest. Western media is owned by??? Yes,,, people who have an agenda against the muslims. Always be critical. Wake up)

No danger. You only need recidental certification to buy bike. I did it earlier this year in Pattaya with certificate from Jomtien immigration.

Just a hint. With edu visa he can apply for real drivers license. This was one of the first things I did when I had edu visa. Got international drivers licensen from home country. Filled forms. Got both bike and car license 2 hours later without any tests.

Second tip: Bangkok plates on bike gives face. Better resale value.

Wow, the Thais are rigorously cleaning up Pattaya

What is happening is the military has the bib doing this as to interrupt their bribe income and to show them who is relay in charge..At this time the bib are still charging the pubs to look the other way but most of the late pubs have to pay even though they can not be sure they won;t be raided.This might be the reason that there are more traffic stops then normal, so as to supplement the bribe loss.Just my opinion.Not been a pattaya bar owner in a long time.

Isnt Pattaya /Chonburi one of the few places where the Peace government haven't replaced the governor?

The local politicians in Pattaya tries to stay in power showing that themselves can "clean up" the place. I can see a huge difference since this started 18 month ago. (live at Beachroad /Soi Nine)

Its quite fun seeing all the cameras that have been put up. Every lamp pole along beach road 360/4 cameras. Hundrands and hundrads of new cameras. Most sabotaged.

The condo market is fun. For westerners who think in western prices "these are cheap".

The biggest difference is that in west banks earns hundreds of billions on interest. West is really funny with this.

(when a bank in west lend out money they only need to have a fraction of it in real money. For example Sweden with strict rules: 15%. People lend 1 million, where 85% don't exist and pay interest for it. And this is the western economic today. Condos can lend 80% of its value, shares 70-90%, companies have 70% dept and on and so on. Isnt this the best idea ever? Lend out something that don't exist and get interest of it? This system works as long as banks have enough cash to cover their requirement. In EU for example: Thats why the government print money. Again in Sweden: They print 20 billion more money each year hoping that the banks have enough to cover their 10-15%. Thats why cash is gone in west and people pay with card since each euro in the bank: the bank can led out 85% that don't exist. 2008 crash in US was a crash where banks suddenly didn't have enough money to cover their requirement, so they got hundreds of billions of newly printed cash. This is the reason why we have economic crash every 10 year since money don't have any value anymore. 97% of western money don't exist today, but generate interest for the banks. Anyone who knows math understand that this don't work since there is not enough printed money to pay of the depth. So we have crashes every 10 year until people rise up and stop allowing banks to lend out nothing and get interest).

In good countries like TH, we can't lend a bunch of money to buy a condo. This means that prices are more reasonable.

The problem with TH condo market is this: "reservations"

its extremely cheap compared to west to build here. Many projects are funded with "reservations". Its a huge problem

When a good location project is announced everything is reserved since its only 10% downpayment and a small monthly fee. Then they have 2-3 years to resale the project before its finished and the completion fee have to be payed.

This crashed the condo market last year in Pattaya for condos that where finished last year. Tons of russians that had reserved condos now are in panic to sell them before they are completed and they have to pay.

This is a chicken race. There are great location projects in Pattaya where the mark up is way over 50%. Next year when these projects are finished and if the rubel have not gained a lot, they also will have to sell in panic.

Tourists see: "Project with over 80% sold"

No. 80% reserved. Not sold.

Add to this the difference in western/asian culture.

Again in west: There are a ton of houses that are hundreds of years old. One of the reason why monthly fees are high is renovation/maintenance. How many 30 year old condos do you see in Thailand? Not many. Because we can't own land as farangs. For the condo builder: Its better to tear down the building after 30 years and build a new one. You can't do anything about it.

Again: Its extremely cheap to build in TH. Even good location are unsold. "why not lower prices?"
Well. That is western thinking again. And I finally figured it out last year when we tried to get some work done in a 15 year old condo project Pattaya.

Every unsold condo: The votes belongs to the owners. So even when majority of real people living wanted to maintain the house, it was voted down.

Check any high-rise, expensive condo. Every apartment without aircon is unsold. The project owner have already made money to cover the cost of the house since it cost about 20K to produce a square meter and its sold for 60-80K. Better to have empty lots than lower the price.

And then they have the votes to do what they want with their condo.

Its a fun fun place TH, but we have to stop think like westerners if we live here.

Beach front condos are still expensive since they easily can be rented out with 10-15% profit. Paying 700-1000 dollar a month in rent is not "expensive" in western eyes.

Just 700 meters into land I can rent an condo for 150 dollar/month.

Only buy a condo in TH if you are going to live there since its cheaper than renting long term (often).

If resale/renting is the goal: Location is everything.

And remember:

10 year crash cycle.

2008 --- We are already into the next crash. US stockmarket will go down 50% (and remember to buy when 50% down).

This is a fact. History is important. Happens every 8-12 year. Again and Again and Again as long as banks are allowed to lend out something that don't exist and get interest on it.

There is a reason why 1% owns over 50% of the whole worlds assets and that they get richer.

Its a fact that we don't need hunger or poverty in the world. Not even 8 hours work/days. The only problem is this 1% that believes that they are better than everyone else and that they should have 100000 times the amount of money that ordinary workers have. Bankers don't create. Its workers that create. Bitcoin could save us, but it would hurt the 1%. (and the media is owned by the same people as owns the bank so you won't be able to read about Island that instead printing money and give it for free to the banks: they looked the bankers in jail. After 5 years of hell, Iceland shows us how much better everything is without lending out air economy. BTW. Isnt if fun with no-money society? When we pay with cards the banks make 2-5%. Imagine how much free money they get.

I purpose that the government should hand out a card and get 2-5% instead of banks. Taxes could be lower a loot just with the billions and billions this would generate. Close banks. Close political parties and we will have real democracy. Each year with the tax statement: Everyone just fill in what they believe what their taxes should be used to. Ultimate economic democracy. Something politicians and bankers newer will allow. We need a 1789 revolution in west.