khunPer

To OP:

It may be a good time now to buy/invest in the kind of house Westerners looks at. Price depends a lot on location - distance to beach, shopping and view - and you may even be able to find bargains for 3-bed (a lot) lower the 7 mio.

At the south of Samui you can find nice land, with beautiful views - and house - for a descent price, but it quite long away from shopping any everything else.

The bigger, more luxurios houses at good spots, have not been reduced in price, as that are the kind of houses Asians buys. Also property at prime spots, like beachfront, has gone up in price, over the last five years or so.

Regarding renting out, there are - as mentioned by other posters - a lot to take into consideration. You may need a management to take care of it, or if buying property in a devollpment project, they may offer you that kind of service, for a fee. Again, the place is important for what you may be able to get back in rent and how many customers you may have.

Forgive my ignorance, but can someone elighten me as to what a coyote dancer is.

I'm hoping ti's kind of like a gogo dance or stripper.

There is the distincty possibility, I may be going down this route at some point, but to a lesser extent.

Search fx. Google for: coyote dance thailand

At parties with stage+band+vocalists - as you see them at weddings or local markets - there will often be 4 to 6 girls dancing, some times, or later in the evening, sexy dance in hot pants and tank drops. You may see semilar in Thai music videos on TV and at Thai pop live-concerts.

Coyote dancers normally refers to the girls dancing on top of cars, equipped with huge sound systems.

Never.

Value of farm land, depending of area and deed (chanute), will now normally be between 40k to 100k a rai.

World War I?

Sorry for the typo, WWII of course.

Pattaya, no thanks heard of it and not really into places with girls of that sort.

So far two sensible suggestions, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai, thanks for those.

One hundred and forty odd silly replies, would one of the forum moderators care to delete all of those?

I met her at Starbucks.

Thai ID or not, as an American you can own a Thai company 100% through the Amity Treaty. A company can own land and lease it out to you. A foreigner can own a house, but not the land under the house.

Before you invest in company set-up, land and house, take a tour around Thailand and maybe try to live at attractive places for some month in a rented house, to see if you like the place. There are many options, especially as you seem to be financially Okay. If you are not for a big city like Bangkok or bars like at Pattaya, you may look at Chiang May and Hua Hin as suggested. Other options may be the Phuket area or Koh Samui/Koh Phangan.

A remark to all the advises about young Thai ladies. We hear a lot about the bad stories - they are true and there are many of them - but we hardly hear any of the success stories, as they do not sell headlines. Be careful and keep your feets solid on the ground, however a "practical" Thai relationship between an "older" man and a young girl may work very well, if you are aware of the conditions and can set your limits. I can tell you, from my own experience, that it can work out fine.

(typo)

Besides Haad Rin, any other places I should check out while at Koh PAngnan?

If you are looking for a good beach and the adventure of tropical fish, you may try Lomprayah to Koh Nanguan (northern tip of Koh Tao). Departs (Maenam) 8 am and returns about 4.30 pm. Trip include lunch buffet (excellent) and snorkling equipment. Lomparyah has a free pick-up/return bus service from/to your hotel/bungalow. Price between 1500 and 2000 baht, depending on special offers.

Is the ferry still running from Maenam to Thong Nai Pan?

Yes, just started again a few days ago.

250 baht to Had Rin, 350 all the way.

Departs fra Maenam daily at 12 noon.

May be different from area to area? I have only good experience with public Thai hospitals. We used one in the Surin area when my GF gave birth by caesarian - she wished to use the hospital she know at her home town - and I was impressed, coming from a Scandinavian country, claiming to be among the best health care systems in the World. Especially the human care of patients, impressed me. We could afford a socalled VIP-room with en-suite, aircon, TV and guestbed; 150 baht extra a day. As my GF were moving into the Social Security scheme, but had not recieved her (blue) card, we had to pay for the service - she could claim the money back from the Amphor, when she got the card by mail - three days at hospital, operation and everything ended up around 11,000 baht. However we never claimed the money back, as I was happy to pay that rate for the service.

I had a friend using the public hospital at Samui for a small cosmetic operation, he never had time to make in his Scandinavian home country. He was very happy with the service and was charged 1100 baht only. I also have Thai friends using the free public hospitals and I always had a good impression from my visits.

So may well be, that some districts provide better hospital service than others?

A high rise of the minimum wages may give a lot of votes, but in long terms, it will be a step back or like »shooting yourself in the foot«. Take for example a look at Europe.

Higher minimum wages means the companies want more efficient workers and lay some workers off, to keep the costs down. Major companies in Thailand pay extra 10% of the wage in Social Security, which gives a number of benefits for the workers, among other six-month unemployment support. If the numbers of unemployed workers rise, the SS employer fee may well go up, adding more costs to the workforce and demand for more efficient workers etc.

At the moment companies in Thailand can afford to offer workers with lower skills a job, like the man handing out cards for cars at a shopping center parking space. Some places he has unfortunately already been replaced by a video camera – cheaper investment on long terms than paying a salary. In Europe that kind of jobs has been gone for long and replaced by unemployment support financed over taxes or SS fees.

Production moves out from high wage areas, because the consumers demand the cheapest products. Thailand is still among the areas, where it is worth to produce some kind of products. Officially Thailand has a low unemployment rate and a high number of migrant workers. Europe lost a lot of their production and has a high number of unemployed, supported by the taxpayers.

It is dangerous to compare an hour rate from for example UK just converting currency, i.e. 5 Pounds will be some 250 baht. With Western eyes it looks unfair, that one-hour work equals one days work. However in UK the worker pay income tax and higher VAT etc. Life style and livings costs are very different. Look at the salary after income tax and compare prices of basic needs, like the price of eggs. 40 to 50 baht an hour may be more like it. And yes, a foreigner in Thailand living like in his homeland pays a lot for the unusual imported products, so do a Thai living in Europe, where the imported Thai products ends up at five times the price of here, if calculated in bath.

A natural rise of salary will be healthier in long terms. Workers are always paid more, when the unemployment is low and skilled workers always have a high value. To my knowledge, supermarket chains do not pay as low as 5,000 baht a month anymore – I know of BigC paying 8,000 baht and up for assistants placing goods of the shelf’s, presuming an employee working cash line is having more. The 300 baht a day may not change a lot for the skilled workers – they already make it – but some of the ones with less skill may be laid off or not replaced when leaving. Who are going to pay for them? What happens when the minimum wage rise to 500 baht a day? More inflation, higher living cost, less production, less tourists etc.?

Thanks for speaking the case for many expats and foreigners.

It may be depending on the land deed, Chanote or...?

I have read - think in a book about Thai property og Thai Law - that, if you leave a low deed the land unused and someone else live on or use a land for more than three years, they may be able to claim ownership. A local advise is, always to fence your land to show, that you are using it.

For Chanote there should be a semilar rule, but for 10 years of unused land, inhabited/used by others.

To my knowledge, some very low deeds are depending on paying tax (the regular monthly/annual land tax) and having the reciepts, but I have heard, that it is only for right to use land, originally owned by the gouverment. May be able to upgrate to a land owner deed, of which some can only transfer to other family members and cannot be used as security for loans (normally written i red thai lettes in a box on the front or the back of the deed).

In the OP's case, worth checking the deed and ask a lawyer.

Everything will do. Passport, ID Card, Drivers License. No need to ask just present any ID and it will be fine. I always use my local drivers license.

Yes, I have done the same - just to test - using my Thai driver license as ID on domestic flights (Bangkok Air). My GF use either her ID or Passport.

Thanks for the information.

Something like that in the new TV-news (only spoken in Thai)?

Happy Birthday your Majesty and the very best wishes for the future.

So, Thai men have sex 7.7 times per month, but later in the article it says Thai women have sex 5.7 times per month.

So are Thai men doing it 2 times per month with other men or pets or the furniture or what?

"All respondents were between 31 and 74 " - or mayby choose a younger model (locally called mia noi or gig)?

7½m / 300m2 equals 25,000b/m2.

Normally you can build a decent house for around 15-17,000b/m2. It is cheaper up at Isaan, than at the tourist destinations. Costs depends on your choice of finish and decoration, furthermore your building constructor's overhead. You may easily end up at around 25,000b/m2, if you include good quality tile work, nice brand name bathroom hardware, European kitchen, hi-end aircons etc. - higher price if you are building luxury.

In some areas you may save money, building your own house - some times you may see a double-up price for a turn-key project - in other areas you may do a good bargain, especially now, as it seems to be difficult to sell the kind of houses, we normal people can afford to buy.

I finished my house last year (not Korat) and used uPVC outdoor slide doors and windows instead of aluminium. There seem to be two manufacturers: Windsor Vinyl, owned by Cement Thai; and German Hoffen, traded by HomePro (which I choosed, as their finish looked better). Hoffen also provide a double-slide door at no extra cost, which is very practical and I am happy I choosed that. I had a choice between white aluminium and white uPVC - the price difference with a good offer from Hoffen was only about 10% higher, including installation by a Hoffen-team.

House construction prices can be everything from around 10,000 baht/m2 and up - depending on materials and finish (tiles, paint, decoration etc.), the latter can easially double the price or more. Up at Isaan many choose to pay a contractor for the labour only, and pay all meterials separate. That gives you a freedom to chose the right meterials - and in some cases experts to do critical work, like doors/windows and roof tiles.

For roof, take a look at a Cement Thai Roof Center in a Home Mart. They will give free quotes with detailed drawings and list of all meterials. The also do the work by a specialst team, which may even be cheaper than your constructor. Looking at the amount of special work - sarking etc. - for a "waterprof" roof, a specialist may be considered. Cement Thai gives you 5 years guarantie. I have heard terrible stories about roofs and rainwater coming thrugh within a year, constructor gone (out of business or just disappear or just promise to come and never comes) and if you a lucky to find him, you may end up with cement on your roof. Cement Thai can also make your steel construction in calvanised steel - actually it may even be cheaper than the local steel-team making a rusting construction; as you need less steel (weight), when galvanized.

Windsor Vinyl have European style PVC gutters (brown or white) and do a nice installation job.

I choosed the (in Thailand) new "comfort blocks" for my walls - they are the same as the gas-congrete-blocks used in Northern Europe. The are quite expensieve compared to the standard block (4-5 times higher cost) but you save a lot in aircon and keep a better constant temperature inside the house. The confort blocks are more easy to work with, when doing electric pipes and when you later want to drill and screw anything on the walls. I used double walls for all aircon rooms.

My advise is, to get (at least) two different and detailled construction quotes. Check carefully all quoted materials, may be down to size of water and drain pipes, square of electrical wires and earthing. Many constructers overcharge the wood for cement forms, as they (or their computer program) calculate new wood for all cement, but in real life, they will reuse the form wood. You may be able to cut the form wood material (not labour) to half. Quoted steel construction costs in my quotes were higher, than by Cement Thai Roof Center.

Home Pro may be a good place to look for sanitary equipment and kitchen, and they provide a complete installation.

May also be worth reading the book "How to boy land and and build a house in Thailand" by Philip Bryce (Paiboon, ISBN 1-887521-71-2).

If possible, supervise everything yourself.

I wish you all the best good luck for your project;o)

The sound of music sometimes heard at Maenam comes from the BlackMoon party at Koh Phangan. Whilst the FullMoon party is on the northside, the BlackMoon is on the middle of Had Rin and with certain wind drections, the sound can sometimes be heard at Maenam Beach.

Thanks - a very good and interesting column.

It is the BlackMoon party from Chaweng Lake View Arena, that has moved out there, arranged as usual by the owner of Sound Club/Bar Solo (they are closed, when BlackMoon party is held). Entrance fee usually 200 baht, but may be depending on some named foriegn DJ's playing. Party goes on from around 10 pm until 6 am. Can be quite noisy, if you do not fancy tech-house music. May just be a temporary solution, due to road work in front of Chaweng Lake View. However, they have before rented beach space in Chaweng (Big Bamboo) to expand the business with some beach parties - seems like the "old" stuff from Big Bamboo has been moved out there.

100k/m or 300k/m - you can live fine for 100k/m and easially spend a lot more - depending of your life-style.

Also remember inflation, which may be a bit higher in Asia than Western countries. Thailand is not that cheap, if you wish a more Western-like lifestyle.

Another questions is, when and at what age you wish to enjoy your life, instead of working and saving up for...?

I chosed 55 year and live fine here with family for little less than 100k/m, but I am not drinking (much) or hanging out in the gogo's!

Try at trip to check Koh Samui - you may find all you are looking for;o)

How is compared to the other tourist Islands (koh chang/koh samet/phuket i.e. to name the ones I know)?

You said:

"The "perfect place" would be a small coast town with a couple of farang-friendly roads and bar... where should I go check something?"

- That you may find - plus a lot more - it's an option, but you will need to check-it-out yourself, if right or not for your lifestyle.

Try at trip to check Koh Samui - you may find all you are looking for;o)

25k sounds fair.