iluvbeaches

I'm renting out 4 houses in Phuket. ( 1 in Patong and 3 in Kathu )

I only do long term rents of 1 year or more and mostly via a well known real estate broker.

Last house i build was rented out within 1 month for 1 year and further options. ( one house i have is already rented to the same person for 5 years and counting )

It all depends where your house/condo is located and the state it is in and the price of-course.

Off-course using a broker cost money but in case of long term rent it is not to bad and i don't have much hassle which is for me more important.

If you are in a good location you should not have a big problem with renting out your house/condo.

Houses are in demand in Patong because there are tons of condos, apartments and guesthouses but few nice houses especially with pool. I always recommend anyone doing any investing in Phuket to drive around find some fixer upper and make a business out of fixing it and renting it out long or short term. One guy I met does this with a few of those luxury houses on Nanai. I think it would be hard to find a house let a lone a townhouse for less than 4.5m though.

trogers: ROI is calculated based on rental income. the profit one makes from selling is due to appreciation, and is unrelated to ROI.

in today's costs, a desent condo is around 15M-20M THB, and rental income would be around 20K THB/month.

a realistic income calculation is for 11 months of rent a year, due too expenses, temporary vacancy in between tenants and so on.

so the ROI for a condo in bkk seems to be: (20K x 11)/(20,000,000) = 3.6%

Given that the inflation in thailand is around 3-3.5%, an owner makes a realistic profit of 0-0.5%

You are totally wrong, and even your maths sucks. For starters... (20K x 11)/(20,000,000) = 1.1% (not 3.6%)

What has inflation got to do with rental return? If you get 20,000 baht a month for you condo, then that is how much you get. You don't get 0%. Please explain. If my tenant gives me 20,000 baht every month, why do you think I don't have that 20,000 baht. If inflation is 3%, in one year's time I'll be able to buy a little less with my 20,000 baht every month. But I'll still have 20,000. But rents tend to rise with inflation. Not always, but they do over time. So you're not really losing out. Obviously individual cases vary. But I doubt you will find any condos renting for 2003 prices or 1993 prices or 1983 prices.

ROI - return on investment. e.g. I buy a condo for 5 million and sell it for 6 million. So I made 20% profit. That is my return on investment. Inflation comes into play here, but not the way you say it does with rental income

You are very confused and don't understand even basic concepts.

Good luck with finding a 20 million condo for only 20,000 a month. I don't think you'll find many/any.

20m baht condos for rent for 20k? Sounds quite doubtful but if so then maybe such large purchases aren't recommended. I doubt many Thais could afford such a property for another 20 years.

I rent out my condo while I'm away for 10k a month (9000thb plus internet and electric) and the condo cost 2m furnished and fitted. Did not use an agent, ad on prakard. But it is not an area with a lot of foreigners although it's 500m from two subway stations and close to a major road.

I think if you are looking to make money you should concentrate on condos in Thai areas on bts, mrt extensions. Look at the new lines developing, near big schools or big businesses. Make the price less than paying for a mortgage. M

Not only are you spending less for capital outlay (who wants to lock up 20m in Thailand?!) but there is more room for capital growth and rental rates seem to be around the same. For Thais they won't spend more than 8-10,000 because then they could just take a loan. Only reason mine got rented is because it is very close to a huge school.

I have read that a TEFL course is very helpful to a teacher, but not neccesarily helpful in landing a job nor does it allow the teacher to command more money.

So, it appears the only value is that it perhaps provides the classroom with a better teacher and perhaps provides the teacher with a bit more control of his environnent and his sanity - thereby allowing the teacher to remain working as opposed to quitting.

These courses seem to start around 30-45k baht and at those prices I am really questioning their value. Amortized the first (2nd?) year, that is easily ten percent of a starting teachers salary off the top.

Next, I have serious issues with some of these courses sending "student teachers" into classrooms in which students have paid for "qualified" teachers. Does not seem ethical. I seriously doubt the courses I looked at are offering students to come in fir free lessons so they business is also making money on the student as well as the teacher.

Finally, I question the competence of some of the teachers of these courses. Do they solidly deliver teaching and classroom.skills and not simply basic public speaking and presentation skills (which I personally would be qualified to teach).

Comments please.

I am not a TOEFL teacher so whatever I say maybe hearsay however most of my friends who done of course I believe it's called Chichester located somewhere in ding dang Bangkok really feel like it was worth the money because if you wanted job they can get you one and they feel they felt that it was a lot more comfortable going in front of a roomful students after having a month of expertise doing just that. From the teachers I have met that went through this course I think they are much better teachers I have of course sat through many English lessons in different schools as I was contemplating doing this however I feel like those teachers that don't have a TOEFL degree are somewhat less quality teachers As they lack some systematic course setup abilities that are work through in such courses.

But some people have a hard time finding quality jobs regardless. I think it is more important that the individual is outgoing and sociable/likable. Then employers will hire your for better jobs rather than people who seem shady, unsociable or sadly look scummy.

Apologies for the poor spelling and grammar I am getting used to this tablet.

TOEFL is a language proficiency exam. I'm sure you mean TEFL. This is just a clarification in case it adds some confusion.

Yes sorry I guess it is common to use then interchangeably but you are correct they mean different things.

I personally like that there's only one airline that is quite expensive relative to other destinations on koh samui that makes it a little bit less accessible and hopefully most of the very difficult tourists cheap Charlie's and package tourists choose to visit Phuket or pattaya instead.

To an extent. If you bolt on a BKK - USM return to an international flight it is very reasonable. My last flight UK to USM was only 40 quid cheaper if I done UK - BKK only.

Hmm I didn't realize this. That is very good. Since I usually fly from Bangkok I never have done all in connections from overseas.

But people who are on a budget can always fly air Asia to Surat Thani albeit from don muang but the possibility exists.

I highly recommend people try to use the MRT (the other sky train, the subway) which besides before and after work hours can be totally empty, 6 trains, runs often and well air conditioned. Hopefully with new lines planned it will provide an option except of course you are heading to lower sukhumvit.

I have read that a TEFL course is very helpful to a teacher, but not neccesarily helpful in landing a job nor does it allow the teacher to command more money.

So, it appears the only value is that it perhaps provides the classroom with a better teacher and perhaps provides the teacher with a bit more control of his environnent and his sanity - thereby allowing the teacher to remain working as opposed to quitting.

These courses seem to start around 30-45k baht and at those prices I am really questioning their value. Amortized the first (2nd?) year, that is easily ten percent of a starting teachers salary off the top.

Next, I have serious issues with some of these courses sending "student teachers" into classrooms in which students have paid for "qualified" teachers. Does not seem ethical. I seriously doubt the courses I looked at are offering students to come in fir free lessons so they business is also making money on the student as well as the teacher.

Finally, I question the competence of some of the teachers of these courses. Do they solidly deliver teaching and classroom.skills and not simply basic public speaking and presentation skills (which I personally would be qualified to teach).

Comments please.

I am not a TOEFL teacher so whatever I say maybe hearsay however most of my friends who done of course I believe it's called Chichester located somewhere in ding dang Bangkok really feel like it was worth the money because if you wanted job they can get you one and they feel they felt that it was a lot more comfortable going in front of a roomful students after having a month of expertise doing just that. From the teachers I have met that went through this course I think they are much better teachers I have of course sat through many English lessons in different schools as I was contemplating doing this however I feel like those teachers that don't have a TOEFL degree are somewhat less quality teachers As they lack some systematic course setup abilities that are work through in such courses.

But some people have a hard time finding quality jobs regardless. I think it is more important that the individual is outgoing and sociable/likable. Then employers will hire your for better jobs rather than people who seem shady, unsociable or sadly look scummy.

Apologies for the poor spelling and grammar I am getting used to this tablet.

Travbuddy is also good for finding people visiting the same city at the same time. Lots of cool normal people. Sometimes you kind find meetup groups in the city you are visiting. Or look on your countries Thai forums for travel companions and try to organize a meet up.

I think tours are a bad idea. Packaging anything usually waters down the experience. Instead try to read reviews and stay at social young hotels/hostels and you can book trips with other people. If you are planning on staying for a long time you can take a toefl course. I met some great friends that way that I've kept in touch with over the years.

My first few visits to Thailand I always did stuff like that and had great experiences even when solo. Good luck.

Yes, Windows XP. That's some solid advice from both of you, thank you.

We are hopefully going to head over to Patong, Phuket today to buy an aircard. My g/f tells me that AIS and DTAC don't have physical shopfronts, and I would need to buy the aircard from a mobile phone shop. Is she right, or should we be buying the aircard from elsewhere?

The fair-use speed of 384 kbps sounds fine for her, the most bandwidth she will use is watching lo-res YouTube videos

.

One other question. She wants to avoid signing a minimum 1-year contract if possible. With AIS and DTAC's 3G plans, does she need to sign up for a minimum contract or does she just pay once a month for as long as she needs service? Can she pay her monthly bill at the local 7/11?

Cheers!

Dtac has a shop in jungcylon in the basement near walkway downstairs toward that's Siam or whatever that pseudo market is called.

Better off with tot hard line dsl. Much more gb better speed and more reliable.

Well what to say, on a scale of 1 to 10 i would give it a 2.

Making a video to teach would require that you understand the subject. Otherwise it is a "look how i am practicing" video.

Anyone who is following your instruction is now handicapped for the future because the first steps were learned wrong.

Sketchup is very forgiving when making very simple 3d, it is why it got that name.

However it will be terribly difficult when you want to make small changes later when you not follow a few rules.

One of those rules is that you need to make components, or groups.

Drawing precise is very easy when you draw a few ruler lines.

A good candidate for components are pillars. You just make one of them and then copy them and place them.

Same with the outer walls and inner walls. You create a free standing wall for each type you need of the exact height and thickness you need and then make it into a component.

You then place copies of that in the right place and scale them on only one axis to the right length. If needed you can rotate it 90 degrees.

If you need to modify a specific wall with unique features first right click it and make it unique.

Doors, windows are also perfect to use as a component.

Practice until you get comfortable with it.

Then make this video series again and it will be something that really teaches.

From a scale of 1 to 10 I give your response a ZERO !!

I suggest you practice you response skills and when you are proficient enough come back and post again.

In Post #3 I said and I quote" I welcome any input Please keep in mind that this is my first time posting instructional videos in YouTube , so I am still working out the bugs, and that I am not an expert in sketch up by any stretch of the imagination. so if I can do it, any one can do it."

I am sorry if I disappointed you I am sure my video is not on Par with yours, I am sorry I missed them , I will try searching for them later, can you please provide me with a link to them?

In the mean time I will share what I know .

Please keep in mind that not many of as are as intelligent as you , also please note that in video#2 8:32 in to the video when I was pulling the columns and walls up. I say that I do not have to pull them up individually, and that I could make them in to components, but I don't want to confuse people at this point by explaining components.

By raising This model from the floor plan I was hopping to explain some of the basic commands not by teaching but by doing.and as we got comfortable with the basics bring up components , groupings, and sections later.

But since you seem to be an expert in the subject and seem to be volunteering, I will leave the component section to you.

I look forward to your video explaining Components and I thank you in advance.

Ageed. I appreciate your videos and the time it took to make them. Thanks for that. The above poster is a chump.

No illegal to just use tourist visas - you might be able to obtain three entries to start which with 30 days extensions could cover the first nine months and then obtain another in Laos for the last three months of your stay.

It isn't illegal to visit a country on a legal visa. That is stupid.

They could deny me a tourist visa after so many in a row, but never would it be "illegal"

I'm not working on the visa or anything.

Metapod the problem with your plan is if you don't show up to class the school won't give you the paperwork to extend the visa at immigration. You can skip from time to time but you need to go semi regularly. Some shady schools might not forward the attendance sheets to immigration like their supposed to but once you paid all that money do you want to lose it and have to do border runs anyway? Just do a tourist visa extended three months then fly out and in a few times.

I'm currently planning a 15-day vacation to Pattaya. My US phone carrier is Verizon, so my Galaxy Nexus phone doesn't use SIM cards and doesn't use the same cell bands either. Obviously, that means my phone won't work on its own in Thailand.

I'm primarily interested in data usage during my trip, so it looks like a 3G "MiFi"-type portable hotspot device is my best bet. I've found a few companies online that rent them for international trips (XCom, TeleSquare US, etc), but it seems like it would be cheaper to purchase a MiFi and a SIM card myself.

I would appreciate recommendations and suggestions for the following questions:

1) What MiFi device should I purchase?

2) Should I purchase one before my trip, or would there be somewhere in Pattaya I could pick one up?

3) Which Thai 3G provider should I use?

4) How much would a 5GB or unlimited SIM card cost, and where would be the best place to get one?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Mark

If you are in the market for a tablet while in Los android and iPads can share Internet like a wifi hotspot as long as they are 3G sim compatible. Samsung 7 tab while traveling to share Internet running android 4.0.1 and also my iPhone does the same.

Just comparing TrueMove and DTAC for post-paid 3G package including certain number of minute per month talk time, WIFI and 3G. Out of experience of the board members I have couple of clarifications:

- which was is better in terms of WIFI coverage in Bangkok?

- which is more reliable with 3G?

In general I suppose international calls are not included in the call time allocation. How do the packages work if there is unused minutes from one month - are they credited to the next month or can they be transferred from one account to another?

Not sure current plans but one great thing about dtac is that with post pay I can login under my account see bills and change my plans with one month interval. I am in Europe a lot so the months I am not using it I turn it to 150 baht per month and then back to 700 inc 3g Internet and wifi when I'm back. Need to keep the number as its tied to my bank accounts and an expired pre pay can be hell to fix.

I'm thinking about setting up a little personal website. I'm a cheapskate. Can anyone recommend a free, ad-free website host please. It would be nice to have loads of extra stuff on it even though I don't yet understand how to use it.

Www.wix.com

Say all the owners of condos...

Depends on everything really...location, quality of building and unit itself. Must be 5000 empty condos or condos in consyruction between Huay Kwang and PraRam9 alone. All asking well over 2.5m for tiny boxes. No one biting it appears.

Don't think I agree with that assessment. My building is near huay kwang and I would estimate 90% occupied, all owners except me are Thai. Some foreigners rent but less than sukhumvit. Mainly owners and a few renters. I'm back in my home country for the next year and renting it for 10k a month to a Thai now but I will definitely hold on to it for at least 4-5 years then see where the market is.

Some of the over priced ones like the higher end Rhythm by Ap seems not to have sold well but Ideo and life condos seem pretty full judging by the clothing hangers on the balconies.

Most licensed Thai language schools seem to charge around 22-30,000 thb for the school plus you have to extend your visa every 90 days at immigration (1900 thb) in the district you live or go to school.

My Thai school is a cheap option at Thai culture center station mrt my friend went to. He said it was crap but they did not care if you came often or not. I went to language express plen chid bts station and it was very good. Prices only differ by a few thousand.

I think the key to real estate here that many people forget is they buy property at prices where a small group of foreigners like to buy/rent. I don't see the point of limiting your rental and resale options to this.

If you instead buy at Thai prices in Thai owned condos you can own it and later sell to a Thai or foreigner, as some like to venture out of sukhumvit.

That's why I don't think it's reasonable to invest in tourist areas as the interest is too low and may change. Good and growing locations in capitals always have a local population who want to live there.

But I still think too many people dump all their money into real estate and have to sell at a loss rather than holding on to it for minimum 5-10 years. Selling when the opportunity arises and rental income along the way. Just my thoughts.

Air Asia and budget airlines are generally only good for single or couples flying short haul and/or with little luggage. Otherwise your likely better off with full fare airlines who will likely accommodate more if things go wrong.

120 kg of luggage? Dear lord. That's like dragging around two dead bodies.

Problem: I will be staying with a friend who has a cheap broadband router with only one ethernet outlet, whereas we need at least two for simultaneous use by 2 different Apple computers. We don't like to use wireless internet for health reasons (EMF wave exposure).

How can I identify the type of router to purchase, preferably secondhand, with 2 or more ethernet outlets? Is there much inter-compatibility between ISPs these days, or must the replacement router be the exact same specification? Or is there any other way of piggy-backing 2 ethernet lines into one router outlet? Apologies for my ignorance and thanks for any tips.

Just a quick note if you are in a condo or apartment complex there are likely 15 or so wifi neighboring networks criss crossing the apartment at all times.

Ask. Why would you want to sit in a car for an hour with a guy who has to return his car, doesn't want to go that way or simply doesn't like you. Not worth it. It's only really around sukhumvit or if you ask a ridiculous cross town or through rush hour destination they won't want to go.

Hello yes it's à shame but I think I located one. Thanks anyhow!

Hello members.

I have previously used several general fixers around the house but would like to use someone new. Can someone please recommend one you have used or know can fix things such as leaks from pipes, paint, simple replacement parts, fix a water heater, etc.

Location of house is in Parong so if they are available in that area that would be preferable. Thank you.

I use bangkok bank and scb for my personal and my business account. Bangkok bank has a great business account online setup, very secure, in english and great BUT you need code tokens and lots of different codes to access. AFAIK scb does not do this for free, your account is “chained” to the branch you open which is a huge pain in the butt if you open in Phuket but live in Bangkok. SCB easynet personal banking is a whole ‘nother story. Awesome setup, very useful, mobile version for your phone. I also used K bank which is the easiest to set up for foreigners but has worse exchange rates.

My rating:

business: bangkok bank, free, good and with online banking

personal: scb, free, very good, and with online banking - bangkok bank has better TT exchange rates

easiest to setup: k bank. 1000 baht and a passport is pretty much all you need.

Jumping in here... problem is most of the available units in better buildings seem to have seriously inflated prices. Esp if you look at buildings that have good management companies like thos AP buildings.

I had a friend who bought at sutthisan a building by SC Asset (Taksins company I am told). Company is publicly traded, has tons of buildings under its belt, contract in English, 49% ownership or less guaranteed. Best part is its a monthly payment plan for a total of 10% spread over 1,5years then remainder paid when they turned over the keys. If they breech contract they owe paid in amount plus interest 8% i believe. Price was about 1m under any already built comparable apt in the area.

I am sure things could go south but I think the upside is pretty good if you go with reputable, publicly traded companies and you are not in a rush.

Really, nothing?