AmericanSafety

Just came back from Pattaya.

Prices are still falling and a number of the condo developments that were sold primarily to Russians off plan have been re-introduced to the market (albeit the down payments were absorbed by developers, no doubt).

The ruble is worth nothing still and the reflection has never been more present in the numbers of tourists, peg rate and re-introduction of units.

However, my house in inter-Jomiten (beach side Thappraya) has increased. A 1 bed, 1 bath, 1 living room near my house just went in 1 month for 4.1 M baht.

My advice, for real potential profits, is befriend a realtor or realtors. Find pre-market sales or homeowners who approach realtors for sale. Look for properties as close to the seaboard and baht bus route as possible. The house or condo isn't as important as its location (renovation is inexpensive).

A possible steal is the unit developments which are being done South of Lumpo Market in Jomtien. The re-routing of the baht bus route is going through again and will continue down Thappraya into Chayapruek (returning route will either be Jomtien beach road or Sukhimvitt).

This has been discussed so many times recently it borders as a troll post.

Here's a Thai website which allows you to track projects price valuations.

http://www.hipflat.co.th/en/pattaya/condo

And "yes", the trend for Pattaya has been going down fairly steadily.

1.) The military coup, as well as other negative publicity, has reduced the number of expat retirees and tourists.

2.) The Russians are retreating from their pervious buying purges.

4.) More desirable land acquisition in neighboring Cambodia & Viet Nam.

5.) Continued failing scholastic marks for local private schools along with raising tuition.

6.) Too much building of condos, off main routes (makes the market saturated).

The closest SS office is in Manila, PI.

The last 2 years I have applied for both my young daughters to get their SS cards.

The BKK Embassy gave me the paperwork and I had to apply and sent off to the address given.

My friend, who retired last year, also went to the US Embassy and completed SS paperwork received from them to apply for drawing SS benefits.

They also gave him the same address I used for my daughters.

There are no offices in Thailand, as per the US Embassy.

Philippines American Embassy
1201 Roxas Boulevard
Ermita, Manila 0930
Philippines
Phone: 632-301-2000
Fax: 632-708-9714 or 632-708-9723
Email: [email protected]

If anyone knows how to contact this man, tell him to retain the services of Mossack Fonseca out of Bangkok.

I have them on retainer and have used them in the past.

They are international and do not F about.

​As for all the naysayers, I am hearing way too much BS bar room legal advice here. Expats have rights in Thailand just as nearly everywhere else in the world. Thailand joined the IMF in 1944, and it therefore bound by international banking standards and laws. Fraud is fraud no matter the place or the person's visa status. The thing is this, when you retain adequate legal counsel, in the form of an Internationally recognized firm, the Thai legal system folds like a house of cards. If you seek legal advice from Chang drinkers or go to 101 Services, you get the worst advice possible (and categorically, incorrect).

http://www.mossackfonseca.com/our_offices/thailand/

THAILAND

^^^^^,

after the floor is laid, it will be stained with for example a red or yellow powder that is worked into the wood, it will be sanded down with a buffer and re applied, then it will be coated.

As for termites, why are there wooden houses in Ayuttaya or Chaing Mai that have been standing for years.

My MIL's house in Issan used wood from her mother's house and the main posts are riddled with termite holes. In our village here, termites are a huge problem.

I also have a teak and ironwood house in Isaan. We've never had a problem with termites there either (and it's out in the sticks). But, that being said, it is made with teak and ironwood and from what I have always heard, both types of woods are not a termite favorite. Being that my other house is in Jomtien and the house is wrapped in tile, the house is concrete and steel, I don't think the likelihood is necessarily here.

I'm just guessing, as I do not remember the actual dimensions of the main salon, 20ft x 40ft? So, 7m x 14m = 98m x 2,000B ($60) = $5880 or 3,000B ($100) = $9,800. This sound about right?

Thanks Blueeyes for the PM.

Virtually, everywhere I have read has said that battens have to be used for installation on top of a tile floor. I'm looking for a dark red stain to match the existing doors and door frames. I'm thinking about later, doing the bedroom floors in a soft light stain (helps with the light).

I haven't seen any termites in the area. My neighbors haven't mentioned anything either. It might be prudent to have the exterior of the house sprayed.

Do Sophon have an English speaking customer service department?

I would guess, "no." Mainly because, they would have to address grievances then.

I've worked with a guy who'll do this. He isn't cheap, but does great work. Definitely don't use the cheap laminate. Spill one glass of water and it will warp. Our house came with this junk and we're going to have to replace it. It's horrible stuff.

We had a friend do his house with teak. Very good contractor. But, didn't put a proper seal in and water is seeping up through the concrete somehow and the incredibly expensive floor now looks horrible.

If you are interested, I'll PM you the contractor I used. He doesn't speak much English, so you'll need a Thai partner to help you out with this.

If you do go forward, please reply back here as to how it went!

Good luck!

Thanks Craigt3365-

Ideally, I'd like 5/8th wood on top of tile. Blogs I've checked out say, "yes, no and everything in between." Fairly irritating because there is little continuity and even fewer results from a websearch. I think the strangest thing is that there are millions of condos being thrown up and some contractor is going room my room putting in nice floors at some of the middle to hirer end developments; where are these people?!!

I for the life of me have been asking agents and contractors and all I hear is, "well they come in and send us a bill.." It's like they come in under the cover of darkness, do good deeds and leave like Batman.

Down in the jomtien at the intersection of Thappraya and Threpprait there is a coffee shop on the beachside of Thappraya. Can't remember the name but a good cup of coffee and tons of books you can take.

Looks like a neat place, just not too touristie. What did you do while you were there?

Afternoon Gents-

I recently purchased a 3BR/2Bath in the Jomtien area. It is a nice house but the previous owners wore shoes indoors and consequently, the tile is old and faded. I have always lived in houses with wood floors and would like them installed in my new home. I looked at Homeworks and Homepros and spoke with some people about their work and virtually everyone said they are awful.

I was wondering, does anyone know of good, reputable places which install wood floors?

I am hoping that the flooring can be placed over the tile, instead of breaking it up.

Thanks ahead of time,

AS

I have spoken with 3 banks about small business loans, as well. No luck either. One of the bank managers spoke very good English and was empathetic and took the time to explain that 'lending to expats is too risky a venture for thai banking practices." In essence, he was saying that often when/if an expat leaves the venture or country, the Thai partner 95% of the time will default on loan payments within a fiscal quarter, resulting in bank re-establishment proceedings for the property. In addition, he stated that standard housing properties are more desirable and have easier turn over than a zoned business.

Basically, the financial gain is potentially the same as a standard property mortage, however, the risks are greater for default than a home, making them a less-desirable loan.

Yes, a non-O visa is the way to go.

If you will arrive on a visa exempt entry, you could apply for a conversion at BKK-immigration if you can show an income of 40,000 a month OR 400,000 in a bank account in Thailand. For the conversion it is required that you show that the money in the bank came from abroad.

Income can be from abroad, in which case you need an affidavit from the US- embassy.

mario2008-

So, I can convert it at Suvarnbhumi at arrival?

Thanks for everyone's post.

So, Laos is the best bet? I went there a few years ago for the ED Visa, miserable experience along with being fortunate enough to find the filthiest Dengue ridden mosquito in of Laos.

The Thai/US embassy shows marriage/birth certificate for the "O". Nothing about a property book or the sort. I am a bit confused about the money portion. I have a few retired American friends who do not have to show financial proof in a thai account; they only swear and affidavit at the Embassy on wireless and use that for all visa transactions. Will that work in this case as well?

I'm not worried about the money, I'd just rather not open an account and deal with later declaring it to the IRS for 400,000B.

Thanks again for your time.

Hey Folks,

I'm an American safety inspector (male, 36) who spends the majority of my time working in the Middle East and Africa. My current job is coming to closure and I will be returning back to Thailand (having spent extended ED visas and tourist visa stays there since 2005) to stay with my wife (Thai) and 2 young daughters (1, 2 yrs -dual citizen).

Since I'm not sure how long before my next work assignment and my age (below 50), I'm guessing a Non-Immigrant "O" visa is the proper way to go about it.

Is this a proper assumption?

I will have to return on a standard 30 day tourist visa to collect the marriage documents and proceed to the Thai embassy in Phom Pehn or Hanoi to get it, yes?

Thanks much.