
newnative
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It's really whatever floats your boat, no matter whether you own it or rent it. It's that simple. Mind you, your boat, not my boat--or that guy's boat over there. Everybody's boat is different. What's perfect for you, I might hate, and vice-versa. Speaking of boats, you've probably been reading the stories about the latest trend, retirees buying a small stateroom of 35 to 50 sqm or so on a ship and spending their retirement years floating on the sea from port to port. Some claim it's cheaper, for them, than living on land. Others, instead of buying, book cruise after cruise after cruise so they also spend their retirement years in a small ship cabin, going from ship to ship, year after year. Again, whatever floats your boat. There are now entire ships devoted to living full-time on a cruise ship--I just saw a story yesterday about a new ship for this purpose getting started. Small inner cabins, without even a window, start at $100,000. If you want one with a window, add $49,000. Sounds fairly reasonable, I guess, but monthly fees for 2 are steep: $3500! Yikes! $100,000 (3.6MB) could easily get me a condo in Pattaya--with both a balcony and windows--and a much smaller monthly maintenance fee. Both the ship's staterooms, and many of the new condos being built, are small, with 1 bedrooms generally around 35 sqm, give or take. To compensate, the ships, and the condo projects, are packed with amenities to get you out of your small homes--everything from pools to gyms to yoga rooms to sky lounges to golf simulators to snooker to ping pong to libraries to theaters to jogging tracks to . . . You name it. Despite all the amenities, many could not live in a condo so small. But, there are many that can, and do, live in small spaces--note, the 'tiny house' movement. The two condos I mentioned, and showed photos of in a previous post, both have all the things you typically need and want for 2 to live comfortably--they just provide it in an efficient way, in a smaller footprint. At various times, when our finances were smaller, my partner and I resided in several View Talay studios--and lived to tell the tale. Neither of us felt we were deprived at all at the time. It was what we could afford, and we made it work. Having lived 30-some years of cold, gray, depressing, miserable, interminable winters, we welcomed our large balcony, our beautiful ocean view, and the year-round nice weather. We felt lucky to be living here. And, if for some reason, we find ourselves back living in a VT studio, we'd make it our home, and make it work for us once again. And, still count ourselves lucky to be living here
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VT2 studios are generally smaller, around 37sqm vs. 48sqm for the newer projects. The extra 11 square meters were applied to making the newer rooms a true rectangle, while expanding the balcony. VT2 rooms were angled by the balcony window wall to make space for a small balcony. Lucky owners snagged units next to the fire escape stairways, which have much bigger balconies. Those extra square meters made for quite the difference. The rectangle interior room was much easier to work with than a room with an awkward angle. The truly generous balcony became a whole extra room, with space for both outdoor dining and a couple of lounge chairs to enjoy the nice year-round weather. As I mentioned to another poster, big balconies or not, we are still dealing in very small spaces, at both the VT studios and all the many new condo projects that have 1 bedrooms at around 35 sqm. The new projects mostly do have a lot of nice amenities, to help take the sting out of living in a space so small. I think large numbers of these small condos are used as weekend getaway places. Perhaps some will remember that The Base was originally marketed to Bangkokers as a getaway place at the beach--tagline in the brochures was, 'It's the Weekend!. Getaway places could be small units of 29 and 35 sqm, ideal for a weekend at the beach. Others have small condos here to escape the harsh winters in their countries. We have friends who do just that, live in a small space over the winter months but spend the rest of the year elsewhere--in larger quarters. Whatever one ends up in, It all boils down to personal preferences, personal lifestyle, and what one's budget can afford.
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Totally missed my point. You got a blank slate to work with, when you bought the View Talay shells. You got a big, empty space with no interior walls. Only the bathroom was done. You could put interior walls wherever you wanted them, and make them any shape you wanted --which my partner and I did--as did everyone else who also bought an empty shell. Every buyer had total freedom to do what they wanted within the 4 walls--how does that relate to a 'prison cell'? If you are equating it to size, most new 1 bedrooms are around 35 sqm, vs 48 sqm for most VT 3 to VT7 studios. With a VT shell, you had much more flexibility to make a space unique than you have today. When you purchase in one of the new condo projects--it's already all been done for you. Your unit, in most cases, looks exactly like the one next door, with all the interior walls already in place, and difficult, or impossible, to change at that point. I'm wondering what makes a 35 sqm unit at, say, The Base, live less like a 'prison cell' than a 48 sqm unit at a VT project. Maybe you can enlighten me. If nothing else, the VT projects, from VT3 on, all have much bigger balconies than most new projects, so you can spend more time outside, rather than in your supposed 'prison cell'. Maybe some photos will better illustrate my point. The first set is a 1 bedroom, 35 sqm unit at The Base. All the 1 bedroom condos at The Base came with the exact same bed, same 2-seat dining set, same kitchen, same bath, same coffee table, same 1-arm, small gray loveseat, same tv wall unit in the living room, and same armoire in the bedroom. Given everything was the same, unit to unit, there wasn't a whole lot we could do to make our unit stand out from the one next door. We added custom artwork, accessories, changed the cooktop to induction, had a clothes washer cabinet with storage built for the balcony, did custom curtains, new bathroom vanity added below the wall-hung sink, and that was about it. This was a 35 sqm unit, which had a longer, but still very narrow, balcony. We were able to squeeze 2 lounge chairs on it if we sat them sort of sideways. Second set of photos show a View Talay 48 sqm studio, which started as a large, empty shell. We divided the space with a wall and a sliding door, to create a separate, private bedroom area. All the built-in furniture is custom, to fit the space and use every inch. Unlike The Base bedroom, the VT bedroom has room for a useful desk area, in addition to plenty of storage in the armoire and tv cabinet. The kitchen is also custom, and includes a hidden washing machine in the first cabinet. (Doing the project today, we would have a washer/dryer stack combo.) And, much bigger tvs! Instead of a small, 2 person loveseat, the VT condo has a big, sprawling corner sofa that could seat 4 in a pinch. Having sat on both the sofa and the small loveseat, it's no contest which was more comfortable. Same for the condos; having spent time in both, the VT had the edge, mainly due to how the spaces worked and the larger balcony, which was really another room, with dining and lounge areas. You seem to be laser-focused, and not for the first time, on unimportant things--such as look-alike balconies (also found on many other condo buildings), faucets, and wallpaper, of all things. Changing a faucet or wallpaper is a breeze, not so moving a wall, or making a way-too-small balcony, bigger. In any case, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to condos--it's all personal preference. Some can be happy in a cozy 'shoebox', others must, absolutely, have ample space to swing their cats with wild abandon. Both illustrated condos are different takes on very space-challenged small condos--with neither big enough for much cat swinging. I'm still failing to see how one comes across as more of a prison cell. t
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I think we all remember reading similar posts during covid. Buyers will dry up, and expect prices to steeply drop. There are too many condos for sale and there will be bargains galore, take your pick. During covid, my partner and I sold 2 condos and a house, all at a profit. We did not notice a lack of buyers, which did sort of surprise us. All 3 sales were to people living in Thailand; 2 were foreign buyers with Thai wives, the house buyer was Thai. Anyway, with some money in our pockets, we eagerly awaited picking up some covid bargains--maybe at your '40%' off. Lovely to snap up a nice seaview condo, at a quality project, for a song. Well, of course, it never happened. Never saw any terrific 40% off bargains in any projects we would have been interested in buying into. Not to say there weren't some bargains--there are always some bargains to be found in good times and bad--but nothing we would have wanted to own--quality seaview condos in good locations in good projects. We'll see what happens with the proposed tax changes, though I think my partner and I are pretty content with the new home we are just finishing--although we've said that before.
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Actually, although the majority of the studios are a pretty similar 48 sqm in VT3 thru 7, with front door at one end and large balcony at the other end, what happens in between those two points can be, and usually is, completely different from condo to condo. That's because all these studios--and the larger units as well, came as empty shells, without even a finished floor. Buyers were free to do whatever they wanted within those walls and they all had a blank canvas to work with. So, they chose their floor tiles, ceiling designs and lighting, what furniture they wanted, and whatever size and style of kitchen they wanted to have built--from basic to well-equipped. Unlike later condo projects, many of which truly were 'cookie cutter', with the exact same kitchens, the exact same furniture, the exact same lighting, and, in some cases, even the exact same wallpaper and art on the walls, you never know what you will find when you open a View Talay door--which makes things interesting. My partner and I did 6 or so of these View Talay shells--often living in the finished project for awhile--and we definitely had our own take on what we thought worked best with the space. We liked working with a blank slate but many buyers want a finished condo that allows them to just move in and everything is done and ready for them--even if it looks exactly like the one next door.
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That's my take, too. You're certainly 'mostly inflation covered' for what is usually the biggest monthly expense--keeping a roof over your head. No matter what inflation does, your paid-off condo ownership doesn't change. You don't have to find more money each month for an adjustable-rate mortgage that just adjusted up. Or, find more money for an annual rent increase. Of course, you do have condo maintenance fees, which are very reasonable here, and utilities to pay--which renters also have--no getting around either--but, nice to have a big monthly budget expense about as in control as possible.
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No reason you can't always look presentable, and still be comfortable. When I am out, always a neat, collared, short-sleeve shirt, in a lightweight, wrinkle-free cotton or cotton blend, in a variety of colors and patterns. Walking shorts, solid color (no plaid shorts and striped shirts) coordinating with the shirt colors, with the pant legs of the shorts stopping just above the knee. No baggy, below the knee, multi-pocket cargo shorts, ever. Comfortable, athletic/walking-type sport shoes with white cotton socks. Lightweight, small-scale shoulder bag with all the stuff one needs to carry these days. Good to go.
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I'm curious to hear your thinking as to why someone would be, in your words, 'roadkill as inflation goes up', if they, as you say, 'bought property in the last few years'. My spouse and I are in that category. In the last few years, we bought a condo and two houses. Sold the last of the three just this past Monday, as I mentioned in another post. Made a profit on each of the sales and we are now scheduled to go to closing, by the end of the month, to buy a house we have been building most of this year to live in. The house has already increased in value as the year has gone on and we could sell right now and make a profit, should we choose. We don't. So, we will have a nice roof over our heads we own free and clear, plus a chunk of cash already here in Thailand, from our 3 property sales, to draw upon. What, pray tell, makes us 'roadkill' in that scenario? By the way, if the price of a loaf of bread doubles due to inflation, it makes no difference if you're sitting in a rental condo or one you own--you'll be paying the higher price either way if you want that loaf of bread. The baker doesn't care a fig if you own or rent The guy who owns, though, might have some extra cash in his pocket to handle the price increase, since he didn't have to shell out what might be a fairly sizeable amount of his monthly income to pay the rent. And, yes, to be fair, on the flip side, the rental guy might have gotten a nice monthly dividend check, because he invested his money in stocks or other investments, rather than buying a condo. So, he can also have extra money in his pocket and afford the price increase on the bread, if his investment picks have panned out. Neither one 'roadkill', in my book. That might be the guy who did nothing, and just watched his money steadily fritter away.
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I think you've hit it. Certainly it would seem ridiculous to slap a big tax on large sums of money coming in to buy a condo, a buy which helps so many interconnected businesses and industries that are such important components in the Thai economy. Not just ridiculous but madness, in my opinion. There will always be some Thai buyers for any condo project. But, will there be enough for each project built to buy the 49% of the units that foreigners often buy in a project? In many cases, I think not. There's been such a poor job so far of, as you say, 'clearly defining what it means...', that we have 100+ pages of fear, panic, and uncertainty on the original tax proposal thread trying to puzzle it all out. And, as everyone knows, fear, panic, and uncertainty are not positives when the subject is the state of the economy. I've decided to nickname the new prime minister PM Sansiri. And, I hope he will soon be getting an earful from Mr. Supalai, Mr. Lumpini, Mr. Raimon, Mr. SC Asset, Mr. Noble, and all the other big hitters in the housing industry. Maybe they can knock some sense into him.
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My partner and I just sold our current house by Lake Mabprachan on Monday. Korean/Thai couple, buying as an investment to rent out. We are now in an almost finished, newly-built house in a new project, also near the lake. Our build started in February. The first phase of 5 houses are all sold, and about finished. The second phase of 25 more houses have started construction and all but a few have buyers. Yesterday, a young Chinese couple, one of the buyers of a phase 2 house, knocked on our door and asked to see our almost finished house. They seemed very nice and friendly, with good English. We've also had an older, retired Dutch couple also ask to tour our home and they ended up buying one of the remaining phase 2 homes, just beginning to be built so they can have some input on the design, materials, and finishes. All of the buyers we have met, so far, plan to live in their homes, rather than buying as an investment, in this new project. Our last house was sold after the new tax proposals were announced--as were the Chinese and Dutch buys I mentioned. It remains to be seen what the proposed tax changes for 2024 will mean for the housing and the real estate market down the road--if and when they take hold. Housing, of course, is a huge economic segment that contributes greatly to all the large industries that are part of it--everything from big and small appliances, electronics, plumbing and electrical products, lumber, concrete, tile, steel, lighting, furniture, landscaping, and all the other building materials industries, plus all the jobs involved with all of the businesses, including designing, engineering, constructing, marketing, and selling property. Should housing take a steep nosedive in Thailand in the coming months and into the new year, especially with the vital foreign buyer market, I know where I will be pointing my finger.
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Was you in a job you were interested in ?
newnative replied to georgegeorgia's topic in ASEAN NOW Community Pub
I guess I'm a rarity as I stayed in my same job, at the same location, my entire career. I was a library assistant at a community college library and I was in charge of the circulation and reserves desk, as well as assisting the students with research and locating material--many of the years were before the internet and Google. Our original circulation system still used punch cards. Also worked one evening a week and every 4th Saturday at the reference desk. It was a new community college branch and I started when it had been open less than a year--so it was an all-new staff. Nice with us all starting out fresh. It was a small staff of 6, with some part-timers, which I also liked. It was a 2 floor library and I was usually the only staff member manning the second floor, so I was pretty much my own boss, with nobody constantly looking over my shoulder--which I loved. I could structure my work flow every day, and mostly do my required tasks when I wanted, as long as the work got done. The library director's philosophy was to hire good people and leave them alone to do their work. Fine with me. I enjoyed working with the students--new ones arriving each year--and I liked the community college concept and just the whole environment. We had a great mix of students--kids right out of high school and also older folks--workers learning a new job or skill, mothers going back to school, now the kids were older, retirees trying a painting, creative writing, or horticulture class, etc . I think at one point the average student age was 29. Made for interesting, rewarding days. I've always enjoyed interior design and that was one of the 2-year programs at our campus branch of the community college. So, we got beautiful interior design books for the library and subscribed to all the related magazines, such as Architectural Digest and Interior Design. I helped process the new books so I could snare anything interesting first. I've loved reading all my life so my job involved something that I enjoyed--which was nice. One thing I liked with the job was writing, in the later years, a monthly book review column highlighting a few of the new popular fiction books the library had received, for the library's website. At one point I was offered a job at a small, department library at a US government agency in Washington, DC. It would have meant more pay but also a commute into the city each day, and the work duties did not look nearly as interesting as what I had--so I stayed. Another factor was the the very nice co-workers at the library. Some, whom I started with at the beginning, we're also still there when I retired; and others had been there 10, 15, or more years--I think a tribute to it being an enjoyable place to work. The salary was lousy--state worker--but the benefits were good and you could retire after 30 years and get a pension--also small but guaranteed for life and with COLAs built-in. I chose to retire in my early 50s--a bit burnt-out--but worked evenings part-time at the same job for another 5 years before moving to Thailand with my partner. During this period, with my days free, I started to put to work everything I had picked up reading all those interior design books and magazines, and I began dong some condo fix-up flips. When my partner and I hit Thailand in 2010, we decided to continue doing condo renovations--20 or so at this point--and now also a few houses, while he also works his legal job. It's been interesting and mostly fun, being sort-of a late bloomer with this semi-second career. -
Thai Police not sure Norwegian man killed his partner in Chiang Mai
newnative replied to webfact's topic in Chiang Mai News
Exactly. -
Thai Police not sure Norwegian man killed his partner in Chiang Mai
newnative replied to webfact's topic in Chiang Mai News
Not liking that sentence at all regarding the suspect 'resisting attempts to make him confess to the murder'. Wonder what those 'attempts' were. Hopefully not plastic bags put over his head. Also scandalous the part about the police now having to go back (WORK, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE) and actually take a look at the evidence. Wow. First we have to WORK attempting to get a confession out of him and when that wasn't successful, more WORK looking at boring evidence--if any was even collected. Where can I sign up for one of those 'inactive posts'? Nobody told me there would be work involved when I signed on. Hopefully we can just go through the motions before trying some more 'attempts' on him. -
Official Gets 50 Years In Jail For Wrongful Use Of Official Sedan
newnative replied to webfact's topic in Isaan News
Do horrendous, law-breaking things as a government official and your punishment is being sent to an 'inactive post'--or selected as a government minister. Drive what looks like a pretty crap government car for personal use and get 50 years in jail. Just nuts. -
Ditto for the US. Perhaps some of you have been following the saga of the poor landlord trying to evict an Airbnb tenant in California--not paying rent for months and months. In some cases landlords are forced to provide moving and relocation costs in order to remove a delinquent tenant--I thin the mentioned tenant is demanding that--what nerve after being so many months delinquent in rent! My sister had a terrible time evicting a female military tenant who went AWOL to Canada with a man she met. (Female, military, good steady job, you'd think a model tenant.) Had to hire a lawyer, show paperwork attempts to try to contact the tenant, wait a long time for a court date, finally get the court date, the tenant does not show--of course--so, with the tenant not there, the judge sets another court date. More legal expenses. Rinse and repeat. This went on for almost a year before my sister was finally allowed by the court to remove the tenant's possessions and re-rent the townhouse. Meanwhile, during all this time she was having to pay the mortgage, utilities, insurance, taxes, community HOA fees, etc., with no rental income coming in to offset the expenses. I would never be a landlord in America with things the way they now are.
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Prime Minister Srettha should listen to the experts on cash handout
newnative replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
Seems like he is not listening to anyone, 'experts' or otherwise. Giveaway scheme is awful, new tax proposals even worse. Plenty of ways to raise revenue, starting with all the valuable land masquerading as 'farm land' with a few banana plants on it, avoiding bigger taxes. Property taxes could also be raised moderately and bring in a lot more revenue. I know we paid a pittance last year and I wouldn't have minded paying more if they laid off taxing my imported income as a tradeoff. -
New Police Hairstyle Regulations on the Horizon
newnative replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
So new, improved haircuts on the way, new, improved uniforms on the way, but nothing on the way for new, improved actual police work being done. I'm going to call total bull on the following, which I am shocked and awed that anyone could have uttered with a straight face: The adjustments are seen not just as a mere change in grooming standards but a step forward in enhancing the adaptability and responsiveness of the Thai police force amidst diverse and dynamic challenges.