Airalee

I thought Biden drove a corvette and not a Trans-am

Fair enough. What about vt7? Or which condo would you recommend for a full renovation down that way?

Does Gourmet Market in Bangkok deliver to Chiangmai? I think they have nearly as good as a selection as Villa but are much less expensive. When I lived in CM, I always liked hitting up the Rimping at Maya Mall after catching a movie and dinner at Dukes.

I have a few issues with it. Please don’t take it personally. Firstly, I’m guessing that those townhomes will be razed and another high rise will block the original view. I’m a sucker for a view. Then, there is the renovation. The floor tiles aren’t neutral/timeless enough (the veining and polished finish) and the black kitchen and the built in wood entertainment center are quite dated. I think it’s better to shoot for a more neutral minimalist design. The bathrooms are horrendous. Balcony is nicely sized but I’d take a smaller unit with and unobstructable view rather than having a view of a million other units close up. I’d bet that in person, it will feel more claustrophobic positioned so close to all the other buildings. Back during the housing bubble (2005-2007), I always enjoyed following this guys flips in the smaller homes in the neighborhood adjacent to where I grew up. (Los Angeles) Mostly, they have stood the test of time. http://jadartarchitecture.com/architecture/

Once again. Show me a development with 4 million baht condos that rents for 30k a month. If you can find one…and I think you can’t….I will show you 100 that bring in less than 20…usually far less. I don’t care what developers build costs are. stop with your word salads. It makes you look like a doddering fool.

I wouldn’t trust the Chinese stuff myself (without seeing it first) and would be willing to bet that what is delivered won’t meet expectations. I have always brought sheets back from the US (Bought at Macys) and sometimes, the discounts are so deep that it’s probably worth buying on the International Macy’s website and just paying the shipping/customs charges. Ebay is also good as there are people who buy from places like Macy’s in bulk or are just selling a set that they purchased and never used. I like Charter Club and Hotel Collection brands myself.

Agree with what you say…and you also bring in the fact that “the stars must align” with respects to exchange rates and the fact that there are very few that really tick all the boxes. That’s why I say that there are perhaps 1% of condos that I would consider as good investments. I bought a new build during covid so I was able to purchase a “contract” from someone who want able to close at a steep discount. Better for them to get a sliver of their 30% deposit back than nothing at all so they were selling it at a steep discount. The money I saved was all put into gutting and renovating and I expect to lose a substantial portion of that if/when I sell. Exchange rates (THB/USD) have also moved against me so if I repatriate those funds, I take another hit. The people (not yourself) who try to use simple opinions such as “rent is throwing money away” or try to bully people (you just can’t afford it!….sour grapes!!)…..well….those are the people who’s opinions are worth what you pay for them. Nothing.

Can anybody else see the gobbledygook word salad here? Would you trust an agent who spoke like that and can’t be clear, concise and provide examples?

You make no reference to the price/rent ratio. Could you provide some examples? What will make it easy to sell? What kind of location? On a golf course? Waterfront? Near a mall? And how many other condos are competing with it? There is no shortage of anything that makes a “good location”. It helps…but not that much. What’s a proper kitchen? I havent seen any proper kitchens in condos under 10 million. Maybe even 20. They all seem to only have a 2 burner cooktop, a microwave and fridge. Rarely is there an oven and even more rarely is there a dishwasher. I think that one would have to renovate in order to get that proper kitchen, which is what I had to do, and I certainly don’t expect to recoup those funds even if it makes it easier to sell if/when the time comes. I personally think that it all comes down to lifestyle choice and 99% of units aren’t worth owning and the only thing that makes a unit part of the 1% is entirely subjective and it will still have to be somewhat unique. From what I see, there isn’t much uniqueness in basic 1 and 2 bedroom condos…with rare exceptions. Especially at the price point that the OP is considering. Can you provide a link to a condo for sale that you feel fits your criteria and is worth buying rather than renting?

Pay no attention to the gaslighting narcissist

Before I bought, I rented from Thais who paid 4m for their condos. In Chiang Mai I paid 14k and in Bangkok 18k. Once again, show me a condo that has a 10% return. I can show many with 3% or less returns. I am very well aware of the games played by developers offering the “guaranteed” 6% return. They overcharge for the condo and then basically refund your money over the length of the contract. It doesn’t matter what it rents for. Good luck selling for the same price after the 3-5 year “guarantee” Once again, if you can’t show me examples comparing apples to apples which is easy to do with a condo you’re just coming off as a scammy realtor. And land price means nothing when you have 3-400 units on an acre.

Yes…but this thread is about a foreigner buying a condo. And there is no way that a 4 million baht condo anywhere in Thailand brings in even close to 30k/month. The P/E ratios are way out of whack here. 5% would probably be a damn good return. If you get into the higher end stuff, people would be lucky to get 3% with a cash purchase…and that’s not counting all the time it sits empty. And fwiw….I own an 8 million baht condo.

My experience was that I would hire a contractor for a specific job (painting for example)….they would then subcontract it to someone else who would then further subcontract it to a supervisor and workers. It was absolutely ridiculous. I went through 4 different painting crews that didn’t even have a notion of painting in a straight line and not slopping it on window frames and door frames that were a different color. I did my best job supervising but my (now ex) girlfriend would chastise me for doing so. One of the workers literally told her the following day that he was so stressed that he couldn’t even eat that night….and of course, it was all my fault 🤦‍♂️. There wasn’t a single thing in my 2 million baht renovation that wasn’t a complete snafu. From the painting, to the flooring, the kitchen, the countertops, the electrical….all of it. I think that when you have the lowest iq people doing the work at the bottom of a chain of people taking their cut, you basically have monkeys doing the job. Even trying to supervise them directly and showing YouTube videos of how a job is supposed to be done correctly I would be told “This is not how we do this in Thailand”. And when there would be times that they would say “yes…I understand”….they would then just continue as usual. That is when Rampant told me that it’s just best to do the job myself. In the end, with so many re-dos of things that I couldn’t do myself (such as the countertops that had to be replaced, wiring redone, etc etc….I doubt there was very much profit in it for anyone. So…what does this have to do with university grads who can’t find jobs? They should go into the trades and do things right the first time and at a level of quality (that requires some amount of intelligence/IQ) to where they can actually make better money…and much better than being a desk jockey where they probably don’t contribute much and have little job satisfaction. Wishful thinking I’m sure because any manual labor is “low class” which is why you see them grow their pinky fingernails long as a sign that they don’t work with their hands. Back in the US, I renovated a mid century modern doing the lions share of the work myself and I agree….the people who worked with me were for the most part useless with the exception of one contractor who lived in the neighborhood who would actually come, look at a job…and if it was something he thought I could do myself, he would recommend I do so.

I had the same issues as Rampant when remodeling my condo and with his advice, I actually had to do a lot of the work myself. It’s not easy finding competent tradesmen in Bangkok. I let the hardwood flooring installers keep their money and did it myself. The guy cutting the caesarstone counters had previously been the installer for the counters in the new build. Yes….I completely gutted a new construction condo. I pointed out the screwups on his work in the unit next door to me and told him I would triple his daily wage if he didn’t make the same mistakes.

Because we are not international oil companies.

was “learn how to move to Thailand and marry a 28 year old single mom” part of this “top western university’s” marketing campaign?

I had a colonoscopy at Chulalongkorn in May through their specialist clinic. The doctor was. Bumrungrad doc. All in, including 8 polyps removed & biopsy was about 26,000 https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Maneerat-Chayanupatkul

Texting sucks. I can stir fry with a speaker phone. When I’m taking a dump and video chatting with a girl I just set my iPad on the sink with the camera pointed at the ceiling…..ya know….because I’m respectful.

I was going to say the same thing with regards to you and yagoda. An honest, unapologetic narrative. Whenever I see the virtue signalers come out, I think of Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson and Catholic Priests.

Isn’t that Dylan Mulvaney?

This was another video that I randomly came across on YouTube that actually works (for me) to help fall asleep while in bed. The speaker starts talking about the technique at 6:50.

Factories have been moving out of China for many years now to cheaper places such as Vietnam, India and Bangladesh. Minimum wage in Bangladesh is just over $100/month. Vietnam is less than $200. Keep patting yourself on the back for making their lives sooooo much better. If they have to move back to the villages, that is an issue for their country to solve.

I’m far more handsome.

Makes it harder for children to get jobs in sweatshops? http://mason.gmu.edu/~clensing/FinishLine.html

I know Yagoda. Dude probably has more honor than any leftist on this forum and would even have your back long before you would make any true sacrifices for other people.