visaTerebi

Had agent ask I pay 1 month rent as booking fee, but they asked money be sent to her account.

Then she will forward it to owner.

I asked to meet owner in person to do booking, but was told to 'trust her' (the agent)

Last time I met with owner and did booking fee and contract with agent present.

Everything screams, 'about to get scammed'

Any advice on proving this agent is trustworthy?

I met agent on FB, so the only thing I have is a FB account and apparently a copy of her thai id (but that stuff is easy to fake). 

She doesn't work for a real estate company and seems like a private gig. 

Literally no recourse if she decides to pocket the deposit and run away.

On 3/20/2017 at 4:17 PM, Tubbygold said:

On my 5th entry last year i got pulled aside, and told computer had flagged me for to many entrys. They wanted to see proof that i worked in my own country. 

Did a 6th holiday last year, no question asked.

 

Just got home from my first trip this year, he did spend some time looking over my entry stamps. Asked for my purpose for coming, said holiday. No further question asked. 

 

Been seaching internet for solid advise/rule, but always end up with various stories. 

I got grilled by IO at DMK. After 1.5 years in country.

You just going to keep going on tourist entries?

To avoid long stay problems with METV, if I swap to TE it means guaranteed entry to the country?

Has there been any instances of TE members being denied entry into the country for staying to long etc?

Its a dumb question, but the METV on paper seems like a workable way to stay in Thailand for as long as you can get the visa sticker in your passport but I heard stories of those with METV getting denied entry.

52 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Hmm, i can think of a cheaper alternative. Go to home country, try to rob a bank, get arrested and you will have an equally enjoyable lifestyle for free ..... when released, repeat.

 

Who WANTS to live on 20,000 baht a month? And what about your future - will you have a pension, healthcare, a family? I spend about 45,000-50,000 baht a month for family of 3, less than that and some real compromises needed. 34 sq metre condo? My kitchen is bigger than that. Choose to live, not exist.

How much you paying for that house and where is it?

I'm asking because thinking about the future and kids etc, you say 50,000b which is about ~USD1500, not that much.

Also does that include education for kids?

13 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

He says he has money, but is asking the question out of curiosity.

I think you are right, just trying to get some free advertising for another stupid blog and make money on ads.

There are no ads on blog and no links on the post to make you buy anything. I just keep it around to keep notes on things for later. 

But so far yeah this thread has been really valuable on ideas and also how much other people spend on living. For that I'm happy.

On 7/1/2017 at 3:32 PM, dluek said:

Well since I just added up my spending for last month I'll put it out there:

 

Rent: 10,000 B (have a 2 bedroom 60 square meter place near Bang Wa BTS - yes it's far but great value, though I did furnish it myself a few years back)

Only 10k for a 2 bedroom, is this new condo built in last 2-3 years?

On 7/1/2017 at 0:36 AM, shadowofacloud said:

Well, if you are really trying to cut to the bone, 17k for an apartment is a lot. I follow a few real estate groups on FB and it seems that as long as you are ready to live south along the BTS (Bang Chak, Punnawithi or even further - they say there is life down there), you could easily cut this item by half. If you speak some Thai and don't need a condo, then you can reduce it even more, see: https://migrationology.com/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/

 

You also did not factor in the cost of transportation, utilities and internet. 

Utilities/internet/mobile is included in "having a roof" over your head.

Hey guys,

I decided to sit down and calculate it.

1. Rent
2. Drinking Water
3. Food
4. Sundries

The minimum amount I got was USD640, most of that was rent (15,000b) a month.

No going out, eating the cheapest meal a day.

You can see the full calculation here:
http://01nomad.com/travel/thailand/the-cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand-2017

What do you guys think? Maybe i'm missing something.

In reality I spend most likely double that amount on eating out fancy and drinking alcohol.

However if push comes to shove, I know the minimum I need to survive. 

How about chiang mai, I know condos for the same quality I have now go for about 9000b a  month? Or shave 25% @ USD176.