Tofer

1 minute ago, Techno Viking said:

so you are a tourist then.

555... Hardly.

3 minutes ago, Techno Viking said:

you lived here since 1988 ?

On and off. Your right it was 1988 when I 'first' resided here, you've been checking up have you, or do you know me?

 

But fearing ghosts IS a very real, quaint cultural trait in LOS as is the likelihood of "scraping somebody with no lights off your bumper / fender." They are not, never have been and never will be mutually exclusive in LOS. One has to accept it for what it is, not for what you want it to be.

 

Having been here long enough to have had irresponsible, unlicensed, uninsured, underage motorbike drivers embed themselves in my vehicle, I don't really need anyone to tell me what I should be feeling.

Ghosts are not quaint Thai cultural traits, they are superstitious clap trap!

You can feel what you like, my first long stay visit was in 1982 and I first resided here in 1989, have been married to a Thai lady for 22 years, so I can claim to have some knowledge of Thailand, it's customs and culture.

On 30 October 2017 at 7:52 AM, NanLaew said:

 

Where's the argument here? If you can see beyond 150 m, leave the lights off. If you cannot see beyond 150 m, turn the lights on.

 

More to the point, what part of Thailand's quaint cultural trait of "up to you" seems so hard to understand here?

'Quaint cultural trait' - absolute nonsense. Let's see if you feel the same when you're scraping somebody with no lights off your bumper / fender.

On 29 October 2017 at 11:06 AM, Get Real said:

What number? This is a really small amount you are talking about. Sure, it´s wrong, but the problem is not as big as you try to make it.

 

 

Ha ha, get real, in our neck of the woods it is more normal to see bikes with no rear lights than those with. I passed one recently with an indicator light rigged to stay on being his only illumination on the entire bike - I suppose he was making an effort...... 

No excuse, if they can afford fuel, they can afford a bulb!

On 28 October 2017 at 11:57 PM, tropo said:

So due diligence would be: Don't even think about renting a condo. There are too many variables and unknowns beyond your control. If you start complaining to a Thai tenant - that's when the sparks will start to fly.

Houses can be just as bad, even worse, if your neighbours are a... holes, and / or the neighbourhood gets developed unsympathetically.

Glad I'm not investing in HH or CA!

My UK properties create between 15% - 25% ROI (letting income only - aside from the forced and natural appreciation) and I generally let on minimum 12 month contracts. It should be noted however that my investment did include a considerable investment of sweat equity.

I would have thought a 3 month let would constitute a holiday let at considerably more ROI than the figures noted in the survey. If not then, IMHO, you're wasting your time unless you believe you have a substantial appreciation value to factor in.

6 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

 

The railway line goes down the East side of the country and Krabi is on the West coast.   The nearest railway station is in Surat, three hours drive away.  Perhaps they did indeed do their research.  

The nearest station is in Trang, on the West coast, about 1.5 hours drive from Krabi.

3 hours ago, Naam said:

"cable" included?

Absolutely, we call it a washing line in UK, it's usually strung across the balcony to hang your laundry on. :)

What's wrong, couldn't afford a pair of shoes now you've spent all that money on a new car!!

Ah, come on....  Why where are we going grollies, is there a fence? :)

All joking aside, I fully understand your personal desire to make safe your pool if you don't wish to keep your eyes on stalks for their visit. 

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You were lucky in that you coincided with opportune times to buy.

Friend of mine was unlucky in that he got divorced when house prices were low, and when he needed to buy the reverse had happened.

To some degree yes, but there has never been a better time than now, particularly in the North of England with quite low prices, very low interest rates, lenders competing heavily for business and rents increasing.

If I was interested in expanding my UK property portfolio I would not be hesitating at this time. A golden opportunity for those with the acumen, inclination and initiative.

11 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

My wife loves me ever month when I make the home loan for repayment for her, another 22 years and she won't need to love me any more.

Briffault's Law ......... fun first, pay later.

Ah, but what an investment. Just think of all that loving and fun you've had over the last 22+ years.....

12 hours ago, impulse said:

 

When there are several ways of providing that very same roof, it only makes sense to compare the economics of one over the others.

 

Besides, for many people in the world, their home equity is their biggest store of their wealth. 

 

Having been a corporate gypsy most of my life, the economics of buying a home for a 2-3 year stay, then selling it to move just doesn't work out financially against leasing.  Unless the company relocation package takes care of the 10% or so cost incurred every time a home is sold.  And those packages are getting less and less prevalent.  So I rent, and don't feel "less than" others who buy.  When it makes financial sense, I can buy. Cash money.

 

Edit:  BTW, that "cash money" part was to pre-empt the smart asses who claim that only the destitute choose to rent.

Ouch... Was that edit directed at me by any chance.

By the way the discussion is regarding people buying a home / investment property, not transient corporate gypsies who really don't fit into that scenario.

23 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Corrupt as it is, I have thoroughly enjoyed living in BKK these past 6 years.  Just like driving down a road with potholes, it's a minor adjustment to acknowledge the corruption and take steps to dodge those potholes.  But a lot of damage can be done if I don't adjust for the potholes.

 

 

And what a lot of the folks that have made money on their homes forget is that they are the ones that didn't get hosed.  So they don't factor the odds of getting hosed into their ROI claims.  Which is reasonable when you're looking back, but pretty risky to neglect if you're doing a look forward at a big investment decision. 

 

How risky?  I don't claim to know, and I definitely don't claim to know how thoroughly those risks can be mitigated with diligence.  But my gut tells me that the mitigation can't be 100% (or even close) in a system that's corrupt to the core.  Which is not to say that buying is a bad investment, or that diligence is a waste of time.  That's for each of us to decide for our own situation.

 

Which brings us back to the article in the OP...  They won't be among those claiming they made a good ROI, even if their next 5 home purchases go swimmingly.

A very reasonable and considered reply.

What I do know for fact is that we had far more drama with a rented property, 3 year court case sleeping with ears and one eye open, eviction with loss of our business and home because of a 'refusal to remain on the property whilst fighting the appeals', and a night in a cell (pure extortion) to boot, plus the loss of our financial investment in the lease and the refurbishment.

Our recent big investment decisions have been thoroughly vetted and I can happily say I don't lose a wink of sleep over them. 

12 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Sigh! It seems you spoke with someone at the embassy who does not know the current rules. A couple of years ago, that was the correct procedure. Now, you cannot do it in person, only by mail (and apparently very recently email).

Thanks for the clarification.

When I phoned the UK embassy in Bangkok to ask about a verification of income letter, in connection with marriage / retirement extensions, I was told I had to attend in person with a prior appointment.

Is this 'income letter' something different?

7 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Rent, own, lease, I don't care.  To each, his own.  But I wouldn't claim that it's "secure" when even someone at the land office can issue false documents that fall apart when the next guy comes in.  In cahoots with a lawyer and a developer and any number of officials who all take their cut then wash their hands of the scheme- knowing that it will never splash back on them.. 

 

If you don't trust the local land office title deed and their master plan check map you can get it checked by head office in Bangkok, I believe. Your lease agreement can have a certified translation which you can read and check, and if you're really concerned get a second lawyers opinion. After which the lease agreement will / should be registered on the back of the title document, which again can be translated then checked by a lawyer if you wish.

If we let the corrupt system dictate our lives in Thailand we'd never get out of bed on a morning.

What's wrong with leasing the land? If the lease is registered on the Chinote or Nor Sor 3 title deed it's perfectly legal and secure.

To all those who have a bee in their bonnet and a negative attitude towards land / property ownership, apart from those who TRULY prefer to rent, you're either single, married to the wrong person or don't have the funds to finance a place of your own!

8 hours ago, Naam said:

there are pools and there are pools. in 11 years the thrill of our pool has not worn off.

 

No wonder you needed 18 a/c's if you have them in your pool room....

Or Is that a water coloured carpet in your living room :)

1 hour ago, AJBangkok said:

Pretty much all the major brands have the duct units. The price of the actual units are slightly more expensive ( but not onerously so) but the ducting and piping is very expensive. Earlier this year I put in 7 daikin units in my house the units cost around 400k in total and the installation and ducting was another 300k

Thanks, that gives me a good guide on prices. 

2 hours ago, trogers said:

Have to be installed before placing the ceiling, and would have to have at least 25cm space between ceiling and concrete soffit.

I designed in stepped ceiling areas to allow for concealed piping because I hate to see those chunky trunkings on the external walls. The ground floor apartment has a concrete floor above but the beams are 400 deep below the plank slab, so would be no problem. Thanks for the detail.

It would be easier for us to suspend concealed / ducted units from the soffit / roof steel framing rather than trying to establish fixing points for wall hung units on our ceiling bulkheads which would need some heavier steel support than the C-line channels I would imagine. I've tried to find fixing details on-line at Daikin but to no avail, but will call their office to get what I need if necessary.

7 hours ago, THAIJAMES said:

Yes, not the ducted system in the west going through the whole house. 

 

With this system, each room has its own unit hidden in the ceiling with the ducts for intake and output in the same room.  Separated enough to get good air circulation.  I love them because they are out of sight, just grills on the ceiling.  Plus instead of having to cool the whole house you can cool room by room same as wall mounted.

 

 

I'm quite interested in that arrangement. Which manufacturer is it and did they work out much more expensive than the wall mounted exposed units.

18 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

What map would that be in 2001 showing all the dirt roads in Samoeng area?  Lots of dead ends back then.    No good knowing where north is, if it's a dead end valley.  Familiar with the area?

I think it was 1990 when I went exploring the North in a jeep and took many a dirt road with a Bartholemew road map and a decent sense of direction and always reached my destination eventually. Some roads shown didn't exist and I took mountain tracks scaling boulders and passing remote mountain residences, but never considered asking for directions, in fact my wife was too scared to get out of the jeep.

Always carry spare fuel just in case.