rose33

*** Question relates to any National Housing Authority project.

Good morning Thai-thusiasts, Has anyone here ever bought cheap apartments in government housing developments? 2 beds are pretty cheap! Are the whole buildings being sold off (privatised)? Can foreigners own them? Can we rent them out to anyone we want, for any price? In the west, government flats can be pretty grim places (drugs/mental health), but the photos of lived-in apartments here look pretty decent. Is this a cultural difference or am I just seeing a bldg that's been long privatised? Thanks team.

Hi team AseanNow, I'm seeking a native English speaker, Chiang Mai based, with long term residence rights. Need experience in business marketing for: - YouTube film strategy, production and editing - Facebook & - Twitter. Need to be up to date with current Terms of Use / Community Guidelines on these three platforms, plus contemporary SEO and Accessibility practices. Bonus points for still photography skills. Please outline any relevant quals or professional experience. Paid work opportunity - it will be a good project. Please DM if interested. Thank you.

Hi, We had rain in Chiang Mai and surrounds last night (Monday 7 March). Did you get some in Chiang Rai? How's the pollution up there, these last few weeks? Thanks

Thank you. Perhaps more correct to say that sometimes I find it difficult to distinguish one sound from another.

Hello, I'm looking for a French native speaker to teach me face-to-face French lessons, around Doi Saket or eastern side of greater Chiang Mai city. I need help with accent/pronunciation, as well as verb tenses. Also interested to learn more about traditional culture in France. I'm a bit tone deaf, so somebody who is patient would be ideal. ???? There are no specific immunisation requirements for this work, as I appreciate some people have exemptions, were vaccinated overseas, etc. Please PM for more info. Also, please reach out if you have someone in mind who is not on this forum. Thanks team.

Had coffee yesterday with a friend of a friend, who is flying to Mexico next week and cannot get pesos anywhere in Thailand. Looks like we can help one another, huh? Effortless. In my experience, this is exactly how the universe works for kind people, who stay in their own lane, make no assumptions, and keep their vibes positive and generous. ❤️ Stay blessed, everybody.

Hi guys, Unfortunately, I do not speak fluent meme. My reasoning was, if we take the mid-market rate then it's a win-win because neither of us is paying the high retail buy/sell rate. Help a fellow human being, what obvious point am I missing? I'd simply visit the airport and sell there, but Thailand doesn't exchange MEX pesos. I am not planning on establishing my own currency exchange shop here, it's obviously a one off sale of a small amount for personal use. Thanks friends

"There is often no logic to it at all." Single best piece of advice I've received here so far. Often returns to mind. Thank you blackcab.

Have searched the forum and couldn't find any reference to this. Looked kind of nasty in news reports. Did we receive normal rains in the 2020 and 2021 wet seasons? Thanks team.

Mexican pesos for sale 500 pesos note *16 (8,000 pesos) 200 pesos note *1 (200 pesos) 50 pesos note * 270 (13,500 pesos) Total = 21,700 Mexican pesos For sale: all for 34,500 baht or smaller amounts converted at a rate of 1.6 Cash, or instant bank transfer -- upon inspection in person -- available in central Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. PM with any queries.

Mexican pesos for sale 500 pesos note *16 (8,000 pesos) 200 pesos note *1 (200 pesos) 50 pesos note * 270 (13,500 pesos) Total = 21,700 Mexican pesos For sale: all for 34,500 baht or smaller amounts converted at a rate of 1.6 Cash, or instant bank transfer -- upon inspection in person -- available in central Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. PM with any queries.

Also nice to have 'non - big tech' options... Like a good old fashioned pinboard at an organic shop... Still open to other locals' ideas... Cheers.

Hi team Visiting lovely Chiang Rai and would be grateful for any help in finding these locally, please: - organic/health/permaculture business or cafe, that has a local noticeboard (incl in English language) - waterfall with a nice sunrise view ???? - decent dry cleaning service. Thank you for your help ????.

Thanks for doing that.

Hi team Thanks for your ideas & contributions. Resolved - not a lesbian thing. One of the women involved is married with children. I think it was just an expression of gratitude that they were blessed to live in those beautiful environments and take care of them. These Thai private gardens seem to need a lot of sweeping and watering. Much nicer than back home with the horrible sound of of ride-on mowers and leaf blowers...

Both times, I was viewing the place as possible future accom.

In fluent English.

Thailand lesbian forum! Why did that option not cross my mind... (!) Can't we resolve this over here in normie land please... ????

This expression has been said to me twice now in Northern Thailand by Thai ladies. Always with a big happy grin! I've been in Thailand such a short time and heard the exact same phrase twice. Is this a well-known phrase?..... -Are they lesbian couples? -Or is it just a proud comment about their financial independence? -A Thai version of Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own? Really curious as to whether there is a particular cultural meaning to this. I am a middle aged woman travelling alone and taking care of my own needs... and they are wanting to say this phrase to me. All you farangs with Thai wives, please ask them.

Really important to me to be living in nature close to the earth. I don't object to owning a secondhand condo in my name, as "backup" accom... it's a nice feeling of security. But want to live day to day close to nature far from a city... and all the condos are in cities, of course. Thanks.

Hi Blackcab That's genuinely interesting. Can you say more? Examples, reasons etc? Through my eyes, the deal would be totally different... if I were a Thai seller and the options were to sell (chanote transferred out of my name and never have any rights over the land again), versus 30 year lease to a farang, so that it's guaranteed the whole property will be returned to the family unencumbered in 30 years' time... Geez.... I know what I would choose. I just don't understand the market's reasons for pricing them the same. Thanks.

Was this a usufruct with a Thai spouse? Thanks.

Why not a long lease, KhunLA? Thank you.

Hi team A few queries about that age old problem of foreign "ownership" of houses/land/villas/townhouses in Thailand. I'm a middle aged female foreigner.... so the old "put it in your Thai spouse's name" suggestion is unlikely to work for me. Unfortunate, but true. I don't want to wait around trying to meet "a Thai person I trust" so I can put their name on the lease. I want to buy real estate soon. I'm looking for a solution that is a bit more prompt and commercial. So, here are my queries. All genuine guidance gratefully received. 1) (a) Has anyone here used a Thai law firm to get a usufruct? i.e., a Thai law firm (company, etc) becomes the legal owner of the land, and issues a lifetime usufruct to the foreigner (in the foreigner's personal name). There would be a side agreement clarifying the many rights accruing to the foreigner in exchange for the chanote title passing to the Thai law firm. There would also be clauses about what happens if the law firm goes belly up. If you answered "yes" then... (b) if you were happy with the results, which law firm & lawyer did you use? (you are welcome to PM, if this site allows it...) 2) Has anyone ever bought a registered 30 year lease (i.e., a simple one that reverts to the owner/seller at end of lease). This definitely has less value than a lifetime usufruct. So... if yes... what NPV calc did you use to calculate 30 years of future rent... what assumptions did you make about inflation, rental demand, etc? It's tricky post-covid. 3) Has anyone combined (1)(a) with (2) so that the "side agreement" with the Thai lawyer includes a registered 30 year lease for the foreigner? How did that turn out for you? Any experiences to do with the title-holder's "option" to extend the lease another 30 years? 4) Any comments about Thai tax on farang houses (lease, usufruct, rental income, etc). Not always getting what I would consider "logical" answers to these questions when I ask Thai lawyers. ???? Not sure if it's a language problem, attempted farang gouging, or just different assumptions/expectations coming from each side. I find it's a fine balance between flexibility to a new culture, and simply being taken for a ride. Not seeking legal or financial advice, just curious about what others have tried and how they found it. Thank you kindly.