tattoodrob

I posted here because I think there are a lot of smart people on this forum. Besides, where else would I post it? BTW, I'm an American.

in a law related forum or general category in this forum as your question has nothing to do with pattaya....are you even living in pattaya? or thailand or ever been here?

i could have guessed you were american without even telling us

troll??

why did you post in pattaya forum or even a thai forum.

Approx USD 500k for a place that is not yet built... in a country without potable water... a place where highspeed internet connections are a dream... a place where, how shall I put it, building standards seem to be somewhat willy-nilly...

But seriously, if the people behind these huge projects have enough capital, why don't they just build it and then sell the units after completion. Especially with the shady characters who seem to inhabit the real estate market. That would impress more people than the standard beautiful brochures and press parties.

TheWalkingMan

You speak my mind, TWM. Very shady, indeed. A worker, a DJ, a restaurant owner, a military equipment salesperson - these are some of the people who all magically turn into real-estate agents here. None with real estate experience in the home country (among those I met). None with a degree. ALL try to push their boiler room agenda on you. They LOVE when prices go up. They try hard to make them appear so. They WILL fall hard on their butts. Soon.

its true that many people here havent had real estate experience or have a degree(not sure what degree would be relevant to real estate) but a lot of agencies opened up at time of the housing boom a few years ago and have suffered since and especially now whether experienced or not,lots of people also open up a bar etc without experience,i dont understand the problem.

To be honest theres nothing difficult or complicated to being a real estate agent.....its not rocket science or brain surgery, then i would be worried about it.

if they stole your money then thats another thing but changing profession is not a bad thing in itself...........if someone sees a bandwagon then lots of people like to jump on it....happens everywhere in the world

I am not against comissions, tattoodrob. I am against secondary market MARK-UPS by dishonest agents and overpricing by all developers. Got it?

I want prices for new projects to be CUT IN HALF. Loud and clear. Those who have enough patience will see that soon.

Or USD hit 60 BHT and GBP hit 100 BHT, EURO hit 80 BHT. In that event, if current prices for real estate quoted in Thai Baht REMAIN UNCHANGED, this will suit me as well.

i guess youre drunk!

if you got money then its up to you where and how you spend it,things are only overpriced because someone is willing to pay it if not then naturally prices would reduce......this is not a scam,its not nice that you find out later you could have got something cheaper but with research/homework /some effort this doesnt happen too much.

by the way new projects will not be cut in half....ever,maybe discounted a bit in future but no way 50 percent

we agree on something........if gbp to thai baht was 100 then would suit me too........also would suit me if i could win a large sum of money in a lottery or suchlike

"I had no worries until I happened upon this forum two days ago. While I don't adhere to a policy of "ignorance is bliss", fear mongering (rumors) is not exactly what I'm after. I can't help but wonder if some on this forum are purposefully trying to cause problems/market upset."

Couldn't agree more. Think the worst offenders are the idiots who say don't buy more than you can afford to lose.... There are no rights for foreigners in Thailand..... Thais hate us..... Nobody ever made money investing in Thailand etc, etc, etc whilst they sit in a 3,000 Baht a month rental condo in Soi Khaotalow dreaming about getting enough money for their next hourly girlfriend....

whilst i dont think i have ever wrote any of the above statements ,i do think there is some truth in them and im not sitting in a 3000 bt rental condo in soi khao talo(not sure there are any condos in that road to be honest.....lots of villages and shop houses). i have condos and houses for rent here so i am an investor and get a small return.

when you buy a condo off plan then you have to be careful as you are putting a deposit on ..well nothing to be honest so if it dont happen you would lose it,and usually they say"don't buy more than you can afford to lose" more when it comes to buying a house in a thai ladies name or a bar which actually is good advice as many HAVE lost there house!!

there are less rights here for foreigners,yes we have rights but its very very difficult to do anything here with out the bribes etc to get someone in authority to uphold any of our rights and to be honest a thai gets a lot better response when shit hits the fan for them.

"thais hate us" is extreme for sure ,i just say they prefer our money to actually having us here with it as it takes a little effort to seperate us from it.

"Nobody ever made money investing in Thailand" of course again is untrue as there are many foreigners here who can make some money but its true its not easy to make money here as there are many difficulties to overcome....you can make a return on investment here but its only small..usually 5 to 10 percent and even then has risks due to thai laws for foreigners etc,a farang who makes very good money here is indeed lucky and usually has a lot of thai people connected to his business/investment. usually its those that plan to open a bar/shop/restaurant that this statement would ring true in 99.9 percent of cases.

so even though the idiots you talk about may be really negative its probably a lot better than saying everything is great and easy and thais love us etc as then new investors will be given a very false impression .....there are a lot of problems that can and do occur here regularly(especially pattaya) as it is a popular place for many scammers to do well.

as to the suan sawarn project and this thread then the problem is people being told different things by the office workers and therefore no one knows what to believe as if the story stayed the same each time then there would be no thread and we all know that if a project is in trouble then its vary rare to get the truth until too late.

there certainly seems to be some serious bitterness (and schadenfreude) in them towards the real estate market in Pattaya...

I do not like anyone who's trying to steal or steals my money from me. Plain and simple.

However, I am very rational. Example. Some foks here will bargain with tuk-tuk taxi for 10 minutes (100 BHT scam), fuss over extra charge by the bar-girl (1000 BHT scam), but gladly give 2 000 000 to a real estate agent (100 000 BHT scam).

Reason? Real estate man is from their country of origin and above all, farang. Strange? Seems weird to me...

My reasoning: I have 1000 times greater disrespect to the guy who gives me 100 000 BHT scam than to one with 100 BHT scam. Very rational. Very nation and politicaly and otherwise correct.

Want to command respect? Be honest, that's all.

im a little confused......who gives 2 million to a real estate agent and what is the 100000 baht scam???

if you buy a house/condo for 2 million then you are giving the house/condo owner the money not the agent and if you are calling the commision fee (100000bt!!) a scam then its not really as you know what the commision is .....can you see why im confused??

please explain further ....im not on the side of real estate agents or anything like that but interested on what scam you have had or nearly had?

as to the tuk tuk and bar girl scenario you mentioned then even thats not a scam as you are getting something for your money ....even though you may think it overpriced,so is it a scam or overpricing that you are referring to?

do you mean developers when you talking about real estate agents as these arent the same thing!!

You know what is really funny? Most of those Uzbeki girls all have expired tourist visas and yet all the police do is fine them 1500 Baht, slap them on the wrist and send them right back on WalkingStreet. The reason I know is that we were eating at a table next to 4 of them, so we asked.

It turned out one of the 4 girls had been arrested 3 times and her tourist visa expired in November 2007.

So forget about all this trouble getting Non-B visas and work permits, if you get busted just tell the immigration that you are an Uzbeki prostitute and they will send you on your way

they may send you on your way but do you wanna be shagged by at least 3 of them first ..........actually some of the guys that have to do the new bi monthly run might be interested ,worth a shot guys

seriously its out of order actually that they let them off with a quick fine,if my visa had run out over a year ago just imagine how much that would cost and thats if they liked you...if not then its bye bye

not much of a fortune teller as didnt see this happening .......or maybe hes real good and knew he was gonna get a beating so bought a gun and shot one first!!!

anyway this sort of thing happens a lot where i come from......loads of OAPs got a gun,get drunk then shoot a young un then they always get a good beating,but apparently this old guy did 3 of them before they put him down...must be the muay thai training,so beware the old guys especially the ones that go round in a gang on suped up mopeds.

Try this address and phone number, I think it's worth explaining your predicament and throwing yourself at their mercy, I did the same at the Thai office a few years ago. I am sure they will find you a seat, though your good lady may have to wait a few days.

Good luck

Etihad Airways

200 Hammersmith Road,

London, W6 7DL

Telephone: + 44 0 870 777 0793

Fax: + 44 0 20 8 735 6701

Cheers for that, I Called them and they have no seats until the 5th. No good for me as i start work then.

so will they let her fly 5th and you stay on original flight or if not then cant you tell your boss the predicament and start a day later??(i can understand if you dont want to ask him as who wants to employ someone who cant even organise there own flights)

For that budget you are realistically looking at a studio in a decent place. You might find some 1 bed place somewhere but certainly not through an agent.

Where do you want ? From North Pattaya to Jomtien there are loads of places.

You say you don't need cooking but if you are really here for so long then you will need some creature comforts and the nightlife will be there wherever you stay. Personally, I'd stay in Jomtien, perhaps in View Talay.

Surprised you mention View Talay......it looks horrible to me like government housing in Australia for the poor .....

Quite a few good places in Pattaya Klang that wont set you back too much...

yeh view talay arent very adventurous with there building designs but all of them have very good locations and inside looks better than the outside and also they are usually fairly good value for money for what they are!!!! anyway you dont spend most of your time outside looking at the building but i get what your saying,maybe they used the same set of building plans for every building

The area's that I stayed in previouslly were hotels around the low number Soi's, near the HRC and up to the TQ area. That area seemed fine to me: I enjoyed spending time on the beach and the nightlife attractions within about 20-30 mins walk of that area. I didn't actually venture around to Jomtien as I was under the impression that it was a bit quieter ?

I quite enjoy eating out, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so have never bothered cooking at home. There seems to be so many options available in Thailand that I don't manage much beyond a cheese sandwich at home.

Perhaps I'll arrive in January, book in a hotel for a few nights and then see whats available. Do you think I'd get something with a separate bedroom for 15-16,000 per month ?

Thanks,

Simon

hmmmmmm......might get a 1 bed condo at nirun,view talay 1 or a couple of other places for that money but not sure as many want longer term rentals and so then for the shorter term they might charge more as you gonna be dumping the condo at a real quiet time but after saying all that, this year will be quieter in accomodation bookings than previous years so you could be lucky and find somewhere but even so for that money you not going to be in a high end condo.

If u aint cooking then why do you really want a 1 bed unit,a studio would do for that length of time.....you wont be in it much if you out for all your meals anyway.......you might find a 35 to 40 sqm unit which will have room for a decent sofa,table and still not feel too claustraphobic. i have stayed in many 32 sqm condos for months before and had no problems.....ok its nicer to have more space with a seperate bedroom but if you living on your own then im sure you could cope. if you go for a studio you might get a real nice one very near the beach(jomtien) with good view which might be better than extra space but no view and very long walk to the beach.

check out some ads on this forum and others,but also many real estate agents have websites ,dont think many of them are easy to deal with over the net but i suspect if you go to the boards at the big shops when you get here you might get a good deal. goodluck.

ps i might have a house for rent within your price range but it is over the sukhumvit road a few km,so ok if you rent a bike. it has 2/3 bedrooms,large living room,2 bathrooms etc,i hope i would have a long term renter by the time you get here though!!!

Stayed at Jomtien for 3 weeks earlier this month and I didn't see any work at that time. Asked the ladies what's going on and they said that every worker was now working at The Park. I shouldn't worry, it would finish in time. Dec 2009.

isnt that a year late!!!!

when is phase 2 projected to be finished as i have seen ads saying phase 1 sold,now booking for phase 2..........anyone interested????

who buys this stuff off them,i thought everyone knew you could get yourself from most pharmacies here and they aint expensive(so ive heard)

id also be surprised if it reached court.

Hi all,

I am chasing anyone who is up for a taxi share from Bangkok to Pattaya. I will be arriving on gulf flight 158 from Bahrain to Bangkok at 6 pm 1st of of January 2009.

I have a taxi booked with a reliable taxi meter guy. He is charging me 1500 and has room for 4 people and luggage. Rather nice Toyota. I use him all the time.

Just if anybody fancies cutting the fare between each other I want some replies fast.

Regards

Rio

you got 2 weeks to get replies!!!,i suspect asking again just a few days before you leave or if you really bothered then spot single guys at boarding or on plane and ask to share.....most guys might say they arent going to pattaya though just to look more respectable than you!!!

must be a big car that can fit 4 people and maybe 3 big suitcases plus hand luggages....is it a fortuna??they got a roof rack!!

maybe you want to share a hotel room as well .....only pullin your leg

i try to rent my places direct as easier than going thru a middleman(agency) who do very little to help you rent.....especially at the budget end of the rental market. also you can negotiate easier,the last house i rented he got me down to lower than i really wanted to rent at and was in the same day.easy...he was happy,i wasnt ecstatic but better its rented at lower than wait 3 to 4 months for slightly more!!

Some thai owners don' give back the two monts deposit whent rent house. What can do to get it when there is no dammages and all utiities bills payed. Is not pay the two last months good solution ? in my case I know lady owner spend all the money so i think she cannot give back, but she want I pay to the last month of the year.

this is the problem as it would cost you more usually to sue them and also take a long time.....maybe you should take the tv,furniture etc if she dont give the deposit back at the end. if you know for sure she hasnt got the money then i suppose dont pay the last 2 months but she can then cause you problems....she could probably pay the police a little and they would get you kicked out!!!!

no easy solution im afraid.....maybe other forum members should be aware of this when they rent from a thai,im pretty sure most farangs who rent out dont pull the same stunt or the good agencies should be ok.

i dont think tops and any foodmarts have a noticeboard!!

Oh! So what's that big board to the right of the entrance as you go into Foodmart, the one with all the adverts for cars, houses and condos stuck on it? Thai modern art?

I haven't been to Tops in a while, but I'm sure they used to have a free notice board for customers.

oh i do apologise....i thought foodmart was a chain of small supermarkets but now you mention it i forgot about the biggish shop on way to jomtien.......not a place i normally think of looking or advertising but worth a shot i suppose. i cant ever remember one at tops but if there is one then i would like to know as might be worth my while,thanks.

agreed,usually that period is real hard to find a decent place but i think this year you will have a lot more choice!!!

How can one go about finding a rental house without an agent. The get way too much money, equal to the addtional charges of Cable/Power Water etc. Sometines they over charge you for such services... I don't get ripped off and will no get ripped off by some slackie agent in P-Town.. suggestions please!

The easiest way is to look at the notice boards in the nearest big or farang-oriented shops in the area where you want to live. Try Carrefour, Tops, Foodland, Foodmart, Friendship, for example. Use that as an easy starting point, and then wander around the areas of interest and see what is available but not advertised on the notice boards. Owners also often advertise in Pattaya Today and Pattaya Mail, so it's worth browsing their property sections (if you can get past the ridiculous adverts for 100,000 Baht/month houses and condos ).

Be certain to check the electricity price you will have to pay. Some owners offer cheap rental prices but try to make up their profit by charging 7 Baht/unit. The official price is a bit over 3 Baht/unit.

Finally, there is a downside to renting off the owner in that he/she will hold the 2 months security deposit instead of the agent. In the case of Thai owners, I have met several people who have had quite a lot of problems getting their deposit back at the end of the lease. One guy in Bangkok simply gave up on it in the end and walked away, losing his deposit completely after montsh of arguments. At least using a reputable agent you won't have that problem.

i dont think tops and any foodmarts have a noticeboard!!

i never would make money on electric /water but i have condos rented and the electric/water is charged at more than the government price.i think its terrible ,they charge double sometimes more,but its not something i can control.T.I.T.

i agree a thai landlord is hesitant to give back the deposit,as with most thais once they got the money it breaks there heart to have to give it back...they dont think of it as a returnable deposit......maybe they think of it same as keymoney

"People who can only afford 10K Baht/month may not be quite as considerate about your property."

Not necessarily so... and also less to wreck/fix in a smaller unit if you do get a bad tenant.

As a general area of concern it's not unfair, IMHO. The usual two-months deposit on a place costing 10K Baht/month or less won't even cover the replacement cost of a decent TV if the tenant wrecks it, or walks off with it. Ditto air con units, etc. At least if you have a deposit of 60K-80K Baht or more, you have something substantial as a safeguard against a bad tenant.

I'm not getting at people who rent low-cost units, I know quite a few guys doing so, and while most of them are great guys who wouldn't do any damage or steal anything, one or two of them can only be described at best as "eccentric". I certainly wouldn't want them as tenants, anyway. It's just another angle for the OP to consider when he decides what kind of property portfolio he wants to assemble.

most 10k or under places dont usually have a very expensive tv and unless air con is brand new then its not worth a lot but i think the problem of the cheaper places is that the renter may not care if he loses the smallish deposit of say 20k so he may just leave before a long contract is up and be late wth the rent before he goes so then you have to find a new renter pretty sharp.

its still probably easier just taking care and worrying about getting one place rented at a time so therefore with an investment of say 5 million he could get a 1 bedroom unit somewhere nice.the main concern is keeping it fully rented at all times....not an easy task with the way pattaya/thailand is now.

Sure the agent gets the money from the landlord but the landlord puts the rentl price up to cover this. Not rocket science to work that out.

farangpattaya

Good look getting anywhere near your 15k asking price in Eakmongkol 3 for a semi.

That may happen sometimes, but long experience tells me it doesn't usually happen that way. Landlords generally have only one price. To have two prices, one for direct deals and one for deals via agents, would be unfair to agents who would then generally be unwilling to advertise such a property. Most landlords know this and so play fair with agents. The logic may not be rocket science, but it is a little more complex than your rather basic assumption.

Another thing that is not rocket science is the simple fact that if I was dealing direct with the owner I would pay less, simply because he knows and I know that he is not going to have to pay an agent. I would also not give him 2 months deposit either, stating the very same point that he would normally use one to pay for the agent and would himself only be holding one month's deposit as surety against damages.

My experience tells me that everything is negotiable. I've had agents refuse to put forward an offer to a landlord where I've stipulated different conditions. Agents often think it is their property, a few (and there are only a few around) do use initiative.

hmmmmmmm.......i may use 1 month to pay the agent but i still have to give 2 back at end of contract!!!

i rent out houses and condos and dont deal with agents unless desperate...real desperate,but i still take 2 months deposit and wouldnt take 1 as if they steal and/or damage my furniture tv etc then i would lose out, also if only 1 month deposit then theres a good chance they will give some great excuse to pay late and then not pay rent and electric and they do a runner.i would lose out.Happens more often than it should im afraid.Remember this is pattaya,theres a few unscrupulous people around,its not like you can get a reference from them or even do anything about it when they steal or do a runner owing rent.......should i go to the police

Everything is negotiable for sure and i always give a good price for a long term renter,but that 1 month deposit..no way,how do i know they really will be a long term renter if only prepared to give 1 month deposit.

As to op i would also say first look carrefour,friendship,internet forums and also get recommendations of locations/villages and drive around.

I have no detailed knowledge of other condos. However, I live in Thabali - on the road between Pattaya and Jomtien - behind Bruno's resaurant. What seems clear from friends that rent units here is that it is much easier to get long term tennents for the higher end units in the developement than lower end unit. For example, I have a friend that ownes a 106 sqm duplex unit which has been let without any voids for the last two years at 35,000 per month. Small studio unit have a higher rental yeild when let but seems to unoccupied for a greater proportion of the time.

forgive me if im wrong but i believe you live at Chateau dale....as this is the development behind Brunos,ive never heard of Thabali.....maybe you seen a sign that says thai bali as this is the style there

Thanks for the help on where I live. However, there are two spearate condo developments behind Bruno. Chateau Dale is the four highrise towers and which are around 15 years old. Thabali is the four six storey buildings at the front around the Oasis spa and the gardens and was finish 4-5 years ago.

i did say forgive me but ive never heard the name thabali in the time ive lived here or seen a sign for it(will look harder next time im passing) hence i thought chateau dale.....il do a google and see what comes up.sorry

I have no detailed knowledge of other condos. However, I live in Thabali - on the road between Pattaya and Jomtien - behind Bruno's resaurant. What seems clear from friends that rent units here is that it is much easier to get long term tennents for the higher end units in the developement than lower end unit. For example, I have a friend that ownes a 106 sqm duplex unit which has been let without any voids for the last two years at 35,000 per month. Small studio unit have a higher rental yeild when let but seems to unoccupied for a greater proportion of the time.

forgive me if im wrong but i believe you live at Chateau dale....as this is the development behind Brunos,ive never heard of Thabali.....maybe you seen a sign that says thai bali as this is the style there

i am trying to find some lawn grass already grown, maybe about one square meter;

is there any garden store that sells this, already grown in pattaya area?

Also does anyone sell grass seeds in the pataya area?

thanks You!

There are a few places around I brought ours on the road to Sattahip may be a little cheaper than Pattaya

thanks for that fast reply; "on the road to Sattahip"; shoudln't be any problem at all finding it ;

hahaha..........theres a market that sells trees ,plants and has grass too at the big market on sukhumvit rd next to mini siam,i think its only on sat and sun ,the rest of the week it sells same as other markets....food and tat

castration too good for these buggers

in the case of the lady boys i expect they would be happy with a free castration