14 hours ago, heybruce said:

I remember the '80's, I was thrilled when I was able to get a home loan in 1988 for only 10.5%.  People had been paying home loan rates up to and sometimes exceeding 20%.  There was a housing bubble in southern California and other places and some crazy schemes to secure financing. 

 

What we are experiencing now is mild by comparison.

I have vague recollections of my first home loan in the Bay Area from First Interstate being something like 13%

 

The kids can't even fathom that

2 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

This whole topic boils down to some some fundamentals.

 

You are not a citizen, or in the vast majority of expats in Thailand even a permanent resident, you are at best a long term tourist.

 

That fact for all my time in Asia was never lost on me, and early on I decided that I was always going to maintain a home in the US, since as a US citizen it was the ultimate bolt hole if things went south, or I just tired of life overseas.

 

Mrs G is a US permanent resident, yet we still keep a Thai house. 

 

God forbid anything would ever happen to us, but she has that too.

 

Too many folks decide way to early to go 'all in', selling up everything then years later down the line wanting to call it quits and repatriate, and thats tough in any country not just the US, since things move on at a very different pace to Thailand 

Sure but three points:

 

That's not a plan that would be financially realistic for many.

 

This topic is not about prevention.

 

There are other options other than Thailand and back home.

 

On 6/7/2022 at 1:10 AM, heybruce said:

I remember the '80's, I was thrilled when I was able to get a home loan in 1988 for only 10.5%.  People had been paying home loan rates up to and sometimes exceeding 20%.  There was a housing bubble in southern California and other places and some crazy schemes to secure financing. 

 

What we are experiencing now is mild by comparison.

And when my folks bought their last home it was 4%.

 

When the government says "everyone" should get a loan, and then guarantees the loans, the banks have nothing to lose. 

 

Hopefully, rates get up around 8-10% the prices will come down. 

On 6/7/2022 at 4:49 AM, Jingthing said:

Sure but three points:

 

That's not a plan that would be financially realistic for many.

 

This topic is not about prevention.

 

There are other options other than Thailand and back home.

 

Unfortunately you can't dodge the fact that you can't not avoid a protection plan if things do go tits up.

 

I'm not moralizing here, but when you move to Asia at some point you realize that you're not a citizen, you're not a permanent resident (yes there may be a handful in Thailand) so things are tenuous and uncertain, and Plan B always needs to be in your back pocket

 

Maybe I was just a nerdy worry wort and I always thought about these things as I traversed the world.

 

My Plan B was always that I could return to the

US. For others it may well be move to a different country for which you are a non citizen

 

But you can't complain 'if' your Plan B was to return to US, but didn't put in the effort ahead of time to ensure that it was always a viable option

You most certainly CAN complain!

48 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You most certainly CAN complain!

And if you complain loud enough, and long enough, and get enough people to complain with you, you can get even more money diverted from the tax-payers to the tax-recipients. 

1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:

Unfortunately you can't dodge the fact that you can't not avoid a protection plan if things do go tits up.

 

I'm not moralizing here, but when you move to Asia at some point you realize that you're not a citizen, you're not a permanent resident (yes there may be a handful in Thailand) so things are tenuous and uncertain, and Plan B always needs to be in your back pocket

 

Maybe I was just a nerdy worry wort and I always thought about these things as I traversed the world.

 

My Plan B was always that I could return to the

US. For others it may well be move to a different country for which you are a non citizen

 

But you can't complain 'if' your Plan B was to return to US, but didn't put in the effort ahead of time to ensure that it was always a viable option

As long as the country continues moving in the direction it's moving, people that save/saved their money will more and more be required to subsidize those that do not. 

55 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

And if you complain loud enough, and long enough, and get enough people to complain with you, you can get even more money diverted from the tax-payers to the tax-recipients. 

So you imagine a new law to help broke ass repatriates?

 

Hold tight.

 

The great unwashed are coming for YOUR money. The horror.

 

If inflation and crashing markets don't get it first.

44 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

As long as the country continues moving in the direction it's moving, people that save/saved their money will more and more be required to subsidize those that do not. 

Yes society is a zero sum game. Sure thing.

23 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

So you imagine a new law to help broke ass repatriates?

 

Hold tight.

 

The great unwashed are coming for YOUR money. The horror.

 

If inflation and crashing markets don't get it first.

There are plenty of programs to help the "poor", and yes, I think more are coming if the US continues in the direction it's going. 

 

I don't have any money, but (unlike some) I'm not trying to take it from others. Like means-testing for Social Security benefits. Many people that saved will not get there their benefits, while people that did not save with get theirs and more.

 

Inflation has not had a significant effect on me personally, ad I doubt it will. The "crashing markets" while painful to watch, have had little impact yet, but absolutely could. 

54 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

There are plenty of programs to help the "poor", and yes, I think more are coming if the US continues in the direction it's going. 

 

I don't have any money, but (unlike some) I'm not trying to take it from others. Like means-testing for Social Security benefits. Many people that saved will not get there their benefits, while people that did not save with get theirs and more.

 

Inflation has not had a significant effect on me personally, ad I doubt it will. The "crashing markets" while painful to watch, have had little impact yet, but absolutely could. 

Means testing for SS is not going to happen but raising the income cap for SS payroll tax hopefully will.

 

I don't think programs for the poor are at all adequate. Homelessness kills and rents are not even close to being affordable. 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Means testing for SS is not going to happen but raising the income cap for SS payroll tax hopefully will.

It already does. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

I don't think programs for the poor are at all adequate. Homelessness kills and rents are not even close to being affordable. 

I don't think it is possible for programs that redistribute wealth to ever be adequate in the eyes of those (rich and poor) that benefit from the redistribution. What do you think would make programs adequate? 

 

What would you do to make housing more affordable? I think getting the government out of loans and subsidies would be a good start. 

 

What do you think would significantly reduce homelessness? 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

It already does. 

 

 

I don't think it is possible for programs that redistribute wealth to ever be adequate in the eyes of those (rich and poor) that benefit from the redistribution. What do you think would make programs adequate? 

 

What would you do to make housing more affordable? I think getting the government out of loans and subsidies would be a good start. 

 

What do you think would significantly reduce homelessness? 

 

 

Homes

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Homes

Problem solved...

 

Homes for Sale, Real Estate & Property Listings | realtor.com®

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Problem solved...

 

Homes for Sale, Real Estate & Property Listings | realtor.com®

Why do you even bother posting disingenuous stuff like that? 

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Why do you even bother posting disingenuous stuff like that? 

To respond to disingenuous stuff like this: 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

To respond to disingenuous stuff like this: 

 

 

It was the best answer. 

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It was the best answer. 

Only because you have no answers.

 

You could give every homeless person a free home, and a year later, you'd have twice as many homeless as you have when you started. 

 

 

Just now, Yellowtail said:

Only because you have no answers.

 

You could give every homeless person a free home, and a year later, you'd have twice as many homeless as you have when you started. 

 

 

Wrong. 

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Wrong. 

I know you are. 

Just now, Yellowtail said:

I know you are. 

High level stuff. 

If the government were giving free home to every homeless  person, is their anyone that honestly believes the number of homeless will not go up? 

 

If welfare benefits were  doubled, is there anyone that that honestly believes the number of welfare recipients will not go up? 

 

If pay for working at the Post Office were  doubled, is there anyone that that honestly believes the number of people trying to hire on at the Post Office will not go up? 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

If the government were giving free home to every homeless  person, is their anyone that honestly believes the number of homeless will not go up? 

 

If welfare benefits were  doubled, is there anyone that that honestly believes the number of welfare recipients will not go up? 

 

If pay for working at the Post Office were  doubled, is there anyone that that honestly believes the number of people trying to hire on at the Post Office will not go up? 

What's hilarious is that you went with free when all I said was homes. 

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/how-finland-solved-homelessness

The housing situation will only get worse as the unregulated influx of illegals continues. 

3 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

The housing situation will only get worse as the unregulated influx of illegals continues. 

.Many are in construction.

Trying to scapegoat them is odious.

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

.Many are in construction.

Trying to scapegoat them is odious.

I don't know what you're trying to say. My reference to illegals was they will be competing with citizens for affordable housing. Supply and demand and rents increase.

8 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

The housing situation will only get worse as the unregulated influx of illegals continues. 

Not for them 

3 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

I don't know what you're trying to say. My reference to illegals was they will be competing with citizens for affordable housing. Supply and demand and rents increase.

And wages decrease. 

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

.Many are in construction.

Trying to scapegoat them is odious.

Why not send them to Finland? 

Its always convenient to have a foreign scapegoat for big problems.