Looking to buy a condo in Pattaya

[newnative]

11 hours ago, BenStark said:

I recall previously when I looked up a condo on Hipflat i could see a price evolution graph from when it was built until today.

 

Now I don't see that graph anymore. Am I confused or are there different versions of hipflat?

 

   I've been on it a couple times recently and it looks like the whole site has been revised--for the worse.  Not only is the graph missing but you used to be able to search low price to high and vice versa.  This feature was useful because lots of condos for sale are listed by more than one agency so the duplicates would all group together, easy to skip the ones you already looked at and also easy to check them all for different photos of a property you might be interested in. Now, it seems to be just a jumble with the listings.

   Also, you used to see name of the realtor with the listing on the main listing screen.  Now, each listing just has a 'contact' box to click.  I couldn't find the listing agent anywhere.   Knowing the agency name was useful to check the property again on the agency website--perhaps there would be a video.   It's a shame because the old site worked really well.  If anybody know's if the old site is still available to access, or, as you say, different versions, I'd appreciate knowing.  Or, if the features I mentioned are still on the new site but I am searching incorrectly.  Thanks!

[BigStar]

19 hours ago, JimTripper said:

My neighbor bought his and it seemed like a dumb idea to me. How long would he want to live here? I'm ready to go before one year. To just retire in one spot is kind of dumb I think.

 

The Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat:

If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.
If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat,
If you put him in a flat then he'd rather have a house.
If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat,
If you set him on a rat then he'd rather chase a mouse.

Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat—
And there isn't any call for me to shout it:
For he will do
As he do do
And there's no doing anything about it!

 

The Rum Tum Tugger is a terrible bore:
When you let him in, then he wants to be out;
He's always on the wrong side of every door,
And as soon as he's at home, then he'd like to get about.
He likes to lie in the bureau drawer,
But he makes such a fuss if he can't get out.

     --T. S. Eliot

[noobexpat]

I think those who buy just can't afford to rent.

Simple folk make simple decisions.

I don't have a poem from a very dead bloke 555

[BigStar]

12 hours ago, noobexpat said:

I think those who buy just can't afford to rent.

Simple folk make simple decisions.

I don't have a poem from a very dead bloke 555

 

Well, life’s bleak when you gotta sweat paying rent, pay higher electric bills, and pray the market don’t crash so’s that little 7% can keep coming in for the next 30 – 40 years.

 

What can one do other than envy and obsess and seek self-reassurance in sour grapes, hoping for the better future others have already achieved? Skint, you couldn’t afford and didn't have time for the finer things in life, such as Cats, though it played in West End for over 20 years. Me, I saw it on Broadway.

 

Thank gawd you do have footy and its associated pub blather for entertainment. Haw.

 

But great scene in Cats with Rum Tum Tugger, who's, inevitably, quite a monger. Difference is, he don’t need to pay, as our renters do. Now really: he's very much like some of our forum posters, running around Pattaya.

 

 

 

12 hours ago, noobexpat said:

I don't have a poem from a very dead bloke 555

 

Oh, we all stand on the shoulders o' them dead giant blokes, in your case, unknown blokes. But give yourself credit for scholarly achievement, man. It was probably in your council estate, or perhaps in your local authority primary school, that you learned from some anonymous bloke the simple Economic Principle informing your most excellent financial scheme for future wealth, in which renting, escaping threats, is critical. Remember?

 

[champers]

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,

Her knickers all tattered and torn.

It wasn't a spider that sat down beside her,

But Little Boy Blue with his horn.

 

[Pattaya57]

13 hours ago, noobexpat said:

I think those who buy just can't afford to rent.

Simple folk make simple decisions.

I don't have a poem from a very dead bloke 555

I don't understand. If you can afford to buy why can't they afford to rent?

[newnative]

16 hours ago, noobexpat said:

I think those who buy just can't afford to rent.

Simple folk make simple decisions.

I don't have a poem from a very dead bloke 555

     You absolutely nailed it!   '...those who buy just can't afford to rent.'  Were truer words ever spoken since man learned to talk?  I think not.  Bravo, you.  Eight golden words that say it all--and certainly hit home in a painful way, with me.  Maybe more on that later.

     Gosh, I've lost count of the number of 'simple folk' I've met who have 3MB or 5MB or 10MB to buy a property but they just can't crack what I call the 'rental nut' and get themselves into a nice rental. Just. Can't. Crack. It.  No way, Jose.

    The rental nut, for the uninitiated, is the vast sum that is required to initially rent a property.  You have the first month's rent, sometimes the last month's rent, and often not one but two month's rent for the security deposit.  On a monthly rental of 20,000 baht, one could end up having to come up with as much as 80,000 baht all at once.  'All at once' is really the key to the whole, awful conundrum.  Who has that kind of money just lying around eating bon bons and watching Netflix?   For so many, that huge rental nut required is, 'simply', a bridge too far.  Sad, innit?

    So, unable to crack the rental nut, they make, as you say, the 'simple decision' and just buy a property instead.  Not only 'simple' but taking the easy way out, really, when you think about it.  Instead of buckling down and forcing themselves to save the money for the rental nut, off they merrily go to plunk down their 3MB, 5MB, or whatever, and buy a property without even breaking a sweat.  How hard is that, I ask you?  Where's the mighty struggle, day after day, that will make that first rental so, so satisfying when you finally get it, knowing that you did it!   Yes, I can save 80,000 baht, all at once!  Yes, I can crack the rental nut!

     Sometimes, I almost believe it's better that these 'simple folk' be satisfied with their lot in life and remain 'simple' property owners, rather than striving to enter the world of renters, which, perhaps, they really don't belong in, harsh as that may sound.  And, let's be honest, for way too many, it can only end badly.  Very badly.  Think about it.  If they can't manage to save 80,000 baht for the rental nut, how in the world are they ever going to come up with 20,000 baht in rent, month after month after month?  Seriously, it could be years we are talking about!  Boggles the mind.  Much better for these 'simple folk' to only have utilities and maintenance fees each month--many, surprisingly, are able to manage these small fees.  If it ain't broke . . .

     And now, as alluded to earlier, a reluctant confession.  I, too, am one of the 'simple folk'.  There, I've said it.  Phew!  A bit of a relief, I must say.  Just put it out there, come what may.   It started in the US and has continued here in Thailand.  Buy a property, sell it, make some money, and then buy another.  Over and over, never learning my lesson.  Why in the world couldn't I have, at some point, managed to save that 80,000 baht and cracked the rental nut--which could have landed me what might have been the rental of my dreams?  Why, indeed.  What is it they say about making the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different outcome--that's me, with a lot of help from my spouse, who is not blameless in this whole sorry mess, let me tell you.

    Being a glass half-full guy, I'd like to end this sad lament on a positve note, if I may.  I'm happy to report that my spouse and I have joined the local chapter of Property Buyers Anonymous, or PBA, for short.   We've been faithfully attending meetings for about a year now and, not to toot our horn too loudly, we are making what I would call mostly steady progress.  Although we did have that one time when we fell off the wagon and bought the house on the Darkside.  

     BUT, that one small, teeny tiny lapse aside, we have really put our noses to the grindstone and, as of today, we have 17, 495 baht saved up towards a Pattaya rental!   One baht at a time and we are on track to earn our first 20,000 baht PBA chip sometime this year!  Yaa us!  And a big pat on the back!  Good job!  (PBA encourages you to give yourself frequent praise, as it is such a difficult struggle, cracking that rental nut.) 

    For those 'simple' Pattaya property buyers who might be interested in kicking the filthy habit of buying rather than renting, PBA meetings are held weekly at a different property enticingly available for rent in Pattaya.  Brilliant, I think, to give PBA attendees a weekly dose of encouragement in cracking the rental nut.  Next week's meeting, a lovely unit in Nirun!

    

[noobexpat]

10 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

I don't understand. If you can afford to buy why can't they afford to rent?

 

Because many have a modest level of capital when they move to thailand, lets say £100k gbp (4m baht or so) but they have low income, so they need to discount it from their income as they cannot afford it to quadruple in 20 years and be priced out.

 

Thats why a lot of people buy. To save on rent. 

[noobexpat]

4 hours ago, newnative said:

     You absolutely nailed it!   '...those who buy just can't afford to rent.'  Were truer words ever spoken since man learned to talk?  I think not.  Bravo, you.  Eight golden words that say it all--and certainly hit home in a painful way, with me.  Maybe more on that later.

     Gosh, I've lost count of the number of 'simple folk' I've met who have 3MB or 5MB or 10MB to buy a property but they just can't crack what I call the 'rental nut' and get themselves into a nice rental. Just. Can't. Crack. It.  No way, Jose.

    The rental nut, for the uninitiated, is the vast sum that is required to initially rent a property.  You have the first month's rent, sometimes the last month's rent, and often not one but two month's rent for the security deposit.  On a monthly rental of 20,000 baht, one could end up having to come up with as much as 80,000 baht all at once.  'All at once' is really the key to the whole, awful conundrum.  Who has that kind of money just lying around eating bon bons and watching Netflix?   For so many, that huge rental nut required is, 'simply', a bridge too far.  Sad, innit?

    So, unable to crack the rental nut, they make, as you say, the 'simple decision' and just buy a property instead.  Not only 'simple' but taking the easy way out, really, when you think about it.  Instead of buckling down and forcing themselves to save the money for the rental nut, off they merrily go to plunk down their 3MB, 5MB, or whatever, and buy a property without even breaking a sweat.  How hard is that, I ask you?  Where's the mighty struggle, day after day, that will make that first rental so, so satisfying when you finally get it, knowing that you did it!   Yes, I can save 80,000 baht, all at once!  Yes, I can crack the rental nut!

     Sometimes, I almost believe it's better that these 'simple folk' be satisfied with their lot in life and remain 'simple' property owners, rather than striving to enter the world of renters, which, perhaps, they really don't belong in, harsh as that may sound.  And, let's be honest, for way too many, it can only end badly.  Very badly.  Think about it.  If they can't manage to save 80,000 baht for the rental nut, how in the world are they ever going to come up with 20,000 baht in rent, month after month after month?  Seriously, it could be years we are talking about!  Boggles the mind.  Much better for these 'simple folk' to only have utilities and maintenance fees each month--many, surprisingly, are able to manage these small fees.  If it ain't broke . . .

     And now, as alluded to earlier, a reluctant confession.  I, too, am one of the 'simple folk'.  There, I've said it.  Phew!  A bit of a relief, I must say.  Just put it out there, come what may.   It started in the US and has continued here in Thailand.  Buy a property, sell it, make some money, and then buy another.  Over and over, never learning my lesson.  Why in the world couldn't I have, at some point, managed to save that 80,000 baht and cracked the rental nut--which could have landed me what might have been the rental of my dreams?  Why, indeed.  What is it they say about making the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different outcome--that's me, with a lot of help from my spouse, who is not blameless in this whole sorry mess, let me tell you.

    Being a glass half-full guy, I'd like to end this sad lament on a positve note, if I may.  I'm happy to report that my spouse and I have joined the local chapter of Property Buyers Anonymous, or PBA, for short.   We've been faithfully attending meetings for about a year now and, not to toot our horn too loudly, we are making what I would call mostly steady progress.  Although we did have that one time when we fell off the wagon and bought the house on the Darkside.  

     BUT, that one small, teeny tiny lapse aside, we have really put our noses to the grindstone and, as of today, we have 17, 495 baht saved up towards a Pattaya rental!   One baht at a time and we are on track to earn our first 20,000 baht PBA chip sometime this year!  Yaa us!  And a big pat on the back!  Good job!  (PBA encourages you to give yourself frequent praise, as it is such a difficult struggle, cracking that rental nut.) 

    For those 'simple' Pattaya property buyers who might be interested in kicking the filthy habit of buying rather than renting, PBA meetings are held weekly at a different property enticingly available for rent in Pattaya.  Brilliant, I think, to give PBA attendees a weekly dose of encouragement in cracking the rental nut.  Next week's meeting, a lovely unit in Nirun!

    

 

Its 3am and i'm a bit tipsy in bangkok. Take it all with a grain of salt. It winds up a few guys for the chuckles, thats all. I totally get it and you seem like a good guy. We're all good - in person i would be saying nice one and glad its going well. 

[noobexpat]

10 hours ago, BigStar said:

 

Well, life’s bleak when you gotta sweat paying rent, pay higher electric bills, and pray the market don’t crash so’s that little 7% can keep coming in for the next 30 – 40 years.

 

What can one do other than envy and obsess and seek self-reassurance in sour grapes, hoping for the better future others have already achieved? Skint, you couldn’t afford and didn't have time for the finer things in life, such as Cats, though it played in West End for over 20 years. Me, I saw it on Broadway.

 

Thank gawd you do have footy and its associated pub blather for entertainment. Haw.

 

But great scene in Cats with Rum Tum Tugger, who's, inevitably, quite a monger. Difference is, he don’t need to pay, as our renters do. Now really: he's very much like some of our forum posters, running around Pattaya.

 

 

 

 

Oh, we all stand on the shoulders o' them dead giant blokes, in your case, unknown blokes. But give yourself credit for scholarly achievement, man. It was probably in your council estate, or perhaps in your local authority primary school, that you learned from some anonymous bloke the simple Economic Principle informing your most excellent financial scheme for future wealth, in which renting, escaping threats, is critical. Remember?

 

 

Can't wait to get back to pattaya. Every drink this weekend has been 400b. Pimp club last night then novotel sky bar tonight.

 

Life of the privately educated 😋

 

[noobexpat]

Nice views up here...

 

[noobexpat]

[noobexpat]

Oops.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

I don't understand. If you can afford to buy why can't they afford to rent?

They should be able to afford to rent for twenty years!

[newnative]

4 hours ago, noobexpat said:

 

Its 3am and i'm a bit tipsy in bangkok. Take it all with a grain of salt. It winds up a few guys for the chuckles, thats all. I totally get it and you seem like a good guy. We're all good - in person i would be saying nice one and glad its going well. 

    Thank you!  And, a bit of good news to pass along.  Spouse found 5 baht under one of the sofa cushions so we're now up to 17,500 baht saved for the rental nut!  Nice round figure after being stuck at 17,495 for what seemed like forever.  Onward!   Something to share at today's PBA meeting.   (What I won't share is I sneaked a peek at a seaview condo I noticed for sale on Facebook this morning.  In a good project, just needs a little work.  Tempting.  My bad.  Well, two steps forward and one step back, as they say.)

[HauptmannUK]

6 hours ago, noobexpat said:

 

Can't wait to get back to pattaya. Every drink this weekend has been 400b. Pimp club last night then novotel sky bar tonight.

 

Life of the privately educated 😋

 

LOL!  What a Wannabee!  Living it large at Novotel with a ฿400 drink?!

Try Lebua Sky Bar - a mineral water is nearly ฿1000 and a cocktail will set you back ฿3000. But you won't get in wearing shorts and sandals...

Where were you privately educated? I went to Uppingham (West Deyne).  Sir Malcolm Campbell, Boris Karloff and Steven Fry amongst the old boys. Also my old chum 'Tricky-Dicky' Tice (Reform UK leader)....

[noobexpat]

20 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

LOL!  What a Wannabee!  Living it large at Novotel with a ฿400 drink?!

Try Lebua Sky Bar - a mineral water is nearly ฿1000 and a cocktail will set you back ฿3000. But you won't get in wearing shorts and sandals...

Where were you privately educated? I went to Uppingham (West Deyne).  Sir Malcolm Campbell, Boris Karloff and Steven Fry amongst the old boys. Also my old chum 'Tricky-Dicky' Tice (Reform UK leader)....

 

Don't stress, its not a bar competition.

Just happened to be there last night.

 

[hotandsticky]

34 minutes ago, HauptmannUK said:

 

Where were you privately educated? I went to Uppingham (West Deyne).  Sir Malcolm Campbell, Boris Karloff and Steven Fry amongst the old boys. Also my old chum 'Tricky-Dicky' Tice (Reform UK leader)....

 

 

Nobody cares.

 

It's not about you........or even you trying to justify you.

[BenStark]

I can notice someone runs out of arguments for his silly claims

 

[NextG]

1 hour ago, HauptmannUK said:

LOL!  What a Wannabee!  Living it large at Novotel with a ฿400 drink?!

Try Lebua Sky Bar - a mineral water is nearly ฿1000 and a cocktail will set you back ฿3000. But you won't get in wearing shorts and sandals...

Where were you privately educated? I went to Uppingham (West Deyne).  Sir Malcolm Campbell, Boris Karloff and Steven Fry amongst the old boys. Also my old chum 'Tricky-Dicky' Tice (Reform UK leader)....

Hyperbole is not necessary in this case. 
In general only their Champagne cocktails reach those dizzy heights. Half that price is the norm. 

When living in Bangkok, I would patronise both Lebua’s Sirocco and Banyan Tree’s Vertigo and Moon Bar. Sirocco’s caviar pricing was interesting 😊

 

[NextG]

8 hours ago, noobexpat said:

 

Can't wait to get back to pattaya. Every drink this weekend has been 400b. Pimp club last night then novotel sky bar tonight.

 

Life of the privately educated 😋

 

A bit sad this one. A bit like a chav would act if they had just won the lottery. You really need to tone it down. The ‘privately educated’ bit was just shameful.
Three different posts with pictures?? Why not just make the one post with three pics? You were so impressed with it. Stop putting money in front of good character, you are making yourself look bad. 
How did you manage to get from “Looking to buy a condo in Pattaya” to “Look at me, I am paying £9 for a cocktail in Bangkok”?

[Pattaya57]

12 hours ago, noobexpat said:

 

Can't wait to get back to pattaya. Every drink this weekend has been 400b. Pimp club last night then novotel sky bar tonight.

 

Life of the privately educated 😋

 

Reminds me of the "the millionaire next door" no-one notices because they are humble. Not you. You think posting 400 baht for a wine is special. There are many of us far richer than you but we don't brag about it like you do

 

I have a Masters and Bachelor degree which I think trumps your private school education and I'm pretty sure my 200,000 baht a month bank interest beats your income if you think a 400 baht wine is expensive 

[noobexpat]

All the old men getting so upset as usual 555 ...go have a nice time like i did

[Celsius]

On 2/7/2024 at 1:50 AM, BenStark said:

Not interested in soi buakhow itself, or ghetto's like Nirun, and neither the Base - Edge or other infamous Airbnb infested buildings. My budget is 3 - 4 million

 

and with that budget, neither are they

[BenStark]

1 minute ago, Celsius said:

 

and with that budget, they are they

 

Said he who couldn't make it in Thailand, and now complains about the price of a burger in Canada. 🙂

 

Plenty of condo's in quality developments in the centre of Pattaya with that budget

[Pattaya57]

21 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

All the old men getting so upset as usual 555 ...go have a nice time like i did

I was having 30,000 baht bar bills when I was a youngish 42, does that count now that I'm richer now as an old man of 57?

[Celsius]

4 minutes ago, BenStark said:

 

Said he who couldn't make it in Thailand, and now complains about the price of a burger in Canada. 🙂

 

Plenty of condo's in quality developments in the centre of Pattaya with that budget

 

"make it in Thailand"🤣

[BenStark]

On 2/8/2024 at 6:02 PM, Pattaya57 said:

Urban is currently about 60-65,000 per square metre, much cheaper (and better) than Centara and Grand Avenue. How much is LK Legend per sqm?

 

 

The one I'm looking at is 56K, fully furnished and pool view

[DonniePeverley]

I'm glad you're aware of the airbnb / short term infestation issue. 

[BenStark]

5 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

I'm glad you're aware of the airbnb / short term infestation issue. 

 

Where?