Down under or Thai? Aussie mum trades Oz for Land of Smiles

[Artisi]

9 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Would be 11 hours flying time  , 18 hour journey in total 

Bkk to Syd 8.5 to 9 hours.

[BumGun]

26 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The husband is 7 years away from qualifying for the OAP, and will have to spend two years in Oz to get it.

True but he can draw down on his super, but bit odd that its that high Most 60 yr olds don't have too much super as in came in part way through their life, unless wealthy, if so, then why ? the average for a 60yr old is about $350- 400K form memory  ? I am assuming they paid $1.2Mil AUD cash for the house in Phuket (sans land) , so none of this story makes much sense. Hope it works out though. Love to hear a follow up in a few years

[Nick Carter icp]

Just now, Artisi said:

Bkk to Syd 8.5 to 9 hours.

 

   Bangkok to Sydney is a 9 hour 35 minute fight and  Krabi to Bangkok  is a 1 hour 25 minute flight  , giving a total flight time of 11 hours 

[BumGun]

1 hour ago, black tabby12345 said:

Can anyone please advise?

Purely a question out of my curiosity though.

Lease the land, build the house, can be fraught with issues, go in eyes wide open. You do not own the land

[Nemises]

We are all here living the dream, all very happy, all financially secure. They will be too. Welcome! 🙏 

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

2 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

I get a kick out of people with rose-colored glasses.

Imagine if her hubby accidentally kicks a doctor, Phuket authorities inspect the build and find it illegal in some way, then they get deported minus their $1.2M AUD.

Why would anyone take such a risk, shouldn't they have at least rented for a few years?

 

A two week holiday is all that is needed to know how honest, kind and friendly Thai people are (or so it appears)...  🤭

[marin]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Coulsons cherish the international school’s offerings for young Alex – an opportunity for him to thrive amidst vibrant ex-pat diversity.

Free education in Australia. Here at the better international school on Phuket they will be paying roughly $2500 Australian dollars a month at The British School for kindergarten and grade 1. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

17 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Bangkok to Sydney is a 9 hour 35 minute fight and  Krabi to Bangkok  is a 1 hour 25 minute flight  , giving a total flight time of 11 hours 

They are in Phuket. Jetstar fly direct Sydney Phuket in about 9 hours. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

1 hour ago, PB172111 said:

Much much cheaper here than in Australia.

No Medicare though

[Fat is a type of crazy]

A fair few Aussies do a similar thing in Bali. Seems concerning not to own the land. A lot of foods they are used to more expensive in Phuket - then there's beer and wine. But being 60 I can see he wants to get on with it and enjoy his life. 

[Nick Carter icp]

7 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

They are in Phuket. Jetstar fly direct Sydney Phuket in about 9 hours. 

 

   That is still quite a long arduous flight and would cost about A$3000 for the three of them , not like its a quick hop across the sea

[oscarsmum]

43 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Would be 11 hours flying time  , 18 hour journey in total 

9 hours on Jetstar, Phuket to Sydney. Good flight usually. I do it 3-4 trips a year.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

2 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   That is still quite a long arduous flight and would cost about A$3000 for the three of them , not like its a quick hop across the sea

For what it's worth for some reason the increases in fares around the world didn't hit as bad in Australia - from what I've found - still get $700 return and $500 if plan ahead a bit - but point taken. 

[mokwit]

51 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Please don't tell me that they paid for the house and the house hasn't been built yet ?

Please don't tell me that she doesn't know she has to stand over the workmen 8 hours a day every day to ensure everything is done properly.

[Charlest1971]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the ocean for a breezy AUD$920 (21,000 baht) weekly

Holy guacamole! That’s nearly £2,000/month on rent or AUD 3,680. These people sound quite well off and they couldn’t afford a house in Oz. Well, maybe they should have looked outside Sydney, first? 

[Charlest1971]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the ocean for a breezy AUD$920 (21,000 baht) weekly

Holy guacamole! That’s nearly £2,000/month on rent or AUD 3,680. These people sound quite well off and they couldn’t afford a house in Oz. Well, maybe they should have looked outside Sydney, first? 

[Charlest1971]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the ocean for a breezy AUD$920 (21,000 baht) weekly

Holy guacamole! That’s nearly £2,000/month on rent or AUD 3,680. These people sound quite well off and they couldn’t afford a house in Oz. Well, maybe they should have looked outside Sydney, first? 

[Charlest1971]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

the ocean for a breezy AUD$920 (21,000 baht) weekly

Holy guacamole! That’s nearly £2,000/month on rent or AUD 3,680. These people sound quite well off and they couldn’t afford a house in Oz. Well, maybe they should have looked outside Sydney, first? 

[Charlest1971]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

luxurious three-bed pad with an overflow pool and panoramic vistas of the ocean for a breezy AUD$920 (21,000 baht) weekly

Holy guacamole! That’s nearly £2,000/month on rent or AUD 3,680. These people sound quite well off and they couldn’t afford a house in Oz. Well, maybe they should have looked outside Sydney, first? 

[Photoguy21]

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

She will find out the hard way. Let's visit with her in 2 years, then 5 years and if she lasts, 10 years.

She will eventually tire of the lack of potable water. Drinking out of plastic bottles with all the micro plastics, having laundry that smells rank after the heavy laundry detergent perfume wears off  etc.  is  her future. 😁

You sound very disillusioned with Thailand, why?

[Charlest1971]

Why can’t we delete unwanted posts?
The system was not working properly.

It kept saying that my post wasn’t submitted when in reality, it had been submitted, several times.

Come on guys, sort out this basic UX. 😠

[khunPer]

I presume from the article's text that they will own a house worth 27 million baht, when it's built and paperwork is made correctly. However, they won't own the land under their dream-house, so either a limited 30-year lease – which might be included in the 27 million – or ongoing rent of land with risk of termination. I know very well that money is a relative size, but 27 million is still some level of money in my modest view, even that it might be less than what a home costs in OZ, which they couldn't afford – I don't know home prices down there – it makes me think of: "Never invest more in Thailand than you can afford to lose"...

[khunPer]

Double post deleted, didn't show when posting, so something wrong with the script.

Edit/addition: It use to be in Opera that a posting don't show up, this is in Google's Chrome browser, which normally works.

[newnative]

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

People are portraying Thailand on YouTube like it's a fully functional country with all the things you'd expect back home but newer, nicer and cheaper. This is true if you live in a tiny bubble but eventually you must go outside and face the reality of how things are in 99% of the country

       Off hand, I can't think of anything that I'd 'expect back home' that I don't have here.   All the things I needed in America for my normal, everyday life I've found here--good shopping with all the different things I shop for--from food, to cars, to clothing, to housewares, to art and crafts, to furniture, etc., good dental and optical care, good housing choices (better than the US), good hospital care, good safety where I live,  good restaurants with a wide variety, good friends, good airports and flight choices, good roads when I travel around Thailand, movies and bookstores in English, etc.  Plus, better year-round weather for someone who hates winter.

      After a lot of thought, the only thing that came to mind was Reduced Fat Cheez-it.  Saw only regular Cheez-it at Villa Market.  Then I checked Shopee and saw it available there.   So . . . nothing for me.   

[tandor]

3 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

No foresight  No Oz pension, no work,  land of scams  what more can you want for 

i love success stories..whatever could possibly go wrong!

[kiwikeith]

2 hours ago, Jack Hammer said:

I think they want a champagne life on beer money. In Sydney, you can purchase homes  in decent suburbs for 1.2 million.  Also, you can rent from $600-$800 indecent suburbs

In six months time, ask this couple what they think of “utopia “ Phuket

And they are not old enough to get a pension, must have income from Australia 

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, Polaky said:

There sure is, but not in sydney, Queensland upper regions can be had for 500k inland on small acreage, or around 650k closer to the sea, there are certainly many options without resorting over to Thailand, this will be their worst decision ever.

 

Agree, and I hope they have made solid realistic plans for their son's education. 

[kwilco]

how is this a story?

 

what visas are they on?

[AustinRacing]

It’s possible that after 12 months the husband runs off with a 22 year old bar girl who squeezed most of his share of the divorce then left him because he ran out of money. The woman has no friends, language barrier, smell, dirty environments and farangs, locals scamming her, kids nagging wanting to go home, makes her pack it up, leavoing the 65 year old farang butterfly boyfriend, renting a 1 bedroom flat in Penrith. 

[MalcolmB]

Gee, a lot of negative comments about someone moving here for a better lifestyle from a lot of people who moved here for a better lifestyle.