On 12/22/2024 at 12:12 AM, Airalee said:

 I see more Chinese tourists in Thailand than I am currently seeing here in Vietnam although I have seen a few of the busses that you mention.  It is monsoon season currently so there aren’t that many tourists in general.

 

I was in Danang May-June and was perplexed by the endless tour coaches, horns honking and package tourists selfishly clogging the public beach entrances. Got old real fast. But it was start of high season then. Perhaps there are better months to be there.

 

Cheers buddy

55 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds of Horking said:

 

I was in Danang May-June and was perplexed by the endless tour coaches, horns honking and package tourists selfishly clogging the public beach entrances. Got old real fast. But it was start of high season then. Perhaps there are better months to be there.

 

Cheers buddy

I’m under the impression that the high season here doesn’t coincide with Thailand’s high season as it has been raining (usually just a drizzle) about 50% of the time here with daytime temperatures in the low 70s.  There have been very few tour busses and I assume that will pick up.

 

The horn honking is definitely a thing but I’m not in the heart of the tourist area (My An) but just south in the Khue My neighborhood where it is much quieter apart from the ongoing construction.

 

The traffic really isn’t close to being as bad (currently) as the city center but from what I have been told, foreigners aren’t allowed to rent/live in those areas and there are designated sections of the city where foreigners can live which seem to all be on the beach side of the bridges.

 

The apartment prices are far less expensive for the same places that one would see on Airbnb US$3-400 in my area vs the $700 that I’m seeing on Airbnb.  I got my place for 2 months via one of the many Facebook groups and was in a hotel for the first month while watching what people were offered via Facebook for $200-500/month.

 

This has been my go-to place for western food (burgers) here and is a much better value than Thailand in my opinion.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298085-d15745277-Reviews-Bikini_Bottom_Express-Da_Nang.html

 

For pizza…

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298085-d24191685-Reviews-Bello_The_Pizzeria-Da_Nang.html
 

Mostly I just cook at home.

 

I might check out a different area next year (will do Siem Riep later this year for a few months) such as Nha Trang or Dalat.

9 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’m under the impression that the high season here doesn’t coincide with Thailand’s high season as it has been raining (usually just a drizzle) about 50% of the time here with daytime temperatures in the low 70s.  There have been very few tour busses and I assume that will pick up.

 

The horn honking is definitely a thing but I’m not in the heart of the tourist area (My An) but just south in the Khue My neighborhood where it is much quieter apart from the ongoing construction.

You are correct. Danang high season is May-Sept give or take. That's when it's hot as hell and the sea is calm(er). But on the flipside it's no good for surfing then...

 

I know Khue My and yes, far quieter and more local if I recall. Lower rents.

 

There are excellent restaurants in Danang at fair prices. Tons of inexpensive vegetarian / vegan too, which can make for a nice change.

 

Next time I'm back I'll check out Quy Nhon, between Danang and Nha Trang. Heard good things.

 

Dalat is, from what I've heard, a sort of "mountain" town with much cooler drier weather.

 

Siem Reap seems to be the locale du jour for Westerners at the moment, judging by YouTube. That concerns me a little because rents could be driven higher with so many Westerners fleeing the economic/Woke prisons of their home countries. SR has great food/drink options, and close to Angkor Wat, but from what I remember the scenery and air qual cannot match Danang.

 

Best scenario would be if VN would offer a retirement visa.

 

Cheers buddy

I noticed your comment about cheaper to rent (short term) via Facebook rather than Airbnb

 

The only thing I would be concerned about if it's a scam,I probably wouldn't take the risk 

"""The only thing I would be concerned about if it's a scam,I probably wouldn't take the risk"""

 

Just about everything my wife has purchased on Facebook has been a mess, especially fruit and clothing.  I would be concerned because of all the scams the Thai police have uncovered and arrests made.

32 minutes ago, edwardflory said:

"""The only thing I would be concerned about if it's a scam,I probably wouldn't take the risk"""

 

Just about everything my wife has purchased on Facebook has been a mess, especially fruit and clothing.  I would be concerned because of all the scams the Thai police have uncovered and arrests made.

Include Lazada on that too. The other day I received my order which was Large and long sleeved, what I got was Medium and short sleeved 

"""Include Lazada on that too"""

 

Lazada is a market place for VARIOUS vendors from SEVERAL countries.  I would give purchases thru their interface at about 85 - 90% of the EXACT order - about the same as ordering in the USA. There IS sometimes a problem translating English to Thai or Chinese or ?. Occasionally I have received a double order, but charged for only for my single order.

23 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I prefer to be close walking to everything, unfortunately Jomtien in Pattaya has only one expensive supermarket 

Pattaya Park market has a tremendous selection of good cooked food and fresh food at very reasonable prices. A lot better than out in the sticks in my area.

You can't walk everywhere but the Pattaya taxi network helps minimise the cost. When it comes to supermarkets, "Modern" on Beach Road is about as cheap as you can get.

2 hours ago, edwardflory said:

"""Include Lazada on that too"""

 

Lazada is a market place for VARIOUS vendors from SEVERAL countries.  I would give purchases thru their interface at about 85 - 90% of the EXACT order - about the same as ordering in the USA. There IS sometimes a problem translating English to Thai or Chinese or ?. Occasionally I have received a double order, but charged for only for my single order.

In the case of mine, I ordered 2 shirts, one correct the other has stated

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

Pattaya Park market has a tremendous selection of good cooked food and fresh food at very reasonable prices. A lot better than out in the sticks in my area.

You can't walk everywhere but the Pattaya taxi network helps minimise the cost. When it comes to supermarkets, "Modern" on Beach Road is about as cheap as you can get.

Never heard of "modern" supermarket; it's in beach road near Central festival?

 

On 12/25/2024 at 2:50 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I noticed your comment about cheaper to rent (short term) via Facebook rather than Airbnb

 

The only thing I would be concerned about if it's a scam,I probably wouldn't take the risk 

The way to do it is to get a 250k Dong (340 baht) hotel for the first 2 nights and then put your request in through the Facebook group while here and then meet the agent at the apartment (with the apartment manager) fill out all the paperwork, pay, get the keys and then you’re good to go.  The manager handles the police clearance (same as a tm30 in Thailand I guess).  It’s not a “pay in advance” situation where it could very well be a scam.

 

I put my request in at midnight for a 2 month rental and had a dozen different agents reply within 12 hours.

On 12/25/2024 at 12:09 AM, Woke to Sounds of Horking said:

You are correct. Danang high season is May-Sept give or take. That's when it's hot as hell and the sea is calm(er). But on the flipside it's no good for surfing then...

 

I know Khue My and yes, far quieter and more local if I recall. Lower rents.

 

There are excellent restaurants in Danang at fair prices. Tons of inexpensive vegetarian / vegan too, which can make for a nice change.

 

Next time I'm back I'll check out Quy Nhon, between Danang and Nha Trang. Heard good things.

 

Dalat is, from what I've heard, a sort of "mountain" town with much cooler drier weather.

 

Siem Reap seems to be the locale du jour for Westerners at the moment, judging by YouTube. That concerns me a little because rents could be driven higher with so many Westerners fleeing the economic/Woke prisons of their home countries. SR has great food/drink options, and close to Angkor Wat, but from what I remember the scenery and air qual cannot match Danang.

 

Best scenario would be if VN would offer a retirement visa.

 

Cheers buddy

Thanks for the Quy Nhon suggestion. I did a little research on both Facebook and Airbnb for apartments.  It appears to be about the same price ($340 is what I’m paying here in Danang).   The only problem is that the round trip flight for my gf and I would be closer to $750 vs $240 so for 2-3 month trips it adds onto the cost substantially.  It looks like a beautiful location/beach however.

 

As far as a retirement visa goes, if you look at the FAQs on this visa agent site, it looks like there is a workaround by getting a 12 month business visa.  If I didn’t already own a condo and car in Thailand I would definitely be tempted.

 

https://www.getvisavietnam.com/vietnam-business-visa/

On 12/25/2024 at 12:28 PM, georgegeorgia said:

Never heard of "modern" supermarket; it's in beach road near Central festival?

 

Just to the R/H side of the new Mikes, a bit like an old fashioned wholesaler.

 

 

Where can you find out more information regarding bank repossession of condos please???

8 minutes ago, Mark Hopkins said:

Where can you find out more information regarding bank repossession of condos please???

Banks have property lists on their websites.  I assume many of these are repossessions.  Kasikorn for instance;

https://www.kasikornbank.com/th/propertyforsale

On 12/23/2024 at 10:49 PM, Hanuman2547 said:

First off, don't buy a condo in Thailand.  Makes it a lot easier to move once some noisy neighbors move in near you.  

You would be better off investing the money you would spend on buying a condo in your home country where you get a fairly good return.  Then use that money to pay your rent or at least cover a significant portion of the rent.  Maybe then you will have more than 20K baht a month to live on.  

Noisy neighbours here, or tenants wrecking your place/not paying rent in home country???

On 12/24/2024 at 2:42 PM, Airalee said:

I might check out a different area next year

Slightly off-topic but have you considered including Phu Quoc in your search for an alternative retirement location? I've heard great things about it.
Direct flight from Bangkok to Phu Quoc
Distance: 327 miles (526 km)
Flight time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

2 hours ago, CapraIbex said:

Slightly off-topic but have you considered including Phu Quoc in your search for an alternative retirement location? I've heard great things about it.
Direct flight from Bangkok to Phu Quoc
Distance: 327 miles (526 km)
Flight time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

That’s one of the places I will probably check out for a 3 month escape.  Nha Trang also.

13 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Noisy neighbours here, or tenants wrecking your place/not paying rent in home country???

You can use a property management company to handle all of that if you don't want to deal with it.  They charge a fee but takes a lot of the headache out of it.

You could also invest the money, like a CD or something similar in your home country, and use the interest accumulated from that to finance your stay in Thailand.  Lots of options!

13 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Noisy neighbours here, or tenants wrecking your place/not paying rent in home country???

 

   You need to take measures to ensure that you don't get rogue tenants , get responsible tenants who do not want a CCJ added to their credit  rating  .

  Check their bank statements to see their income , speak to their boss and find out how long their work contract is for , make sure that they have a guarantor , charge them one years rent  in advance .

1 hour ago, Hanuman2547 said:

You can use a property management company to handle all of that if you don't want to deal with it.  They charge a fee but takes a lot of the headache out of it.

You could also invest the money, like a CD or something similar in your home country, and use the interest accumulated from that to finance your stay in Thailand.  Lots of options!

 

Yeah I have really been tossing this scenario around a lot lately.  While the rent income would be nice... these days you need to factor in as you say possibly a management company fee, then the increased property taxes since it is no longer your primary residence but a rental. This in our case can be 10x as much property taxes per year compared to what we pay now. Which would basically kill 2 months rental income. Lastly the increased homeowner insurance because it goes up as landlord insurance vs primary homeowner insurance.

 

As you say could sell & invest. I have looked into the US Treasury Notes for a term of 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 years. Safe & at the end of the day at current 4.25% rates the interest on home sale would not be much different than rental income after expenses + zero headache. Of course there is no guarantee for rates in the future but you can lock in 10 years worth on the notes

10 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

charge them one years rent  in advance .

Almost impossible, and possibly illegal.

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Almost impossible, and possibly illegal.

 

   Tenants quite often offer six months rent in advance , its not illegal .

Asking for six months/1 years deposit would be illegal though 

I wonder if it would be cheaper if you lived out of Pattaya say in Bang Saray or is it relatively the same pricing 

11 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I wonder if it would be cheaper if you lived out of Pattaya say in Bang Saray or is it relatively the same pricing 

      Housing would likely be cheaper.   One thing that is topsy-turvy in Thailand compared to America is the prices of condos vs. houses.  When I lived in the US, I could never afford a single-family home in the area I was at.  Heck, I couldn't even afford a townhouse.   I could only afford a 1 bedroom condo.

     Compare that to Thailand.  The last condo my spouse and I owned in Pattaya was a 1 bedroom 79 sqm unit.  We sold that several years ago and netted 9MB, which we used to buy our first house.  Recently, we finished construction on a 4 bedroom, 5 bath house with pool and 2-car garage near Lake Mabprachan.  Total cost, including land, house, 3x9 pool, landscaping, built-ins, loose furniture, appliances, including 2 kitchens, electronics, drapes, and everything else came to 8.4MB.  Topsy-turvy.