Long Term Plans In Cm

[vrsushi]

I am 40 in a few weeks. I work in Japan, but get about 6 months of the year off in the holidays. (The joy of working in a university) The idea is to buy a place next year and spend 5 months a year in it for now and in a few years move over for good. I am pretty much resigned to having to buy an apartment as I can't buy land of course.

The hope is that CM will then be my home for ever. I am not looking to make money on my apartment as such, but as I am only 40 the concern will be that I end up in a run down cess pit when I am 70 and without the means to move anywhere else.

So am a foolish to even be considering buying a place that I would plan on calling home for 40 or even 45 years?

The thing is I really would like a place to call home. Japan is so expensive that buying here is out of the question.

If I have to save up enough money for a second purchase say 20 years down the line then I have to keep my nose to the wheel for a few extra years which depressed me enough to write this post.

I also think that y buying now I would have the fun of the place right away but also a hedge against ever rising property prices and the bht in Thailand as the country develops.

What do you think?

[kash]

please, for your own sake - don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed.

[Blinky Bill]

please, for your own sake - don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed.

What?

Why not?

You're obviously an expert on Thailand. How long have you been here? Seen many buildings fall down in your time here?

What have you seen deteriorating during your vast experience here? (apart from air quality at certain times)

[Maejo Man]

I moved into my current residence some 15 years ago, and it was built 20 years before that. Apart from the necessary maintainence of changing light bulbs, and cleaning windows, the value has more than quadrupled in that time. I can't really see your cause for concern.

[Maejo Man]

please, for your own sake - don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed.

Full of gloom doom and despondency You have obviously been disenchanted at some stage, but why shovel it onto others?

[kash]

What? Why not?

You're obviously an expert on Thailand. How long have you been here? Seen many buildings fall down in your time here?

What have you seen deteriorating during your vast experience here? (apart from air quality at certain times)

Full of gloom doom and despondency You have obviously been disenchanted at some stage, but why shovel it onto others?

Well Hey, lot's of others contradicting experts as well, why are you right and not me? Anyway, the OP is considering an apartment which he want to live in for 40-45 years, have you seen an apartment building in this city which you think would be just as nice as it is today in that time perspective? CM will be like Buenos Aires in 50 years, lots of nice buildings but no maintenance - which is the keyword here. Let's meet at Hillside 2 in 2052, if you are still alive(?) I'll be waiting outside hydroplane :-)

Edited January 21, 2008 by kash

[Maejo Man]

Well Hey, lot's of others contradicting experts as well, why are you right and not me? Anyway, the OP is considering an apartment which he want to live in for 40-45 years, have you seen an apartment building in this city which you think would be just as nice as it is today in that time perspective? CM will be like Buenos Aires in 50 years, lots of nice buildings but no maintenance - which is the keyword here. Let's meet at Hillside 2 in 2052, if you are still alive(?) I'll be waiting outside hydroplane :-)

What's your problem cloth ears? Why don't you read post thoroughly before making inane comments? It's not a question of, and to quote you "why are you right and not me?" Never at any stage claim I was right. You also went on to say to the OP "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed. Why shouldn't he? I did nearly 30 years ago, and I'm not disappointed . So you had a disappointment, well tough shit, life can be cruel sometimes, but it goes on even with doomsters like you hanging about.

If you want to tell people "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country" I would respectfully suggest that you get a large soapbox, and cry it out to all and sundry

[anonymouse]

With out adding heat to the discussion I've been coming and going for 12 years and wish that I'd bought ten years ago

Property will always be a risk, property in a foreign country even more.

I'd say your major concern would be leaving it unoccupied for seven months a year, If I was in your shoes I'd make sure I found a reliable person to look after the place for you while your not there.

[cmsally]

If you do your homework thoroughly and don't pour in too much money , I don't see how you can lose. If in a few years time you change your mind , just sell it.

Pretty much like property anywhere. You will have a home for half the year, you might even find someone who will rent off you the other half.

Choose good building and good location . If its a fixer upper you will have a hobby for the holidays!

I can't believe anyone would willingly commit themselves to rental accommodation ad infinitum.

[Maejo Man]

If you do your homework thoroughly and don't pour in too much money , I don't see how you can lose. If in a few years time you change your mind , just sell it.

Spot on Sally

[kash]

Well Hey, lot's of others contradicting experts as well, why are you right and not me? Anyway, the OP is considering an apartment which he want to live in for 40-45 years, have you seen an apartment building in this city which you think would be just as nice as it is today in that time perspective? CM will be like Buenos Aires in 50 years, lots of nice buildings but no maintenance - which is the keyword here. Let's meet at Hillside 2 in 2052, if you are still alive(?) I'll be waiting outside hydroplane :-)

What's your problem cloth ears? Why don't you read post thoroughly before making inane comments? It's not a question of, and to quote you "why are you right and not me?" Never at any stage claim I was right. You also went on to say to the OP "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed. Why shouldn't he? I did nearly 30 years ago, and I'm not disappointed . So you had a disappointment, well tough shit, life can be cruel sometimes, but it goes on even with doomsters like you hanging about.

If you want to tell people "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country" I would respectfully suggest that you get a large soapbox, and cry it out to all and sundry

Okey, let us know which apartment you bought 30 years ago in Chiang Mai. (...and you Blinky Boy) The OP wants a apartment to live in for the next 4 decades, maintenance is not top priority in this country - if you have stayed here 30 years and still are blind to that fact, well. My advice was to be reluctant to long term investments in apartments in this country, especially when he is talking about his lifesavings, its not a financial investment. But please, go ahead and buy, it's not me that gonna take that elevator which I doubt will be working very well in 40 years time.

Edited January 21, 2008 by kash

[Lilawadee]

I wouldn't trust buiding owners to take care of the place for 40 years.

And then condominiums are really just very average appartment blocks.. In the West that's where poor workers live. Would you really want to retire in such a place?

So I guess I'm with Kash on this one; rents are cheap, especially in Chiang Mai, so why the big need to buy something? Thailand is a very risky place to have any kind of investment.

But if for some reason I wanted to own something then it most certainly would not be a flat appartment. In that case I suppose I would lease land and pray that Thai law will allow land ownership before the lease runs out.

(Indeed I'm not holding my breath on that one either, but I trust building owners and construction standards even less.)

[Blinky Bill]

Okey, let us know which apartment you bought 30 years ago in Chiang Mai. (...and you Blinky Boy) The OP wants a apartment to live in for the next 4 decades, maintenance is not top priority in this country - if you have stayed here 30 years and still are blind to that fact, well. My advice was to be reluctant to long term investments in apartments in this country, especially when he is talking about his lifesavings, its not a financial investment. But please, go ahead and buy, it's not me that gonna take that elevator which I doubt will be working very well in 40 years time.

Actually I was renting the house that MaeJo Man now lives in 23 years ago. It was a good solid house then and still is.

Go away with you dumbarsed comments. The opinion you express is not shared by many.

Blinky Billy Boy. BBB (Got a ring to it.......thanks)

[Austhaied]

Well Hey, lot's of others contradicting experts as well, why are you right and not me? Anyway, the OP is considering an apartment which he want to live in for 40-45 years, have you seen an apartment building in this city which you think would be just as nice as it is today in that time perspective? CM will be like Buenos Aires in 50 years, lots of nice buildings but no maintenance - which is the keyword here. Let's meet at Hillside 2 in 2052, if you are still alive(?) I'll be waiting outside hydroplane :-)

What's your problem cloth ears? Why don't you read post thoroughly before making inane comments? It's not a question of, and to quote you "why are you right and not me?" Never at any stage claim I was right. You also went on to say to the OP "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country, keep you from being disappointed. Why shouldn't he? I did nearly 30 years ago, and I'm not disappointed . So you had a disappointment, well tough shit, life can be cruel sometimes, but it goes on even with doomsters like you hanging about.

If you want to tell people "don't make any longer plans than 5 years at tops in this country" I would respectfully suggest that you get a large soapbox, and cry it out to all and sundry

Okey, let us know which apartment you bought 30 years ago in Chiang Mai. (...and you Blinky Boy) The OP wants a apartment to live in for the next 4 decades, maintenance is not top priority in this country - if you have stayed here 30 years and still are blind to that fact, well. My advice was to be reluctant to long term investments in apartments in this country, especially when he is talking about his lifesavings, its not a financial investment. But please, go ahead and buy, it's not me that gonna take that elevator which I doubt will be working very well in 40 years time.

The house i live in has been standing for 35-ish years..It's still standing strong and looks as though it could do another 30..

People here with your negativity really piss me off.. Do you realize that everywhere you go you'll always have yourself..

Just like a dog with fleas that moves from one spot to another thinking the fleas are there..When the fleas are really on you..

[cmsally]

With building costs ever increasing I think you will find in the future, the stress will come around to maintenance and renovation.

Already you are starting to see remodeled townhouses, condos etc.

In some parts of the world , yes just the poor people , live in flats. But now in a lot of places it is more common than ever due to property prices being so high in relation to earnings.

Lets face it the earth is getting no bigger and its population no smaller, so the general trend for prices will probably be up.

[Rasseru]

The OP asks about apartments holding their value over the decades in Chiangmai. Someone points out that maintenance of apartment buildings is key to the apartments in them holding their value, and suggests, rightly or wrongly, that attitudes by apartment building owners in Chiangmai towards maintenance of their buildings is a real concern. A lot of people get upset with this person for his suggestion, and point out that their houses are solid and have lasted for years.

Am I the only one who thinks folks are talking at cross purposes? Buying an apartment, where you are at the mercy of the building management's decisions and actions over the years, is quite a different story from either buying a house, where you are the owner and make the decisions about maintenance, or, more likely in most cases, renting a house, when you can just move out if the owner does not take care of it.

[kash]

Actually I was renting the house that MaeJo Man now lives in 23 years ago. It was a good solid house then and still is.

...

The house i live in has been standing for 35-ish years..It's still standing strong and looks as though it could do another 30..

Okey, lets try this spelling challenge:

A P A R T M E N T vs H O U S E, can you see a difference?

There is much more to it than the spelling guys ... sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to people who are just so oblivious to common sense.

[Austhaied]

Actually I was renting the house that MaeJo Man now lives in 23 years ago. It was a good solid house then and still is.

...

The house i live in has been standing for 35-ish years..It's still standing strong and looks as though it could do another 30..

Okey, lets try this spelling challenge:

A P A R T M E N T vs H O U S E, can you see a difference?

There is much more to it than the spelling guys ... sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to people who are just so oblivious to common sense.

No i can't see the difference.

Both have pillars, walls and a roof..

Probably neither of them would receive any maintenance..So whats your point ??

Tell your friend if they are after a place that will last 40 years i suggest moving to someplace else..

[kash]

No i can't see the difference.

Both have pillars, walls and a roof.. (really?)

Probably neither of them would receive any maintenance..So whats your point ??

Tell your friend if they are after a place that will last 40 years i suggest moving to someplace else..

okey, no point selling a drawing to a blind man I guess.

Edited January 21, 2008 by kash

[Austhaied]

No i can't see the difference.

Both have pillars, walls and a roof.. (really?)

Probably neither of them would receive any maintenance..So whats your point ??

Tell your friend if they are after a place that will last 40 years i suggest moving to someplace else..

okey, no point selling a drawing to a blind man I guess.

Seems to me you're just looking for a fight.

Don't you have a partner you can do that with.

I am a sub-sea structural engineer and i can tell you that there is no difference.

The point we were trying to make (which you have chosen to ignore) is that "some" Thai structures can and will stand the test of time..

Thats all..

[mcgriffith]

I live in an apartment building that is approx. 14 years old. Although I wasn't living here in it when the huge earthquakes in Sumatra hit (that caused the tsunami in Dec 04) my friend who was here, in the building, said that the whole thing swayed back and forth crazily for a good full minute or more.

Other than extremely fine surface cracks on the exterior (something seen on almost all tall buildings in CM) there was no structural damage at all.

I posit that one shouldn't be too worried about the integrity of modern construction here.....

[kash]

[trashtalk removed]

I am a sub-sea structural engineer and i can tell you that there is no difference.

So you are well qualified then to understand that some things need maintenance, not many people have elevators in their house, or a transformers, or a advanced water pump system, and lot of other various infrastructural objects which you will find in a apartment building. Anyway, fed up to the back teeth, good night!

[lannarebirth]

Condos aren't my thing, and I understand there are some hurdles to overcome if someone were to buy a house here in Thailand. Both of those considerations pale into insignificance for me if my other option were to rent for 40 years. I just can't imagine how anyone would like that amount of uncertainty. Not only would inflation and exchange rates eat you up, but I would find it very difficult to "settle in". I think the OP has a good plan and who knows, maybe later he'll marry and get a house or decide he doesn't want to stay and sell up and move on. Up to him.

[Blinky Bill]

Actually I was renting the house that MaeJo Man now lives in 23 years ago. It was a good solid house then and still is.

...

The house i live in has been standing for 35-ish years..It's still standing strong and looks as though it could do another 30..

Okey, lets try this spelling challenge:

A P A R T M E N T vs H O U S E, can you see a difference?

There is much more to it than the spelling guys ... sometimes I wonder why I bother replying to people who are just so oblivious to common sense.

How is okay spelt? Seems you may be challenged there.

Here's another one.............IMBECILE vs INTELLECT. Can you see a difference?

Often I wonder why you even bother to involve yourself with this forum. Surely you are far above us mere mortals.

Edited January 21, 2008 by Blinky Bill

[ProThaiExpat]

I agree that there are many posts at cross-purposes. Some posters are "renters" and more power to them if one is able to live in a rental, condo or house.

Those of us who can't, are faced with the condo v. house dilemma. Having owned many houses and condos in my life before coming to Thailand, I certainly know the advantages and disadvantages to both.

Having rented in a condo for six months upon first arrival, I was faced with many negatives about Thai condos not present in "good" condo buildings in the West. The most significant being maintenance, unassigned parking and investor renting to lowlifes next door.

I chose to build what in the West is known as a "free-standing condo". That is a house that has all the advantages of a condo without the disadvantages. Drive in to garage with electric gate and door, garden consisting of planters under windows only, raised plot with view and no exposure to neighbors on three sides, etc.

I control maintenance on my house and have a neighbor on only one side, a teacher of quiet lifestyle. Cul-de-sac street so no through traffic and at the extreme perimeter of a development.

My living spaces were designed to my needs, wants and requirements so convenience can't be matched anywhere. I was absent for a year and absolutely no problem as I live in a low crime area but reasonably close to CM city center.

Yes, I wish some of the houses on the way to mine were better maintained, however, once I am home, I only see mountains, trees and farmland.

Do your homework, take the initiative and risk a little and you can have your dream home in Thailand and at a reasonable cost. Many falang have and most of them are positive about the experience, once their houses are completed.

[Ta22]

i Had move about 6 place since i came to chiangmai , had stay from town house to condo and landed .

my suggestion is . PLEASE DO NOT GO BUY A CONDO ..

is a waste of money .

Stay on RENTAL ..

let me do some thai math for you ..

Rental - 10k . -

Rent for 30 years . = 3600k = 3.6 million

to buy a House = 3.6 million ( and you get stucky to it - chiangmai have FLOOD . )

i had rent my house for the last 3 years now is a the best choice trust me on this .

come stay in a the village where my wife parent stay - i get you a house to stay for 2k ( baht ) a month . ( about 100 sqm )

stay here for at least 5 - 10 years befor eyou even think og buying anything ..

whahahhahaha

we are tired of hearing story of how one get rip off .

[kash]

Here's another one.............IMBECILE vs INTELLECT. Can you see a difference?

How old are you?

[Ta22]

he is a 12 years old trap in an old man body .

[Ta22]

sorry slow internet and i kinda double post - would the MOD delete This POST <---- This one

but do keep the bb is 12 post whahhahahaha

is so funny aND IS KILLING ME

Edited January 22, 2008 by Ta22

[BlackArtemis]

PLease correct me if I am wrong, but I have been told by Thai friends that Apartment complexes are built to last 50 years, and at the 50 year mark it must be abandoned. Common sense makes me want to say "&lt;deleted&gt;" But common sense is often drunk at the Karaoke bars in this country... Can anyone shed some light on this for me?