Investing In Thailand Book And Newsletter Reviews?

[hermespan]

Looking in bookstores and on Amazon I see that an author named Bickerstaff has written an investment guide to Thailand that includes a chapter on real estate. I learned a few things on first perusal. Anyone care to review this and other sources of accurate, up to date and unbiased information? Or the transparently poorly informed slanted useless ones? The good, the bad and the ugly!

The challenge is finding market intelligence that is motivated by selling the news and detailed (plus the big picture) data and interpretation rather than by being in the market themselves, or at least being honest about that. So many stock market newsletter for example, are not in the business of selling neutral information but promoting particular stocks so that they make a profit by promoting what they want to sell. As an ex-publisher myself I know this is a difficult beast to find as almost all so-called newsletter 'bread and butter ' is advertising not subscription or retail price. It cost me lost income by being critical and when I finally accepted advertising revenue refusing to take money from rip-offs.

I would happily pay $200 a year for such a source of insider information such as where the BTS will be 8 years from now, colour-coded maps of the most desirable areas of BKK, tips on renting to niche markets (e.g. Japanese, luxury tourists, NGO workers), changes in Thai law, and most important THE REALITY of enforcement more than what the law is. Most books are written as if we live in a fairytale land of no corruption and no discretionary interpretation of policies. I mean a hard-hitting, no b.s., real world guide to real estate in Thailand, a guerilla guide if you will.

Then there is always the newspapers and magazines: BKK Post, the Economist, FEAER etc. I already learned in the Nation that smaller apartments are easier to rent than larger ones in Bangkok! It's just i don't have the time and money to be reading a dozen different sources. I mean a digest for a businessman who has more time and more intelligence than money. I'm also lazy and have unrealistic expectations! 'Guide to Getting Rich Quick in Thai Real Estate'. Hmmm, I doubt it.

If Thailand is anything like the USA there are multiple non-standard ways of finding and buying real estate that save time and money. And I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't' provincial capitals that in 5 years are set to take off with Korean factories or regional tourism that *could* mean (of course the old 'risk vs. reward') much more profit in 10 years than Pattaya. A regional guide would be great - the advantages and disadvantages of Malaysia and Laos for example.

Who knows them? Forums like this are great but relatively unmoderated and it takes a lot of time sifting through the chit-chat for the gems. Condensed, expert edited and verified would be great.

[beamer]

there is a book for the private investors

http://www.amazon.com/How-Safely-Real-Estate-Thailand/dp/1906806837/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321427713&sr=1-1

This has been very helpfull for myself