Is It Worth Investing In Property In Thailand When Its So Hard To Get A Visa There?

[ludditeman]

This property woiuldnt be in my name, it would be in my thai ladyfriends name, ....

You're thinking of putting all your savings into property in a foreign country and doing so in someone else's name?

Wow.

Well, if you can indulge me and let me worry about that aspect of it,

(not everyone's a crook)

Would that leave any other problems, other than the visa issue?

Thanks

Your gf is suggesting you break the law by using her as a proxy buyer, which would make both you and her crooks in Thailand.

[rgs2001uk]

A question like this will always attract the usual suspects of doomsdayers that have either lost it all or just havnt got the money to buy anywhere and are peefed off they missed the boat and now cant afford anything.

Depending on age, status and where you are from will determine which visa you can have. Many stay here on retirement visas, education visas or ;O; visas as they have friends/family here. Buying a property wont give any credits toward visa applications.

As for property here, if you want to buy a small condo in Pattaya, you can expect a return after fees, maitenance etc of about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....Risk is the same as anywhere, prices could go down but if you buy a condo that is popular with tenants you will still be receiving your return and the drop in price would be minimal. Many posters just havnt accepted the fact that Thailand and especially Pattaya has changed in the past few years...its a very popular place all year round and isnt just a seasonal place for the sexpats anymore....Take a trip here and do your research, then make up your own mind without the intervention of the barfly experts.

Please list the name(s) of these projects where "you can expect a return after fees, maitenance etc of about 9% Nett".

"Pattaya has changed in the past few years...its a very popular place all year round and isnt just a seasonal place for the sexpats anymore".

"make up your own mind without the intervention of the barfly experts."

Well I wouldnt call my friend a barfly expert, he has two condos in Pattaya that if you go by what estate agents would have you believe are worth anywhere from 5-7 million.

He cant get renters for 35k per month and is thinking on reducing to 25k per month, these are 100 sm properties available on offer for long term only, not interested in the 3 month holiday rental market.

Both properties are in the same building and are centrally located.

[NancyL]

Perhaps this post should be moved to the "General" forum, because the consensus is that concerns with obtaining and maintaining a visa are the least of the important considerations for the OP's decision.

I know everyone's been piling on the hapless OP, but let me add another perspective.

Let's consider a scenario where the OP has a job in his home country where he travels to a city in another province/state several times a year for business, staying several weeks each time. In this city, he meets a great girl -- totally unlike any other girl he's ever known. They develop a relationship where he spends as much time as possible with her whenever he's in her city on business. She's beautiful, fun-loving, has a sweet disposition and takes care of him in every way possible. Plus, she never asks for anything, not even restaurant meals. She loves to cook and often fixes elaborate dinners for him in her cramped, tiny apartment. Then they have to return to his hotel for the night because she has several roommates and no privacy.

The OP grows tired of this hassle. It would be so nice not to have to stay in a hotel and for this girl to have a great kitchen to cook for him when he's in town. After four months, he's convinced she's genuine and reliable. He decides to buy a house in that city, so he doesn't have to stay in a hotel during his frequent visits and the girl have a great kitchen to fix the gourmet meals. Plus, she's a sweet girl who's never asked for anything, it would be nice to for her to have a nice place to live by herself when he's not in town.

But, maybe the OP doesn't want his wife to find out he owns a house in another city or maybe he doesn't want his business associates to know. In any event, he decides to buy the house but have all the paperwork in the girl's name. They have an "understanding" that she will live in the house full-time, not have any roommates and he will be able to use the house every time he's in her city for business.

So, the question is if the OP would make this decision? Some men would. It's not uncommon for men to "keep mistresses" in other cities. There may be reasons why a man doesn't want to own the house in his name. These men are willing to take the risk in putting the house in the name of mistress. Usually these are men who have a lot of money -- money they can afford to abandon if the relationship goes sour.

If the OP is in this category, then I'd say -- by all means buy a home for the lovely lady!

[WAYNEandAEI]

Property is not a good investment anywhere in the world at the moment.

[sotsira]

The simple answer is that its not worth the risk of investing in property in Thailand.

As the old saying goes...only invest in Thailand what you are prepared to walk away from

Ouch.. is it really that bad? lol

is it just the visa issue?

Or are there other issues?

This property woiuldnt be in my name, it would be in my thai ladyfriends name, she lives out there.

So if you split up with her, you lose the property and all your money,

that's not a very clever idea is it?

[Semper]

The simple answer is that its not worth the risk of investing in property in Thailand.

As the old saying goes...only invest in Thailand what you are prepared to walk away from

Ouch.. is it really that bad? lol

is it just the visa issue?

Or are there other issues?

This property woiuldnt be in my name, it would be in my thai ladyfriends name, she lives out there.

So if you split up with her, you lose the property and all your money,

that's not a very clever idea is it?

Normally it's not if, but when.

[lovelaos]

about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....

You obviously don't know a lot about banking.

[samsiam]

Property is not a good investment anywhere in the world at the moment.

Not so sure about that.....prices lower in many places....thats when to buy....wish I had some surplus cash to snap a few up about now.

I have all my eggs in a few baskets, but the baskets are of the same genre...they have all performed way above the stock or any other markets.....thus far....fingas crossed

[jamescollister]

OP think you probably use the wrong word [invest] if you said you wanted to buy a house in your girlfriend name and confedence was high that you were going to live a long happy life together, may be worth a try. As for the investment part, I have invested here, but know if things went wrong all I would hope to walk away with is my backback and my life. It's all a game of chance, all you can do is wiegh the odds. Jim

[london]

Property is not a good investment anywhere in the world at the moment.

Not so sure about that.....prices lower in many places....thats when to buy....wish I had some surplus cash to snap a few up about now.

I have all my eggs in a few baskets, but the baskets are of the same genre...they have all performed way above the stock or any other markets.....thus far....fingas crossed

Yes, I agree that its getting near to a time when buying for investment will be very attractive.

Not there yet....just have to wait and see how the year unfolds.

[PattayaPhom]

about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....

You obviously don't know a lot about banking.

Where can you get a return of 9% on a deposit account???....please enlighten me although am not interested in The Congo and such places.

[PattayaPhom]

As for property here, if you want to buy a small condo in Pattaya, you can expect a return after fees, maitenance etc of about 9% Nett....

The owner of the condo I rent would disagree with you, as would the owners of several units in VT5 where I know that the tenants are paying 10K a month for units supposedly worth 3MB. All those units, and mine, are returning well under 5% gross but the owners are probably pleased to have reliable tenants on one-year contracts, rather than short-term party animals on a bender.

What did the owners pay for the property...its irrelevant what the 'supposed value is...knowing what they paid will then give the correct rate of return they are receiving...also many in VT5 rent for more than that

[ludditeman]

about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....

You obviously don't know a lot about banking.

Where can you get a return of 9% on a deposit account???....please enlighten me although am not interested in The Congo and such places.

Many bonds will pay 8-10% with minimal risk to the capital sum.

I prefer bonds issued by Hong Kong or Singapore based banks and institutions.

[redroo]

NancyL

But, maybe the OP doesn't want his wife to find out he owns a house in another city or maybe he doesn't want his business associates to know. In any event, he decides to buy the house but have all the paperwork in the girl's name. They have an "understanding" that she will live in the house full-time, not have any roommates and he will be able to use the house every time he's in her city for business.

So, the question is if the OP would make this decision? Some men would. It's not uncommon for men to "keep mistresses" in other cities. There may be reasons why a man doesn't want to own the house in his name. These men are willing to take the risk in putting the house in the name of mistress. Usually these are men who have a lot of money -- money they can afford to abandon if the relationship goes sour.

You have exsposed the hi-so's true nature.

Exsploitation of the third world.

well done!

[samsiam]

NancyL

You have exsposed the hi-so's true nature.

Exsploitation of the third world.

well done!

Do you have a lisp...

[Semper]

about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....

You obviously don't know a lot about banking.

Where can you get a return of 9% on a deposit account???....please enlighten me although am not interested in The Congo and such places.

Have you tried the horses?

[NewlyMintedThai]

The simple answer is that its not worth the risk of investing in property in Thailand.

As the old saying goes...only invest in Thailand what you are prepared to walk away from

Ouch.. is it really that bad? lol

is it just the visa issue?

Or are there other issues?

This property woiuldnt be in my name, it would be in my thai ladyfriends name, she lives out there.

So if you split up with her, you lose the property and all your money,

that's not a very clever idea is it?

If you split up;

If she dies;

If she gets into financial trouble and has her assets seized;

If she falls victim to some scam;

Way too many "ifs" when it comes to losing your life savings.

Think long and think hard (and preferably with the big head rather than the small one)

[fred110]

The simple answer is that its not worth the risk of investing in property in Thailand.

As the old saying goes...only invest in Thailand what you are prepared to walk away from

Ouch.. is it really that bad? lol

is it just the visa issue?

Or are there other issues?

This property woiuldnt be in my name, it would be in my thai ladyfriends name, she lives out there.

If that clarifies anything.

[Semper]

relax guys, i'm not as stupid as I may have sounded

Let's hope so. Somehow I'm not convinced, I had a look at your "telescope" topic and... Oh well, good luck.

[Darrel]

What did the owners pay for the property...its irrelevant what the 'supposed value is...knowing what they paid will then give the correct rate of return they are receiving...also many in VT5 rent for more than that

What they paid when they bought it is irrelevant. It's today's price which is relevant to today's rent. Any difference between the price the owner paid and today's price is a capital gain (or loss).

I dare say that some other people in VT5 do indeed pay more, and more fool them. The guy who preceded me in my unit paid double what I'm paying.

[rgs2001uk]

about 9% Nett....thats a lot better than you will get tied up in a bank....

You obviously don't know a lot about banking.

Where can you get a return of 9% on a deposit account???....please enlighten me although am not interested in The Congo and such places.

You still havent answered the question.

Please tell me where in Pattaya I can buy an off the shelfh condo and get 9%.

The market will dictate the return not the value of the property.

[Darrel]

Well, if you take the bahtbus from Jomtien to Pattaya, about half-way down the hill there is a real estate agent on the left with a big sign outside saying "12% guaranteed return".

That's the closest I've heard of to actually getting 9% net.

[rgs2001uk]

Darrel,

you dont even have to reach Pattaya.

The other week I was driving down the expressway, there was some sign on the LH side that caught my eye, promosing X% return, I was almost tempted to pull over and phone PP.

Was I a tit for not buying, time will tell.

Lets assume I buy a 5 million condo today that rents for 25k per month, does that mean I have paid over the odds for the condo, the rent is underpriced, or the market is only willing to pay 25k?

Please advise, farang buffalo waiting to invest seeks your advice.

[Naam]

The simple answer is that its not worth the risk of investing in property in Thailand.

As the old saying goes...only invest in Thailand what you are prepared to walk away from

Soutpeel,

i wonder that even people like you keep on using the same old rubbish and ignorant "advice" when the basic law is "don't invest in anything from which you can't afford to walk away suffering a loss!"

[terryq]

Well, if you take the bahtbus from Jomtien to Pattaya, about half-way down the hill there is a real estate agent on the left with a big sign outside saying "12% guaranteed return".

That's the closest I've heard of to actually getting 9% net.

Yes, you give them 1,000,000 baht and at the end of a year they give you 120,000 back, guaranteed

[thequietman]

TheVenerable,

one word: DON'T !

You are already worried about a Visa issue, when you should be worried about the actual investment into property.

From what you have said, you don't have the experience in Thailand, you don't have experience in property and you don't have the funds to lose.

I can see your concern.. but I do have experience of Thailand.

I was staying with said ladyfriend for 4 months, she didnt ask for anything, and neither has she once suggested I should get a place in Thailand.

I'm just considering the possibility of Going halves with her on a place or something.

With that in mind, and not wanting to give my life story, lol.

Are there any other areas I'd need to consider, or can you elaborate on possible Visa solutions / property pitfalls etc?

(other than the ones you mentioned above.)

Thanks

r u insane ? i didnt commit to a house in my wifes name until we were 2gether 5 years ! and even now i know i could lose my investment in a heart beat. RENT for now, until u get a better idea of this lady and where she's coming from.

LISTEN to the people on here, we live here and know how things work.........and dont work.

I wish you luck. be careful.

[pnustedt]

It is not difficult to get a long term visa in Thailand if you qualify - my visa is now 6 years old, I just have to renew it annually which is quite a simple procedure.

As for buying real estate, when I came here I invested quite a lot of money in residential property and farm land. The value of the property has doubled, I make a good return from the farm land and the value is also going up.

I think you need to do a bit more research, but Thailand is a good place to invest if you have the means.

[patroller]

It is not difficult to get a long term visa in Thailand if you qualify - my visa is now 6 years old, I just have to renew it annually which is quite a simple procedure.

As for buying real estate, when I came here I invested quite a lot of money in residential property and farm land. The value of the property has doubled, I make a good return from the farm land and the value is also going up.

I think you need to do a bit more research, but Thailand is a good place to invest if you have the means.

It's folk like this that should be an inspiration for others contemplating investing in anything anywhere. If you have the intelligence whether your in Thailand or Timbuktu there is money to be made in property.

One needs to buy the right property, right location and at the right price, it's not that difficult. Unfortunately the majority of folk will tell you otherwise, they seem to be the type of folk that rent a room, shop relentlessly on a daily basis for basic food stuffs by swapping tales about how much the difference is in a packet of celery from one store to another or how much they was nearly ripped off by paying 5 baht to much in the printer shop. These are the folk to avoid at all costs, and 99% of the time folk who do not have a pot to piddle in.

[Darrel]

It is not difficult to get a long term visa in Thailand if you qualify.....

I dont think there has ever been any question about that. The OP's problem seems to be that he probably doesn't qualify.

[ludditeman]

It is not difficult to get a long term visa in Thailand if you qualify - my visa is now 6 years old, I just have to renew it annually which is quite a simple procedure.

As for buying real estate, when I came here I invested quite a lot of money in residential property and farm land. The value of the property has doubled, I make a good return from the farm land and the value is also going up.

I think you need to do a bit more research, but Thailand is a good place to invest if you have the means.

It's folk like this that should be an inspiration for others contemplating investing in anything anywhere. If you have the intelligence whether your in Thailand or Timbuktu there is money to be made in property.

One needs to buy the right property, right location and at the right price, it's not that difficult. Unfortunately the majority of folk will tell you otherwise, they seem to be the type of folk that rent a room, shop relentlessly on a daily basis for basic food stuffs by swapping tales about how much the difference is in a packet of celery from one store to another or how much they was nearly ripped off by paying 5 baht to much in the printer shop. These are the folk to avoid at all costs, and 99% of the time folk who do not have a pot to piddle in.

I totally agree that there is money to be made in property.

BUT, not in a country where you can't get a guarantee to be allowed to live and are not allowed to own the land the property stands on