Another Old Newbie

[DaveRetiring]

Hi people,

62 years old Male in good health.

Divorced.

Been retired for about 10 years.

Looking to get a retirement visa and move to Thailand somewhere.

Can't sell up here until after late November this year or I will have to mail off an obscene amount of money to the IRS for Property Gains tax. That ain't gonna happen.

Interested in finding out as much as I can about retiring in Thailand.

The plan so far is to find a nice place of about 5K-10K people not too far from the coast. I like diving and fishing.

I am not too worried about not finding Farang food as I love Thai food and believe I can live on it happily.

I am used to life in Asia where I have worked a lot as an engineer on mining and oil sites so hot and humid is not new to me.

I am not all that interested in the sex side of Thailand although I would be interested in meeting a "good woman," but that would be a bonus.

I plan on renting/leasing a small house as opposed to an apartment, as I like my space.

I can meet all of the retirement visa conditions quite easily as I am comfortably off.

So, that's my story, well so far anyway. Glad to have found this forum.

[daleyboy]

welcome to Thaivisa, there is lots of info here, that can easily answer all those questions you have, and i am sure the members here will happily give you a few more questions that will need answering

[Boo]

welcome. When you are ready to move come over but move around for a while & when you find somewhere you like, stay for a few months. The reality of life in los very different to a holiday or even a long holiday so staying in lots of different palces for a while is a good idea to know about different times of year.

Best of luck

[britmaveric]

you'll find heaps of answers through out the forum and through the membership.

[Khun Yak]

Welcome to TV,

like your signature...

KY

[suegha]

I also like your signature. Welcome to tv. And eventually I'm sure you'll find somewhere that suits you. I agree with Boo, move around, stay a few months in different places, get a feel for the place - and then decide.

Good Luck.

[OZONE]

Welcome to TV!

very nice job on retiring at 52, so congrat.

[bino]

Welcome on board-

Looking forward to your future posts with all the inevitable questions as the date approaches, and helping out whenever I can.

[seonai]

DaveRetiring. Come and check it out where I live, quiet, 4,000 people. Seaside........

Seonai

[Boon Mee]

Can't sell up here until after late November this year or I will have to mail off an obscene amount of money to the IRS for Property Gains tax. That ain't gonna happen.

Welcome Dave.

If you've got receipts for those Capitol Gains over 250k (which you're allowed) for all maintenance/repairs in preparation to sell - you can use that against the bill. Best of luck.

BM

[Kerryd]

DaveRetiring. Come and check it out where I live, quiet, 4,000 people. Seaside........

Seonai

And you just happen to have a bar there ?

Hello DaveRetiring ! (shouldn't that be "Retired" ?)

Lots of places in Thailand that would probably fit the bill for what you are looking for. Be sure to check out the many different forums here. Tons of good advice on almost every aspect of living in Thailand.

Enjoy your stay !

[greenwanderer108]

Welcome Dave!

Despite what some of your senior peers will tell you here, Pattaya is not the ideal place for you to settle down. In fact, it's everything opposite of what you're looking for.

If you want to be within several hours drive of Bangkok, and still be near the coast and wilderness for outdoor activities, your best two options are Rayong and Phetchburi. Though there are a few good places left in Chonburi, the province on a whole is one gigantic industrial-commercial boom, so thus the quality of air and fishing aren't exactly grade A.

Otherwise, if you don't require to be too close to Bangkok for emergency purposes, your options get more plentiful south along the peninsula and east towards Cambodia (Jantaburi and Trat)

BTW, if you like fishing and driving, you should consider retiring on a house boat/yacht...something I plan to do here in half a century

Cheers!

[monochaser]

How ya doin' there Dave. I would avoid the above advice and try a spot on the Andaman coast like Phuket. It doesn't sound like you'll be rubbing nickels together so check out the nice coast of Thailand. cheers my man

[greenwanderer108]

The Andaman coast may be beautiful, but doomed for massive disaster...Could be 5 years, could be 50. Tsunamis hit it on a century average. Oh, and there was all that hype recently about the under water fault line off the coast of Ranong that is a definate future hazard...The Gulf of Thailand isn't as comparable as the Andaman...but much less of a geographical risk/hazzard.

Checking out beautiful coastal areas is one thing, but investing in property for long term...potentially for following generations in the case he does find his good woman, that's a bigger risk altogether.

He might as well buy summer bungalows in southern California, Hawaii, the Maldives, and what they hey, Sumatra too. Then, he could start an online betting business about which one will go first.

The rule of nature: All paradises have a clock...then again so does Dave.

Something to think about anyway...

p.s. my good woman is from phuket

Edited April 15, 2006 by greenwanderer108