best way to invest 4m. invest in condo ?

[dirtycash]

i have 4-5 m to invest , i was going to look at a condo in pattaya ( busy area ) in soi dianna estate. seems like a decent buy and investment. maybe i am wrong i need some advice.

thanks

[falkan]

Nope, have to many objects already it's a renters market, Read/learn and you can make some money on set..

[chris2004]

My condo is for sale in Pratamnak 4.7 million ideal investment !!

[Rajhulmaheesh]

OP! i think you are wrong! Stay away from Pattaya bargirls and condos...................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

one exception-if you are planning to die in your condo-then it may make sense.

[dirtycash]

i have just had a conversation over breakfast with a guy who invested in 2 condo,s in wongamat area. nope i am not going to throw my money away after the advise he gave me, seems to much of a headache especially if i wont be living in pattaya . paying service charges, management companies and constant worry if you can rent them. small rental returns even when rented out long term on a 3-4m condo , how long would it take me to earn some of that back plus the depreciated value after say 10 years ?

no, a condo is not for me.

[Deli]

You better chose another country for investing your money.

[falang07]

put in the bank, worry free, get 3,5% per year, tax-free (175k Bath per year from 5M)

[Nuddy]

Umm 3.5% thats a nice return

Please tell me where I can get that and if I can get it on smaller money than the op is ready to invest?

Regards

[Guest]

Kudos to you sir, you came to the right conclusion ... and quickly.

It is alarming how many people choose condo's as an investment and have no idea why.

(1) Investors must clearly know their goal. If it is 100% to grow their money ... wow, there are lots of ways faster and with less risk.

(2) Timeline ... IE, can you just park XXX M for a long time and are sure you will not need it?

(3) Lots of people forget currency risk. It is quite easy to see a 10% change in currency over two years, and if one is on the wrong side of that equation ... the "10% gain" in the property is erased.

In short, there are very strong companies paying good dividends, stocks that go up quite nicely and are not hard to pinpoint, and best of all ... unlike property that takes forever to flip and has high commissions (and tons of stress) ... a person can buy a stock and sell it ten minutes later if they choose to do so.

I sold a lot of property, but when my girlfriand asked what she should do with 5 Million THB, I put her in a stock, and sold it for 6.25 Million 60 days later.

The only reason to buy property ... is to live in it.

[Guest]

Kudos to you sir, you came to the right conclusion ... and quickly.

It is alarming how many people choose condo's as an investment and have no idea why.

(1) Investors must clearly know their goal. If it is 100% to grow their money ... wow, there are lots of ways faster and with less risk.

(2) Timeline ... IE, can you just park XXX M for a long time and are sure you will not need it?

(3) Lots of people forget currency risk. It is quite easy to see a 10% change in currency over two years, and if one is on the wrong side of that equation ... the "10% gain" in the property is erased.

In short, there are very strong companies paying good dividends, stocks that go up quite nicely and are not hard to pinpoint, and best of all ... unlike property that takes forever to flip and has high commissions (and tons of stress) ... a person can buy a stock and sell it ten minutes later if they choose to do so.

I sold a lot of property, but when my girlfriand asked what she should do with 5 Million THB, I put her in a stock, and sold it for 6.25 Million 60 days later.

The only reason to buy property ... is to live in it.

[lvr181]

Invest in what you like in Thailand BUT ONLY if you can afford to loose 4-5m!

[dotpoom]

I would think twice about it before buying a condo around that price. I have a condo in that price range. For the past few years I was getting a good rental income (but for 5 or 6 months only) and this year it was only occupied for 3 weeks. I could have had better occupancy had I reduced the rent by almost half which i wasn't prepared to do. In other words, it's fine having a nice large condo but will it get the rent it deserves?

P.S. I would think it might be a better investment to buy 2 smaller units (or even 3), you will always get a customer for the smaller rents.

Edited January 21, 2015 by dotpoom

[lvr181]

I would think twice about it before buying a condo around that price. I have a condo in that price range. For the past few years I was getting a good rental income (but for 5 or 6 months only) and this year it was only occupied for 3 weeks. I could have had better occupancy had I reduced the rent by almost half which i wasn't prepared to do. In other words, it's fine having a nice large condo but will it get the rent it deserves?

Your comment is true (about "get the rent it deserves") but some rental income is better than none, when times are tough. I recognise that there maybe other considerations as well, but never lose sight of the fact that some income could be better than no income

[iphad]

The best way to make 4 million in Thailand ...is to invest 8 million. ...meaning the OP made the right decision not to invest yet in a condo..could be a good idea..depends on knowing the market..and buying a good deal..

I expect a financial crash this year...so don't put your money in banks..buy gold & silver and / or farmland somewhere.

[KittenKong]

Thailand is not a place I would care to invest in. There are too many pitfalls and the government changes its mind about things that might affect my investment far too often (visas etc.). Also the actual cost of buying/selling a place (taxes, fees) is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, and it looks like property ownership taxes may finally be introduced (about bleedin' time). Add to that the total absence of proper zoning and building controls and it just doesn't seem very attractive.

That said, I do own the condo I live in because I particularly like it and buying it was the only way I could keep it. But I dont consider it as a good investment and I doubt that I would get 75% of the price I paid if I sold it now.

If I was really keen on buying investment condos here then I would hold fire for a few months as I expect that the collapse of the Ruble will be reflected in a significant drop in asking prices for used condos in Pattaya. I note that common asking prices in VT5 have gone from around 3+MB to around 2.5+MB in the last year, and I expect them to drop further. Watch out for fire sales and people desperate to offload contracts that they have bought off-plan. Many people signed up for off-plan units here who do not have the cash available to complete the purchase and never intended to do so.

[Nuddy]

I bought a property in the country side town and lived in it

When I outgrew it I bought some land and built a lovable house on the land

I tried to sell the property I first bought for 10% more than I paid for it. It happened two years later and it sold.

Investing in property in Thailand seems fraught with hassles.

I met a guy who was buying cheap junk shops and was happy getting his rent as you don't have to fix anything as an owner.

But for me I think its not worth the hassle.

What other option, well I don't have one except I like the guy in earlier posts who is getting 3.5% on his funds and today thats pretty special.

Where can I get 3.5% on my bank funds??

[Globalist]

Property investment, whether in Thailand or elsewhere on the planet, has one simple golden rule:

Location, location location.

Yet not all people grasp the meaning of it.

"Good enough" condo location in Thailand currently costs 150kTHB/m2 or more, both in Pattaya and Bangkok.

With 4 - 5 MTHB you'll get at most 27-33 m2, i.e. most likely a studio or small 1BR. Not bad, and many developments around 150kTHB/m2 do include studios and small 1BRs, but slightly larger 1BR or 2BR units typically show a better long-term rental yield.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Globalist

[Nuddy]

But you cannot then sell it for a profit until you wait a long long time
Despite the location mate.

[typhootea]

Land and Homes (LH) bank are offering the best I could find at 2.8%....

If anyone knows of a better rate elsewhere would be interested

Cheers

[ggt]

I bought two condos in the Jomtien Beach area...not a good experience...got out before the condo market went south in that area...

I would recommend that you consider placing some of your wealth in Precious Metals...the real thing...not certificates (paper) which could be declared worthless with the stroke of a pen...(your Gold can be stored for you for a nominal fee...and then retrieved when you are ready to use it or cash out)...I do not recommend taking delivery in Thailand...but if you do...do not tell ANYONE...it will mysteriously disappear...

Gold is still a very good investment right now...can be purchased over the internet...and as an investment...has withstood the test of time...

Just go on line and google "Buying Gold"...take your time, read, listen to podcasts...and then follow your intuition...

Good Luck..

Edited January 21, 2015 by ggt

[ozyjon]

In 2015 real estate in many countries is not the

way to go,, old people talk about investing in

bricks and mortar but the reality is that real

estate is dead.

[dirtycash]

GOLD . sounds the ticket, i might have to do some homework here. which online site is best and secure ? cheers,

Edited January 21, 2015 by dirtycash

[breezer]

Bangkok bank are offering the same as land and homes for 4m

I'd invest in platinum palladium or gold as your money will grow and you can sell it there and then! All cash at some point will return to its original worth at some point!!!!

[gandalf12]

Look up Skandia, big company with a good reputation. You can get upto 5%. I dont think they have an office though in Thailand

[ggt]

GOLD . sounds the ticket, i might have to do some homework here. which online site is best and secure ? cheers,

I am not promoting or endorsing any of these sites...however...their is a wealth of useful information to be had by perusing their info...(helpful hint...look for free shipping and a low rate for storage...as a start)

This is a random order and not prioritized: This should get you started...don't be afraid to follow some of the links suggested by these sites:

kingworldnews.com

Kitco.com (they have a free app that allows you to see the price of precious metals on your laptop or smart phone in real-time)

caseyresearch.com/gsd

hiddensecretsofmoney.com/

goldseek.com

JMbullion.com

Gata.org (This site has scores of links you could take a look at)

Please understand that most all investments are essentially gambling...Gold's high so far was almost $2,000 per ounce...and the low was $1,140 per once just as recently as last Oct...this is a strategic long term investment...a hedge against inflation and the devaluation of fiat currency (paper money printed with no real value other than the perceived value given it by governments to the naïve public)...

There is ample proof that governments manipulate the price of gold as they are afraid that if not manipulated and left free to follow the real gold market...it would go much higher than it is today and crush their near worthless paper money and economies...

Good Luck Friend....(If you have any more questions...contact me by personal message on this site)...by the way...I am retired and have no financial interest in any transactions you may consider when buying your precious metals...

[Rajhulmaheesh]

In 2015 real estate in many countries is not the

way to go,, old people talk about investing in

bricks and mortar but the reality is that real

estate is dead.

This is such horrible thinking.

RE is alive and well. One just need to know the ins and out of investing. RE is also very local.

[Postmaster]

bangkokequity has it dead right. The only reason to buy a condo is if you want to live in it! There's no capital appreciation that I have seen in 9 years on property in Thailand. There is a massive over-supply now and the units are getting smaller by the day. When I bought my 100sq metre Condo 9 years ago I spent 4.3 million baht. I would be lucky to get 3.5 mill for it now and its absolutely superb. The russians only buy new build and they are so small you can't swing a cat around in them!

[KittenKong]

"Good enough" condo location in Thailand currently costs 150kTHB/m2 or more, both in Pattaya and Bangkok.

With 4 - 5 MTHB you'll get at most 27-33 m2, i.e. most likely a studio or small 1BR.

I know nothing about Bangkok and I dont want to know, but this is certainly not the case in Pattaya.

[Robert24]

if you like to get exposure to the Real Estate market, maybe consider buying REITs. This allows you to invest smaller amounts which will yield good returns that are also more diversified. And you can also benefit from commercial real estate. But don't put more than 20-25% of your assets in real estate - I often come across people who have more than 50% of their money in property and therefore are hugely exposed to one specific market, and even worse some of them put into only a few objects in one country.

[Ulic]

Buy a condo that you want to live in and are happy with. For investment, rental, lots of pitfalls and hassles.