Getting married in Thailand leaving US on sept 14th!

[Farang tuk pla]

Hello! My name is Tony from wisconsin USA. I met a thai girl online and 1 year later flew to Thailand all by myself to meet her. I really enjoyed my whole month there, anout 8 months later she came to US and got her masters degree. She has been here in wisconsin for 5 years now and we have been married for 4 yrs.

Found out she is pregnant so we are having a wedding in thailand with 9 Americans coming and a whole lotta thia people will be there too!

This girl has been a very positive influence in my life. I met my current buisness partner threw one of her other friends and we flip houses together, i helped her threw college which was her dream and my real estate dream came true and have been pretty successful for the first time in my life.

Im excited to meet her family, and have only met her sister before in america. They have a farm, commercial fishing boat, sell life insurance and recently retired.

I will be in thailand very soon for 45 days travelling and showing my family around while they are here.

Something lately has been calling me to move to thailand. I have some questions if anyone would like to help me!

If i sell off all my properties i could have around 120k.usd would i be better off keeping them and renting them out or sell and invest in thailand? (Before i met her i lived paycheck to paycheck as a painter)

I know in the grand scheme of things its not alot of money! I am an AVID fisherman in the US but have no saltwater experience. If i marry a national can i buy a boat in thailand and eventually become a fishing guide in Andaman sea? i know there are alot of work restrictions...

We are a year away from her being a US citizen and completed the 10 year green card. I would just like to start planning a little bit right now so if we choose to move to Thailand i have my ducks in a row.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can discuss Thai Investments, help me use my skills in real estate/construction to find a good place for me.

I would really like to be a charter captian though!

[Stradavarius37]

Buy lots of books and start reading - you will get mostly manure from here.

[Farang tuk pla]

Ok, thanks. Just didnt want to come on here and ask a bunch of redundant newbie questions, just more or less to see if anyone knows about charter fishing captains since i will be married to a national if that changes anything? I know there are differwnt regulations on the fishery in thailand just need sportfishing specifics. I LOVE FISHING!

[wow64]

Keep your properties in the US.... Get rent and they also may go up in value.. Money will be gone to never return if you invest here.. Good luck on your wedding day.

Sent from my c64

[JMWPACIFIC]

My advice is to slow down, come here and do your own due diligence re your dream job of fishing/guiding. Your wife is pregnant so you'll need to think about the child and it's future. IMO there is no need to sell your properties yet. If you ultimately get through the process and decide to make a home here, your investments can be your seed money or backstop.

Good luck to you both!

[55Jay]

I'm an avid fisherman. Freshwater and salt. I have a sneaking suspicion charter fishing boat skipper is a reserved occupation for Thais, but I'll leave that to someone who knows more about the labor regs.

How old are you anyway? How old is she? Only asking for earning/investment horizon and WRT having years ahead of you to get more boots on the ground time in Thailand before you do anything drastic.

HER: Granted, being pregnant changes her outlook but, what does she think about moving back to Thailand so soon after getting to the US, getting her Master's and, I presume, starting to work and earn/save money? If she has plans to work in Thailand, has she clued you in on what her prospects are outside of working the family business or starting her own? Or is she ready to put it all aside and focus on being a housewife and a mother? Have you looked into the educational options for your child in Thailand, costs, quality, etc?

YOU: IMO, if you are just now starting to earn decent coin, why not stick with the program until you have a larger stack that can produce another source of passive income? You're right, 120k isn't much in the grand scheme of things. How much is your anticipated, net profit from the rentals? Steady occupants or frequent vacancies?

Just seems like the smart play would be stay in the States and keep growing a solid foundation for your new wife and child on the way. You could always peel off some cash and start building a modest portfolio in Thailand over a few years instead of all at once. She have any assets or land in Thailand to start with?

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Chok Dee on the trip and marriage ceremony. Keep us posted.

[sirineou]

I am in a similar situation, Married a wonderful Thai girl, we live in the US. I was never so Happy, or had more money

So many variables in your OP that need to be addressed

First, your wife is pregnant, will you be willing to have and bring your child up in Thailand? and if you are now, perhaps you will change your mind later.

How old are you, and how will you able to support your self? The money from the sale of your house will go quick .

Will you like living in Thailand or will you want to go back in a few years

Your wife, having lived in the US for 4 years might not like the BS in Thailand, I know my wife does not.

Take your time, learn as much as you can about Thailand,

If you want to live in Thailand, Rent your house in the US,

and rent in Thailand, that way if things in Thailand dont work out, you have a way back.

Rents in Thailand are cheap, you can rent a house in Thailand for less than half of what your will get for your house in the US

After living in Thailand for a couple of years you will not need to ask anyone all the questions you are asking mow, you will know your self and you will be better able to make a well informed decision

And by that time your house in the US might be worth a lot more.

When I first met my wife several years ago I had similar plans, Knowing what I know now, I am keeping one house in the US.

[Farang tuk pla]

Thanks for the great isight everyone!

I am 31 years old and have only been investing for 3 years. I work a day job and then the hiuses at night in which i have an investor/partner. Our rentals are free and clear so i have been leaning twards using the rent as income.

With the prospect of having a kid i am thinking to myself, when i come back after the wedding it will be winter/slow work season for me and then she cannot work either full time, just stressing a little.

With her being her i think it wont be so easy with her international buisness degree to get a job here, much easier and good pay in thailand, also i feel like you only live once so taking a year off and trying the thai life wouldnt be a bad idea, then come back when the kid is schooling age worst case we can move back into our condo.

I too had a feeling that a fishing guide would have to be a national.

On my trip i will be meeting a real estate investor from my area who also has buisnesses in thailand so im excited to see someone doing well in the same field as i am in!

No matter what im enjoying these last 2 weeks in the us by myself as she is in bkk now setting plans for a wedding in khanom (top of nakkon si tammarat) and then going to samui and koh tao and back north to chang mai and then andaman sea in the south.

While there i will be doing alot of (prospecting to see if i could maybe flip a house there/ buy a little cheap land for vacation house someday/ endless possibilities. No matter what happens i will be happy to be in lala land thinking of what could happen. Sometimes i feel that is my favorite part of life. DAY DREAMS!

[Farang tuk pla]

Oh yeah she is 30 and i am 31...

[blackcab]

One big expenses could be schooling. You can either put your child in a Thai school or in an international school.

Check out the international school prices. Depending where you are they can be a considerable sum of money.

[JeffreyO]

Property values in the USA rise, many of the condo values here fall. You'd be better off renting your current properties, perhaps having a family member assist with getting tenants. Use the money you make from renting properties there to pay for your life here. If things fell apart you still have your properties to fall back on and, if you change your mind and later wish to invest more here, you can still sell your properties.

Also, I don't know how much rent is in your area but a few hundred dollars a month can pay for a decent place here so you should be alright. Good luck and if you need any advice feel free to PM me, I'll tell you my experiences.

[MobileContent]

For the time being just keep your assets offshore.

My guess since your wife comes from a good family, they might pay her out some cash for you both to establish in Thailand and you keep the dosh in the States if things don't work out that well in Thailand and you return with your wife and kid.

If I were you I would stay in the States and save up more money and your wife can work as well.

Don't be overexcited and plan already to build a holiday home. Keep your time and go with the flow. 2-3 years should be enough to get an understanding of Thailand.

Do you speak Thai already?

Edited September 19, 2015 by MobileContent

[Farang tuk pla]

Mobile content: i think your right, i am here in thai now and really trying to go out of my way to practice everything i can! I dont speak alot- just enough for people to laugh at me haha.

I am really trying to find some new fishing spots for billfish. Sitting at a mall showing pictures to everyone asking if they know about this haha....