Retiring with 16mn Baht

[Ronuk]

Just now, Scotwight said:

I can't own property in Thailand and neither can you.  I have been here through 3 coups.  Thailand has had more coups than any other country (I think).  Since 1932 19.  I believe this thread is about advice for a man with 16 mn cash to retire.  Since we can't advise illegal behavior you can feel free to tell a guy like the OP how to retire here and buy land legally that would make sense for a guy in his position.  

I am telling him to buy a Condo. Are you now advising that is illegal too? I honestly think he should take your advice on property in the same vane as getting a Thai wife and living 50% cheaper. Getting a Thai wife is about as much use to him as a Chocolate Teapot.

[chiang mai]

2 minutes ago, Scotwight said:

I can't own property in Thailand and neither can you.  I have been here through 3 coups.  Thailand has had more coups than any other country (I think).  Since 1932 19.  I believe this thread is about advice for a man with 16 mn cash to retire.  Since we can't advise illegal behavior you can feel free to tell a guy like the OP how to retire here and buy land legally that would make sense for a guy in his position.  

 

You are obsessed with the word "buy" whereas most everyone else is quite happy with the words, "lease", "use of for life", "usufruct" and similar. Do you not think that if this so called "third world country" with it's alleged inherent instability gained from 19 coups did decide to act against all foreigners (which they wont) that even if the property were owned, it wouldn't make any difference! And whilst writing, I hope you understand that farangs (white westerners) represent just a small single element of what constitutes foreigners in Thailand. I wonder how the millions of resident Chinese in the country, those foreigners who run successful multi million dollar businesses, would think of your advice, honestly they'd laugh at you.

[Scotwight]

2 hours ago, Ronuk said:

I am telling him to buy a Condo. Are you now advising that is illegal too? I honestly think he should take your advice on property in the same vane as getting a Thai wife and living 50% cheaper. Getting a Thai wife is about as much use to him as a Chocolate Teapot.

Buying a condo is a good idea if it is a small part of your networth and you can sell or walk away from it in a hurry if you have to leave because of mismanagement or unforeseen circumstances that make it untenable to live there.

 

I lived in a condo where the water pipes developed a major problem.  I moved because I was a renter.  If you have lived in Thailand a while  you know that rents are cheap and small cost to pay for the flexibility they offer.  I don't think a guy with only 16mn has enough money to tie any up in housing - too many other problems may arise.  If buying real estate for investment I'd do it outside of Thailand as a first choice.    

 

Farangs have been getting Thai wives (temporary) since sailing ships first got here from the West way back when.  It is a Thai custom and well established in tradition.  Even Yingluck was not legally married (I think).  Getting married in the church has many advantages in Thailand and still allows a mia noi or two if that is your preference.  Better than chocolate if you have a weight problem.  

Edited August 20, 2016 by Scotwight
added words

[Scotwight]

2 hours ago, chiang mai said:

 

You are obsessed with the word "buy" whereas most everyone else is quite happy with the words, "lease", "use of for life", "usufruct" and similar. Do you not think that if this so called "third world country" with it's alleged inherent instability gained from 19 coups did decide to act against all foreigners (which they wont) that even if the property were owned, it wouldn't make any difference! And whilst writing, I hope you understand that farangs (white westerners) represent just a small single element of what constitutes foreigners in Thailand. I wonder how the millions of resident Chinese in the country, those foreigners who run successful multi million dollar businesses, would think of your advice, honestly they'd laugh at you.

Words have definitions and you can't change them to suit your mood.  Nice eh?  Rent means one thing and buy means another.  Many countries have nationalized property that was owned by large companies like Coke and Exxon.  I'm sure Coke would have laughed at me if I advised against buying land in Cuba.  

 

If you have a lot of money to play with or you are young enough to start over no problem, get into a legal game to get around the intention of the Thai government to prevent you from owning land.  If you are an old guy with limited assets keep them in easily convertible instruments and be flexible.    

 

Get a helpmate that is Thai to help you enjoy life and she will more than pay for herself at least that's what I have discovered.  

 

About the Chinese, I think most of the successful ones got here before WWII and received Thai citizenship. 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2016 by Scotwight

[Naam]

16 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

In my country, when I buy land and a house, I own it period. For the rest of my life, if I choose, and then free to pass it along to my inheritors as part of my estate.

 

Hardly the same thing as a 30-year lease -- unless you have no one that you intend to pass an estate to.

 

 

what we are discussing is all a matter of perspective and individual circumstances, i.e. generalising "you should never buy" or "you should never rent but buy" and "i don't understand why someone..." does not apply.

 

recently i sold one of my cars for the price equivalent to a nice 3-bedroom home with pool in Pattaya. i didn't lose any money as it was a vintage car. for the purchase value of another car i own i could have bought two of the above mentioned houses but the market value is already down to 1½ or perhaps even only one house. in the not so distant future this car will only have a minimal book value and should i die some heirs will be very much disappointed.

 

summary: i bought a car, i owned it. period! 

[ScotBkk]

Buying property in Thailand 

 

Cant see the benefits myself with all the worries how the country tends to be so volatile compared to purchases in the UK. Better returns on rents & profits from

sales. 

 

Better to to rent in Thailand it's cheap and can do without any unforeseen hassles. All that, give your missus family a house, car and allowances and same for you and her had me heading for the hills to get the hell outta here!!

 

just saying .... 

[lannarebirth]

4 minutes ago, ScotBkk said:

Buying property in Thailand 

 

Cant see the benefits myself with all the worries how the country tends to be so volatile compared to purchases in the UK. Better returns on rents & profits from

sales. 

 

Better to to rent in Thailand it's cheap and can do without any unforeseen hassles. All that, give your missus family a house, car and allowances and same for you and her had me heading for the hills to get the hell outta here!!

 

just saying .... 

 

It may not apply to you but many here seem reluctant to give even their own family a house.

[Scotwight]

29 minutes ago, Naam said:

 

what we are discussing is all a matter of perspective and individual circumstances, i.e. generalising "you should never buy" or "you should never rent but buy" and "i don't understand why someone..." does not apply.

 

recently i sold one of my cars for the price equivalent to a nice 3-bedroom home with pool in Pattaya. i didn't lose any money as it was a vintage car. for the purchase value of another car i own i could have bought two of the above mentioned houses but the market value is already down to 1½ or perhaps even only one house. in the not so distant future this car will only have a minimal book value and should i die some heirs will be very much disappointed.

 

summary: i bought a car, i owned it. period! 

Correction that is what you are discussing.  What we are discussing is a man who retires to Thailand with 16 mn as his total assets.  I can't think of any circumstances where a man with only 16mn would be advised to buy anything in Thailand.  Maybe after 10 years when he got the hang of the place and arranged some health insurance for himself and a support system but buying a house on rented land strikes me as way down on the list of priorities.  

 

I think we are discussing retiring on 16m and not investing 16m in Thailand.  If the topic should change to how to invest 16m in Thailand that might be a whole other ballgame.  

[mcfish]

19 minutes ago, ScotBkk said:

Buying property in Thailand 

 

Cant see the benefits myself with all the worries how the country tends to be so volatile compared to purchases in the UK. Better returns on rents & profits from

sales. 

 

Better to to rent in Thailand it's cheap and can do without any unforeseen hassles. All that, give your missus family a house, car and allowances and same for you and her had me heading for the hills to get the hell outta here!!

 

just saying .... 

Good quality is not cheap even in Thailand assuming you want a great location top quality western style furnishings and a real mattress.

However a house on the outskirts of Issan with cardboard furniture and concrete mattress is dirt cheap.

I had 2 friends who were english teachers in BKK one who showed me his 7k room in Udon Suk

.ughhhh...

 

just ugghhhh

[Scotwight]

25 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

It may not apply to you but many here seem reluctant to give even their own family a house.

I gave three families houses in the West and my ex wives now live in them.  Do you think I should do a 4th considering Karma and all, or have I fulfilled my Karmic obligation to give houses to women? 

[slipperylobster]

4 hours ago, Ronuk said:

Glad I bought a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 176sqm condo on the beach. Compared to renting such a property, it will of payed for itself in 8 years. I have no idea how you consider renting a better deal?

 

Certainly an option. Not for everyone.

I have seen great condos.

 

If one can finance it..and put it in their name...then good for them ! 

 

Renting is a better deal for those people who choose to move often.  I have lived in six locations all over Thailand.  Buying and selling is not practical....nor would I ever live in such close quarters.   I prefer a detached home with garden.  If I would buy..I would not do it in Thailand....by personal choice.  Much safer to buy back home and rent here.  same same. Rental income back home pays for rent here.  Simply said.  Had a condo in Hawaii (waikiki) that brought in 1500 bucks a month rent.   Rent here is 450 bucks a month.  Do the math !

 

Not the same as buying property in the spouses name though....is it?

 

Edited August 20, 2016 by slipperylobster

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

44 minutes ago, Naam said:

 

summary: i bought a car, i owned it. period! 

 

I buy a house. I own it, period!

 

Except in Thailand, where legally, I can't, and a 30-year lease as a substitute isn't the same thing, nor should it have the same value as outright ownership.

 

[Ronuk]

55 minutes ago, ScotBkk said:

Buying property in Thailand 

 

Cant see the benefits myself with all the worries how the country tends to be so volatile compared to purchases in the UK. Better returns on rents & profits from

sales. 

 

Better to to rent in Thailand it's cheap and can do without any unforeseen hassles. All that, give your missus family a house, car and allowances and same for you and her had me heading for the hills to get the hell outta here!!

 

just saying .... 

Renting isn't cheap in an area and in a house/apartment you would actually want to live in unless you consider 40000-80,000 baht a month cheap. I happen to like a nice place to live. I know exactly what you get for 6000 baht a month. The girls pay that for a room alone and share between 4 or 5 of them.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Ronuk

[Naam]

30 minutes ago, Scotwight said:

Correction that is what you are discussing.  What we are discussing is a man who retires to Thailand with 16 mn as his total assets.  I can't think of any circumstances where a man with only 16mn would be advised to buy anything in Thailand.  Maybe after 10 years when he got the hang of the place and arranged some health insurance for himself and a support system but buying a house on rented land strikes me as way down on the list of priorities.  

 

I think we are discussing retiring on 16m and not investing 16m in Thailand.  If the topic should change to how to invest 16m in Thailand that might be a whole other ballgame.  

 

the discussion about buying or renting did not start with clear reference to the "16million Baht man". and of course i would consider it extremely unwise if someone with THB 16mm would reduce his capital by buying a roof over his head.

 

simple reason: in today's low yield environment the proceeds of this amount are barely enough for a Farang's acceptable living expenses in Thailand except when invested in high risk assets.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 15 สิงหาคม 2559 at 8:40 AM, Henryford said:

CM is right it can be done, living on say 50,000 a month, but it's hard to be disciplined at aged 50. Buying a decent place to live could cost 4 million (or much more in rent). If he has a pension coming in at 65+ he will be OK otherwise he will run out of cash at @ 70.

Oh dear "buying" a house, 555555555555555555555.

Renting is the way to go, then he can move around Thailand to his heart's content. Why would anyone want to stay in one place if they have 16 mil????????????

I'd be incredibly bored staying in one place for more than a couple of years.

 

Why do so many ( of the posts I've read ) say 16 mil is not enough? Do those people live lux lifestyles with gold plated bum guns? Of course 16 mil is sufficient to live out his life on, as long as he is prepared to live on a budget. How does anyone know that he wants to travel to Europe frequently? That wasn't in the OP.

 

Frankly, if someone has to have 50,000 a month to live on they probably wouldn't survive on 16 mil, but that isn't what the OP was asking. There is a lot of jumping to conclusions going on here.

[thaibeachlovers]

26 minutes ago, Naam said:

 

the discussion about buying or renting did not start with clear reference to the "16million Baht man". and of course i would consider it extremely unwise if someone with THB 16mm would reduce his capital by buying a roof over his head.

 

simple reason: in today's low yield environment the proceeds of this amount are barely enough for a Farang's acceptable living expenses in Thailand except when invested in high risk assets.

 

Sooooooo, just what is your opinion as to a Farang's acceptable living expenses in Thailand ?

Many would live on 15,000 or less a month and find it completely acceptable. I'd put 20,000 as a very satifactory amount, unless wanting to eat at Dukes every night and live in a lux house. That would be for routine bills of course, including rent, but entertainment, boozing, company, travel and health would be extra of course.

eg a nice condo in Chiang Mai is available for less than 10,000, and if you are eating over 5,000 worth of food a month you are probably eating too much.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Ronuk said:

I am telling him to buy a Condo. Are you now advising that is illegal too? I honestly think he should take your advice on property in the same vane as getting a Thai wife and living 50% cheaper. Getting a Thai wife is about as much use to him as a Chocolate Teapot.

Why SHOULD he buy a condo? Buying is well known to be a potential disaster, and this forum is full of farangs bemoaning their decision to do so.

 

Who in their right mind thinks having a Thai wife makes life cheaper?

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, mcfish said:

Good quality is not cheap even in Thailand assuming you want a great location top quality western style furnishings and a real mattress.

However a house on the outskirts of Issan with cardboard furniture and concrete mattress is dirt cheap.

I had 2 friends who were english teachers in BKK one who showed me his 7k room in Udon Suk

.ughhhh...

 

just ugghhhh

 a great location top quality western style furnishings and a real mattress.

 

A great location doesn't require buying in Thailand. The best beach front locations are in cheap resorts, not expensive ones and few private homes are on the sand as the resorts have that.

 

Why does anyone require top quality furniture if they are renting, and as many on here say ( including me ) buying is LOS is a mug's game. Agreed that a decent matress is essential, but, you know, they sell those in lots of places, or a topper pad does the trick.

 

just ugghhhh

 

I won't say it, but many will be thinking what I'm thinking.

 

 

[Ronuk]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why SHOULD he buy a condo? Buying is well known to be a potential disaster, and this forum is full of farangs bemoaning their decision to do so.

 

Who in their right mind thinks having a Thai wife makes life cheaper?

He needs an asset that he can draw on in later life should he need to. Rent is dead money. You have absolutely nothing to cash in should and when you need too. The forum is full of Farangs bemoaning about buying into shocking schemes and buying the wrong property because it seemed a good idea at the time and no thought was ever put in to it.
The idea when you move to Thailand is to have a better life and standard of living than from where you came from. Anybody that can come and live a life of a good an better standard of living in Thailand on less than 30,000-40,000 baht a month after paying accommodation expenses is kidding themselves and others around them.
All i can say is that anyone, unless they came from the Sudan that can live happily on 15,000 baht a month all in, must of come from some shocking place to begin with. The exact same people have mostly no hope of ever being able to return to where they came from because they couldn't afford it. Good luck to them if that's what they want but lets not encourage it and fantasize that it's a great existence. It isn't.

[chiang mai]

22 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sooooooo, just what is your opinion as to a Farang's acceptable living expenses in Thailand ?

Many would live on 15,000 or less a month and find it completely acceptable. I'd put 20,000 as a very satifactory amount, unless wanting to eat at Dukes every night and live in a lux house. That would be for routine bills of course, including rent, but entertainment, boozing, company, travel and health would be extra of course.

eg a nice condo in Chiang Mai is available for less than 10,000, and if you are eating over 5,000 worth of food a month you are probably eating too much.

 

Do you not understand how much foie gras costs in Thailand, not to mention the price of Beluga!

[mcfish]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 a great location top quality western style furnishings and a real mattress.

 

A great location doesn't require buying in Thailand. The best beach front locations are in cheap resorts, not expensive ones and few private homes are on the sand as the resorts have that.

 

Why does anyone require top quality furniture if they are renting, and as many on here say ( including me ) buying is LOS is a mug's game. Agreed that a decent matress is essential, but, you know, they sell those in lots of places, or a topper pad does the trick.

 

just ugghhhh

 

I won't say it, but many will be thinking what I'm thinking.

 

 

LMAO  spoken like a true TV desperado 6k./month renter

nothing you say will convince us that its not a slum.

Nirin complex in pattaya springs to mind

 

And why are 6k a month renters wasting bandwith commenting on buying condos? You dont rent 6k and have 10-20 mill in the bank,doesnt work that way !

[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, Ronuk said:

He needs an asset that he can draw on in later life should he need to. Rent is dead money. You have absolutely nothing to cash in should and when you need too. The forum is full of Farangs bemoaning about buying into shocking schemes and buying the wrong property because it seemed a good idea at the time and no thought was ever put in to it.
The idea when you move to Thailand is to have a better life and standard of living than from where you came from. Anybody that can come and live a life of a good an better standard of living in Thailand on less than 30,000-40,000 baht a month after paying accommodation expenses is kidding themselves and others around them.
All i can say is that anyone, unless they came from the Sudan that can live happily on 15,000 baht a month all in, must of come from some shocking place to begin with. The exact same people have mostly no hope of ever being able to return to where they came from because they couldn't afford it. Good luck to them if that's what they want but lets not encourage it and fantasize that it's a great existence. It isn't.

The idea when you move to Thailand is to have a better life and standard of living than from where you came from.

Rubbish. I came for the women .

 

Anybody that can come and live a life of a good an better standard of living in Thailand on less than 30,000-40,000 baht a month after paying accommodation expenses is kidding themselves and others around them.

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555

When I lived in London I was paying some astronomical amount ( in essential subsidised worker accomodation ) to rent a room as big as my mother's bathroom ( don't even think I could afford to buy ).

I pay far less than that for everything in LOS and have a way higher standard of living. Have you ever had to go to the dentist in London? People come to Thailand for dental treatment because they can afford a holiday here as well for the same price as a single crown in the west.

Just going to the movies here is waaaaaaay cheaper than back home. I can buy enough food that I like to live on for a month for no more than 5,000. I can't even imagine that anyone NEEDS 40,000 a month to live on, unless they are getting takeaways from Superbaby.

 

All i can say is that anyone, unless they came from the Sudan that can live happily on 15,000 baht a month all in, must of come from some shocking place to begin with

Welcome to the real world. I can't imagine what sort of life you live that you think everyone has your income. Most people in the world DO come from shocking places.

 

but lets not encourage it and fantasize that it's a great existence. It isn't.

In YOUR opinion. You are denigrating most of the population of Thailand, most of which earn about or under 15,000 a month and work far harder than you probably ever did in your life. FYI people in Thailand grow up, get married raise families and mostly enjoy their lives, all for what you consider to be an insignificant amount of money.

[dick dasterdly]

19 hours ago, chiang mai said:

 

True the foreigner cannot buy the land and own it outright but they can lease it and/or take out an usufruct on it, the latter giving them complete control of the land including the ability to sell a thirty year lease on it to a third party. To all intents and purposes those things have 99% of all the rights of ownership, including the ability to recoup the purchase costs via sale of a lease.

That can be easier said than done...

 

I bought a 30 year lease on a plot of land intending to build a house, but my circumstances changed necessitating the sale of the leased land.

 

It came as a horrible suprise to learn that the sale needed the land owner (Westerner, via the company route) to sign off the change in leaseholder at Land Registry.

 

The land owner told someone who wanted to buy the lease that he was going to build condos all around the land plot.  In short, he did everything possible to put off those who were interested in buying my plot of land before eventually telling me that he 'wasn't available' to register any change at Land Registry.

 

Long, depressing story.  But in the end my only choice was to sell the land back to him - at the price he wanted to pay and even then only when he could be bothered to start paying via installments.....  It was that, or nothing.

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, Ronuk said:

Renting isn't cheap in an area and in a house/apartment you would actually want to live in unless you consider 40000-80,000 baht a month cheap. I happen to like a nice place to live. I know exactly what you get for 6000 baht a month. The girls pay that for a room alone and share between 4 or 5 of them.

Unlucky you.

 

Some of us (even on Phuket) are able to rent homes which we love far more cheaply!

 

As always, it depends on priorities.  Some need a luxurious house, whilst others don't.

[chiang mai]

4 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

That can be easier said than done...

 

I bought a 30 year lease on a plot of land intending to build a house, but my circumstances changed necessitating the sale of the leased land.

 

It came as a horrible suprise to learn that the sale needed the land owner (Westerner, via the company route) to sign off the change in leaseholder at Land Registry.

 

The land owner told someone who wanted to buy the lease that he was going to build condos all around the land plot.  In short, he did everything possible to put off those who were interested in buying my plot of land before eventually telling me that he 'wasn't available' to register any change at Land Registry.

 

Long, depressing story.  But in the end my only choice was to sell the land back to him - at the price he wanted to pay and even then only when he could be bothered to start paying via installments.....  It was that, or nothing.

 

We're talking about different things, you're talking about a lease and I'm talking about a lease under an usufruct. Under the latter the usufructee is not required to seek any approval from the owner in order to sell and initiate a lease, the transaction is done at the LO with just the usufructee and the lease holder albeit the owner should supply the chanotte for it to be updated although this is not mandatory since the LO copy takes precedence.

[Scotwight]

What you got here is some rich people from Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai who think they know something about all of Thailand based on their living experiences in Western enclaves in those three cities.  Some of those rich people have even gone so far as to say what makes up an acceptable standard of living for all the rest of us who actually do know something about Thailand.  

 

A guy coming here to retire with limited funds should 1. Learn Thai.  (invaluable)  2.  Find a decent partner.  (it might take 3 or 4 tries but you don't want to have a stroke or heart attack alone).  3.  Find a nice place to live outside of Bangkok, Pattaya or Chiang Mai (its a lot cheaper and since you speak Thai no problem).  4.  Find a partner who owns a nice house and pay the partner rent. (that way you have paid for the house if you live long enough).  5.  If you can't find a partner who has a house or who can buy a house find another partner who can.  

 

This was not some kind of dream for me - it was an action plan 10 years ago and it works.

[Ronuk]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The idea when you move to Thailand is to have a better life and standard of living than from where you came from.

Rubbish. I came for the women .

 

Anybody that can come and live a life of a good an better standard of living in Thailand on less than 30,000-40,000 baht a month after paying accommodation expenses is kidding themselves and others around them.

5555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555

When I lived in London I was paying some astronomical amount ( in essential subsidised worker accomodation ) to rent a room as big as my mother's bathroom ( don't even think I could afford to buy ).

I pay far less than that for everything in LOS and have a way higher standard of living. Have you ever had to go to the dentist in London? People come to Thailand for dental treatment because they can afford a holiday here as well for the same price as a single crown in the west.

Just going to the movies here is waaaaaaay cheaper than back home. I can buy enough food that I like to live on for a month for no more than 5,000. I can't even imagine that anyone NEEDS 40,000 a month to live on, unless they are getting takeaways from Superbaby.

 

All i can say is that anyone, unless they came from the Sudan that can live happily on 15,000 baht a month all in, must of come from some shocking place to begin with

Welcome to the real world. I can't imagine what sort of life you live that you think everyone has your income. Most people in the world DO come from shocking places.

 

but lets not encourage it and fantasize that it's a great existence. It isn't.

In YOUR opinion. You are denigrating most of the population of Thailand, most of which earn about or under 15,000 a month and work far harder than you probably ever did in your life. FYI people in Thailand grow up, get married raise families and mostly enjoy their lives, all for what you consider to be an insignificant amount of money.

Why didn't you just say you enjoy living like a Thai and saved yourself a whole load of typing? I have stayed enough times in villages for enough periods of time to know exactly how it works and what it's like. Fact is, the vast majority of westerners cannot hack it and those that do, build the big monty western style house to live in. I happen like most, to enjoy living in Thailand but with the western style experience. Nobody but nobody would choose to live a 15,000 baht lifestyle in Thailand if they never had to. Anybody that chooses to leave a comfortable Western country to live like that, really does need looking at. It isn't a life, it's an existence and a pretty poor one at that, no matter how people try to dress it up. That 15,000 baht by the way, is not far off the mark alone for a proper Health care package from the likes of AXA PPA. Yes, we all know there are cheapo packages available. They all sound good until you actually come to using them. What then and in the worst case scenario of having no cover at all. Who picks the Tab up? Have you not scene the news where the expats continually fail to have cover and it's all the fault of Thailand for not taking care of them?

[Ronuk]

15 minutes ago, Scotwight said:

What you got here is some rich people from Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai who think they know something about all of Thailand based on their living experiences in Western enclaves in those three cities.  Some of those rich people have even gone so far as to say what makes up an acceptable standard of living for all the rest of us who actually do know something about Thailand.  

 

A guy coming here to retire with limited funds should 1. Learn Thai.  (invaluable)  2.  Find a decent partner.  (it might take 3 or 4 tries but you don't want to have a stroke or heart attack alone).  3.  Find a nice place to live outside of Bangkok, Pattaya or Chiang Mai (its a lot cheaper and since you speak Thai no problem).  4.  Find a partner who owns a nice house and pay the partner rent. (that way you have paid for the house if you live long enough).  5.  If you can't find a partner who has a house or who can buy a house find another partner who can.  

 

This was not some kind of dream for me - it was an action plan 10 years ago and it works.

What you really shouldn't do is assume who posts on these boards about what they know or what they do because quite honestly,  I could easily assume that you should still be living at home with your parents.
Find a wife that has this, find a GF that has that. You sound like a right catch!

[Scotwight]

5 minutes ago, Ronuk said:

What you really shouldn't do is assume who posts on these boards about what they know or what they do because quite honestly,  I could easily assume that you should still be living at home with your parents.
Find a wife that has this, find a GF that has that. You sound like a right catch!

I suggest making a list of things that would lead to a good relationship with a partner and then going out to search for that person.  How do you suggest finding a partner?  It is a good question and one of the most important decisions a single retired guy faces when he decides to retire in Thailand.   

[Ronuk]

1 minute ago, dick dasterdly said:

OK - this pretty much sums up your 'argument'.....

Not quite but I have no argument with anybody. People can do what they choose. If there is an argument, it's the fact that renting is dead money. That's a fact the world over.