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Do you recommend buying or renting a condo? I hope to retire there next year. I have found a condo in an area of phuket for sale for $120,000 usd and for rent for $520 a month. I like the idea of owning. What has been your experiences and what is your advice?
Thanks.
[QUOTE=Horatio;2814923]Do you recommend buying or renting a condo? I hope to retire there next year. I have found a condo in an area of phuket for sale for $120,000 usd and for rent for $520 a month. I like the idea of owning. What has been your experiences and what is your advice?
Thanks.[/QUOTE]It's a no brainer. At that rate with constant currency exchange, it's a deal. My rent and living expenses have decreased as the rest of the world keeps complaining about inflation. But that's because I have been on the right side of the dollar. I know past performance does not predict future performance, but the baht over long periods is volatile compared with the dollar. When it is at an exchange rate you can live with, load up the boat (your Thai bank account) with 2 to 5 years' worth of expenses. If the baht gets even weaker, just use your credit cards or continue to bring small amounts of dollars over and save your 5-year nest egg in the Thai bank. Banks here actually pay interest.
That's the numbers argument. Now let's say your neighborhood changes (and it will) or you have other problems, landlord, maintenance, neighbors, government, health problems, immigration issues. OMG what is a bunch of Russians (or God forbid Chinese) move in next door! If things go south here, economy wise, and you can find another sweetheart deal, or you just get bored and want to move to say Chiang Mai or an island. You have little or no ties to prevent you. Trying to sell can be a *****. This is not Kansas my friend. I am sure you will get opposing views especially from those who made the mistake of buying and they have to man up and defend their decision. Remember they also may not be subject to the US tax code. As the saying goes UP TO YOU. Oh, and buy a diesel truck or car, the government subsidies the price of fuel because of the farmers and you milage is very good with these newer models.
$520 (less that 18,000 baht) is really good and depending where you are in the States $120,000. 00 seems cheap, cheap, cheap. But if you really are serious, rent for a year or two and then buy if that's your thing. As you may think, I pay rent, and not to a Thai. Especially not to a Thai who is not living near me. If renting you don't want to rent with an absentee landlord, if at all possible, my landlord is a farang married to a Thai. When things need to be done to the property or any issues arise with water, electricity, internet, etc. He is here to aid in fixing what need to be fixed or whatever. Some of the buyers you may hear from may have a Thai wife or GF to help get things done when only speaking Thai is essential.
Hell, it's all I can do to even rent long term. I prefer to live in hotels if I can help it, ie outside high season when hotel prices remain affordable. Being able to live in hotels like I was on a never-ending holiday is what I like about Thailand. Note that if you want to throw your lot in financially with Thailand to a certain extent yet remain mobile and liquid, buying Thai stocks is an option.
[QUOTE=Horatio;2814923]Do you recommend buying or renting a condo? I hope to retire there next year. I have found a condo in an area of phuket for sale for $120,000 usd and for rent for $520 a month. I like the idea of owning. What has been your experiences and what is your advice?[/QUOTE]The other guys are telling you right. What if another pandemic comes and you can not get back to your place as happened with many? A friend of mine bought a condo and a Russian disco moved in next door. Luckily he was able to unload the place. Another friend bought a condo and pays $2000 association fee each year. My rent for the whole year is less than that. Everything that I have in Thailand I can not go back forever and it is not a big loss. I would hate to have to walk away from $120,000 though.
Anyone out there has any info on this type of places?
Its like a sort of gogo bar but not all of the women go with men.
If you want to meet one of the girls after work you have to make a deal with her on the side.
As I understand it there are no barfines.
I read in the comments that ladydrinks are 150 baht.
Quality seems on average very high.
[URL]https://www.facebook.com/reel/896401038252697?fs=e&s=m[/URL]
Musing on booking trip #2, but this time for maybe 20 days.
What is everyone's opinion on the best month to go? Last year I visited the first part of December and I didn't find that it was too crowded (maybe only Walking is what I'd consider too crowded).
September through December, which is the best, in everyone's respected opinions?
[QUOTE=Tvataham274;2815214]Musing on booking trip #2, but this time for maybe 20 days.
What is everyone's opinion on the best month to go? Last year I visited the first part of December and I didn't find that it was too crowded (maybe only Walking is what I'd consider too crowded).
September through December, which is the best, in everyone's respected opinions?[/QUOTE]September would be better than December due to Low Season.
[QUOTE=Tvataham274;2815214]Musing on booking trip #2, but this time for maybe 20 days.
What is everyone's opinion on the best month to go? Last year I visited the first part of December and I didn't find that it was too crowded (maybe only Walking is what I'd consider too crowded).
September through December, which is the best, in everyone's respected opinions?[/QUOTE]Tell us how you define "best month." Best weather? Most girls? Lowest prices? Lots of tourist activities? Fewer crowds?
Personally, I won't go from April through middle October because it is either too hot or too much rain. But, those same months likely correspond to lower prices and fewer crowds.
[QUOTE=HorseTrader;2815467]Tell us how you define "best month." Best weather? Most girls? Lowest prices? Lots of tourist activities? Fewer crowds?
Personally, I won't go from April through middle October because it is either too hot or too much rain. But, those same months likely correspond to lower prices and fewer crowds.[/QUOTE]Good point I failed to mention. Perhaps crowds. Last December when I was there (first half), I wouldn't say it was too crowded. LK and 6 were fine, but walking felt claustrophobic to me. Ideally I'd want to avoid the rain, but I was lucky in that it didn't rain a single day in my December trip.
I suppose I'm going to look at tickets in September. They seemed to be lowest, at a glance (1200 USD).
Thanks folks.
[QUOTE=Horatio;2814923]Do you recommend buying or renting a condo? I hope to retire there next year. I have found a condo in an area of phuket for sale for $120,000 usd and for rent for $520 a month. I like the idea of owning. What has been your experiences and what is your advice?
Thanks.[/QUOTE]I am as happy as a bug in a rug.
Paid $100 K in Pratumnak.
[QUOTE=Tvataham274;2815513]
I suppose I'm going to look at tickets in September. They seemed to be lowest, at a glance (1200 USD).
Thanks folks.[/QUOTE]You will have fewer crowds in September than early December. It's almost certain that there will be some times when rain interrupts your desired schedule. I haven't been there in September, but my early October experiences in Bangkok, Phuket, and Samui had downpours that lasted from 10 to 60 minutes and then clear skies. This is the kind of rain where you might find yourself walking through ankle deep water hours after the rain stops. I leave my dress shoes at home, mostly wear sneakers and sandals with enough structure to protect my foot.
[QUOTE=Explorer8939;2820739]I have the flight from Hell coming up.
Air Nippon LAX. NRT middle seat. I would pay money for an upgrade, but no can do.
Arrive in BKK at 04.30 AM.
I will be zonked for a week upon arrival.[/QUOTE]Used to work in China, so have made dozens of trips between USA (Houston) and Asia. I took some Ambian for awhile but eventually I woke up one night standing in the hallway of outside of my room in my underwear in a Chinese hotel. So stopped taking that crap. It just sucks. But it is worth it. LOL.
[QUOTE=Explorer8939;2820736]A girl getting big bucks is likely to have a live in Thai boyfriend who she gives money to.
For a Thai man to pay money for sex in Pattaya would be rare.[/QUOTE]There are plenty of clubs dedicated to Thai customers where paying is the norm, there are plenty of love motels where Thai's are the primary users. Drive you car in and they pull a curtain behind it.
This is even more common in Bangkok.
[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2819851]Two things you are missing in your analysis. First, nobody is complaining that pussy price has gone up. We all know how inflation works. The problem is the price increase in relation to everything else is not justifiable. As I have said time and time again, my rent has been the exact same for 14 years, which means these chicks' rent has also remained the same. There are not too many things that have increased price here besides gasoline, which may add only a few baht to some goods. However I am still paying the same 1000 baht for a taxi from the airport. Yesterday the driver stopped and filled up with natural gas for 180 baht. It has been at least 10 years since I have taken the bus from Ekamai to Pattaya. Back then I think I paid 118 baht. Today it is 131 baht, not 400 baht.
I also had a freelancer that I met on Thai Friendly come over all night for 1000. (She came at 1030 pm last night and went home at 7 am when I headed out to exercise.) I think the largest increase on anything over the years (besides pussy) has to be foreign brand cigarettes. They used to be 70 baht, but are now I think 120 baht due to increased government taxes in the name of trying to get people to stop smoking. There is actually no justification for the prices for chicks at gogo bars or whatever to have gone up 3 and 4 fold.
Next, what you pay for something in one place has nothing to do what you pay for something in another place. In a reverse comparison, the same $90,000 BMW in the USA costs $180,000 in Thailand. Should I go down to the stealership in Bangkok and tell them but I can get this car for half as much in America? They would probably want to know what that has to do with buying one in Thailand, which is not a damn thing, the same thing with paying for pussy in America has zero to do with paying for it in Thailand.[/QUOTE]Your rent has stayed the same for 14 years?. If you are in a 14 year old + building that is why. The girls are materialistic now. Previously they would stay in a crappy 2. 5 k baht condo with no A / see. There is no chance of that for a high end gogo bar girl. She will be paying 10-15 k at a minimum in a nice new condo. She won't be wearing "original copy clothes" she will want the real deal. 14 years ago she wouldn't have wanted the latest generation iphone. She will want that now. Why have the prices gone up? Because they need more money to live the life they want and people are happy to pay it as mongering prices and inflation have spiked globally.
I've lived here for nearly 9 years and been visiting regularly for 15 years before this. Do I care that the price has gone from 2 k to 4 k for a LT gogo girl. Not in the slightest and all my social circle seem to be in the same position. Certainly none of us consider or even care that someone charges 4 k for 10 hours+ work and many are happy to enjoy the condo and company till well into the next afternoon without a change in price.
I'm not one of them but if I'm not mistaken they go on about go-go girls they see before clinching the deal, not about TF girls who entice with pics. Even normal-priced girls on TF often turn out to be no better than Beach road shanks when you open your door.