Is The River too far out to live?

[Airalee 1,155]

And as you golf....there is a driving range near Ekkamai

[NewbieInBangkok 13]

1 minute ago, Airalee said:

Ok....thanks for the info.  Not sure what size place you’re looking for and how healthy your budget is, but Sky Walk has a sweet place for rent (100k for 250sqm) at the moment.  Close to the Phra Khanong BTS.   The value for money spent gets much better just a couple stops past Thonglor.

 

https://www.hipflat.com/listings/bangkok-condo-chcgkhyp

 

 

Looking for at least 80 square metres but 120 plus would be perfect.  Budget is up to 100k.  I’ll have a look at Sky Walk.  

 

Thanks!

[Airalee 1,155]

3 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

Furnishings is important to me so I must admit I was tending to rule out the older condos because the furniture might be shabby

Furniture is gonna be a crapshoot here.  I have already bought new sofas (along with the obligatory mattress) for each of my places here in BKK.  The landlords love me for it. 

[NewbieInBangkok 13]

2 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Furniture is gonna be a crapshoot here.  I have already bought new sofas (along with the obligatory mattress) for each of my places here in BKK.  The landlords love me for it. 

Lol....we have 2 sets of sofas plus a mattress from previous overseas transfers for the same reason so we could bring some with us...but they would take a while to arrive.

[wordchild 564]

11 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

Looking for at least 80 square metres but 120 plus would be perfect.  Budget is up to 100k.  I’ll have a look at Sky Walk.  

 

Thanks!

You should easily be able to get a good sized condo within your budget, it’s a renters market at the moment.  As a general rule, if you take your  months budget, and double it, Knock off  3 zeros, then that would be the kind of sqm condo you could get if a little older and slightly off pitch, eg 100000 would get you a B grade, slightly older  200 Sqm a Little way from the BTS. For better quality and or location add a premium to that. Eg for 100000 budget  , I would expect you should get a premium quality and location around 150 plus sqm

Edited October 10 by wordchild

[NewbieInBangkok 13]

Another question....

How busy do the pools get at some of these condos?  I’ve watched lots of YouTube videos of people showing off their condos but there is never anyone in either the gym or the pool when they are walking around.  And I mean the foreigners that are filming where they live, not the realtors showing new builds.

 

Are they just rarely used by the residents or are there really busy times?

[NewbieInBangkok 13]

1 minute ago, wordchild said:

You should easily be able to get a good sized condo within your budget, it’s a renters market at the moment.  As a general rule, if you take you months budget, and double it, then that would be the kind of sqm condo you could get if a little older and slightly off pitch, eg 100000 would get you a B grade, slightly older  200 Sqm a Little way from the BTS. For better quality and or location add a premium to that. Eg for 100000 , I would expect you should get a premium quality and location around 150 plus sqm

Great info, thank you  

[Airalee 1,155]

3 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

Lol....we have 2 sets of sofas plus a mattress from previous overseas transfers for the same reason so we could bring some with us...but they would take a while to arrive.

I wouldn’t bother shipping furniture.  Customs is a pain in the a$$.

 

If you can slum it in 60sqm (1br), Rhythm Sukhumvit has some pretty cool duplex loft condos on the backside so you won’t be beaten to death by the sun in the afternoon.

 

https://www.hipflat.com/listings/bangkok-condo-rbveeevn

[Airalee 1,155]

Pools are mostly empty...especially during the day as Thais will do anything possible to stay out of the sun.

[wordchild 564]

1 minute ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

Another question....

How busy do the pools get at some of these condos?  I’ve watched lots of YouTube videos of people showing off their condos but there is never anyone in either the gym or the pool when they are walking around.  And I mean the foreigners that are filming where they live, not the realtors showing new builds.

 

Are they just rarely used by the residents or are there really busy times?

Empty 90% of the time, depends on kid population in the condo,and school hours etc. 

[NewbieInBangkok 13]

8 minutes ago, Airalee said:

I wouldn’t bother shipping furniture.  Customs is a pain in the a$$.

 

If you can slum it in 60sqm (1br), Rhythm Sukhumvit has some pretty cool duplex loft condos on the backside so you won’t be beaten to death by the sun in the afternoon.

 

https://www.hipflat.com/listings/bangkok-condo-rbveeevn

We have to ship some stuff by sea and by air anyway (company pays) but yes, I wasn’t planning to bring the sofas or mattress if we can help it.  

 

1 br way too small.  I need space for my painting stuff, preferably a separate room.

[Airalee 1,155]

12 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

We have to ship some stuff by sea and by air anyway (company pays) but yes, I wasn’t planning to bring the sofas or mattress if we can help it.  

 

1 br way too small.  I need space for my painting stuff, preferably a separate room.

If the company is paying to ship it (plus customs), by all means bring the sofas (if you like them).  Good furniture here is ridiculously expensive.  Think Design Within Reach (dwr.com) prices for lower quality.  Mattresses aren’t so bad as they’re always on sale.

[Nyezhov 9,740]

11 minutes ago, NewbieInBangkok said:

We have to ship some stuff by sea and by air anyway (company pays) but yes, I wasn’t planning to bring the sofas or mattress if we can help it.  

 

1 br way too small.  I need space for my painting stuff, preferably a separate room.

Ill just chime in to say that your condo sould be selected for transport. Yer hubby has to go to work, so pick a place with easy access to the highway. Since you are going to TL or PP, you have easy access as long as you are on a train line. But his road line needs to come first, sitting in BKK traffic with a driver sucks the same as driving in BKK traffic. Its traffic.

 

Personally, I think Central Bangkok which I define as Sala Daeng into Prom Prong/Thong Lo, is touristy, over priced and/or seedy. Choose wisely

[wordchild 564]

I think you have to consider your husband’s commute first, because from the wrong location, even getting a short distance, in the morning traffic,  to get onto the highway can be a bit of a nightmare. Maybe focus on ease of highway access first and foremost and stress that to your agent.  From that perspective , mid Sukhumvit is a bit less attractive, and maybe better to consider either Ploenchit area , where you are close to the highway or further out, past Ekhami, also with highway  access and which is also cheaper. I use the airport a great deal (almost weekly)  and have mostly lived in the Ploenchit area during  my time in Bangkok: on a good day, early morning, I can be at the airport in 30/35 minutes from where I live, even a bad day normally under 50 minutes . It would be even quicker from the Phrakanong/Bang Na area. 

Edited October 10 by wordchild

[wordchild 564]

I dread to think what a bad days traffic would be like for his commute from The River!