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I am thinking about buying a condo .


sangtip2

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11 minutes ago, Nanaplaza666 said:

Very confusing , 1 moment you say it would take years and the other your saying you might be a seller and then buyer yourself ??????

My lifestyle is based on constant  international movement and has been put in disarray by covid.

Definitely feel the limitation of "living" in a country I have no right to enter, and forced to buy redundant insurance that I might not qualify for at a later age. So, quite not the right time to make any investments in Thailand. In fact my plan B is starting to look like plan A. 

 

In my building there are large units with owners I know that have not been able to sell for years. The small ones like mine are more popular. Old building great location good management but no pool, not modern. 80 percent Thai owned most just use for weekends and not many foreign renters now. 

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5 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

My lifestyle is based on constant  international movement and has been put in disarray by covid.

Definitely feel the limitation of "living" in a country I have no right to enter, and forced to buy redundant insurance that I might not qualify for at a later age. So, quite not the right time to make any investments in Thailand. In fact my plan B is starting to look like plan A. 

 

In my building there are large units with owners I know that have not been able to sell for years. The small ones like mine are more popular. Old building great location good management but no pool, not modern. 80 percent Thai owned most just use for weekends and not many foreign renters now. 

I know people don't like long posts but if you are still confused  please inquire with more specificity or granularity.

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53 minutes ago, RemyDog said:

I am not one  to incur unnecessary stress in my life, especially when it is quite avoidable - up to you and enjoy the ride!.    

That was exactly what I did as well - - so, I must be looking through the same muddy balls as you... I brought cash over for a recent house purchase in 3 different transfers... plus, I keep a decent bank balance anyway so that I can refrain from transfers when the rates are low... 

 

And if you are keen on avoiding stress, why would you live anywhere near Pattaya [Darkside or not] ??

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19 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Are you going to sell those now then post on here for the next six months about your profit or will you wait for the crash and then tell everyone you could have made 337% if you had sold them at the right time ???? :violin:

 

 

 

And the bickering starts here. 

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12 hours ago, scammed said:

for some really strange reason, we dont have a system

ready to counter such an event, even though we know it happens,

and is going to happen again

Still a few more dinosaurs to kill off yet.  :coffee1: but I'm sure Starfleet will sort it.

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OP,

 

I concur with UK rules....

 

End of this year or the middle of next.

 

Construction companies are laying off workers faster than you can say Jiminy rickety

 

The stock will begin to pile high for new or used.  Take a look at Bangkok Post Articles, SET,  and business publications printed or on the web. 

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20 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Are you going to sell those now then post on here for the next six months about your profit or will you wait for the crash and then tell everyone you could have made 337% if you had sold them at the right time ???? :violin:

 

 

 

Well said.

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The big question is WHY ?
Much less trouble just to flush your money down the toilet.

Currently massive oversupply of units and they're still building thousands more.
Very easy to buy, but almost impossible to sell at anything like its true value.

 

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6 minutes ago, Brick Top said:

I would be very careful about about bringing the funds in first , and on reading some if the comments from others on here that are the advising you that is ok to do that.

Let me tell you what happened to me , I transferred just over 5 million into my Thai bank in July 2018 and put reason for transfer " to buy a Condominium".

Then I went looking for one , I found a nice one in August 2018. After making the contract ect and paying in full 5 Million for the Condo all done through a good law firm. Then we went to the Phuket land office to do the transfer , it was rejected immediately by the land office , as the Foreign exchange transfer certificate did not state the exact condo I was buying.

They informed me I would need to go back to the bank and get a letter that showed the exact condo , the building name, the floor off the unit , and the exact address iff the unit. 

When we went back to the bank , the answer was " can not ".

The lawyer dealing with the transfer was holding a Power Of Attorney from the buyer , the land office informed that this could only be used for a maximum off 1 month.

This went on for over 2 years , the bank refused to issue the letter saying Head Office said no. The POA expired , I can honestly say I went back to the bank over 8 or 9 times to try and get this letter , everytime they made silly excuses. I had to keep geting the seller to update the POA as he lived in another country , they were costing me about 10,000 every time. In the end we had to get the vice president off the bank involved in getting this letter after threatening the bank with legal action. The letter was finally given by the bank in December 2020 , a new POA was acquired , and a new debt free letter from the Condominium. We went back to the land office on December 25 last year , the transfer was again refused . 

The reason this time was now the land office wanted the POA translated as they said new regulations. The POA was translated which took about 1 week and cost 2000 baht but when we went back to the land office , they said the debt release letter from the Condominium had now expired as it's only valid for 7 days.

When I went back to get a new debt free letter , the Condominium office said it would take 10 to 14 days to get a new one from  head office. 

Then by the time I received it on January 14 , the land office then said the POA had expired, so the whole process had to be started again. A new POA , had to be sought and noterised in the sellers country , then translated all over again , then a new debt free letter. In the end I finally got the Condo put in my name , it cost me a great deal off money , I was paying the lawyer 6000 every time he went to the land office and 10,000 ever time the the POA was renewed , it was a really stressful time .

So please be careful listening to members advice on here , telling you it's fine to transfer the funds first then go looking for a Condo.

The rules have all changed and tightened up at the land office these days. I believe the reason the land officer told me buyers were using the same FET certificate to buy many different condos , so that's why they insist the FET Certification shows the exact unit your buying.

 

 

That's so much hassle I would not bother.

 

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21 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Madness....rent.

IF i was a single guy living out my days here i would agree,but if your like me with a wife and a son living here ,who earns a very very good salary for a Thai ,buy and although our house is on a mortgage(son and wife) it pays to buy and leave it for them when you go to meet the sky fairy.

also we got our house at a very good price.it is now worth a couple million more than i got it for.

horses for courses

ps ,the mortgage payments are less than the rent would be ,mind you all expenses must be paid by us now ,not the previous owner.

Edited by ivor bigun
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16 minutes ago, Brick Top said:

I would be very careful about about bringing the funds in first , and on reading some if the comments from others on here that are the advising you that is ok to do that.

Let me tell you what happened to me , I transferred just over 5 million into my Thai bank in July 2018 and put reason for transfer " to buy a Condominium".

Then I went looking for one , I found a nice one in August 2018. After making the contract ect and paying in full 5 Million for the Condo all done through a good law firm. Then we went to the Phuket land office to do the transfer , it was rejected immediately by the land office , as the Foreign exchange transfer certificate did not state the exact condo I was buying.

They informed me I would need to go back to the bank and get a letter that showed the exact condo , the building name, the floor off the unit , and the exact address iff the unit. 

When we went back to the bank , the answer was " can not ".

The lawyer dealing with the transfer was holding a Power Of Attorney from the buyer , the land office informed that this could only be used for a maximum off 1 month.

This went on for over 2 years , the bank refused to issue the letter saying Head Office said no. The POA expired , I can honestly say I went back to the bank over 8 or 9 times to try and get this letter , everytime they made silly excuses. I had to keep geting the seller to update the POA as he lived in another country , they were costing me about 10,000 every time. In the end we had to get the vice president off the bank involved in getting this letter after threatening the bank with legal action. The letter was finally given by the bank in December 2020 , a new POA was acquired , and a new debt free letter from the Condominium. We went back to the land office on December 25 last year , the transfer was again refused . 

The reason this time was now the land office wanted the POA translated as they said new regulations. The POA was translated which took about 1 week and cost 2000 baht but when we went back to the land office , they said the debt release letter from the Condominium had now expired as it's only valid for 7 days.

When I went back to get a new debt free letter , the Condominium office said it would take 10 to 14 days to get a new one from  head office. 

Then by the time I received it on January 14 , the land office then said the POA had expired, so the whole process had to be started again. A new POA , had to be sought and noterised in the sellers country , then translated all over again , then a new debt free letter. In the end I finally got the Condo put in my name , it cost me a great deal off money , I was paying the lawyer 6000 every time he went to the land office and 10,000 ever time the the POA was renewed , it was a really stressful time .

So please be careful listening to members advice on here , telling you it's fine to transfer the funds first then go looking for a Condo.

The rules have all changed and tightened up at the land office these days. I believe the reason the land officer told me buyers were using the same FET certificate to buy many different condos , so that's why they insist the FET Certification shows the exact unit your buying.

 

Thank You      That tells me all I need to know . 

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I recently wired in a sum that triggered a call from the bank I use.     I asked the reason for the call.     They said they wanted to know if the money was being wired in to buy a condo.   After telling the caller I felt it wasn't anyone's business he  explained  payment for the condo would require proof the funds came from outside Thailand.    Fair enough I told him and I added  I wanted a FET document.    He told me where I could get it and the lady at the bank said after 90 days the FED requires a 500 THB payment.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

In my building there are large units with owners I know that have not been able to sell for years. The small ones like mine are more popular. Old building great location good management but no pool, not modern. 80 percent Thai owned most just use for weekends and not many foreign renters now. 

 

Are they in BKK (if so, where) and willing to rent?  Are they pet friendly?

I'm starting the search for a new rental.... TIA

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2 minutes ago, Maejoe said:

The big question is WHY ?
Much less trouble just to flush your money down the toilet.

Currently massive oversupply of units and they're still building thousands more.
Very easy to buy, but almost impossible to sell at anything like its true value.

 

Yet strangely enough, it seems when you are the farang and in the buying market, nothing seems to be discounted.

Why is that i wonder?????

 

If past conversations are to be believed,

many people say foreigners pay way to much for older condos that Thais wont touch.

 

So yes, WHY indeed?

 

Considering the above poster's (Brick top) story, i think you'd be very brave to buy now, especially with all going on in the world.

 

It might of been ok, IF

Thailand followed normal market forces, and sellers dropped prices in a over-done market, depression or needing to reduce the price to make a quick fire sale,

hence getting a bargain,

 

But it seems most Thais would rather sit on an empty condo for years before they would consider lowering the price a little.

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At an educated guess, 80% of western expats arrived here on a one way ticket, less than 100k baht, a pension that is relentlessly hammered by the baht and living the dream in a sweaty shoe box. 

This is the back story to most " rent only" posts. 

Up to the OP to wade through it all. 

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2 hours ago, murraynz said:

Its mostly people who have no money,that make that coment.

But its best to rent first until a suitable condo is found..

Just the opposite from my experience.

Anyone that buys property here seems very naive.  A non transparent, over priced, huge inventory of dead money.

Possibly people who  have never owned in their life and they get excited about a 2 million b condo.

It is not a good investment now with over 400,000 properties empty.  And that inventory will take years to digest, if ever.

People I know with investment knowledge and substantial portfolios seem to know better.  Not to mention the flexibility and freedom.

You can rent an ocean view in a 3 million b condo now in Pattaya  for 10,000 b a month. Buying the thing seems like stupidity.

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Brick Top said:

I would be very careful about about bringing the funds in first , and on reading some if the comments from others on here that are the advising you that is ok to do that.

Let me tell you what happened to me , I transferred just over 5 million into my Thai bank in July 2018 and put reason for transfer " to buy a Condominium".

Then I went looking for one , I found a nice one in August 2018. After making the contract ect and paying in full 5 Million for the Condo all done through a good law firm. Then we went to the Phuket land office to do the transfer , it was rejected immediately by the land office , as the Foreign exchange transfer certificate did not state the exact condo I was buying.

They informed me I would need to go back to the bank and get a letter that showed the exact condo , the building name, the floor off the unit , and the exact address iff the unit. 

When we went back to the bank , the answer was " can not ".

The lawyer dealing with the transfer was holding a Power Of Attorney from the buyer , the land office informed that this could only be used for a maximum off 1 month.

This went on for over 2 years , the bank refused to issue the letter saying Head Office said no. The POA expired , I can honestly say I went back to the bank over 8 or 9 times to try and get this letter , everytime they made silly excuses. I had to keep geting the seller to update the POA as he lived in another country , they were costing me about 10,000 every time. In the end we had to get the vice president off the bank involved in getting this letter after threatening the bank with legal action. The letter was finally given by the bank in December 2020 , a new POA was acquired , and a new debt free letter from the Condominium. We went back to the land office on December 25 last year , the transfer was again refused . 

The reason this time was now the land office wanted the POA translated as they said new regulations. The POA was translated which took about 1 week and cost 2000 baht but when we went back to the land office , they said the debt release letter from the Condominium had now expired as it's only valid for 7 days.

When I went back to get a new debt free letter , the Condominium office said it would take 10 to 14 days to get a new one from  head office. 

Then by the time I received it on January 14 , the land office then said the POA had expired, so the whole process had to be started again. A new POA , had to be sought and noterised in the sellers country , then translated all over again , then a new debt free letter. In the end I finally got the Condo put in my name , it cost me a great deal off money , I was paying the lawyer 6000 every time he went to the land office and 10,000 ever time the the POA was renewed , it was a really stressful time .

So please be careful listening to members advice on here , telling you it's fine to transfer the funds first then go looking for a Condo.

The rules have all changed and tightened up at the land office these days. I believe the reason the land officer told me buyers were using the same FET certificate to buy many different condos , so that's why they insist the FET Certification shows the exact unit your buying.

 

    I would have fired your lawyer.  It's his job to manage all the paperwork--and that includes all the expiration dates on POAs and debt free letters.  It's also his job to be aware of any Land Office changes in procedures.  A competent lawyer would have gone to the Land Office ahead of time to make sure that the POA was acceptable and all the paperwork, including the FET, was in order. 

    With this visit he should also have obtained the likely closing cost charges so you would have that information in hand for your first--and ONLY--visit to the Land Office for the closing.   When you paid him 6000 baht to go to the Land Office he should have been doing all of the above--as well as all the prep work beforehand  to have all the paperwork in order before his visit to the Land Office to have the paperwork approved.   When the lawyer is doing his job, the job you are paying him to do, there should be no surprises and no extra expenses like the ones you mentioned and the process should go smoothly.  

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5 hours ago, Brick Top said:

I would be very careful about about bringing the funds in first , and on reading some if the comments from others on here that are the advising you that is ok to do that.

Let me tell you what happened to me , I transferred just over 5 million into my Thai bank in July 2018 and put reason for transfer " to buy a Condominium".

Then I went looking for one , I found a nice one in August 2018. After making the contract ect and paying in full 5 Million for the Condo all done through a good law firm. Then we went to the Phuket land office to do the transfer , it was rejected immediately by the land office , as the Foreign exchange transfer certificate did not state the exact condo I was buying.

They informed me I would need to go back to the bank and get a letter that showed the exact condo , the building name, the floor off the unit , and the exact address iff the unit. 

When we went back to the bank , the answer was " can not ".

The lawyer dealing with the transfer was holding a Power Of Attorney from the buyer , the land office informed that this could only be used for a maximum off 1 month.

This went on for over 2 years , the bank refused to issue the letter saying Head Office said no. The POA expired , I can honestly say I went back to the bank over 8 or 9 times to try and get this letter , everytime they made silly excuses. I had to keep geting the seller to update the POA as he lived in another country , they were costing me about 10,000 every time. In the end we had to get the vice president off the bank involved in getting this letter after threatening the bank with legal action. The letter was finally given by the bank in December 2020 , a new POA was acquired , and a new debt free letter from the Condominium. We went back to the land office on December 25 last year , the transfer was again refused . 

The reason this time was now the land office wanted the POA translated as they said new regulations. The POA was translated which took about 1 week and cost 2000 baht but when we went back to the land office , they said the debt release letter from the Condominium had now expired as it's only valid for 7 days.

When I went back to get a new debt free letter , the Condominium office said it would take 10 to 14 days to get a new one from  head office. 

Then by the time I received it on January 14 , the land office then said the POA had expired, so the whole process had to be started again. A new POA , had to be sought and noterised in the sellers country , then translated all over again , then a new debt free letter. In the end I finally got the Condo put in my name , it cost me a great deal off money , I was paying the lawyer 6000 every time he went to the land office and 10,000 ever time the the POA was renewed , it was a really stressful time .

So please be careful listening to members advice on here , telling you it's fine to transfer the funds first then go looking for a Condo.

The rules have all changed and tightened up at the land office these days. I believe the reason the land officer told me buyers were using the same FET certificate to buy many different condos , so that's why they insist the FET Certification shows the exact unit your buying.

 

Nice story, but I am asking myself why you had that much troubles?
I gone to the land office myself always No need of a lawyer. But yes problem can occur...

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15 hours ago, ukrules said:

There's a reason for that.

 

My next door neighbours are in the same situation, they've been trying to sell their 3 storey 4 bedroom townhouse for about the last 3 years now - no buyers at all.

 

Several other houses in the same row of townhouses which are identical to theirs have sold without any problem and new people have moved in.

 

Why can't my next door neighbours sell theirs? It's a nice house, well maintained, refurbished to a reasonably high standard and they've looked after it over the years.

 

I'll tell you - the other houses sold for around 3.5 Million Baht each, they want 8 Million Baht for their identical house.

 

This is why they will never, ever be able to sell it.

 

Good point, that is why you have to get a good price, when you buy.  Everyone says it is hard to sell, but it is only hard to sell if you can't beat the competition on price.  Chances are you will be competing with identical units, that might even be on the same floor.  Thais are stubborn sellers?  Not always, but if owning is as bad as the 'stools say, then there should be plenty of farang selling, who don't owe the bank more than its worth, so just deal with them.  It took me too long to figure out that many of the stools were here or are here under various types of false pretenses, and have a muddied view of just about everything.  Of course, they would never buy.. It is all they can do to get a visa and/or a <deleted> teaching job just to be marginally legal. The lockout has been horrible, but for every owner locked out paying maintenance, there are many renters, paying rent and facing a remote liquidation of their stuff.  

 

I am currently paying 280 per night for a pretty good guest house in HH.  Aircon, daily maid, minibar, rooftop area, beach towels, quiet, etc..  200 hundred meters down the road they are building a development of prefab low-rise condos, starting at 7.8 million.  I'll bet they are closer to 40sm than 50sm, and no closer to the beach than me.  Seems like it would be a no brainer, but the actual room rate posted in the lobby is 950 THB per night for my room.  And they got that before, and will get that again, but today I am happy to pay 280, but it is not a means to an end.  Would I pay 7.8?  No, but if I could get one for five from an estate sale or a desperate seller, I would take a good look. As usual, the best move lies somewhere in the middle.   Renters have their windows, but more often than not, get creamed in the long run.  

 

 

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On 2/19/2021 at 4:57 PM, sangtip2 said:

I am thinking about buying a condo .      My question is   ---   can I bring money into the country   and then go start shopping for a unit I like or do I have to pick a condo and make a contract and then bring money in to the country specifically for that purchase.

Maybe start looking around and see what you can get for what money... as it stands you don't know how much to bring in?

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4 hours ago, moontang said:

Good point, that is why you have to get a good price, when you buy.  Everyone says it is hard to sell, but it is only hard to sell if you can't beat the competition on price.  Chances are you will be competing with identical units, that might even be on the same floor.  Thais are stubborn sellers?  Not always, but if owning is as bad as the 'stools say, then there should be plenty of farang selling, who don't owe the bank more than its worth, so just deal with them.  It took me too long to figure out that many of the stools were here or are here under various types of false pretenses, and have a muddied view of just about everything.  Of course, they would never buy.. It is all they can do to get a visa and/or a <deleted> teaching job just to be marginally legal. The lockout has been horrible, but for every owner locked out paying maintenance, there are many renters, paying rent and facing a remote liquidation of their stuff.  

 

I am currently paying 280 per night for a pretty good guest house in HH.  Aircon, daily maid, minibar, rooftop area, beach towels, quiet, etc..  200 hundred meters down the road they are building a development of prefab low-rise condos, starting at 7.8 million.  I'll bet they are closer to 40sm than 50sm, and no closer to the beach than me.  Seems like it would be a no brainer, but the actual room rate posted in the lobby is 950 THB per night for my room.  And they got that before, and will get that again, but today I am happy to pay 280, but it is not a means to an end.  Would I pay 7.8?  No, but if I could get one for five from an estate sale or a desperate seller, I would take a good look. As usual, the best move lies somewhere in the middle.   Renters have their windows, but more often than not, get creamed in the long run.  

 

 

There are negatives about the Hotel lifestyle. I have done it.

 

In normal times can you get a reservation on weekends or holidays?

It wont be 280 Baht. 

I travel with smallest baggage possible, everything I need is waiting for me, at home.

I don't like having a check out time. When your flight is at 23:50 do you walk around all day like a vagrant then board a long flight a sweaty mess? Carrying bags or storing them somewhere?

No yobs in elevators with cigarettes, bringing whores in and out. Noise problems, Garbage problems. Chinese people screaming in hallways and slamming doors at 5 AM. (I have experienced this in multiple countries part of the national character). Some owners tried to turn our Condo into a tourist hotel a few years ago , problem solved. It is illegal for many reasons in Thailand.

 

The only sure positive to renting is it is easy to move way.

 

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

There are negatives about the Hotel lifestyle. I have done it.

 

In normal times can you get a reservation on weekends or holidays?

It wont be 280 Baht. 

I travel with smallest baggage possible, everything I need is waiting for me, at home.

I don't like having a check out time. When your flight is at 23:50 do you walk around all day like a vagrant then board a long flight a sweaty mess? Carrying bags or storing them somewhere?

No yobs in elevators with cigarettes, bringing whores in and out. Noise problems, Garbage problems. Chinese people screaming in hallways and slamming doors at 5 AM. (I have experienced this in multiple countries part of the national character). Some owners tried to turn our Condo into a tourist hotel a few years ago , problem solved. It is illegal for many reasons in Thailand.

 

The only sure positive to renting is it is easy to move way.

 

 

 

 

Currently, I got five days for 1400 on Agoda, including the weekend.  But, as stated they have and will get 950 per night, but not this year.  I own a condo in Nonthaburi, and enjoy traveling light and other benefits, but there are almost as many drawbacks to owning as renting.  Haven't seen anyone smoke in an elevator in decades.  

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23 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

I don't like having a check out time. When your flight is at 23:50 do you walk around all day like a vagrant then board a long flight a sweaty mess? Carrying bags or storing them somewhere?

Booking another night would be the obvious answer.

I'd think that was cheaper than buying a condo.

Edited by BritManToo
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