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atl
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This goes out to the brothers that live in Thailand NOW..
I lived there for a only 3 years (jan 2002 - jan 2005)..when times were good..baht was 44 baht to dollar and my very small dividend checks from my nightclub were an added bonus to my thai salary...if you guys dont know I was everything from a teacher to condo salesman to wine salesman (chateau de loei in phuket)..I am a born salesman...
I am just curious if the bro's living over there now experience the same lifestyle as they did say 3 years ago...I know you can go get laid by a hottie but I mean other ways...the new gov't especially..I hate it that wife is so correct about it..
my old buddy that I sold condo's with said he is gonna quit because he hasnt made a commision since the coup...
you guys know a day doesnt go by I dont think about moving back (my wife would say go alone) but I just dont think the current reality would match the incredible 3 years I have etched in my mind..
Keep in mind, I am still in my working years and am not on a phat pension..
please tell me I am wrong..
atl
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:02 pm on July 20, 2007
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atl
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cool...IB..I aint a newbie...
what do you do there???when I was sales director for chateau de loei I made just under 100 thousand baht a month...and it was tough..
I know that a certain aspect of life is always gonna be good....but I would like serious posts in case any bro's are thinking about making the move that so many of us have said "f*** it" and did...
I can say that my danish mate that I sold condo's for way over a year with... is not the only friend/ ex-client that is dis-infranchised with doing business with the new government...even my thai actor buddy (ny boy you know) says its different..
you can paint a picture but for me I am looking at 60K as opposed to 48K on the house I am building... and beside that fact the current gov't officials want to meet with me in person simply to get a permit to build in nakon sawan on my wifes land..something smells.maybe they will try an stick me for a payoff like they did to my in laws for the post my parents sent...
IB.. I know you can get way more and better punani in thailand than any other nation..but day to day and longterm...speaking of tax's, visa's, exchange rate etc.. is it as good as before?
atl
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:08 am on July 21, 2007
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IBFarang
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For the business that I am in things have never been better. The company that I work for manufactures in the US and the weak dollar has translated into record sales for the past two years and we are on track to set a new sales record this year as well. My day-to-day expenses are certainly more now but so is my sales commission.
The condo market is a whole other ball game and as I understand it business at this time is quite different depending on the market you are targeting. Sales seem to be pretty robust on the low end of things and fairly decent at the very top end of things. Anyone in the property business knows that location is also a big factor and some locations have a bit of an over supply issue right now. Throw in the fact that many locals don’t want anything to do with a condo unless it is new and things can get a bit interesting.
As for working with the new guys in charge they certainly are not making a lot of friends. Sure it’s different, different people in charge and so things are naturally going to be different. But I think the real problem is that the rules seem to keep changing. IMHO it has never been easy to do business in Thailand but before one generally knew (or with a little work could find out) what needed to be done to get from point A to point B. Now many times that is not the case. The new government has made plenty of waves that have made many a Farang think hard before buying a condo, or investing money in Thailand (big uncertainty issues at the present time). Eventually someone will finally come out on top and things should settle down.
I am not a Taxsin fan and am glad to seem him gone. Real shame things went down the way they did - things could have gone a lot simpler had he been willing to simply step down. The TRT could have kept control but IMHO Taxsin felt he was more important than the party and even than Thailand for that matter, and I think Thailand will be better off long term if they never allow him to soil the beauty of Thailand ever again.
As for the main question about is it as good as it was before – in my experience things are rarely as good as we remember them. So you would probably be disappointed if you did return because it is unlikely that it could live up to how you remember it was. But for me it is still good to live in Thailand.
Taxes - not a big issue for me
Visa – no real problem for me or most of the people that I know, it is really not that hard to get a legit visa to stay in Thailand
Exchange rate – as a stated above this has actually had a beneficial effect for me.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 1:23 am on July 21, 2007
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atl
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IB,
thats the info I was interested in...thanks.....good on you that biz is booming..I am jealous 
can you still gt a decent apartment for 17,000baht a month? thats what I paid for my last place in BKK and it was pretty cool (SV City)..
cheers,
atl
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:51 am on July 21, 2007
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Mel Gibson
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ATL, From what I have watched over the last few years the major differences have fallen on the farang visitor. Hotels have gone up rediculously, ST and LT up maybe 50% in 3 years ( especially for those who cannot barter in Thai ) etc etc.
But the price for "long term" accomodation has not mooved anywhere near as far. A nice 2 bedroom can still be had in the 20-22K range. Basic food, cigarettes, etc are still cheap.
Basically from what I am seeing and hearing, long term stayers are looking somewhat out from the main areas and getting better value on their housing and most importantly on their ST / LT's.
Personally I have 2 alternative plans in place for retirement ( 6 years ) Khorat,, Trat.My investment strategy and target is toward living in a nice house on 5 rai in one of those areas.
YMMV
Mel
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:17 am on July 22, 2007
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atl
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Mel,
Trat is a damn good idea..especially with Ko Chang a hop, skip & jump away..
unfortunatly, I can only afford this house as my wife owns the land in nakon sawan (which is beautiful with clean air)...maybe I need to buy 2 lottery tickets today
atl
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 8:05 am on July 22, 2007
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ringthebells
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atl.
to give you a few pointers from my point of view.
1. exchange rate
it hurts my business, a) the export business. b) the local hotel and bar business
2. government
behind my place they are building these state-of-the-art condos.
they sold most of the foreign allowed plots but almost none of the thai plots.
thai people are not investing in their own country at the moment.
also I am missing lot of regulars (good spenders) in my bar right now. their companies are not investing in thailand now (who wants to invest in a military junta?) they are going elsewhere or simply wait up in the bleachers.
also expats here seem to face a cut in entertainment expenses.
3. lodging
location, location. a 2 bedroom in lower sukhumvit is 40k plus.
in nearby areas (e.g. nanglinchee) it is still possible to find below 20k.
the paces in prakanong and on nut seem to go up steadily.
rtb
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 12:19 pm on July 23, 2007
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LiamOZ
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I don't live there, but am back 3-5 times a year. I am involved a little with BKK condos & have some mates in the rental game. My observations FWIW:
Rentals on Condos suitable for farangs between Nana & Thonglor generally down, a 'renters market' so to speak. What was achieving 75k pm now 65k, what was achieving 45k now 40k (cheaper studios etc way down) just two examples, drops are inconsistent.
For the renter, that is good, but for the owner every time a lease is up, the tenants go shopping & bargain the prices down. I think as a result condos are going cheaper (sale prices) & some people are making capital losses. Quality of tenant relative to property therefore goes south, but if you have a property in an excellent location, good tenants will stay.
I guess that will slow investment, & eventually push evertything back up, providing not too many farang get the shits & leave.
I don't see nearly the same number of 'well heeled' UK & US mongers, and the small bars are hurting. It is strange economics but P4P asking prices seem to be on the rise. As far as general tourism, I wouldn't know.
Liam
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 4:44 pm on July 23, 2007
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haam sup
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This discussion is going to divide along the usual lines: those who have been lucky, and have a full-time expat job, with all that that implies, and those who are struggling to get established.
Those who already have it made often look with disdain on those who are trying to get started on their new life.
So it goes.
I have been living here just under two years, but traveling back and forth for the past 25 years, and I can state unequivocally that this is the worst I have seen it from the standpoint of starting a new life here, particularly if you are not independently wealthy.
I wouldn't invest a dime here that I couldn't afford to lose, and the prevailing winds are blowing anti-foreigner. The exchange rate is bad, partly due to the US quagmire and the dollar's plunge, but also due to the BOT's monetary policies. The Immigration rules are changing daily, with a lot of emphasis on weeding out bad farangs. Attitudes are quite different than they were a few years ago, in no small part due to the US' loss of world prestige, but partially to a rising nationalism here in Thailand.
John Mark Karr, the moron, singlehandedly precipitated actions which have made teaching jobs MUCH harder to come by, and cast all farangs under a web of suspicion.
I have been fortunate enough to never have to teach English to survive, but it is not comforting to know that there are no job opportunities to fall back upon, if need be.
(Before we hear from the Teachers' Union, let me state that I believe that good teachers come from MANY backgrounds, but should, of course, be qualified. A bachelor's degree in psychology, or mechanical engineering, however does NOT imply that qualification. A CELTA, or TESOL course, from a reputable school, even in the absence of a degree, does imply both commitment, and qualification IMHO.)
I would advise anyone coming here to plan on living on income from abroad, rather than income derived in Thailand (except for the few very fortunate who have expat jobs before they arrive), and to have a plan B, in case things go where I think they are headed.
best,
hs
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:16 am on July 24, 2007
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