Man, I've had my fair share of "noise problems" in multi-unit living areas. Dogs nearly constantly barking, screaming kids at odd hours, and promiscuous neighbors banging at night. I think I'll settle for the higher priced and higher end condos in Bangkok.
Great information with examples and details. Best video I have seen. Thank you for pointing out what to consider when looking for a place to stay or live. Thank you. 😊
Interesting. Google runs the ads automatically and I was unaware they they placed an ad so early. Not a fan of those either. I’ll do a manual check on the placements. Thanks for the heads up
The first and main thing he needs to mention is to not rent in hot spot touristy areas with a lot of foreign investors.But of course that’s too much like right instead let’s attract more people to the same areas like Bangkok,Pattaya and Phuket🤔🤣.
I doubt anyone thinking about Bangkok would be happy in the places you suggest. We want the convenience and possibilities of a bigger city. I was about to agree to your first sentence, but realized that you don't talk about areas, but just hate bigger cities in general.
The real estate websites here are really bad, multiple agents list the same place and they hardly take them off if rented, try to get the line app of agents that already lists in the building you like and send them message to see what’s available, and never pay sticker price, the listing is inflated and they expect some negotiation
I agree. It's most bait and switch strategies on those websites. I recommend checking out this video, as I go through the best process to find and rent condos as well! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IPTyyXtav8w.html
@@vintageexcellence it depends on landlord how motivated they are to rent, many empty condos but if the new digital nomad visa comes available it may see many foreigners coming back to live and looking for places to rent
@@vintageexcellence I cover this quite a bit in the video I linked. It really depends on the occupancy rate of the building and whether the condo is priced well in comparison to competing units. I recommend making a discounted offer of around 30% as a general rule as well. But once your actually looking, you will also notice that some units come on the market that are very well priced. It can be best to just rent those ones on the spot as they disappear very quickly.
@@MikeyInThailand There will be 2 streams flowing in and out at the same time: 1. A stream of digital nomads who will come to Thailand using DTV visa. The question is though why live in expensive and overcrowded place like Bangkok instead of less pricey and crowded places like Chiang Mai? 2. A stream of expats leaving Thailand because of the new foreign income tax rules. Having to bother with filing income tax return in Thailand, proving that money you transfer to Thailand for a big purchase is already taxed in your home country - it's a little too much for many people. Only time can show which stream prevails.
Great video. I would like to add couple more points to look for: 1.) Always ask if you can get a discount on the asking price. More often than not, the prices are inflated. 2.) Some landlord asks for 3 months or even 4 months of deposit. If you encounter one such landlord, just run. 3.) In high rise condos, sometimes it can take 15-20 minutes to get to the ground floor from a high floor. It can be annoying at times, and elevators can be slow. 4.) You don't really need to stay close to MRT or BTS depending on how often you go out. Hiring a motorbike taxi through apps like Grab or Bolt will cost you almost the same more often than not and might be more convenient. If you are a remote worker and work from home mostly, you don't really need to live near MRT, but if you're an office worker then maybe living near MRT or BTS is more important.
Cal I would say another two sources of irratating noise is don't get a condo that sits next to elevator shaft or garbage shoot I have experienced both elevator being the worst. And concerning elevators how many do they have for the size of the building I have had to wait 15 min during dinner time elevator rage is real lol.
Most condos especially the newer ones have a sewage stench problems that come inside the rooms through the toilets don’t let the looks of the exterior fool you.
Fantastic video, as usual. I'm noise sensitive and the old condos look like a bargain. Solid concrete...yeah, baby! Thank you for spending the time you did on noise. One thing maybe worth mentioning is the noise from renovation work in new condos (at least in KL where I live). It can reverberate across *floors* given the lack of sound proofing. I've had more than a few "just kill me" moments when a neighbor starts using a power drill.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm very noise sensitive as well and it's probably one of the more difficult problems to deal with in a lot of condos here. My current condo had a sudden uptick in noise. Drove me nuts for about a week lol
Very old condos also report inside noise of refurbishments to make outweared units more attractive. Especially in Chiang Mai i read (google maps reviews) this issue in the very old and central located (e.g Nimman) condos very often
3 month rentals can be difficult. Most landlords and agencies will only do a minimum of 6 month leases. You can check for serviced apartments on renthub though
Nice video, but I would add a couple of things. 1. Pay attention to which side of the building your unit is located. If it faces more to the west, it will get hot during the afternoon and thus your electricity bill will be higher. 2. Look at a flood map for Bangkok. Parts of the city do flood during heavy rains, and you don't want to have to wade through it.
This video is 100% accurate! I lived in a newer posh condo building in Asoke and it the build quality was terrible, a ton of noise from neighbors and crowded amenities. Now I live in Pathum Wan in an older condo and I have no neighbors, a huge condo, and it’s cheap! Of course… no posh amenities lol!
After the first 3 weeks, the novelty of the shiny facilities die down. I’d rather live in a super insulated / better quality old condo and living in a big space than in a shoebox of those newer condo with all the rainbow facilities.
On the note about condo smells, check that the bathroom has an exaust fan. The last condo I rented had no fan but didn't smell when I made the initial visit. However; after I used the toilet for a poo poo, the smell from the DRAIN was horrible. This is because the older plumming designs in Thailand don't have the same venting systems as Western countries, and often share the same passage way down the sewer drain as your nighboors above and below! Wind, other smells and more noise! Yes, there's more. Your neighboors may decide they like cooking with their doors and windows open; depending on the elevation of your floor and the wind flows during parts of the days you may get all that cooking fumes and noise right into your condo/room. The last condo was on the 13th floor and the nighboor was insistant on leaving his door open while the high winds passed through with howling winds through the gaps in my door. I had to install permanent weather stripping to resolve part of problem, but the noise and renovations proved too much after 8 months, so I broke the lease and moved out! As mentioined by Cal, the local jurstiction will do little to nothing about it, and don't like loosing face. Inside condo renovations and juristiction improvement projects in older condos: This can be a big issue, especially, in more popular areas where these older units are more attractive to savey buyers who are lookikng for more sq.m space for their money and want to make it their own. Elevator noise from the bell or people returning home for a night out on the town. Especially, in popular areas.
Hi Cal. Recently discovered your great videos on Bangkok condos. Love the clear, up to date info. I've been to Bangkok a number of times and know the usual areas and transport system, and I'm looking at spending four months in Bangkok, October to January, to learn Thai at a school near Asok. Don't want to in Asok but am considering somewhere down the Sukhumvit BTS line. Can you, or anyone else, recommend condo buildings/areas, or even further away but accessible areas - not full of expats, otherwise I won't learn the lingo. Thanks, Alan.
Hi Alan, it might be a bit difficult to find a standard condo for only 4 months as most landlords want a minimum 6 month lease. If you’re looking for 4 months I would recommend checking serviced apartments on renthub.in They do much more flexible rentals!
Last year, I lived for a few months in one of the residential complexes shown in the video (Life Asoke - Rama 9). If you have a condo on one of the upper floors, you don't notice the traffic that much, but the distances are long. There were 6 lifts, but I sometimes had to wait 20 minutes in the morning before I finally got downstairs. If you forget something, this can lead to an unpleasant delay. The exit ended on a main road and there were traffic lights in front of it. It was almost impossible to get there in time by car. If you are interested in a condo, you should also look at these points.
Another great vlog, with lots of useful & detailed information. Thanks for sharing your experience. :) A few questions: Let's say that someone is not interested in living in a high-rise condo (perhaps due to fear of heights, for example). Do you have any experience with, and/or knowledge about, low-rise apartment buildings in Bangkok? With regards to location, it seems that vloggers focus mostly on the areas in/around Asoke, On Nut, Silom, etc. But, what is your opinion about living a bit further out - perhaps over on the west side of the Chao Phraya River?
Thanks for the kind words! There are plenty of low-rise buildings as well. Normally these are a little bit older but they offer great value! The west side of the Chaopraya is great! This is the Thonburi area and I actually lived there for 3 years. It’s like going back in time. Much quieter and more relaxed. Absolutely love it. I covered it in my guide about places to stay in Bangkok. I recommend checking out this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xg9AKhVb0KM.htmlsi=7vIqjQvb0uvVIxBF Cheers!
Thanks for the amazing information mate. I want to live there for 6 months/ year. Can you do a video with some examples of what you would get now and what area considering this video please? Can you show some condo with how much month they are asking? What would you get if you want to move in a month to Bangkok? What's the perfect condo for you after that much time there and the costs/ month? Thanks 👍
Thanks for the kind words. I recommend you watch a couple of my earlier videos about the areas in the city and a full rental guide. I'll be covering more specific condos in upcoming videos as well. Cheers! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xg9AKhVb0KM.htmlsi=ZPoBbuR3t3rnk1Iy ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IPTyyXtav8w.htmlsi=L8bkc7pJYK7sv784
It really depends on the condo and how close it is to fair market prices. I normally recommend asking for a 30% discount, but some condos come to market that are priced very well….they normally get rented almost immediately!
Wonderful deep insight into things we often don't think about, but should, when buying or renting a condo. I can attest to how important it is to have quiet neighbors, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, nearby convenience stores. Also, how important it is to not have poor ventilation or live beside a very busy street. One thing I can thoroughly recommend to completely, or at least mostly, eradicate noise issues is to get a pair of 🍎airbuds. I work/sleep on vampire hours and those airbuds set on 'noise cancellation' have saved me from screaming at my neighbors when they do home repairs or young kids make noise in the hallways. Best work-around for
Regarding higher end condos like the Celes Asoke which was shown in your video, how much can one negotiate/lower (as a percentage range) the asking monthly rent with a 1-year lease? What percentage off the monthly rent is a good starting offer assuming a 1-year lease? Thank you!
Thanks for this great information. You've confirmed my beliefs about construction eras completely, lol 😊 I am planning to move to Thailand but after a lot of consideration, not Bangkok. Your video is relevant to anywhere in Thailand, I think.
with a visitor visa in the USA. Visitor visa is important. But let it be noted that it is a visitor visa. If you want to work, you need a green card, your leave is vacation. Be careful, working secretly is prohibited by law. There are enough unemployed people in America.
The United States and Canada have large territories, and there are beautiful large villas in the suburbs. Are there beautiful large villas in the suburbs of Thailand?
Noise is a BIG issue, thanks for the info, large cities aren't my cup of tea, so BKK is a miss, down south looks ok or Vietnam Da Lat in the hot season looks good.
Thanks for the kind words! Perhaps one day, but I would need to be very settled as the real estate market isn't quite as good of an investment as in western countries. As it is, the market favors renting due to overbuilding. I'll cover this in a video soon as it's a good subject to cover!
Another great video! Good job Cal! 😊 Do you happen to know if there are short-term condo rental options available for those of us who will be visiting Bangkok for a few months?
Short term rentals are much more difficult to find. Normally landlords want a minimum 6 month lease. I recommend you check Facebook marketplace as there are often lease takeovers, but just be careful about scams on there. You can also check serviced apartments on the website renthub . They normally do short term rentals and offer very good value. Cheers!
Cal has a video called: how to find a condo in bangkok part 1 and part 2. I found one with a short term monthly rental. I had an ed visa, so went for 6 months. The same condo offers monthly. I can not tell you the condo, it might get flooded with expats, I want to return to that condo in the future. I would book a cheap hotel for 18 days and follow the steps to find a condo in that video. If you need to extend, extend hotel. Also consider places one or two stops from the prime location because you are looking for short term rentals. Max bts trains per month would only be around 60 pounds. Obviously 10 minutes away from mrt or bts is a must. I found a condo within 3 days, it was that fast.
@@fearless6947 Thanks for pointing me in the direction of those videos, they were great! And thanks for the advice regarding location selection. Do you have any recommendations for a first time visitor who's looking for accommodations outside of the busier areas of Sukhumvit near MRT/BTS, with moderate expat/tourist community, near a mall and/or food shopping/market options? I looked a bit at Thong Lor, Phra Kanong, and On Nut but there are so many to choose from it's tough to decide. Perhaps when I arrive I'll just spend a week cruising up and down the various rail lines to see which areas catch my attention. Thanks again! 😁
@@ignatiobuns4853 when you arrive, just spend a week cruising up and down the various rail lines to see which areas catch your attention. If your goal is 3 months, those places you mention sounds good. You won't get it exactly perfect, but it would be good enough for a couple months, and should be able to get your deposit back. Over time staying in Bangkok, you will get a feel for where you really like to stay, when you return.
very helpful and insightful video. I've been watching tons of Thailand rental videos and you covered many areas that I had never heard or considered before this video. Thank you for sharing.
That’s a cool video // since I work in structural engineering these are things I consider when choosing a building (materials, build quality) well done 👍 Edit: What would you suggest for someone on short stay, as in 1-3 months ? 🙂 Edit 2: Nevermind, I found the answer in the other video 👍
Thanks for the kind words! In case my answer is different, I’d recommend either a lease takeover on Facebook marketplace (but be careful about scams) or a serviced apartment which is normally listed on the website renthub. Cheers!
The small world I’m going there from New York in three weeks and I’m looking at the same complex you happen to live at only question is how is the noise level at your location. I need my space more than I need luxury. Keep up your videos I’ve actually enjoy them
It’s alright but I’m less of a fan now as the area is quite congested, and the building is busier than it used to be. I’m considering moving as I’ve been here for a while but overall it has been a great condo. In terms of noise, if your unlucky and have a neighbor that is even a little bit noisy there is a good chance you will hear it. This is quite similar for most of the box style condos. Need the older ones for the best noise proofing!
Bangkok is about 5 TIMES bigger than New york by sheer size. and have around 6 million more people.promise u that if u move outside 20-30 minby subway or skytrain from the absolute city center its much quieter .but its asia so its never really quiet here..
Excellent information, thanks. What sort of price range are we talking about for a basic but decent old condo in Bangkok for 1 person please, based on your own experience?
It depends on the size of the condo. You can find 40sqm studios in older building for as little as 7,000 baht per month… or 100sqm 2 bedroom units for 14,000 per month. I have friends that pay these prices. And those prices can go up significantly depending on the location and building… for example I lived in a 100sqm condo right next to Asok for 29k.
@@thebangkokguide I did actually have to do that but still grateful for the excellent content as someone travelling in Thailand right now, with the intention of possibly moving here sometime in the future.....😊
@richardabazley - Cal teaches English to Thai students, so he's used to speaking slowly so they can understand. If you follow his cadence, he enunciates every word which helps ESL students listen and understand what is being said.
I’m glad it’s helpful. Thanks for the kind words! Make sure to watch my other video on this topic as it will help you when you start searching: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IPTyyXtav8w.htmlsi=ej7Hx--bfRlFnMvR
"NYC clocks in at a respectable 302 square miles (783 sq km). That's a lot of concrete jungle where dreams are made of (or crushed by rent prices, but that's a story for another day). But hold onto your discount pad thai, because Bangkok enters the ring at a comparatively petite 1,569 square miles (4,065 sq km). That's over FIVE TIMES the size of the Big Apple! Basically, if you got lost in Bangkok, you'd need a map, a compass, and a lifetime supply of mango sticky rice to find your way back.
This is why I think you put out about the best content on living in Thailand. No one ever talks about the roaches. I've seen it mentioned in reviews though. Thank you so much for bringing this into the post. It's so important.
Thanks for the kind words. And yep, those roaches are pretty inescapable here. I try to keep my place really clean and close off any entry points… but it’s still a challenge!
That's right, for me pests and roaches in particular are one of the few downsides of TH and probably one of the reasons I'm not going to live there. It's like he said, roaches are inevitable there. Everytime I check my room when I come to Thailand, even if the hotel is modern and that clean, if I spot one roach in my room or near the room, it's over, I will check out. I know it's overreacting but roaches are so nasty and gross, I really don't get it how they fit in the ecosystem. But back to topic, pest control is essential and necessary and especially in hotel, restaurants and rental properties.
Fabulous job Cal as usual,i do agree old condos are so good with isolation not only in Bkk but in some other parts in Thailand.Again i might be needing condo in future so this is a great advice
I lived in my Aunt's condo The Rhythm Sukhumvit for 5 months. It's more on the pricier side. But no roaches, no bad smells. Good amenities (I didn't check out all but the pool and gym were nice!) + the golf cart to send u to the BTS and other nearby spots when requested is nice. Traffic will be ur main obstacle tho. 😅 But if you don't mind or use the BTS then I think it's great!
The weather in Canada is cold, so you don’t need to buy an air conditioner, which can save a lot on electricity bills. Unlike Thailand, where you have to turn on the air conditioner every day and the electricity bill is very expensive , Right ?
Actually I pay a lot less for electric and utilities here as Canada has very cold weather which requires heating in the winter… and then hot weather which requires air conditioning in the summer. I think my utility bills were about 3-4x higher in Canada.
