How About a Brand New 2 Story Home in Chiang Mai for $500? 

One thing that your viewers may find interesting is that they can have a full time nanny/houskeeper for very little money although probably more for a Category 3 budget. When I lived in Chiang Mai I hired a full time live-in nanny for 6,000 THB. I never had to lift a finger in cooking and cleaning.

Thanks Brent. Topics like living on or buying land are very complicated and not easy to answer due to the complexity and options. These types of questions are the reason I started the members site and all those important details for people actually considering a move are answered there as well as being able to connect live with members already living here or getting ready to make the move. Sorry I couldn't answer you simply.

We use 2 part A/C with a compressor outside and an air handler inside the room. So it would depend on the BTUs of the units and how many units you had running and of course you would't run them all 24hrs a day but only in the zones you were using.

My Thai wife and I built a 2,300 square Ft two story western style house in Nonthaburi, which is a north eastern suburb of Bangkok in 1980. It has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and is fully air conditioned. We paid $20,000 to build it. It was just appraised at close to $200,000. There is a misconception, among westerners, that Thai people are poor. Yes, there are millions of poor Thais, who have limited education and skills. However, Thailand has a large middle class and a pretty good sized higher class. There are many millionaires and other wealthy people in the country. The average middle class and upper class Thais can afford a house like I have and many can afford much more expensive houses than I could. They can also afford expensive cars and fashions. Considering that a car costs between 2 and 3 times more than in the US. Thailand also has approximately 15,000 foreign factories where entire Thai families work. Thailand had to import 2 million workers from Laos, Cambodia, and Burma, as there were not enough Thai workers. In effect they have 100% employment for those that can and want to work. Chiang Mai's real estate prices are about 1/4 that of Bangkok as it is about 430 miles north of Bangkok. There is basically little opportunity for a foreigner to work in Thailand as there are virtually no jobs for westerners unless you want to teach English privately.

Really nice, very informative videos you have here. I've already seen quite a few by now (discovered your channel only today!) and plan to watch lots more going forward. Keep up the great work!

Im in Pattaya for my first time in Thailand this week. I think Chaing Mai would be a better place for me. To much going on here. I would get tired of it quickly, although I am having a lot of fun right now.

This was published Dec 20, 2011 - so keep that in mind and find up to date info.

@fonstock Yes, good eye. That is all we use here. on demand units. 95% are electric ones.

Its very inexpensive, $48,000 dollars is about almost 1,700,000 thai baht, which is like living like a king there, the food in Thailand can range from really inexpensive if you live like a Thai or really expensive if you feel you wanna change things up and veer away from Thai Food. There is excellent coffee there and WIFI is everywhere and even WIFI can be included in your rental depending on where you live.

@SamSahloon Haaa! Yeah, we are over here living in rice fields and riding water buffaloes!! Funny but some people actually think that. I think that's why some of my videos are informative. Shows what it's really like.

Yes this is true. But there are ways to give you the rights to stay on the property as long as you want to. These types of details are why I created the members site. Way to detailed to try to discuss on a RU-vid video.

@fonstock 220V Some devices (cell phone chargers and laptop power supplies) you own have power supplies that will do both 110V and 220V. Check the specs on the transformer. Your plug is fine but you might want to bring some cheaters as I call them. The adapter that turns a 3 prong with a ground pin to a 2 prong.

@AussieHarold Yes, some of this is true and a little too complicated for a youTube comment. As I mentioned in the video. Really the two ways are to have a Thai company that pays corporate tax yearly or put it in a Thai name. I think the lease route isn't iron clad.

Love it. I think this was one of the first videos I ever watched on your channel. Saw the interview with Darryl and Gif in Jan 2019. Darryl and I have a mutual friend who I work with at Univ of San Diego. ... In 2013 I sold my house about 25 minutes inland from San Diego... $485... thousand. LOL. Now I live in a (waaaaait forniiiiit) ~$985k house that is 1/3 the size and 4 blocks from the beach.. I think Thailand is cheaper. 55555555. Psyched that your vids intro'ed me and Gracie to another cool couple!! Thanks JC & Nat - Live the Dream!!! ;-) Oh! .. my room in Singapore from our trip last week was $517... Per night. Amazing... :-/

@MrBananamatic It's towards the northeast of town. Yes a wireless mic.

I guess you didn't see the annotation come up on the screen. Maybe you have that option turned off.

1 year 1 month fee. 1/12, 8.333%. Not an unreasonable management fee

Thanks for that information. Nice perk for category 3 RIPpers.

Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in hearing more about owning real estate in Thailand. Maybe even some interviews with Americans who have owned multiple properties legally in Thailand.

Thanks JC for the reply about the "on demand hot water heater"! Brings to mind an additional question about the electrical standard - if you don't mind? Do they also use 120 V, 60 Htz? 220 V 50 Htz? Or something else? If we travel to Thailand, will our US electrical devices work, laptops etc.? Or will some sort of transformer be needed to plug in & recharge US made devices, etc.? What type of electrical plug is needed? Thanks.

Glad you enjoy them.

You must be looking at real estate focused on sales to foreigners. I suggest not eating, drinking or purchasing these products or services if you are on a fixed income. But there are so many intangibles that still add more value even when paying the same for tangibles.

If there ever will be a film school class on how to make the perfect early retiree video, this would be one of the example films. You have super affordable real estate, an attractive hostess, and food. The trifecta. :)

It's interesting to see how some, perhaps 60 year old, worry what happens with the lease after another 60 years, instead enjoying the life now :)

500 dolar is expensieve,if the house cost 48.000 dolar, they have earned there money back in 8 years,thats a very good invesment but do you realy think people pay so much rent for a house in Thailand,if it was close to beach maybe but outside of the beach ,throwing money out of window...

Ha ah Ha JC your funny !!, loved the concrete walls jibe , "so you can't hear next door" wink wink smile smile , ha ah have spent the last few months watching your vids , always well informed and interesting , can't wait for the day that I return .....for good . Maybe we can't have a beer and a laugh or two , checking website out soon , keep up the good work JC , from Wales , in the UK !!! »»»»» p.s great little deal that 1.49 mil B , bout £28.000 Sterling , bargain.

From what I have been told this rental has now been reduced in price. An even better deal now!

I go to Thailand a lot I could live there for a while so renting be good for me I like roiet my ex gf lived in a little village there remember people just stay positive

I rent a 3 bedroom 3 bath house near ChiangMai. Rent is about 460 a month in a gated community. Is nice and quiet. I wouldn't risk buying property here because politically you don't know what may happen and you may want to relocate for some reason. In this village the homes are mostly large and surprisingly many are empty having been foreclosed on. I think most are around 14 years old or so. I can see that the foundations, sidewalks and other improvements were not done on properly prepared land. Lots of cracks and sagging, leaning, etc. The house I'm in is fine but if I owned it I'd be very worried. They also are continuing to build more large housing tracts out this way so in a year or two I think the traffic will be more than I like. It's the kind of thing you have to adapt to if you own. It's not a good sellers market right now with construction going on everywhere.

I'm curious what the build quality is like. Also what options you have for the price, how much more for beachfront, etc.

great video!! so are you still in chiang mai....would love an update as to prices now....2015. coming over this year and want to rent somewhere for a few months. keep up the good work!!

I did the research . And found that It floods every 30 years . For a really , really big flood .In the USA .

Great video JC. More like this please.

Kitchen remodeling is cheap and so is A/C they way it is used in Thailand. 10 to 20 Thousand Dollars buys a whole new addition!!!

Hows the story in Chiang Mai 2016 long term ? Factoring in electricity and water aswell :) Can you recommend some short term guesthouse or small hotell options that is userfriendly in terms of location and prices for a month exploration stay ? Love your videos, keep it up!.

Thank you on 220v! Great info!

I like your videos.If someone askme about Thailand I will tell them check out to your wesite or youtube. And also you made video in many subjects .nice job JC.

Thanks JC for informative your videos. Concerning cost of housing in Thailand vs the US. The options are much greater in Thailand for the average American. For this property if the rent and cost of utilities was split 2 or 3 ways, the cost would be very low. I know people who spend $250 per month on condo maintenance fees or lot rental for their RV or Mobile Home. It appears that there is little to no maintenance in Thailand!!!!!

Your audio is excellent. Do you use a remote wireless microphone? How do you do your audio? Thanks... Is the house North, South, East. or West of Downtown Chiang Mai?

taxes sound good, except if you are an American. remember IRS has a long reach and expects any profits from anywhere to be reported when you file your taxes

Wow! Amazing. Thanks for the information.

I am visiting Phuket in a couple weeks. do you have any recommendations?

More to it than that simple statement.

You are a delightful man very personable with great info, at times your conversation with her was very uncomfortable. You kept saying baht..funny.

JC....we have been living in Houston, TX since 1975. We are orig. from Vietnam. We visited Chang Mai last year in Nov. 2013. LOVE IT. Would like to know where you are actually living in Thai Land? Are you in Chang Mai or Pattaya? We are planning for our retirement and are torn between Vietnam or Thai Land. Of course, we would have the advantage in Vietnam (because we still speak the language). However, Chang Mai is gorgeous / peaceful and the people are very nice !!!

Was only able to get a quick glance of the shower in the bathroom, there was a unit on the wall below the shower head - - was that an "on demand" hot water heater? Is that a typical installation in Thailand? thanks.

do new homes have the good electric system or the old watch out no ground system? also couldn't see if bath had tubs in them.

At my age, 67, my wife and I are thinking of moving to Thailand from Hawaii. Still like Hawaii but WAAAAAY to expensive and crowded, these days. I would not mind a one story house over there near Changmai--no stairs. I need a good place to swim or paddleboard and exercise. I would also like to hire a cook so my wife does not have to cook. If any expats know about hiring a good cook I would like to know about that. Mahalo.

@jarden69 Yeah, property prices in the US have certainly come down. I was looking at a foreclosed home in Florida in a great suburb of Tampa for $55k, and it will rent for $1000/month, so depending on insurance, taxes, and maintenance which will be way more in the US, its monthly cashflow may still come out slightly ahead of the Thai house in the video.

Still advertisements for 1.49 Million Baht new home construction around.

So in other words you can spend a bunch of money having a custom house built and then be evicted from the land it sits on at any time?

Nice Vid Chiang Mai offers great value..

This is a very complicated topic due to the fact foreigners cannot own land in Thailand. They can own a condo if the building is not owned by more than 49% to foreigners. This is discussed more in detail in the membership site but would be boring for most RU-vid viewers.

A foreigner can't. The options are discussed in the membership site but not on RU-vid.

Good info. Thx U.

Nice huh? Hard to beat for a brand new house.

@FatPigCypris I did a whole video of how easy it is to get a Thai drivers license in an hour. No Thai speaking necessary. Unfortunately it's in our members site. My motor bike costs me 10 cents to get there!

Hi jc. Where are these prperties located. And are they still building more homes in that area for around the same price? I love those type of houses. 15 min outside of chang mai is not bad at all.

Hey JC, U said ur videos aren't only for "older" people so I'm quite young and did some research and found out that the whole visa thing is a pain in the ass. Can u do a in-depth video about the visas and possibilities for non 51 year olds ? I know about the student visa if u wanna learn thai or thai-boxing u can stay up to 3 years in total and can try to get a perma visa afterwards... What other ways are there ? thanks in advance

"Great job J.C."

@retirecheapjc i actually wouldnt mind living with buffaloes and riding them next to rice fields if i had a house like that. such an amazing video.

@mediasmoker I used to think the return on investment was low. But nowadays it looks pretty good! My parents are in the same boat but say they are too old to make the trip over.

Retirecheapjc - I have a curious question that i hope you can answer for me. Can foreigners buy houses/properties in Thailand? Always wanted to know, Thx.

for 48,000 dollars you can get a good condo in newyork city..maybe just the size of the second floor. but then why choose a condo when you can have a whole house.

it not showing up for me too it a bug

It depends on the average state taxes and income of the every day people to build you a bigger house cheaper in the USA . California taxes is higher then most states .Maybe because most of the rich and famous people live there . New york is number 2 . but 500 is the max in the USA . any thing higher . would be asking for the rich to rent it out .

Dear JC how are you fine ?nice Videos..... I have a question. 48.000 baht......=, 1.300 this value is about 150.000 japanese yen........ please tell Us the correct price in USA dolar.....thanks

how much is one near the beach?

we have to do one thing at a time, since I'm only 48 yrs old.

so if you rent a place and there isn't a shower curtain, would it be appropriate to put up your own curtain?

That's the way JC when earning a buck there's always an option

Im guessing you are saying that 1000 baht equals an american dollar- so this place is $480 / month usd?

good videos mate

Excellent!

This may have all been true at the time the video was made , but now its a bit outdated . The land prices in Chiang Mai over the last two years have shy rocketed since the floods in Bangkok . The rental market is a renters dream $300.00 to $350.00 a month you can rent a nice house in a good area . But today $48,000 will buy you very little ......

Are you saying a foreigner can own property in Thailand? I was under the understanding a foreigner would only own a condominium.

great vacation rental

If you are under 50 years old you have to figure out how to stay in Thailand (language school, etc) and if you are 15-25 minutes away from downtown Chain Mai you have to figure out transportation. Good luck to figure out how to get a drivers license in Thailand without speaking Thai.

From what you just said. Bangkok, which is one of the most expensive places in Thailand, is still 60% cheaper than Little Rock. Hmmmm.......

In San Diego at that time, you still would get nothing for 48K, not even a piece of land!

need the address want buy and retire there

J.C. I am going to get $1,089.00 a month from Social Security this coming May 2017. Would that be good enough for 2 people to live on in Thailand?

Actually the house CAN be in your name. Just not the land it sits on." Remember, there's always an option!"

@SamSahloon i will to..i miss thailand.going to get married and move to khon kaen area up north udon thani..goodbye denmark

my Thai wife said there was some property land for sail at $5000 Canadian dollars and get this its 3200 square metres not square feet. and it was close to Chang mai. with a great view with a small river . I vary much regret not buying it for her. I could have built many homes on it. 3200 sqm is like the size of a soccer pitch

How hard is it to own property in Thailand or do you need a native to own property? Some countries won't allow foreigners to own property.

@nocturnalserpent Great value huh?

@retirecheapjc yes because people that really loves thailand and want to know more..dont want all this turist farlang shiiit..sorry my french..i do like them videos to..showing some family life up nort diffrent villages and so on..great upload.want to learn everything about los

But you can own the house but not the ground, isnt that right?

The price for a modest home where I live (south Orange County, California) is between $700,000 and $1 million which is a joke, only the rich and famous can afford to buy houses here anymore. I could pay $50,000 and buy a place like this. However, parts of Florida etc. have homes as low as $100k as well.

Wy buy when rents so cheap and no problims?

yeah but a Thai national owns the land your house is build on, which is the Thai law..you would want to be very sure you can trust the land owner

5 years ago. Maybe it's time for some updated videos. lol

you keep saying 48,000 Baht, is it $48,000.00 USD or 48,000 Baht ?

I'd have to add $10 to $20 thousand dollars for a real kitchen and air conditioning in every room. Solar panals would be good too. Damn, I'm ready to move!:)

NO....I've never ate/seen a $12-$15 a plate of Phad Thai. I don't know where do you guys eat that in the U.S. But I have eaten a lot in Thai Restaurants.

US$48,000 is SUPER CHEAP. I wonder if that's about $480,000 to a Thai.

but u cant build a house without thai wife... i think falangs cant own land, so unless u really trust ur wife it doesnt seems like a good investment.

This house and neighborhood doesn't look very "third world" ???. Looks like most any neighborhood in So. Cal., Thailand is not a scary place to live, On the otherhand the US is! I'm moving there, for sure!

@FatPigCypris everyone in chaing mai pretty much speaks english, driver licence no problem, driving around Chaing Mai... Now thats crazy!