Phuket Real Estate Explained (Cost of Living in Thailand) 

If you are looking to buy or rent in Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, or Samui, then RW4U Real Estate is here for you. Contact us here: connect@retiredworkingforyou.com Website: retiredworkingforyou.com/realestate/

My ultimate dream is to live in Thailand. Travelled there 8 times in the last 13 years. I absolutely love it. 🇹🇭

Hey Chris, I'm a big fan of you and the channel. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, but please do an honest episode on the real situation of a foreigner buying property in Thailand. No other real estate sales company would do that. In fact they intentionally keep you in the dark and feed you roses and sunshine, but I can't see you doing that. Referring to the villas you showed here, there are 2 ways to own them without marrying a Thai (a dangerous 3rd option that has led to many being broke, homeless, and ultimately, to use the new parlance, un-aliving themselves. 1. Leasehold. This is a horrible idea. In theory you get a 90 year lease, but really it's a 30 year lease that the landowner contractually agrees to renew twice. But the landowner is actually under no obligation to honour that and there's a good chance it will be a different owner when the renewal comes up and almost certainly a new owner by the time the second renewal comes up. They can just give you the boot and if you don't like it, go to court. No one has ever done this and won. Cherry on the top is there are land taxes assessed every year and guess who pays them? The landowner? Nope, it's you. 2. Form a Thai company and have the Thai company own the property. You cannot be a majority shareholder, but you can own the voting shares. Technically, it is illegal to form or own a company in Thailand for the sole purpose of owning a property. Despite this, many people much smarter than me have done it and everyone gets away with it because the Thai government turns a blind eye. In fact, it's good for the country, so they do that, but Thai governments are notoriously fickle and change their mind in a heartbeat, plus you don't know who will be in power or when confiscating (technically) illegally owned property by foreigners may become an election platform. That doesn't seem like a worry now but whom amongst us can accurately predict the future 20 years out? On top of this you need to pay company taxes and pay your lawyer and accountant. Not such a big deal on the 3.5 million USD property if you can afford it, but significant on cheaper properties. I am not a lawyer. This is my opinion based on the research I have done. None of what I said should prevent someone from forming a company and buying a villa (please don't lease unless you are satisfied with the 30 year term and look at the bonus terms as exactly that - bonuses). Just know the risks involved. I spent four months last winter traveling around Koh Samui and mainly Phuket, looking at properties that I was genuinely interested in and ready to buy. At the end of the day, I determined for my personal level of risk, the only safe way to own was to own a foreign quota condo, but those are few and because of the situation in Russia and the end of Covid, all have skyrocketed to IMO overpriced territory. There are many lawyers you could interview, including one I spoke to around Boat Lagoon (not Boat Avenue) and it would be great if you could cover those points above in an interview. At the end of the day, everyone will have their own risk tolerance and act accordingly, but you're in a great position to inform so they can make an informed decision. Me, I'm going to wait and see if the government makes it legal for foreigners to own a small plot, as they discussed doing last year but ulitmately shelved because of public opinion (ThaiLAND is for Thais). Peace and love, brother.

Nice places Chris! The problem is you keep doing these high priced real estate videos that most of us can't afford!

I like how Halie was moving herself in while doing the walk through.

I follow more travel related channels than anyone for yrs. Retired Working For You u have an amazing channel. Pure escapism! 😂

Views and big spaces are all dopamine hits when you see them. Then it's constant maintenance of your mental state, along with CONSTANT maintenance of the facilities. I'd take a tile-floored Bangkok apartment, 5-min walk of the BTS, a decent gym with free weights over 20 kg., 50+ sqm, good water pressure, a good-enough kitchen, street food nearby, a few solid friends, and a faithful, attractive companion over ALL this glitz. And since you're dealing in real estate, I hope your company is licensed in the Kingdom of Thailand. If not, it's totally illegal.

For the amounts quoted, I would expect a (much) bigger garden area. Could you focus more on aspects, like house insulation and solar?

Nice vid. I loved looking at the places and what you can...wow...get!! Just got here to BKK and doing the RW4U top 25 things to see in Bangkok. Exhausting but they are getting done.

Big fan of your videos from the start. BUT TIMESHARES Man everyone knows they are the biggest waste of money, and steeped with risks.

For those of us who wanna live there with our children it would be cool to see a Vlog about the international schools and the cost involved.

Great show Chris! Stay cool kind and generous!

A pleasant surprise bumping into you today Chris, stay safe.

Thanks for the vlog .. very informative

best audio quality from any youtuber on youtube. not too bassy the on vocals.... plus music and dialogue is balanced to perfection.

Look forward to watching this episode later!

There is over 800 houses over 20 million baht on the market in phuket

Hi Chris, as always great work & vlog, .i have never visited Phuket, but to see what`s going on is interesting ! I know some friends they love it, i am more on exploring and change accomodation with diff. views and etc. but thats me Lol !😂Thanks top Infos indeed👍🙏nice places !🤩

It feels that thailand change from charming to big business. Better to put money on a smaler classic house close the beach. Not Beverly hills... 😢

Would be crazy to buy there now, with the place overrun with Russians inflating the prices. It’s better to rent now.

Ya ill take the last villa for sure. Amazing places. Great vid.

dude you are an awesome filmmaker!

I’ve just come from Phuket with my family looking at realestate. It’s a minefield of agents 4 steps away from the actual owner. Prices are through the roof due to lack of construction during covid and multiple margins on owners price. If you have kids there’s really one place to be which is Bang Tao if you want decent infrastructure around you. Private schools are 30 mins drive from anywhere worth living. We left for the nicer areas in Bangkok. Nice holiday, but not for family set up.

Great video!

Wow that's a really nice place Chris very nice 🆒👍😎

Now I have more knowledge about personal finance. I just subscribed to your channel. Big ups to everyone working effortlessly trying to earn a living while building wealth in this recession. I’m 45 and my husband is 51, we are both retired, no debts. We are planning on relocating to Thailand. We are currently living a frugal and financially savvy lifestyle and generating passive income even during this recessionary period. Our commitment to saving and investing in the financial market has enabled us to maintain this lifestyle and continue earning monthly passively through investment::

Keep up the good work

Mentawai is very very famous for surfing and diving area for tourist from everywhere.

Good luck!

Great channel. What about the visa regulations, specifically regarding Adam? Could you please make a video about it, or is there one already from you that I just haven't found?

scary sounds like time share avoid at all costs never buy part

Nice stuff, it'll be interesting to see what happens to the market if the Russian's leave. So Chris, I saw another vid from a guy that says you're the owner of a luxury boutique hotel in Samui. Is that true and have you featured it on your channel?

Stunning

70k per month on that first one? I call bs. Real estate guys are just slimy af.

just looking, thanks...

Love the channel but seems to be a real shift in the comments section recently. Respect Chris is expanding his business empire but would be nice to sprinkle a few of the old style “ground level” videos in too as opposed to just those appealing to millionaire investors

There was a shooting at boat ave 2 weeks ago

Beautiful homes and beautiful locations. When 50% of the world's population can fly non-stop direct to a place like Phuket, it affects prices. If you don't need to be an hour away from an international airport for convienence, there's a lot more value on the Gulf side of the peninsula. A 250sqm house on two rai located 500 meters from the beach costs an attainable 5-7Mthb.

Now I can see your camera man who is behine your great power shorts.Thx for nice view.guys

Thumbs up 👍 Chris

whats the cheapest budget house I can buy in Thailand? I'm coming there soon and I'm planning on buying something but it must be the cheapest I can find can you please help me? any advice would help!

Great work Adam and Chris! Like to see you expanding your Real Estate network. By the time we're ready to move over, it'll be a nice one stop shop to find reliable folks in the different cities and areas.

Darn, was going there number of time from 8 to 5 years ago. Now I'm 67, ready to retire.

Hey Adam, remember me? We talked about a year ago now and if i remember correctly you were going to get back to me regarding propertly’s for sale in Thailand. Rodney and Phayom. We will be in Thailand in Sept. this year for 3 months, let me know what you got.

Saving my dollars ❤😊

I’m curious why no one mentioned as a foreigner you cannot purchase a single family home, only if it’s 51% Thai owned?

4:28 crazy rental prices.

Can we get some information about the land? I heard that in Thailand you cannot own the land. Maybe you should do a video about that.

Phuket will become the next Singapore. Great video, very informative.

Hi Chris. great videos. I ve been watching you daily for the past two weeks. I am from Florida , near Tampa bay. I am now convinced that i am going to sell my house and move there. I hope to meet you . I am 53. My question is. I have a disability. I have an amputation below the rt knee. I can walk a mile and climb some stairs. I see that its a big deal to remove shoes. How do enter a place with a prosthetic limb without removing my shoe?

The agent's name is Bob? Or Woger?

Foreigners cannot buy landed property right? How does this work?

That last main bathroom was probably the size of my apartment

Can a foreigner buy a home in Thailand? I heard they could only buy a condo.

Wow

For us regulars in usa we cant afford 950k house in thailand but thats truth

Hey Chris, just wondering if you're home/condo owner in Thailand, if not, what's holding you back from buying.

love

4.5 MIL USD?? Ooh Lawrdy, who has that kind of Mafia money. 😅😅

do they have dentists in phuket Bob?

I was hoping I get home to Thailand, and get away from with this whole video seems to be about that I encounter here in Florida. People just throwing up new developments everywhere kill the charm. And I would never buy a property where other people are trying to generate income. That just sounds like a mess. It’s a proven fact that renters do not take care of a property like homeowners. Especially short term I want to be surrounded by people that take pride because that’s where they live and that’s where their money and time is spent. Also, seems like a lot of foreign development that stress over pricing the area.

That’s not Peterborough, Ontario ! ! 🇨🇦

Need I go on international schools 🏫 how much do you have to pay 💰 per month for your kid to attend

Sponsore by PRIME......FFS ....FYI this isn't typical / accessible phuket living. Can you look in areas like Kata, Rawai, Chalong?. Looks like you've been sucked into an agent tour. I'm disapointed.

🔥

The last house is nice... Wish there wasnt any neighbor... LoL

can real estate be bought with Bitcoin?

Time for all the comrades to go home and defend the motherland

Hi, I have an opportunity to take a teaching position in Phuket town. How can I find a house in that area? I will be bringing with me my two small doxies.I lived and taught in Bangkok for 18 years and then decided to move back to USA. The school that I will be working is an international school. Price range in which i am seeking is 5-13,000 baht a month.

The second villa with massive transformer in the garden area?

What about non Thai buying property

Just when I thought I was well off living in Thailand.

More money does not mean high quality.

Man! These are not for me. They're for the super rich only

What he is saying that everything is close to where everything is going on is actually not true 😅 I have been traveling to Phuket past 17 years at less 3-5 times a year. I have buy 2 properties there. Laguna is far from everything but it’s closer to airport. Where you want to be is south Phuket: patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai or Chalong. It’s close to the most beautiful beaches, shopping, hospitals, schools or any company that matters if you work. But Laguna is very beautiful & quite. It’s more for relaxing & people without children

Overpriced. 70k rent is too much.

Chris, you need to research the actual legality of the 30+30+30 lease thing before you put that on your channel. As far as I ca n work out, anything beyond the initial 30 years is totally non-enforcable. I'm happy to be corrected, but just be a wee bit careful. I don't think that guy is reliable. Just saying... 🤷‍♂️

I still don't understand how westerners can buy houses....when they aren't allowed to buy houses.....please explain

Never seen you without an “awkward” shirt on!

Get 10% off if you mention Tsunamy... get 20% if you dont... at least the Mud Hut on the beach is now made out of Concrete???

Guess my plans on moving to Thailand is not gonna happen. Getting expensive.

283,000USD is incredible stupid to pay for that first villa. How does that work? Please let us viewers all know how long you actually own/lease the place for? I heard you never can own the place unless you marry a Thai? Is that true?

Freehold?, Leasehold?, Foreign quota?, CAM? Most of your viewers are probably in the $200k USD range to buy. I think you missed the mark here gents, shame! Not even mentioning the Eastern Block shitfight!!!!

I sure hope when im 'retired' i'm not out trying to hock timeshares to youtube subscribers, or having to do tour groups for the worlds most divorced golf bores.

nice i just need to win the lottery

Q. What is the reason for the high rental prices in Phuket? A. Vladimir Putin

Wow, Beautiful.

Thais by law own 51% of the property and will want their cut of your money when selling if they legally dont sell it without your permission. Been in Thailand 3 decades and have seen this many times.

Too many ruzzians in Phuket. Kind of ruins the vibe.

People move to countries like Thailand to save money, not spend the same or more than they would in their home countries.

Do bongs

i never get sick of the euro haters on LOS. LOL.😂😂😂😂😂

เเพงมากๆ

Chris! You do understand that engaging in any kind of real estate work here as a foreigner is strictly prohibited under Thai law right?

Your not buying a house for yourself but your buying a house for someone else, mainly a local.

Is there anything for someone who only makes 750,000 baht annually? You seem to cater to the wealthy.

Why this channel feels like a commercial ride from start to end of lots of videos and shows a romantized perpspective to generate more?..

Why would you build, let alone buy, something that expensive on land that you cannot own 🤷‍♂ This is beyond me, not to mention this is opposite of what Thailand travel and living is about.

Fuck that. I'd rather live in a shack in the jungle by the beach.

That seems to be very against Thai spirit and law. Way to go