Ive been living in SE Asia, including Thailand for 25+ years working in Global Mobility meaning moving Global MNC expats in the countries and helping them find housing, schooling, immigration, understanding tax, etc etc. I can tell you from someone in the industry for decades, Cal's videos are excellent, probably the best on youtube. The problem is many people try to make these type of videos after living in the country for a few months or years, but Cal has been in Thailand for 9+ years which is enough time to be a true expert. I can tell you though, the info in Cal's videos is spot on and he covers things that you can only know by living in a country for so long. If anyone is serious about moving to Thailand, I would highly recommend Cal's channel. He should have alot more subscribers, and no, I never met Cal, just watched alot of his videos.
I've watched them all and Cal is my #1 Bangkok youtuber. Great info plus pro videos that are entertaining. It's hard to get that combo right. Thank you!
The single best video serving as an intro into renting in Thailand that I have seen in over a year of checking out these videos. Thanks boss for being both comprehensive and to the point.
Great video Cal! Thank you for answering my question in regard to the ease/difficulty of getting back deposit. This helps ease my mind when it’s time for me to condo hunt in Bangkok. 🙏🏽✌🏽
If you see a condo that you like on propertyhub, do you contact the agency listed on the listing? Just confused since you said to use a reputable agency, but listings typically have an agency listed there.
Great question. You can always inquire. But be ready for the good old bait and switch... also many condos will be listed by quite a few different agencies and freelancers, as they are just reposting listings. It's a real rabbit hole once your look into it a little. I could make an entire video on all of this. But I highly recommend that you look up any agency (or freelancer that may appear to be an agency) that you encounter... The difference between quality companies that work as agencies and the smaller companies and freelancers is huge, especially when it comes to actual support during the tenancy and the TM30.
1. The prices can also be incorrect for the older listings… but some will be correct also. 2. You shouldn’t pay agents anything. Agencies are paid by landlords if somebody rents the condo. You should never pay an agent any money.
Super helpful! Regarding negotiations, is it more common on the higher end of the market or mid range? and old vs new condos? My budget is 70k and trying to understand if it's worth contacting places listed at 85-90k.
You can negotiate at all price ranges. It really comes down to individual owners, and the demand level in specific buildings. But I’d say it’s within the range of negotiation to include those.
Appreciate the detailed breakdown! Could you help me with something unrelated: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). Could you explain how to move them to Binance?
Another great one, Cal. Might be worth someone’s while to get in a 6 or 12 month lease even if they won’t be in Thailand the whole time or are leaving and coming back. I’d definitely be getting an agency to help. If someone did rent a serviced apartment with not so great internet.. could the cell data plan be cheap and fast enough to use as a hotspot all the time?
It definitely is. I rented a cheap place when I first traveled here and used it as my travel base. The affordability for convenience is fantastic to just set up a spot to bounce around from. And yes, cell data works quite well. I lived with only a hotspot at one place for 6 months... could run everything well enough... and that was on a $6 phone plan lol
What is credit card acceptance like? I know that there are ISPs in Thailand that accept payment by credit card. How about other utilities and the rent itself?
That’s an interesting question… there shouldn’t be a big difference as the long term rental market doesn’t have tourism element. But I wonder if more people move here during high season as well… and those 6 month leases might factor in there. Now I’m curious too 😂
Cal, I hope one day I can meet you over there, a US soldier retired with several different agencies. Next year I plan on traveling to Thailand, not so much for the hubbub of Bangkok, but more for one of a more peaceful, relaxing lifestyle on a beach away from all thelimelight. Do you have any suggestions? And yes, I will not need to work over there. I have several pensions and I enjoy watching your videos. It's a learning experience cause I've been kinda nervous about doing what I wanna do at this time in 2025.
Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully one day can say hello! You have quite a few options… nearby Hua Hin is great for a relaxed lifestyle and still very close to Bangkok. Koh Samui is also a good option but very touristy. Jomtien can be nice as well. Plenty of options. Id recommend doing a little tour to see which place you like best. Never know how you’ll feel til your there! Cheers
with the antidefamation laws, does that prohibit us from reviewing a business honestly on google reviews? What about something like renters insurance? You mentioned mail... if we move how do we forward our mail that may still have come to the old address? US postal service offers a one year service to forward mail but not sure if something like that exists there?? As always, thank you for another helpful video! Also, if we wanted to support you is it better to give a superchat donation or a buy me a coffee? does one allow you to keep more of what is given to you?
Thanks for the kind words. The defamation laws make it risky, but you can normally leave reviews with a read between the lines approach. I find Google Reviews very helpful in this regard. But avoid leaving overly negative reviews, even if it's justified. The laws are pretty extreme. I believe you can get renters insurance from large insurance providers here. They have almost all the same insurance offerings here. I'm not familiar with any services that forward mail inside Thailand. It would have to be through Thailand Post... so that would be where to check. But I'm a little bit doubtful.
@thebangkokguide not sure if you saw the edit about the buy me a coffee or super chat but wondering which is best? as far as the renters insurance goes do you think it's even worth it?
@@nealpp Oh thanks. I didn’t see that. I think buymeacoffee takes the lower cut. Much appreciated! In terms of rental insurance, personally I wouldn’t bother with it. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met anyone who had it here. But you never know!
My appreciation for these videos and what you're doing balloons exponentially with every video. Great information, thank you! I sense I already know the answer, and you did touch on it some here in this video, but what are the odds of negotiating a new bed in a condo? Call me strange, but sleeping on the same mattress as some other random person is not high of my list of things I enjoy (heaven knows what happened there before me--I don't even want to think about it! ☹) (and don't get me started on hotels! 😱) Also, and again I sense this will likely be roughly the same answer, which you touched upon, assuming a 2BR condo, and I wish to use the 2nd BR as an office, what can be done about beds, chairs, etc in that room? ❤🔥🕉🕊
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad they are helpful. You can negotiate for beds, but it may involve buying the new bed and even leaving it at the condo after. I'd recommend discussing the your preferences with an agency as they can check with owners on your behalf.. and any changes to furniture should be discussed and added to the Memorandum of Understanding. Cheers
Thailand used to have far more of the no contract 1 month rentals just 1 month deposit and away you go. If only it could be like that everywhere all around the world.
It's not too common in my experience.. but many landlords will sell, and many listings have rental and sale prices attached, so I think it can be done!
airbnb monthly until you find a place you like. go to the office in the lobby. They call it something different. Ask them if they have any long term lease available. They will tell you which ones. Then you give them the money. Asia is too noisy for me.
Thank God in Thailand too, they can put anything in a contract, and even if you sign it...That does not make it legal perse and if you fight it in court you most likely will win. The law protects you from mad homeowners and their ideas of what is fair agreement,.although most think there is no protection and most do not take the time and effort to go for a court ruling.
This is true. The courts for tenants seems to actually function fairly well. I should have added a section on that. Will add to a future video! Thanks for your input
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Ive been living in SE Asia, including Thailand for 25+ years working in Global Mobility meaning moving Global MNC expats in the countries and helping them find housing, schooling, immigration, understanding tax, etc etc. I can tell you from someone in the industry for decades, Cal's videos are excellent, probably the best on youtube. The problem is many people try to make these type of videos after living in the country for a few months or years, but Cal has been in Thailand for 9+ years which is enough time to be a true expert. I can tell you though, the info in Cal's videos is spot on and he covers things that you can only know by living in a country for so long. If anyone is serious about moving to Thailand, I would highly recommend Cal's channel. He should have alot more subscribers, and no, I never met Cal, just watched alot of his videos.
Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated coming from a 25 year expat working in relocation! Cheers’
I've watched them all and Cal is my #1 Bangkok youtuber. Great info plus pro videos that are entertaining. It's hard to get that combo right. Thank you!
Very kind of you to say. Much appreciated! Cheers
The single best video serving as an intro into renting in Thailand that I have seen in over a year of checking out these videos. Thanks boss for being both comprehensive and to the point.
Thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated.
Another great informational video. Thanks Cal.
Thank you!
Cal...your best video yet! My new life in Bangkok starts in July
Thank you. Very soon! Good luck with the planning!
Thanks Cal. Very informative.
Thanks for the kind words. Cheers!
Great and timely content Cal - will be doing a digital nomad early in 2025, starting in Bangkok. Keep up your fantastic work mate
Good call and thanks for the kind words. Cheers!
Very informative & useful! Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words. Cheers
Thanks for the great video Cal. Appreciate you.
Thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated as well!
Thank you so much. Your videos are always informative. Very helpful for those of us that are moving to Bangkok in 2025
Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your planning!
Great video Cal! Thank you for answering my question in regard to the ease/difficulty of getting back deposit. This helps ease my mind when it’s time for me to condo hunt in Bangkok. 🙏🏽✌🏽
I’m glad it was helpful! Cheers!
Great upload, as usual!
Thank you!
Fantastic video and breakdown. Just wanted to say thanks!
I’m glad it’s helpful! Cheers
Great video. I'll bookmark this.
Thanks!
Wow.. Great job, that was an in-depth vlog. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for the kind words! Cheers
Thank you!
Excellent episode!
Your channel, bravo sir. 👍
Thank you so much for the support and kind words! It’s much appreciated 🙏
Very helpful video 😊 thanks for sharing 🙏🙏
I'm glad it's helpful! Cheers!
BTW someone really beat you with speaking slowly and clearly and it makes you fun 😅
If you see a condo that you like on propertyhub, do you contact the agency listed on the listing? Just confused since you said to use a reputable agency, but listings typically have an agency listed there.
Great question. You can always inquire. But be ready for the good old bait and switch... also many condos will be listed by quite a few different agencies and freelancers, as they are just reposting listings. It's a real rabbit hole once your look into it a little. I could make an entire video on all of this.
But I highly recommend that you look up any agency (or freelancer that may appear to be an agency) that you encounter... The difference between quality companies that work as agencies and the smaller companies and freelancers is huge, especially when it comes to actual support during the tenancy and the TM30.
Great content, good job.
Thank you!
Got used to your voice now 😮. This is a great video 👏.
Cheers. It’s survivable with the info 😅
Are properties listed on website shows wrong amount for rental and how much money does local agents take to show us the condo
1. The prices can also be incorrect for the older listings… but some will be correct also.
2. You shouldn’t pay agents anything.
Agencies are paid by landlords if somebody rents the condo. You should never pay an agent any money.
This was great. Thank you.
Glad you think so. Thanks for the kind words!
Great advice. Thank you !
I'm glad it's helpful. Cheers!
Great post! can you share the location of the condo you showed that has the walk-in closet?
I will take a look. It is in one of my condo tour videos! I'll share it here shortly. Cheers!
Thank you for the information
Cheers!
Great video thank you very much. What is the name of the condo building 15:50 ? thanks once again
Glad it's helpful! That is the Edge. You can check the full tour here: ua-cam.com/video/G6FX1CpY5Ck/v-deo.html
Cheers
Im curious what kind of job you do in thailand to keep living there for so long
I teach at an international school.. I've been living here with a work visa. Cheers!
Super helpful! Regarding negotiations, is it more common on the higher end of the market or mid range? and old vs new condos? My budget is 70k and trying to understand if it's worth contacting places listed at 85-90k.
You can negotiate at all price ranges. It really comes down to individual owners, and the demand level in specific buildings. But I’d say it’s within the range of negotiation to include those.
Appreciate the detailed breakdown! Could you help me with something unrelated: My OKX wallet holds some USDT, and I have the seed phrase. (alarm fetch churn bridge exercise tape speak race clerk couch crater letter). Could you explain how to move them to Binance?
Hi Cal, I watch your videos regularly and you share the detailed information. Please can you make a video how to get the job in Thailand?
Sure. I discussed this in a previous video but I'm working on an update. Cheers
Great video you should add some timestamps !
Great suggestion. Just added. Thanks for the helpful input!
@@thebangkokguide Welcome bro !
Another great one, Cal. Might be worth someone’s while to get in a 6 or 12 month lease even if they won’t be in Thailand the whole time or are leaving and coming back. I’d definitely be getting an agency to help. If someone did rent a serviced apartment with not so great internet.. could the cell data plan be cheap and fast enough to use as a hotspot all the time?
It definitely is. I rented a cheap place when I first traveled here and used it as my travel base. The affordability for convenience is fantastic to just set up a spot to bounce around from.
And yes, cell data works quite well. I lived with only a hotspot at one place for 6 months... could run everything well enough... and that was on a $6 phone plan lol
What is credit card acceptance like? I know that there are ISPs in Thailand that accept payment by credit card. How about other utilities and the rent itself?
15:32 would there be more room for negotiation during low season?
That’s an interesting question… there shouldn’t be a big difference as the long term rental market doesn’t have tourism element. But I wonder if more people move here during high season as well… and those 6 month leases might factor in there. Now I’m curious too 😂
Cal, I hope one day I can meet you over there, a US soldier retired with several different agencies. Next year I plan on traveling to Thailand, not so much for the hubbub of Bangkok, but more for one of a more peaceful, relaxing lifestyle on a beach away from all thelimelight. Do you have any suggestions? And yes, I will not need to work over there. I have several pensions and I enjoy watching your videos. It's a learning experience cause I've been kinda nervous about doing what I wanna do at this time in 2025.
Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully one day can say hello! You have quite a few options… nearby Hua Hin is great for a relaxed lifestyle and still very close to Bangkok. Koh Samui is also a good option but very touristy. Jomtien can be nice as well. Plenty of options. Id recommend doing a little tour to see which place you like best. Never know how you’ll feel til your there! Cheers
with the antidefamation laws, does that prohibit us from reviewing a business honestly on google reviews? What about something like renters insurance? You mentioned mail... if we move how do we forward our mail that may still have come to the old address? US postal service offers a one year service to forward mail but not sure if something like that exists there?? As always, thank you for another helpful video! Also, if we wanted to support you is it better to give a superchat donation or a buy me a coffee? does one allow you to keep more of what is given to you?
Thanks for the kind words.
The defamation laws make it risky, but you can normally leave reviews with a read between the lines approach. I find Google Reviews very helpful in this regard. But avoid leaving overly negative reviews, even if it's justified. The laws are pretty extreme.
I believe you can get renters insurance from large insurance providers here. They have almost all the same insurance offerings here.
I'm not familiar with any services that forward mail inside Thailand. It would have to be through Thailand Post... so that would be where to check. But I'm a little bit doubtful.
@thebangkokguide not sure if you saw the edit about the buy me a coffee or super chat but wondering which is best? as far as the renters insurance goes do you think it's even worth it?
@@nealpp Oh thanks. I didn’t see that. I think buymeacoffee takes the lower cut. Much appreciated!
In terms of rental insurance, personally I wouldn’t bother with it. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met anyone who had it here. But you never know!
Thanks Cal
Cheers!
My appreciation for these videos and what you're doing balloons exponentially with every video. Great information, thank you! I sense I already know the answer, and you did touch on it some here in this video, but what are the odds of negotiating a new bed in a condo? Call me strange, but sleeping on the same mattress as some other random person is not high of my list of things I enjoy (heaven knows what happened there before me--I don't even want to think about it! ☹) (and don't get me started on hotels! 😱) Also, and again I sense this will likely be roughly the same answer, which you touched upon, assuming a 2BR condo, and I wish to use the 2nd BR as an office, what can be done about beds, chairs, etc in that room? ❤🔥🕉🕊
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad they are helpful. You can negotiate for beds, but it may involve buying the new bed and even leaving it at the condo after. I'd recommend discussing the your preferences with an agency as they can check with owners on your behalf.. and any changes to furniture should be discussed and added to the Memorandum of Understanding. Cheers
Awesome.
Thanks!
Hey Cal, do you have an angnecy that you would recommend/ you heard good things about based in Koh Samui?
Unfortunately my knowledge of Koh Samui real estate is pretty low so I can't recommend an agency there.
Must I have a one year visa prior to being able to secure a lease?
No, you can rent a condo with any visa.. it just comes down to the landlord and what they want.
Thailand used to have far more of the no contract 1 month rentals just 1 month deposit and away you go. If only it could be like that everywhere all around the world.
Can you rent an apartment without a visa or with just a tourist visa
You can. It's entirely legal, it just depends on the landlord.
Is renting with the intent to buy pretty common in Thailand?
It's not too common in my experience.. but many landlords will sell, and many listings have rental and sale prices attached, so I think it can be done!
Chill just rent in KL and its thriving suburban, the further away from cbd the more premium and affordable it be
Definitely. Further out is cheaper and often quieter. Cheers
It’s so much easier to live in Cambodia which is less expensive, and then there’s the very expensive visa situation in Thailand. OMG!
Cambodia is definitely cheaper and more relaxed on the visa situation. Cheers
airbnb monthly until you find a place you like. go to the office in the lobby. They call it something different. Ask them if they have any long term lease available. They will tell you which ones. Then you give them the money. Asia is too noisy for me.
That’s a good approach. Test it out first! Cheers
I seem to be in your stomp but haven’t run across you yet…the only way I would know was if you were vlogging
I have no interest in city life but tend to glean yt content for potential value
Thank God in Thailand too, they can put anything in a contract, and even if you sign it...That does not make it legal perse and if you fight it in court you most likely will win. The law protects you from mad homeowners and their ideas of what is fair agreement,.although most think there is no protection and most do not take the time and effort to go for a court ruling.
This is true. The courts for tenants seems to actually function fairly well. I should have added a section on that. Will add to a future video! Thanks for your input