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The Only Farang In The Village, Sai Ngam (2024)

22/10/2024

Back in the village. HQ. I'll never get used to that drive from Samui. It's reminds me of London to Melbourne, via Paris, Dubai, Jakarta, Bali and Adelaide. I did that once. Once... I can't be doing that drive more than twice a year at best. First thing I notice is just how really big our swimming pool is 🙂.. Our 4.5m whirlpool bath can't help but remind us of our Toy in Samui. Not sure I'll finish a lap here..seems a long way now. The next difference is the privacy, space and silence, compared to living on a 'busy' Soi. It's instantly relaxing and calming.

It's the first time we've left the house this long, and it wouldn't be true to say it's survived unscathed. I doubt any house of this size can make it through the large amounts of rain that has fallen since then without being lived in - in the jungle. A couple of repairs on the huge roof for example didn't 'fail' until that rain arrived months later. So they have to be dealt with again. Nothing major but always a drag to do the same job twice. The hedges have gone full Bush (kinda like it), the garden walls look average and hate those hard to remove water marks by the balconies. We've had help with cleaning and gardening but no one cares like you do. Hard to imagine how it will look in yet another 6 months as we have to hot-tail it back to Samui to avoid the oncoming burn season, and make all this madness finally justified. Definitely didn't do it for fun.

I wanted to get here earlier before taking off to the MotoGP in a couple of days, but the rain got in the way one way or another. . We will get as much (re)done as possible before then. It's great to see it again thou, and all the family. She's was looking on the money when we left, and soon as this 'carlag' fades, we'll be on it. Such a shame Samui is so far away, or we'd be happy to househop like before. We enjoyed the variety of city and jungle just 6 hours apart. And this place feels so big, and Samui so small. A happy medium would be nice, but can't honestly grumble too much. And can't press 'reset', so pointless trying. We're going with the flowing.

17/10/2024

That's turned out really well. Nice, cheap 6K job on the tiling. Makes all the difference to comfort levels, and isn't too bad for possible re-sale or rental values in the future. We have just about completed (privacy fence and paint wall left to do) our quick revamp in 3 months and can now concentrate on matters, and houses elsewhere... Be nice to see HQ back in the Jungle maybe for the final time soon. This down-scaling is all very well, but we miss our big house for sure!

29/09/2024

There we are then. 3 man strokes or 6 baby ones from end to end. We've maximised every feasible bit of yard. Now we'll paint the wall and get it tiled, and put some hedges up and grass down. It makes me appreciate the 15m pool in the jungle we don't use any more. Took a bit longer to install and some things you would think standard, along with quality of valves wasn't there, but we upgraded, and still came in under 300K. All in all, a decent deal. Especially on Samui.

27/09/2024

So we really are doing this again. It's not been as plain sailing as in the jungle, with much bigger kit there. It's hard to keep a pool crew in one place on Samui it seems. Countless jobs on the go. Not much flow. The plumbing and electrics alone stop you from attempting the job yourself. I'm not sure if it's a pool or a whirlpool bath, or something in between. I miss the big one so much. But it will cool us down on those ever hotter days. And if it adds a few quid in value, I'm all for it. Only 100 laps to knock out a quick 600m..😐

20/09/2024

Step 1 (again). Get Makro. Dig a hole. Essential for swimming pools no doubt about it.. Dig that hole with Scalextrix size excavator, perfect for tight squeezes, like when you used every mm of yard without house (hopefully not) falling over to accommodate that pool. Doubtless not a wall or fence, or house, still standing had I been on the joysticks.. Skills. Still finishing up at nearly 8pm too. Nice hole that, looks better already. A Good day's graft. Looks to be zero 'earth' on sand dune Samui.

19/09/2024

I can't believe we're doing this again....But I found a nice, local crew and the world's smallest swimming pool. We have the only "land" (lol) on the street so we may as well use it wisely. It's little bigger than our whirlpool bath in reality, but it will get us wet and cool down my overheating body instantly, regularly sweating more than Steven Hawking's shoulder. A mere 6' x 3' is all our little garden can take. But it's on a par with most pool sizes on Samui to be fair. It will definitely help us stay more comfortable and ultimately, add value to our little gaff. All about adding value this time. Now- how to stop Florence heading off to the beach whilst the fence is down for the digger...

28/08/2024

As much as we all love shocking bright pink, dark pink and brown... I think we had to address that immediately. It hurt my eyes. Hopefully, it looks a bit better now.

08/08/2024

So yeah, we bought it. 2.9m (£64,700) on the nose. Nothing speciaI but all boxes ticked. We checked the build price in 2018, which was 2.6m, we checked with neighbours in the Soi and with the bank that both valued it at 3.4m. I believe coming in that 500K or so under always allows you that extra room when it comes to your margins on resale. I think it's a pretty well known fact most farangs pay over the odds on properties and this is a major stumbling block when it comes to upping roots and moving on.

The growth since build is also very reassuring. And very "UnThai"..And by the time I add a small pool, along with double carport, interior refit, Dog friendly fence and mountain location, plus 5 mins to beach below, I can't see either resale or a profitable rental being an issue later. And no more f'kin' rent! I've been a Landlord too long to switch sides now.

I put it in a company name at the cost of an extra 100K, which I understand is considerably more than the charges in Hua Hin or Pattaya, but that's Samui for you. If prevailing winds with laws ever change, there's always Plan B, and C..

Today, after kicking this all into motion some 6 months ago, I feel I have completed my task. Which was originally sell 2 properties to purchase a new one in "clean air", away from the 6 months of toxic burning up North. I didn't do it for fun, and I look forward to the reported 4 to 11 years (according to recent studies in Chiang Mai) of estimated extra life (accidents and other illnesses aside) that clean air will allow my Ashtmatic ass.

Trading in 67sqm in Pattaya for a 3 bedroom house triple the size for an extra 100K, and currently still owning the Jungle spread is an extra bonus I didn't think possible. The jungle pad may well still go, but now, my life, so to speak, is not dependent on it.

03/08/2024

I hear so often, don't buy in Thailand, and never invest here either. I've always disagreed with the not buying bit, but investing in properties seemed totally illogical.

But investing in Ko Samui might be one of the few places in Thailand where such a proposition may offer a decent return. Hear me out. We'll put aside the luxury villas on the mountain with stunning sea views and expensive price tags for now and just compare what 2,900,000฿ will buy you and return compared to a similar outlay in Pattaya for example. The kind of numbers within reach of many.

I recently sold a 2-room, 67sqm condo in Pattaya for 2,800,000฿ (bottom photo). Or nearly 42,000 sqm. The rental would have been 18,000฿. A return of 7.7%. Not bad, but I want more than 7% on a nearly 3 million investment, plus capital gains in the Pattaya market are pretty non-existent. I was happy because I bought it for 2.5m and lived rent-free for 6 years.

This 6-year-old, 3 bedroom, 212 sqm, 3-bedroom house in Samui (top photo) will rent for 25,000฿ after a cheap facelift, or with a modern refit and small pool, between 38K and 45K. Total cost around 3,400,000฿. Or just 16K sqm. That's quite some difference. And your return has shot up to over 13%. Nearly double. A figure that will increase yearly as rents increase. I don't think I get that rental return in the UK by way of comparison. Interest rates are falling and the Stock Market is in 20% correction territory. Boring bricks and mortar, as always, a pretty safe haven.

You've also tripled the size of your property and moved from Pattaya to Ko Samui. Factor in a nailed-on annual growth rate of 5 to 10%, plus the bridge coming (for better or worse) and you begin to see why so many are building and investing on the Island. Which is booming!

Having spent 6 months here already and studied both the rental and sales market daily, supply often outstrips demand. The complete opposite of say Pattaya, where there are 100,000 empty condos alone and stiff competition to rent or sell.

Personally, it will instantly return the 1/3rd of my "income" I'm currently spending on rent, which is huge, and offer either an investment or sales opportunity whilst I release further funds from other properties. 45K a month plus capital growth would be most welcome going forward.

If someone had told me you could exchange 1 one-bedroom Condo in Pattaya for a 3-bedroom house in Samui for 100K, I probably would have called them a liar.

A word of warning. There are so many property scams on Samui. It's a real problem. Check, and check again before parting with a single coin.

31/07/2024

To buy or not to buy? Whilst the rent is "only" 18,000 a month, I do hate paying it, and, since selling the condo in Pattaya, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to spending far more than previously. I like to stay within my immigration requirement of 65K a month really, but it's approaching twice that with 6 months rents and deposits here in Samui already totalling over 150K. Just dead money never to be seen again.

So the opportunity has come up to purchase this 6 year old, 3 bedroom property we rent for a more than fair price of 2.9m - give or take what I got for the 2 rooms in Pattaya. It's an "end" property with a coconut forest opposite, buffalo and tropical birds, great for the dog with a fence and double carport, and obviously the less neighbours the better, as I can be quite noisy at times I'm told..

If it had just a bit more land I wouldn't hesitate. But on a good day taking out all the Pfaff, a 6m pool might be the best you'll ever do. More of a "dip" pool than a healthy exercise option. But it's equally about getting rid of all the sweat as fast and often as possible too right? And there's this huge expanse of clear blue sea down the road I can force myself to swim in surely?

Apart from that it needs 50k worth of AC and new furniture, and that's it. If I decide I want bigger one day after selling in the UK, I'm very confident I could sell it for more, or rent it for 45K a month after adding the extras. So financially it's a solid decision with a total outlay of around 3.4m. Which is dirt cheap for a 3 bedroom on Samui with a pool.

Saving some 2,000,000฿ in rent, other income and sales in Pattaya by owning for 6 years has just enforced what I already knew - that any prolonged periods of rental can ensure the very cash you have earmarked to buy deplets so quickly, you can no longer afford to buy. And then you're stuck paying off others' mortgages forever.

09/07/2024

We really enjoyed our short time in NST. You can live like a local or a king there. It has it all, except.. people. Whilst it's definitely an up and coming area and one I hear many clued up farang are quietly buying up land there, I'm not sure it has what we're looking for right now after 4 years in a remote Thai village. We don't need Russian DJs nightly (or ever really), but it's nice to be around markets and restaurants and beaches and bars these days. And Samui really offers the best of all that, if at somewhat inflated prices. But you find your way around and never live like a tourist here. You'd go broke in a year.

So, 1 month after the bank rocked up at the last place, we've moved to our 3rd location in Samui - Maenam. It's on the North of the island, has a seriously laid back vibe compared to Cheweng, where we were, nice beaches and enough bars and lovely little Thai and farang restaurants hidden away.

We had to tick boxes, we needed a car and bike port (the sun phucks up all your vehicles here), we needed a fence we could rarely lock Florence behind to get some time to enjoy said restaurants, we needed 3 bedrooms to get the kids here, and we needed 'land' to safely exercise said canine without Soi Dogs everywhere.

I think we found it all about a km inland up a very pretty hill. We're in a village of ten houses (1 Street lol) and bang opposite is about 5km of totally undeveloped 'Southern Jungle'. Lush and green and full of huge palms and roaming buffalo. It's really pretty, deserted and Florence has definitely lucked in. Lots of big, expensive farang houses around confirm it's a decent location. At 18K per month, (£385), it's significantly cheaper than one of my 12' x 10' rented student rooms in Exeter.

We're happier to rent a while, get used to Samui, which we are becoming more familiar with, and keep the cash in the bank. If a bargain comes up to buy, we'll be on it.

Approaching 60 in a couple of years, it's also time to start selling off properties in the UK and I'll get to that as soon as the projected interest rate cuts hopefully start in August, kick-starting a stagnant sales market there. I don't want to be the richest geezer in the cemetery and I've owned and had those landlord headaches for 20 years now, and it must be time to finally start cashing in. 1 sale a year to offset some CGT being the plan for the next 5 years. 'Semi-Retirement' doesn't exist in my experience.

Then, we'll have another look at things with a few more options at our disposal. No rush...

26/06/2024

So NST, or Nakhon Si Thammarat.. Very, very beautiful. Probably one of the last unspoilt coastlines in the whole country. Only been here 2 days, so clearly no expert, but it certainly has a lot going for it. It's very cheap for tourists and also for land and housing, compared to Samui, it's a steal.

A 2 bedroom house with enough land for a pool is around 2.3m Baht, 200m from the beach. In Samui, I don't know how much, but 3 to 5 times more in all probability. But, it is a 'Thai' beach. Not very dirty, but not very clean either (have seen much worse)..And not many white folk, which again is fine, but you'll need to speak Thai, or have a translator for sure. The deeper South you go along the coast, which seems unlimited in length, the less English signs you'll see and the more Muslim it becomes. Communication becomes harder, even for my Thai lady with dialects etc.

In parts it looks like England meets Switzerland meets Thailand, what with free range cows eating the grassland and mountainous terrain bordering tropical, deserted beaches. To me, it looks unique in Thailand.

But could you live here? Unsure. I can only describe as "beautiful jungle by the sea". And by that I mean you'll probably be quite isolated, like in a village, unless you set up in Khanom, the closest resort to Samui, and probably the most farang accommodating.

I'd definitely rent before buying, as any home you purchase here would probably be hard to move on, unlike in Samui, where, if you play your cards right, you can rent out when you don't need to be there almost certainly, and almost certainly at a crazy price.

25/06/2024

To the mainland in search of not losing my pants on Samui, where value for money either renting, or buying, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. A wander to some quieter beaches in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Rumored to be the location of many great deals and an area of outstanding natural beauty. Also home to a small but ever increasing number of disillusioned expats from Phuket and Samui, where land close to, or even on the beaches, is still quite reasonable. I see there is also a new 90 billion international Airport just opened too.. Definitely worth a look see..

17/06/2024

This living on Samui thing is proving rather complicated. I've come to the conclusion if you want what you want here, you're probably going to have to build it yourself, and out of town in the quiet areas of the island. I can't face building an entire house again, especially here, where you can guarantee you'll go at least a million over budget and get rinsed left right and centre..

7 or 8 million will get you a decent house with a bit of land maybe but the pool will be like 7m long, even if you're in a villa in the mountains.

Swimming beaches and decent pools not attached to a 5 star hotel are non-existent, so if swimming is your preferred exercise in this heat, as it is mine, you're very limited. Miss our pools loads.

Didn't get that 600sqm with 2 bedroom house, turns out he kind of sold it ages ago.. Why anyone wouid waste your time like this is beyond me. Finding a similar deal will prove unlikely.

Renting with a dog needing a wall is also difficult, and why spend all the money raised from the condo on rent here when there is a perfectly good house sitting empty in the jungle? Air only becomes an issue in the burn season. Ideally I'd like to own here, rent it out outside burn season and return to the Jungle then, to "use" that house. Will sit empty otherwise. Maybe I will just need to tough it out with air filters in bedrooms for months on end.

Right now I have no idea how this will shake out. Going need to spend more than I am willing to and make loads of compromise as usual. Nothing ever seems straight forward any more. But it's important not to lose sight of the big picture, which was to get away from the burn season. Didn't realise it would be so difficult.

11/06/2024

This 4 year old, 2 bedroom house comes with the adjacent land, some 600sqm in total. For just 2.8m Baht. With chanute and a km from Nathon Beach, on the very quiet, non-tourist, west side of the island. What's very appealing is that land. Add 1 bedroom w/ ensuite and lounge extension and suddenly you've got a very spacious 3 bedroom house with enough room left for a 12m lap pool and garden for around 4m Baht. £85,000. On Ko Samui.. I can just about bring myself to do that again. It's way easier than building an entire house.

The bonus ball is it being a corner plot and no neighbours either side, ensuring my amped up, unholy 80s metal noise poluttion shouldn't be a problem. At my age, and getting older, I spend 90% of my time at home. It's important to have what you need, on your terms. I need a pool and a nice big lounge and room for the dog(s)..And fresh air.

You'd also get a highly desirable rental property that might go for as much as 60-70K a month at these crazy island prices. I can't think you'll find a better deal anywhere accept in the jungle really. Tempted.

11/06/2024

Buying a house on Ko Samui appears a daunting, and expensive task. Rents are amongst the highest in Thailand, and demand often outstrips supply. So if you plan to be here any amount of time, buying is the cheapest option. Property also increases in value here yearly, unlike many other places.

But it's been very disheartening to see the cottage industry that has grown up around farangs looking to own a slice of paradise. Shark Tank.

I've never seen so many accounting and property management offices.. And all are ready to offer the solution to the problem of not being able to own land. At a price. And what prices! The whole process is broken down into separate charging for each service. Such as Due Diligence (40k), Deposit Contract (13k), Sales and Purchase Agreements, (40k), Company Set Up, (35k), attending the Land Office (35k) etc etc. Plus Tea money.

You could easily part with 2-300,000 before paying transfer tax. Nothing short of scandalous really. And farang have been conditioned to believe all of these services are separate, and entirely necessary, because, you know, "you can't trust anyone on Samui about land".. They're right about that.

It saddens me to see this milking going on. Bank mortgages are noted on chanutes, further checks can be done at the land office yourself as can all the contracts etc. You only really need help setting up your company it seems. And there's a good business in that. But to see it all strung out in this manner doesn't sit well. But where there is a buck to be made, and a minefield of legality and fear, you can be sure someone will be only too happy to re-assure you everything will be ok, and to relieve you of as much cash as possible.

Samui is also subject to much scrutiny of nominee ownership of properties. It being illegal and all. And so much of it going on. Dare I say, this might be the only place in Thailand to recommend either renting or putting it in the name of your Thai partner.

The Only Farang In The Village

22/10/2024

17/10/2024

29/09/2024

27/09/2024

20/09/2024

19/09/2024

28/08/2024

08/08/2024

03/08/2024

31/07/2024

09/07/2024

26/06/2024

25/06/2024

17/06/2024

11/06/2024

11/06/2024

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