Of course, I've heard of FBI Real Estate in Udon. Just a couple of questions. If Thai law prohibits foreigners from being real estate agents (which it does), how can a foreigner claim to be one? Also, is this "Preben" guy a licensed Thai attorney? If not, why would anybody go to him for advice about...

Also to note, if you have a work permit, you don't need the certificate from immigration.

Here is from the MM2H website if it helps: i Aged Below 50 years old Open a fixed deposit account of RM300,000.00 (93,000 USD). After a period of one year, the participant can withdraw up to RM240,000.00 for approved expenses relating to house purchase, education for children in Malaysia and medical...

It does seem a bit Quixotic for those of us who continue to fight the good fight. I think little things help. Like, for example, I think for foreigners of pallor, we should probably stop using the word "farang" or "falang" as it perpetuates a certain stereotype about us. That is a different topic th...

Another expat turned me on to Malaysia as a good alternative to Thailand. It is more developed than Thailand (and perhaps a bit more expensive as well.) They have a program called "Malaysia My Second Home" (MM2H). Here's the link: http://www.mm2h.gov.my/ Basically, if you meet the criteria, you will...

WBU? That's a good one. Unfortunately, I have heard your story from other foreign men, probably a dozen times or so over the years. The culture in Thailand is very complicated and at times very subtle. It seems to me that there is nothing very subtle about what has happened to you as it transcends c...

There is a process to have a marriage to a Thai citizen in a foreign country registered in Thailand at a district office. It's probably not required for the marriage visa but would be for getting a divorce in Thailand (hopefully that won't be necessary.) In Thailand, antenuptial agreements usually m...

I can see that I've touched a raw nerve or two here and I certainly hope the South Carolina Department of Tourism is not logging on here (they'd never let me back.) I was just expressing my opinions about the subject of home values in Udon Thani. For me, the subject includes a discussion about the r...

I think he meant that he doesn't see many beautiful Thai girls with white guys. Usually, you see the beautiful Thai girls with Thai boyfriends. I agree with this one actually. I think Thais look down on Thai women who date white men. Usually, only the dark skinned Thai women will date white men. The...

I hate to break it to you but I think your friend just bought a lease on a nice 2 bedroom home on one rai of land. I don't care how good your lawyer is, he/she can't change the law. The most he/she can do is promise you a lawsuit against your Thai nominee. If you can build a stick-built home in Thai...

Hey HXJohn. I agree with Galee on this one. Are you affiliated with "Orchid of Siam"? If so, in what capacity?

I would agree that property taxes in the US are a problem. As property values have increased over the past few years the tax rates have remained the same causing an increase in actual tax paid. Then again, the property tax burden is offset by the federal income tax subsidy (itemized deduction of mor...

When I look at buying a house or real estate, to me it means much more than the house structure and earth underneath. You are also buying into the school system, the environment, the neighborhood, and the security (or rather illusion of security) that home ownership provides. In America, you are buy...

I know back in the US there are small and medium-sized towns where you can buy nice houses with a 1/2 acre for 70K to 120K. And they have zoning laws that are enforced, good schools, a good police department, and I don't have to remember to renew my visa. Hey Prenders: Nice watchamacallit ... Do you...

These ownership laws apply to all non-Thais, not just to falangs: and one of the objectives of the Thai government is to prevent economic migration (ie the poorer moving to Thailand), the same as all western countries. There is a certain logic that says if you can't afford to throw away a million b...

I have had problems in the past getting the letter of residency from immigration. On one occasion, they gave it to me just showing up with the completed form and a signed copy of my landlord's I.D. card and house registration without any problem. On a subsequent occasion, I spent weeks going back an...

Isn't that the point of an internet message board though? Aren't we trying to exchange ideas and provoke reactions to challenge our own ideas? If we all agreed it would be pretty boring, in my opinion.

yos I found in my years of life you get what you pay for and 40baht is not what I would call get some thing of quality a good pair of goggles would run around 15 to 20 USD you make to conversion I definitely agree. I was only riding a Wave 125 around town so I just wanted something to keep the bugs...

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It was kind of a strange problem with my computer and the recovery disk. Apparently, when you run the recovery disk, the disk checks something called a "DMI." I presume this is a code that identifies the computer as a particular model, maybe even a particular machine. Apparently, when Toshiba manufa...