Retiring in Hua Hin

[norrishall]

We have been interested in retiring in Thailand for a while now
They have a program for people age 50 and over that allows one to have a renewable visa year by year.
We visited Thailand recently and made a trip to a place called Palm Hills in the Hua Hin area.
It seemed like a nice golf course development
Wondering if anyone has any more information about the residential community there or if any readers are residents there.
There's plenty of information about the golf course.
We'd be interested in finding out if Palm Hills would be a good place to buy property and build a house...some of the pros and cons.
Thanks

[Winkie]

There is a good Hua Hin Forum. Search for Hua Hin After Dark.

There are many expats (around 3,000) living in Hua Hin. Many of the retired variety.

The Forum is full of useful info about retiring, costs of living, visas etc... Yes, there is a 50yrs + retirement Visa. Do not think of it as a program, its a visa only, and many complain of difficulties and irregularities with the applications/processing.

Palm Hills is actually in Petchburi (Cha Am) I think, and Cha Am also has a good expat base, much less that HH, and again many retirees.

I belevie that Palm Hills residents actually have there own Forum too, but not sure how to gain access.

Good luck with your information gathering, and your retirement plans.

[synthia]

Foreigners aren't allowed to buy property freehold, only condos. There are long leases, though. There are a couple of posts in this forum about buying and leasing. Check them out.

[bkkbear]

Hi,

Have you been to Hua Hin?

It is about 1-2 hrs from Bangkok. It is a vacation place for the rich Thais but not a lot there.

If you are in your community with Ex-Pats, then great but otherwise, the Thais speak poor English.

Remember, you can buy the building but not the property. I visit there every 2 yrs as I lived there for several years and have a lot of friends.

There was an article in the Bangkok Post about Ex-Pats buying condos across the Thaksin bridge and the builders ran out on it and the Ex-pats were left to deal on their own. Remember the laws are not the same as in the West and there is a good degree of corruption.

Before you buy anything, I would visit Hua Hin and stay a few months to see if you can deal. Ex-pats have 30 day visa on arrival. If you leave and return, you re-start your 30 days.

I would hate to see your life savings be swindled on "smoke&mirrors."

GOOD LUCK !

Nangfaa (Thai Angel)

[synthia]

In general, never invest money you aren't willing to lose in a foreign country, at least until you have been there several years. As in many developing countries, I don't think you should buy anything until it is completed, either.

[SteinKR]

Hi there Norris

Hua Hin is a fantastic place. It is a 2 hours drive from Bangkok, and the roads have been upgraded to a very good standard the last few years.

Personally, I go to Hua Hin at least one weekend a month just to get away from the noice and traffic in Bangkok where I am working. I much rather prefer Hua Hin than Pattaya as the atmosphare is more relaxed and not too much touristic.

Regarding the Retirement Visa, it is no hassle at all. You have to get it through the Thai Embassy in your own country. They will help you with application form and which documents you need to provide.

Palm Hills is definately a very nice estate with beautiful surroundings. I have a friend living there and get the impression it is very peaceful and quiet. Location wise, it is a little bit outside Hua-Hin downtown - maybe a 10 minutes drive.

There is also several houses already built which is for sale (have seen a few signs around). As mentioned by otheres, there is ownership limitations of land by foreigners in Thailand. However, there is ways for foreigners to protect their assets and most professional real estate brookers can assist with this process.

I do not agree with Synthia regarding investing in Thailand as extremely risky. Tens of Thousands of Foreigners own houses with land here in Thailand, which I do not think would happen if the chance of loosing it was that severe. You should of course always be careful, but it is not right to paint the situation black!



People coming to Thailand on retirement visa is also allowed to bring Personal Effects along into the country. Please let me know by Private Message if you want to have more information regarding this.


Stein A.

[synthia]

I said foreign country, and that would include England or Argentina or Australia. Once you have been in a country for a while, you get a better idea of the market and the laws and how you want to live in that country. Unfortunately, as we are learning once again in the US, property investments in particular are not always liquid. Newcomers tend to overpay, and then must sell to other newcomers who are willing to overpay. That is the situation, as I've been told anyway, in Spain at the moment. So if someone moves to Thailand and doesn't like it, and has tied up a necessary percentage of their money in a house, and aren't able to sell it, they are stuck. Most expats in every country leave within a couple of years, so this is a serious consideration.

Most developing countries do not have the same level of property protection that people in the US or Canada or the UK are accustomed to. It's an important thing to investigate when considering buying. Just the fact that you have to take extra steps to protect your property indicates the laws do not work the same. The concept of owning the house but not the land is also different.

[britishbull]

A lot of people bought land through ownership of a Thai company (you could only own 49 percent of the company but a majority of the voting rights) but there is a government crackdown on this loophole so only thirty year leases are realistic - if you are seventy or more probably safe enough. You should consult your embassy website which gives a list of non-crooked lawyers who will check out things for you when you come to buy. Married foreign couples usually don't have much problems it is single guys who move in ex-bargirls who end up in dire straights when the girl's Thai husband ups the ante. In that situation RENT!

[wolfmisc]

Originally Posted by norrishall

We have been interested in retiring in Thailand for a while now
They have a program for people age 50 and over that allows one to have a renewable visa year by year.
We visited Thailand recently and made a trip to a place called Palm Hills in the Hua Hin area.
It seemed like a nice golf course development
Wondering if anyone has any more information about the residential community there or if any readers are residents there.
There's plenty of information about the golf course.
We'd be interested in finding out if Palm Hills would be a good place to buy property and build a house...some of the pros and cons.
Thanks

Hi Norris,
I used to live in Hua Hin for several years and now I`m staying in Pranburi, just 15 miles away to the South.
As already mentioned Palm Hills is 6 miles or so outside Hua Hin Centre and belongs already to Cha Am (province Petchburi).
They have a good golf course, but there are some equal or even better ones in the same area. And in my opinion the houses at Palm Hills are somewhat too expensive regarding what they are offering for the money.
Hua Hin is the oldest beach resort in Thailand and His Majesty is having its summer residence there. Anyway, its not for the rich Thais as somebody wrote. Plenty of normal people are coming for the weekend from Bangkok. And Hua Hin is also having a big Expat community, most of them retired Scandinavians. During the peak season from November to February it is quite crowded by tourists. Also most of those Scandies.

[Winkie]

I live in BKK but have a property in Cha Am, and spend most weekends there. I'd support what wolfmisc states. Als similar opinion of Palm Hills too.