There is a concept called contrarian investing. It is an investment style where investors go against the prevailing market trend. While it is simple to understand, it is very difficult, and in almost all cases, impossible to execute. The difficulty presents itself not from the concept itself but because it is against natural human instinct. [...] The post When it comes to investing, nothing travels in a singular direction appeared first on Daryl Lum's Blog ..read more

The Rama 9 area is Bangkok's second central business district (CBD). With the main business district, the Sathorn financial district, having overcrowding issues, it made sense for many companies to set up their offices in the Rama 9 area. There are many condominiums in the Rama 9 area. This was in part driven by development [...] The post My review of Nue Epic Asok-Rama 9 appeared first on Daryl Lum's Blog ..read more

Recently a five-room HDB flat at Margaret Drive was sold for a record SGD$1.73 million. To put this in context, when I first started in property sales about 20 years ago, a five-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio was about SGD$380,000. I know because the first five-room flat which I sold was in Ang [...] The post What just may happen if asset prices continue to rise indefinitely appeared first on Daryl Lum's Blog ..read more

For foreigners who are purchasing Thai property, they have to pay for the purchase with any currency other than Thai baht. Without getting too technical, there is a rule in Thailand that states that for foreigners, foreign currency has to be used in the purchase of Thai properties. On top of that, the payment has to be done within the international banking system. This means that the foreign currency needs to be transferred from a foreign bank to a Thai bank. Let us consider this example: A Malaysian would like to purchase a THB 7 million condominium in Bangkok There is a 30% downpayment for t ..read more

Thailand, namely Bangkok, is one of the best places in the world to retire. It has excellent healthcare, a low cost of living and a general attitude that is welcoming of foreigners. While many may want to retire in Bangkok, many are not familiar with the various visas available and which of the various visas will be best suited to their retirement needs.   The best visa for most would be the Long Term Resident Visa This requires a proper understanding of the tax code in Thailand to know why I made that statement. When you are in your retirement years, one of the considerations has to be c ..read more

A Thailand visa is an endorsement on an individual’s passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave or stay in Thailand for a specified period. All foreigners who want to enter Thailand will require a visa. This visa needs to be applied for before entry into Thailand. Here is an overview of the various visas available to foreigners. I have broken them down into short-term and long-term visas and placed the most common option at the top of the category.   SHORT TERM VISAS (Less than 1 year)   Tourist visa The most common type of visa is the tourist visa. This visa is f ..read more

The Foreign Exchange Transaction Form (FET) is a document that is issued by a Thai bank. It is issued when foreign currency is transferred from outside of Thailand into Thailand. For example, if a Malaysian were to transfer Malaysian Ringgit from his Malaysian bank account to a Thai bank, the Thai bank would receive the Malaysian Ringgit. The Thai bank will then convert the Malaysian Ringgit into Thai Baht in Thailand. It will then issue an FET. The FET would bear the following information: The amount of foreign currency that the Thai bank received The amount of baht that the foreign currency ..read more

I think it would not be too far-fetched for me to state that the Bangkok property market has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels in terms of the level of supply. Back in 2018, a total of about 65,000 condominium units entered the Bangkok property market (source: Bangkok Post). In 2023, 16,247 new condominium units were released, 12,172 in Q2, a meagre 5,367 in Q3, and 13,910 in Q4. This meant a total of about 47,000 condominium units were released in 2023. Demand-wise, the demographics of the buyers of Thai property have changed significantly. While Chinese buyers remain the top foreign ..read more

If you did not already know, Chulalongkorn University is the top university in Thailand. It is situated in the heart of Bangkok. The closest BTS stations are BTS National Stadium and BTS Siam. It is within walking distance from MBK Center. While we do see quite many university students in these touristy areas which are north of the university, the lesser-known fact is that the more popular areas for the students are south of the university. The closest train station is Samyan MRT which is located along Rama 4 Road. Whizdom Craft Samyan and Culture Chula are both located in this area. As mentio ..read more

Bangkok properties have risen a great deal from the time I first entered the Bangkok property market. Prices are close to an all-time high currently. Thailand is not immune to inflation. Prices of properties in Bangkok and neighbouring cities and countries have been rising aggressively since the pandemic ended and global travel is once again liberated. The Thai Baht is weak. It has remained so for an extended period. The reason for this would be that this would make Thai exports more attractive as it seeks to make up for the shortfall in tourism numbers. The Thais are very cognisant that they ..read more