Should I buy or rent a condo in Thailand as a UK expat on a DTV Visa?

@Betty ********

This is my home in Aveyron. The walls are at least 36 inches thick, so I don't hear anything from inside. I spend the European spring and summer here avoiding South East Asia's rainy season, the other half the year in Thailand with a long vacation in Vietnam to keep me under the Thai 180 day tax residency. Condo rental in Thailand is cheap enough not to be bothered that it sits empty 6 months of the year.

@Steve **************

Hi Steve, concerning the noise problems I've experienced, it's probably due to the thin walls. I have a very solid home in France and have never heard a neighbours TV or shower.i know you can't compare the cost of a Thai condo and one in France , or other western countries. I too have spent many winters in Thailand since 1985.I would never buy unless I was actually spending most of the year there. Then I would choose with great care. As for the author, personally I would invest the sale of my house at home, or rent it out there.And if I didn't have any experience of Thailand I certainly wouldn't buy without having lived there for a while. It's not only buying or renting that is the problem, it's knowing the good and the bad, the tax situation, the different seasons, different areas, and as the lady has children certainly the schooling and costs. I have foreign friends with children and the kids are often bored and not finding enough friends and things to do.Quite a common problem. So not a decision to take lightly.