Hi Jim, what you dont say how familiar you are with Thailand. I see lots of moans and bad advice from individuals who had too many expectations based on no knowledge. I assume you are familiar with Thailand so I would suggest you first get a 90 day visa, make your self a list of what you want, eg. seaside or inland, City or rural, clubbing or quiet, food styles, then go there and tick off the items. again do you have a partner, yes make sure they are happy as well, I have seen heaps of breakups over time. Are you a British Club member or a Soi Cowboy supporter. Social levels are different here. Are you a golf player. Fees can kill you, doing your homework is great, learn a bit of the language before you go, you will get a lot more appreciation if you are polite and have a bit of knowledge. As others say the paperwork can be complicated, but thousands do manage to do it and enjoy the rewards

Another alternative and an adventure get a mini bus to Poipet. Go and spend a dollar in the casino, come back in and enjoy a hair raising ride back, or grab a flight to Penang spend a couple of hours sight seeing and fly back. Or just get an extension by paying 1900 baht at the immigration office.

One of the things you need to consider is the state of the juristic body and its rules. Some blocks fall into disrepair as people buy them but dont pay the maintainence, and under the rules it can be very hard to recover the funds until the unit is sold, In the meantime the maintainence falls behind. Have a close look at the Block Balance sheets begore buying.

I learned the hard way going into Cambodia, bought a visa at the border, never checked my passport, tried to leave a few days later. Never stamped in $us200 bribe to get it stamped so I could leave. Always check the stamps.

@J *****************

I agree, but its very easy to get and handy to have if you need to pay with a card.

If it's only a card you need for convenience, become a Qantas frequent flyer, and get a. Qantas visa money card.

@Kool ******

Aly son, I totally agree with Kool, only thing I assume you are an Australian passport, if so grab a 3-4 package across to Siem Riep, or Laos and enjoy. I was there for 90 days and visited both these places. They aren't that expensive and solves the visa issues.

I assume you are on an Australian passport, so the other possibility is a person with the same name as you is on the list. I had a similar experience with a govt dept years ago. Same name, same year of birth, different month. They just assumed it was me. When I asked for more detail I was able to point out, that it was a different person. Check with the airline where they got their information

I have been married for 50 years, currently living in Australia but my wife is Thai and we can buy a place in her name. You can buy certain types of Condominiums. I will message you with some info I have gathered over the years.