Once here I recommend you go to Pattaya and yak with a handful of expats about the rewards, risks and prevelance of using a Visa Agent for people in your particular financial situation.
You will find that many use Maneerats agent to assist in setting up your “non-o” retirement visa and extension, found in Soi 13-2 just up from beach road. And there are others. Might as well use the agent to open your Thai bank account as well.
Keep a good solid US bank account, and open a Wise account and get it all set up before leaving the US.
Buy health insurance from a Thai company as soon as you can. Stuff happens here - 600,000baht hospital bills will ruin your whole day without insurance.
Finally if you let the baptists here scare you out of doing something that hundred of thousands do trouble-free on the regular, consider getting your retirement visa in Cambodia instead. Cheaper and easier than Thailand.
Sandeep Kumar Not at all. The fact that he knows about corruption but has not yet taken steps (yet) to end it does not lead to a conclusion that he is himself on the take.
Huge wealth stacked high in a few houses is far less useful than wealth spread more equally across the population, but neither Thailand nor Cambodia could be accused of accomplishing that happy situation.
In every category of products and services, there are higher cost options for those craving a little more convenience. Why do feel you must obnoxiously confront everyone who chooses to avail themselves of options you personally wouldn’t choose?
Just remember that only a small percentage of available rental condos and villas permit pets. There ARE some available but your selection will be severely restricted compared to someone with no pets.