Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing optimal Thai property for retirement in Bangkok. As I have discussed in other videos, it's important to point out, not to be ‘yessed’ to death, to quote the movie Casino; I've discussed this at length in another video I made. I'll try to put the link in the description below if I remember to do it. I quoted the movie Casino where he is talking about being yessed to death by Sharon Stone, and look there are property agents and things out there. They'll just tell you what you want to hear. 

The thing to take away from this video is one) there are serious restrictions on foreigners owning land and yes, utilising corporate structures as some sort of subterfuge to utilise or maintain control, an effective ownership of land is not an optimal way to do things here in Thailand, as we have discussed in other videos. There may be options such as long-term leasing, what is called usufruct, or lifetime usage of property, what I would call a life estate in the Common Law vernacular. All of these may be available to folks who want to avail themselves of property usage here in Thailand. 

But the most optimal in my mind, and I'm not trying to sell something that I haven't otherwise gone through, I like condos, especially in Bangkok. I get it. You get down to some of the beach communities and things and maybe a condo doesn't quite look the same way as a condo looks here in Bangkok. But if you are going to retire in Thailand, the optimal, in my opinion the optimal type of property for retirees, especially something small. If you are like me and you're sort of an ultra-minimalist and you are looking to retire, a studio apartment, in a good location that you can own outright - again it's possible notwithstanding the restrictions on foreign ownership of property in Thailand - it's possible to own a condominium outright in Thailand pursuant to the Condominium Act provided it meets certain criteria and falls under the foreign quota, you can gain what's called Freehold in the Common Law vernacular of the sort of Westminster Law folks, what we call Fee Simple Absolute in the American vernacular, what they call Chanote title in Thai. Basically, it's possible to have Freehold title to own your own condo. I think for many retirees this is optimal. Now again, there are those that argue between renting and buying, and I think reasonable people can disagree on that, and your own financial circumstances will dictate your ability to engage in purchase as opposed to rental. But long story short, yes there are many options in my opinion that are very optimal for retirees in a condominium purchase sense here in the Kingdom of Thailand.