How To Rent In Thailand

Renting in Thailand

First Published Date: June 21, 2009

Living abroad is something that most people want to do for at least some portion of their life, and which more and more people are deciding to do. As the Internet among many other things has seen the world become a lot closer, we all have a much better insight on other countries, their customs and the options they offer for someone looking to move there. Depending on the move you make, the “intricacies” of the whole process may not even need to be all that intricate. It is imperative, though, that you inform yourself of exactly what will be expected of you before you begin to put your plans into action. For example, while it may be relatively easy for a Canadian citizen to move to the US, or vice versa, moving between continents is not as straightforward.

The vagaries of property law often see a particularly large amount of tax levied on anyone looking to buy a house in a country where they have not lived before. This is one of the first things you should check before moving, as it can add another 50% to the cost of the house. Among the nations which place severe restrictions on non-nationals owning property is Thailand. To buy a property anywhere in Thailand, a non-Thai national will need to jump through a certain amount of hoops, and will invariably end up paying more than a Thai national. In order to avoid doing this, it makes a lot of sense to rent initially if you are planning only to spend a few years or less in the country. In becoming better acquainted with the country, it is also possible to learn a way to buy a property hassle-free, or monitor any changes in law.

Renting a property in Thailand, for Thai or non-Thai, is a lot more convenient and straightforward than purchasing. In fact, it is so straightforward that negotiation is very firmly discouraged. If you see a place advertised as being available at a certain price, you should not even consider trying to work the landlord down – most landlords will prefer to leave the property empty than rent it for less than the going rate. Why you would negotiate anyway is a matter for yourself – many rents for studio apartments in Phuket and Bangkok are in the region of $150, some even less.

If renting in Thailand it is worth being aware that all rental contracts are exclusive of things such as electricity, water and telephone bills, which are instead considered surcharges. However, considering the affordability of renting a property in urban or rural Bangkok it is hardly too much of a headache for someone with savings and a decent regular income to pay rent and bills and still have enough left over to live on without discomfort. Three bedroom houses in the more rural areas are available for little over $300 a month. At the other end of the market it is more than possible to spend four figures renting a condominium, but for that price quality is guaranteed.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on June 21, 2009.

Canadians are among the most heavily taxed in the industrialized world

Canadian Tax Issues

First Published Date: Jan 31, 2009

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes. It is a legal requirement that we must pay tax on earnings and purchases in addition to other more specific levies that pay for our public services. This is a necessity, but that does not make it any less galling when the time comes to give up a portion of the money we have earned. Taxes are indeed such a vexed issue that those of us who can afford to often employ a financial advisor or accountant whose knowledge of the system can spare us at least some of the unnecessary tax expenses that often go unnoticed due to the less than total comprehensibility of the system.

One way to defray at least some of your tax burden is to invest some of your money in bonds. When a bond matures it is seen as a capital gain, and only half of the proceeds of capital gains are taxable under Canadian law. There are jobs that pay a portion of their salary as bonds for this very reason, although this is obviously unpractical for those whose income falls below a certain threshold. However, as Canada’s taxation system is progressive, with a higher rate paid by those on larger incomes, some people argue that this legal tax avoidance measure is simply a way of redressing an unfair balance.

Sales taxes also account for a portion of each Canadian citizen’s tax burden. Depending on which province the sale takes place, the tax on a sale can rise as high as 13%. Certainly all provinces other than Alberta have a Sales Tax level of 10% or more, with Alberta clocking in at a comparatively tiny 5%. Therefore, if it is practical for you to do a large amount of your purchasing in Alberta, this is one way in which you can avoid being stung for more cash. Prince Edward Island is comparatively a high sales tax area, with a  taxation level of 15.5% of the cost of the sale. Thus, an individual who pays most of their Sales Tax within Prince Edward Island can, at least in theory, unburden themselves of more than two-thirds of their tax loss by doing their shopping in Alberta.

Unlike most of the Western world, the Canadian government does not impose Inheritance Tax on its subjects. Inheritance is seen as another form of capital gain and therefore subject simply to Capital Gains tax just like bonds or stocks. Though to benefit from this absence of Inheritance tax, someone needs to die – which takes us neatly back to the words of Benjamin Franklin all those years ago. One other thing – if you like a cigarette and a beer, and drive an air-conditioned vehicle, then you are paying four different kinds of Excise tax. It might be time to look at whether you can walk to the liquor store.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Jan 31, 2009.

3 VOIP Communication Apps That Save You Money

Cheap International Calls from Smart Phone Apps

First Published Date: February 11, 2015

A VOIP App like Skype will give you very good voice quality, there is no doubt about it. However, whenever it comes to balance, getting good voice quality, and lower rates, Skype fails to make the list, as its rates are very high and unrealistic. Today, I will talk about 3 telecommunication apps you can use to make international calls on your tablet or smart phone at reasonable rates without compromising voice quality.

Ringo: Ringo is distinctive in that rather than using Wi-Fi it uses your local cell network on your phone to make international calls at incredibly low rates. I have not seen any other apps that beat Ringo’s low rates and still retain excellent voice quality. The only drawback of Ringo is that you wont be able to use it on your tablet, as it requires a cell network to make calls. However, as phones are getting bigger like tablets, most people will abandon their tablet at some point in the future, making Ringo a must-have app on your smart phone. Minimum load is $5.

OTO: OTO uses Wi-Fi to make calls and call quality is good enough to keep it as your Wi-Fi VOIP app. Rates are comparable with other VOIP apps and sound quality can beat most other Wi-Fi VOIP apps available. OTO also offers free international calling only from Korea. Minimum load is $10.

Google Hangouts: In the past, Hangouts voice quality was not that good. I noticed that it has improved a lot since then. The main advantage is if you are using Android phone, Hangouts is already on your phone. International rates are low and you can call anyone in Canada and USA for free.

The Tallest Residential Building in the World

Q1 – World’s Tallest Condo

First Published Date : June 25, 2009

When it comes to building a tower that will stick in the minds of the people of the world, there is nothing like height for making your point. Certainly there are world famous towers that do not rely on height to take their place among the elite, and no-one would seek to deny that – the Eiffel Tower is one such building – but when it comes to new builds, if you want to truly impress a watching world there is nothing like a skyscraper to get heads nodding and tongues wagging. For this reason, the tallest buildings in the world will always be the subject of much discussion, and this makes the title of “tallest residential building in the world” one that is keenly fought for.

The current holder of this title is Q1 (short for Queensland One) located in Surfers Paradise on Australia’s Gold Coast. Standing at an amazing 1,058 feet tall and 78 storeys high, Q1 is truly remarkable. It is one of those buildings that throws up fascinating facts whenever it is brought up in conversation, simply because it is hard to convey how remarkable something is through raw data alone. Among other  things, the building is capable of withstanding the force from ten jumbo jets pushing against it – in the highly unlikely circumstance of that happening – because it has a reinforced “honeycomb” core. The elevator in the Q1 can go from the bottom to the top floor – 77 floors up – in 49 seconds.

Facts like these are what it takes to convey just how impressive the Q1 tower is. It is perhaps no surprise that it cost approximately AUS$400million (US$307million) to build. If you want to live there, however, you will need to take on a substantial cut of that cost. Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe reportedly bought the Penthouse apartment for a sum of money believed to be in the range of $12million, immediately making it the most expensive apartment in Queensland. To stay in the building for a night will cost you less than that – in the region of AUS$319 (US$245).

Often when a building of similar size is built, there is a concern about its height making it structurally unsound, and at its highest point a risk of vulnerability in high winds. For the Q1 this is not a problem – the furthest it will move even in a cyclone is  600 millimetres.

Of course, all of this says very little about the building itself as a residential property. On that front, it is one of the most desirable places in Australia and beyond with world class dining and recreational facilities as well as retail outlets and a very strong aesthetic. There is tropical landscaped garden along with lagoon pools, and for those people who need to relax after a long day there is also a day spa. Top class conference facilities make it an ideal place for a business investment, too.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on June 25, 2009

How to Fix Credit Score

Tips to Fix Credit Score

First Published Date: February 18, 2015

A bad credit score can make it difficult to get a loan or mortgage and also force you to pay more interest than you would normally pay with a better score. Today, I will talk about some simple things you can do to improve your credit rating.

Check Credit Report – Contact credit bureaus like Equifax or TransUnion to obtain a free copy of your credit report every year. This can be done online as well. If you find any errors, have those corrected by filling out a form or you can contact your financial institution if they caused the error.

Have A Mixture of Credits – Having different types of credits such as credit cards, personal loans, and mortgages help improve your credit score.

Don’t Be Rough on Your Bank Account – Stretching your bank accounts beyond their limits such as writing NSF cheques, drawing overdrafts, etc. will hurt your score.

Pay Off Credit Cards – Paying off your credits positively affect your credit score more than paying off other instalment loans such as mortgages, personal loans, etc. Try not to exceed 30 personal balances on each card in which you carry a balance.

Use Old Cards Sometimes – Don’t keep too many credit cards, but don’t close your oldest credit cards either. Charge a few dollars on those oldest cards occasionally and pay them off right away. Keeping these cards active will have greater weight on your credit score.

Don’t Believe – Don’t believe ads that promise to fix your credit score faster by paying them fees. The facts that affect your credit score cannot be erased or fixed by someone and will follow their course to stay on your report until they complete their timeline. Only you can improve your credit score by acting responsibly and taking proper steps in the right direction.