If you are thinking of moving to Bangkok,…

You are going to be new in town. You have never been to Bangkok (long term at least) before. 

What do you need to know? What worries do you have? What help do you need?

As an expat running several real estate companies in Bangkok for around 15 years in total, I have welcomed many newcomers to the city, found them a place to live, found them help with Visa applications, advised and guided them on where to go eat, buy clothes, do grocery shopping, hang out to meet people, connected them with people they need to meet… I helped them in just about every way I could and in every way they needed.

Many of them became lifelong friends and are people I still speak to and hang out with to this day. They will tell you how much I helped and how much they felt and could see that I genuinely cared and wanted them to find the very best life that I possibly could using my knowledge and experience from the many years I had already been in the city. 

Sure, you can ask on forums, but more often than not you will get conflicting reports and opinions, which can often lead to you ending up more confused than when you started your investigations. 

If you work with me, I can give you cold hard facts, present you with the best websites to find information you need and connect you to people you might need to meet, show you relevant maps and routes you may need, list out neighbourhoods that will suit your lifestyle and habits, tell you about the costs of living, eating in and out, travelling, socialising and so on. 

Who am I and what do I do now? 

Now, in my mid-fifties and having lived overseas for over 20 years and in 3 very different countries full time, I spend my time living between Bangkok, Pattaya and Isaan. I run a few businesses with partners that have enabled me to keep growing my list of connections and stay very much in touch with how things are in the cities. 

I also run several large Facebook community groups, including the very large and well known Bangkok Expats Group with its 95,000+ members. It is because of this group that I am empowered to help newcomers to learn as much as they can about life in Bangkok before they arrive, taking the edge of their trepidations and nervousness about what awaits them and how things will turn out for them. 

Any move to any new town, city or country is fraught with challenges and of course nothing is worse than arriving at your new home and realising after a few weeks that the area is not suitable for you. Yes, you can go and view properties themselves and decide with your own eyes if you like them, but without knowing the area first, you may end up regretting the move in some way. Perhaps the commute to your place of work is too far. Perhaps it is hard to get to and from the nearest shops for essential grocery stocks. Or perhaps the location itself is too noisy and attracts a different type of person to those you wanted to be in and around with. I can help you with all of this and more. 

Over the years I have devised some questionnaires, aimed at learning about newcomers that will help me to learn more about you in quite some depth. I have also devised some fact sheets with information on cost of living items, links to useful websites, how to best navigate your way around the city, places to buy essential items and indeed those luxury items. I have covered just about every essential aspect I can think of, plus added a few non-essential aspects in there to help you further understand the life here. 

As a newcomer myself back in 1998, before the information networks grew to what they are today, I can tell you I would have loved for there to have been some kind of similar service to me back then. Of course, for some, part of the excitement of venturing out as an expat is to learn for yourself and go gung-ho so to speak. But for those of you who want to land here and have everything as ready as it can be, and to enjoy life as you want it to be, my services will truly be invaluable to you. 

Being that I have been doing this for quite some time, I have added some testimonials to this presentation to give you confidence in me. Also, please note that I am highly visible, being the admin and owner of the Bangkok Expats group; so you can be quite certain I am who I say I am and will do what I have promised to do. 

I genuinely care. I love to help. All I ask is a small fee for my time in devising all my information sheets, questionnaires and time spent speaking to you either via email or indeed if you prefer on a live call, Via platforms such as whatsapp, MS Teams, Google meet and so on. So please put your faith in me and let me help you to get the most out of your life here and make sure you avoid as many of the potential pitfalls as we possibly can between us!

List of services.

Upon your inquiry to me asking for my help and guidance, I have devised this road map or how we will work together to make sure you have all the information you need for your arrival here in Bangkok.

• Send out questionnaire(s) (Could be more than one to get more details from you)
• Agree and arrange preferred contact method for questionnaire feedback
• Send back answers and await further questions, or discuss on call
• Send fact sheet(s) giving information and connections needed
• Follow up call/email to ensure nothing is outstanding or unclear
• Send out further fact sheet(s) and information where needed
• Follow up call/email on arrival to make sure all needed contacts have been made
• Follow up call/email a week or so later to ensure all has worked out as it should

Of course, it is impossible to guarantee that everything will work as needed, but it is possible for us to agree what is needed and for me to give you all that is needed. What I can guarantee you is that I will give you contacts with necessary people that can help you on arrival to do the essentials such as introducing you to trusted real estate agents that we have known and worked with for a long period of time and that we know will help you as best they can.

Information that can be given include; (personalised to your needs).

• List of property websites on which you can do your own searches
• List of recommended hotels for your initial stay, according to budget and location
• Arrival at Bangkok Airport, Taxi Services, and ways into the city and to your hotel
• How deposits and contracts work. How the management office can help
• Contact details for trusted Visa agents we know are able to help you
• Maps of relevant locations you might want to live in
• Route maps for commutes to work via BTS/MRT type routes/car or bike
• Locations for parks, shopping malls, supermarkets, government buildings etc.
• Cost of living analysis sheets
• Locations of some of the best International schools
• Apps to add for such things as ordering takeaways
• Sim card providers and packages
• Opening a Bank account in Thailand
• Currency exchanging, transferring money from your country to a TH Bank
• Getting advice from professional Insurance brokers
• Main locations for Expat hangout (bars, restaurants etc.,)
• Locations on request for such things as churches, mosques, temples

Contact me now on email [david@bangkokexpats.asia] and let’s get started with my questionnaires to make certain when you arrive, things are as good and smooth as it gets.