- 19 minutes ago
House Hunters International - Season 201 Episode 10 -
All-In, All-Cash in Thailand
All-In, All-Cash in Thailand
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00:00A study abroad opened Finn's eyes to the wonders of Hua Hin, Thailand.
00:04It's a dream to be able to buy in such a wonderful place like this.
00:07The cost of living is much, much cheaper, but the catch is you have to pay fully in cash.
00:13And even though his savings will go a long way, an old friend thinks his money won't go as far as he'd like.
00:18He has high expectations, but with a low budget, it's not possible.
00:23There's not always a lot of English spoken. It's definitely a challenge.
00:27It really makes me sad turning around and remembering that this is a studio.
00:31In Thailand, you say this one bedroom.
00:33I should not be seeing you if this is a real one bedroom.
00:51I'm originally from Milwaukee.
00:53And when I was a kid, I wanted to explore the world.
00:57My grandma was a flight attendant and I thought it was really interesting and it would be a cool lifestyle.
01:02So I studied international relations and management and study abroad program in Hua Hin, Thailand.
01:07That trip was really eye-opening seeing how everything was so different.
01:11So now I'm a flight attendant and it's a real exciting dream job.
01:15It's something that I really enjoy quite a bit.
01:17I really only do international routes and after years of coming to Thailand and to Hua Hin, I built a life here.
01:24All of my friends are here.
01:25I realized what a great place this would be and realized that I wanted to live here long term.
01:30I consider myself a long term planner and I have been spending quite a bit of money on hotels.
01:48So I decided to save my money and buy a condo now.
01:52The cost of living in Hua Hin is much, much cheaper.
01:56I really want to select the right place in Hua Hin as I plan to keep this very long term.
02:01However, I also rent a place in Milwaukee.
02:03So I want to make sure that I'm not spending any more money than I have to here.
02:08But the catch is, as a foreigner, you have to pay fully in cash.
02:12And I know that with new development in Thailand, a lot of the spaces are more expensive.
02:17And using my savings, it makes me a little bit nervous because it's my first big purchase.
02:22But I really like the beauty of Hua Hin.
02:24That's something that really drove my decision to buy a place here.
02:27The Thai people are very nice and welcoming.
02:30There's pristine beaches.
02:32I really like the night markets.
02:34I really like the food scene.
02:36When I decided that I'm going to buy a place in Hua Hin, I called one of my best friends, Champ.
02:40I met Champ through mutual friends.
02:43Sometimes we mix Thai and English.
02:46It's kind of funny.
02:47We call it Tenglish.
02:48He does a great job in the real estate market in Hua Hin.
02:51I'm hoping that he knows what I'm looking for.
02:54What's the name for this type of sauce again?
02:57It's Gong Wat.
02:58Saat Makam.
03:00Oh, Gong Saat Makam.
03:01Yeah.
03:02We know each other because, like, my favorite bar, and my friend is the owner.
03:06She go to, like, university with Finn.
03:09Finn come to the bar.
03:10And now we know each other seven years.
03:12I know you miss Hua Hin.
03:14You miss Thailand.
03:15Oh, I miss Hua Hin so much.
03:16Yeah.
03:17I'm really excited to find something with a great view.
03:20And, of course, I just really want to be on the beach or walk to the beach easily.
03:23I see, I see.
03:24Yeah.
03:25In Hua Hin, you have beach.
03:27You have a mountain.
03:29But for the tourists, on the weekend, a lot of people here from Bangkok.
03:33So they might get in Hua Hin right now.
03:36It's really expensive, you know.
03:37I'm not sure he can get what he wants.
03:40I'm looking for, like, maybe a one-bedroom, but, like, a true one-bedroom and something modern that has a great pool.
03:47How much do you want to spend the money?
03:49$75,000.
03:50I'm not sure, like, with this budget, you can get everything.
03:56It's easy for a single guy for rental.
03:59But to buy it is quite complicated because if he needs, like, two or one-bedroom, coat the beach, you have to pay more.
04:06Ah, look.
04:07It's that Vietnamese restaurant we like.
04:09And it was so spicy.
04:10Yeah.
04:11But I love it.
04:12Even spicy, but a little bit expensive, right?
04:14Yeah, it was.
04:15But with money, not food, on his mind, Champ uses a bottle.
04:18Champ uses a property close to the beach to put Finn's expectations in perspective.
04:22There's a lot of new development around here in Hua Hin.
04:25Yeah.
04:26I think a lot of this is new within the last three or four years.
04:30I picked this condo for Finn because it is a very good location because you can walk, like, five minutes to the beach.
04:36They have a big pool.
04:38It's modern style, but it's over his budget.
04:41This is La Casita condo.
04:43Oh, very nice.
04:44I like the big arches up here and everything.
04:46Yeah, they have a nice garden as well.
04:48Yeah.
04:49And I really like the pool over here.
04:50This is really great.
04:51And what floor will we be looking at?
04:53Seven floors.
04:54Oh, okay, nice.
04:55Yeah.
04:56Here is one bedroom, one bathroom.
04:58And lastly, how much is this?
05:00$90,000.
05:02But it looks cool.
05:03You will love it.
05:04If you want to stay close to the beach, you have to pay more.
05:11Well, this is a modern place.
05:13You like it, right?
05:14It's beautiful.
05:15The kitchen is nice, but, I mean, you know me, and how many times have I cooked something?
05:21I know you're not cooked.
05:22You just eat, right?
05:24Well, the decoration is certainly bizarre.
05:27Good looking, but not my taste.
05:28Why?
05:29You don't like Egypt?
05:30But in Thailand, it doesn't really.
05:32Exactly.
05:33Yeah.
05:34I have to say right off the bat, it's not really a true one bedroom, is it?
05:39There's no separation.
05:40Look at this.
05:41Ta-da!
05:42Well, it's one bedroom for you.
05:47I should not be seeing you if this is a real one bedroom.
05:51In Thailand, you say this one bedroom?
05:53Well, I suppose that's a learning curve.
05:55I really do like the bedroom area anyway.
05:59It's pretty comfortable actually, but I really don't know what's going on over here.
06:03I don't really know what I would do here, but, and wow, it's really low.
06:07I mean, I can't even fit in here really like, you can read, you can pay your phone.
06:12That's certainly interesting.
06:14I think of myself as a long term planner and the price of buying a one bedroom condo in
06:19Hoi Hin would be equivalent to perhaps a down payment in the US.
06:25This bathroom is really black.
06:27Like, it's very, I don't like this at all.
06:30It's so dark, I could wear a headlamp in here or something.
06:34If he don't like it, he will really get it because he goes to the beach.
06:38That's what he wants.
06:39I do like that there's a balcony and it's of a decent size, but you know, the one thing
06:46that is really, really missing from this property is there's no view.
06:50I mean, you can see like, like this much of the ocean.
06:53So what is it?
06:54It's a, I don't know, a 2% view or what?
06:55Yeah.
06:56Come on, Finn.
06:57Just five minute walk to the beach.
06:59All right.
07:00You want to check it out?
07:01Let's go walk to the beach and check it out.
07:02Okay.
07:03In 20 years, I won't be thinking where that extra $15,000 go, but I will be thinking about
07:09it if I'm not near the beach.
07:11Didn't you used to play volleyball around here?
07:13Exactly.
07:14Oh, that's what I thought.
07:15It's a nice beach.
07:16It's really not very far from the condo either.
07:19I think I would come here a lot.
07:21I like the modern design.
07:23I love the pool area and I know this beach side access is great, but still a view would
07:28be great if possible.
07:29It's a good effort, but I really want to see the true one bedroom.
07:32And ultimately, this price was a little high.
07:34So I really would like to see something closer to the $75,000 mark.
07:38Proximity to the water is important to me because in Milwaukee, I've always lived within
07:41walking distance of Lake Michigan.
07:43It's something that I really enjoy.
07:45If Finn wants to pay with this budget, then he cannot be close to the beach.
07:50You can see the ocean.
07:52You can see the mountains.
07:54This is the best sea view in Hua Hin.
07:57Champ tries to meet Finn's expectations of a good view without breaking the bank.
08:02You have a separate door.
08:04He's so hung up on this big studio.
08:07He cannot afford the one bedroom in this building.
08:09One concern that I have with buying property here is sometimes I don't know the correct words
08:19about maybe plumbing or other things that could go wrong in a house.
08:23Hello.
08:24Hello.
08:25Hello.
08:26Hello.
08:27Hello.
08:28Hello.
08:29Hello.
08:30Hello.
08:31Hello.
08:32Hi.
08:33Captions.
08:34Oh.
08:35Dash.
08:36Oh, little cash.
08:37Look at this.
08:38Wait.
08:39I just had the...
08:40It just was...
08:41No, no, no.
08:42I had...
08:43Oh, here it is, okay.
08:45Oh, you want me to hold it?
08:46Yes.
08:47Okay, okay.
08:48I'm always so happy to come back to Huihin and see all of my friends here.
09:00Champ's one of my best friends, he's always one of the first people I reach out to whenever
09:03I'm coming into town and we always have a great time.
09:05He knows my taste, he knows my style, but I don't want to spend every penny I have, but
09:10I do want to find a nice place.
09:12He's looking for one bedroom condo with a sea wheel.
09:16He has high expectations, but it's not possible to get it.
09:21Are we almost by the back road?
09:23Yeah.
09:24Oh, okay.
09:25Because I'm local, I know everything.
09:27That's true.
09:28I'm almost a local too.
09:30Oh yeah, you can speak Thai.
09:32Can you speak Thai?
09:33Can you speak Thai?
09:35I don't know.
09:37The building is really big, really nice, right?
09:39Yeah, I like it a lot.
09:40It looks very lush and very green.
09:43The next condo I'm going to show Finn is studio room and one bathroom.
09:47But I know what's going to make Finn happy.
09:49At least he got the sea view and mountain view as well.
09:52It's a good price for him.
09:54I hope he's going to like it.
09:56This is the biggest building in Huihin.
09:58Oh, very nice.
09:59All right.
10:00How far are we from the beach?
10:02It's actually just 15 to 20 minutes walking.
10:06That's a little bit further than I was hoping for, but close enough.
10:10The big condo is studio room.
10:12Oh, not a one bedroom.
10:14This is already a red flag that I'm hearing.
10:16It's a studio.
10:17I'm going to show you on 18th floor.
10:19Oh, the 18th floor.
10:20Okay.
10:21That's pretty high up.
10:22Does it have good views?
10:23Yeah.
10:24You will get the goodwill.
10:25And how much is it?
10:26It's $55,000.
10:28That's actually a pretty good price.
10:31It is not a one bedroom though.
10:37I wish, I wish it was, but I mean, this is a nice option.
10:43Yeah.
10:45Oh, it's pretty comfortable too.
10:46Yeah, right?
10:47Yeah.
10:47I like it actually.
10:48And does it pull out or something?
10:50Yeah.
10:52Let me show you.
10:53Okay.
10:53You can invite your friend here.
10:55Yeah.
10:56Just chilling by the sofa, watching TV and have a popcorn or snack, whatever you want.
11:02Now I'm afraid you're going to be over here all the time.
11:04I know.
11:06I'm kind of excited to check out the view.
11:10You can see the ocean.
11:12You can see the mountains.
11:14This is the best sea view in Hua Hin.
11:16Like a buy one get one fee.
11:18Buy sea view and you get mountain view fee.
11:21I like it.
11:22It really makes me sad closing the curtains on that view and turning around and remembering
11:27that this is a studio.
11:28It's a good deal for him.
11:30He should take it for sure.
11:31If he just get over of the studio apartment.
11:35Let me show you something.
11:36Yeah.
11:37I want to show you even studio room, but you have a separate door.
11:43Yeah.
11:43To the kitchen, which I can still see and hear you through.
11:47Ha ha ha.
11:48Here's the bathroom.
11:52I like it.
11:53It's spacious.
11:55It's good, right?
11:56Yeah.
11:56I think it's good for you.
11:58And like not too dark.
12:00I think this is fine.
12:02And it has a little window.
12:04That's kind of odd.
12:06The window is for ventilation.
12:08I mean, it would be better if there was a fan or something.
12:11Here's the kitchen.
12:13You can cook here.
12:14I know.
12:15Cook what?
12:15Can you make me a hamburger?
12:17Oh.
12:20Oh, I'm happy.
12:23Feel like the style of the building and the condo.
12:25Wait till he see the pool.
12:31Okay.
12:32Now we're talking .
12:35It's nice.
12:38I love the fact that this is the tallest building in Hoi Hin.
12:40The views are amazing.
12:42Price is great.
12:43I love that aspect.
12:45I did not like the fact that it is a studio.
12:48I really wanted that one bedroom.
12:50He's so hung up on this big studio.
12:52He cannot afford the one bedroom in this wheel.
12:55It seems like we drove pretty far to get here.
12:59How far is this from the beach?
13:00It's quite far.
13:01It takes about an hour.
13:03Champ tests how far Finn will stray from his wish list for a true one bedroom.
13:08Look at the beautiful wheel.
13:10View of what?
13:11The parking lot?
13:17I didn't really know much about Thailand before I first came here.
13:20First, it was very difficult to adjust to Hoi Hin before I learned how to speak Thai.
13:25There's not always a lot of English spoken, especially in rural areas.
13:28So I definitely have had to act things out or point to things or show pictures.
13:33It's definitely a challenge.
13:35But that didn't stop him from spending the next few years saving money for his return.
13:39This time with a purchase in mind.
13:41It's a dream to be able to buy in such a wonderful place like this.
13:45The local culture and customs and food, everything is just great.
13:49However, the one catch is you have to pay in cash completely.
13:53And I'm expecting to get the perfect oceanfront view or perfect beach access.
13:57So it definitely is a risk.
13:59You know, I'm not crazy about seafood, but I guess this is a Hoi Hin experience.
14:02But it's awesome. You need to try some, right?
14:04It's almost like, remember that one time we had jellyfish years ago.
14:07Yeah, but not in this restaurant.
14:09We kind of close. Me and Finn, we have a lot of mutual friends, right?
14:13And I'll show him what I have, but not everything that he wants.
14:17Oh, look, we're passing the train station.
14:19It's a new train station.
14:21And I can't believe they're going to have this super high-speed train to Bangkok.
14:25I picked this place for Finn because it's a modern condo.
14:28They have a good mountain well.
14:30And you can see some part of the ocean.
14:33And the grass is bright.
14:34It seems like we drove pretty far to get here.
14:37How far is this from the beach?
14:38Like 10-minute drive to the beach.
14:40And what about if you walk?
14:41It's quite far.
14:42It takes about an hour.
14:44Oh, yeah, that's rough.
14:45Yeah, but it's not good to walk to the beach.
14:48I'm going to show you the second floor.
14:51I don't know about that.
14:52This one is one bedroom, one bathroom.
14:55Yeah, but is this a one bedroom or a one bedroom?
14:58You will see.
14:59And how much is it?
15:00$65,000.
15:02Oh, I like the sounds of that.
15:05Now we're talking.
15:06Yeah, right?
15:07Yes.
15:11Wow, this is really nice.
15:13I like the looks of this already.
15:15I like how it's modern.
15:17I told you.
15:18You know, this kind of reminds me of that place I used to live on Soy 6.
15:21You're going to cook one day because you have a night kitchen.
15:24I think the dining room table is a nice idea,
15:27but the setup itself is a little bizarre, don't you think?
15:30Let's try it.
15:31Try to sit, boss.
15:34Like this.
15:35Okay, I'm going to cook breakfast for you.
15:37I mean, maybe we should try and move it.
15:39Okay.
15:40I don't know, like this, you think?
15:41Maybe the angle better?
15:42Well, but then I'm, okay, so then I'm right next to the, I don't know, yeah.
15:45This is a little bit awkward, but it's nice to have anyway.
15:50I'm very happy with the space.
15:51I suppose that I'll be willing to sacrifice walking distance from the beach
15:54in order to find a true one bedroom.
15:56This is a very spacious bedroom.
16:00I really like the mirror here and the closets.
16:03There's nice storage space.
16:05Yeah, luckily that you're tall.
16:07Yes, I suppose.
16:09I'll have to try out the bed.
16:11Um...
16:12Try it.
16:13Ooh.
16:14My Sabai D.
16:18Who picked out this?
16:19I mean, I might as well be sleeping on concrete.
16:21But I will show you something.
16:24Look at the beautiful whale.
16:27A good view of what?
16:29The parking lot?
16:30No.
16:31The ocean over there.
16:33Yeah?
16:34Yeah, I can see the ocean, but not really see the ocean.
16:38Then drive for 10 minutes to see the ocean.
16:41I guess that's the solution.
16:43This is the best sea whale.
16:45I can get him for the spice.
16:46He just compare it.
16:48This is a bright bathroom.
16:50I like that a lot.
16:52There's lots of storage.
16:54It's a good size.
16:56Right.
16:57I agree with you.
16:58I agree with you.
16:59What do you think about the pool?
17:05It's big.
17:06It's spacious.
17:07I like this a lot.
17:09It's a true one bedroom.
17:11And to go under the amount that I was looking to spend is even better.
17:15But I think that I would really like to have a good view or perhaps beach access.
17:19The best view I've ever had was in Switzerland looking over the Alps and Lake Geneva.
17:24The worst view I've ever had would be this one if I buy it.
17:29One bedroom would be really nice to have in Hoi Hin.
17:31I also really like the pool there.
17:33It's nice.
17:34It's just not in proximity to the beach.
17:36La Casita, I like the proximity to the beach.
17:39I think Lake Ban Kiang Fa is a good option as well.
17:41The price is amazing.
17:43But, you know, it's not a true one bedroom.
17:45I found out the hard way that Ty has many different short words that can sometimes be with minimal difference.
17:57And I found out that one of them is a swear word and I said it by accident.
18:02But now I know to never say that again.
18:08Finn is expecting to get his money's worth in his new apartment in Hoi Hin.
18:12But Champ has to convince him to give up size for the location and price he wants.
18:17I really love traveling a lot, especially internationally into different exotic locations.
18:22It's something that's a big part of my life.
18:24Finn, he's looking for one bedroom condo and go to the beach.
18:28He cannot get everything he wanted because he adds a lot.
18:31With that budget, it's not possible.
18:33La Casita, I like the higher floor and the proximity to the beach.
18:39I think I would come here a lot, but it's not really a true one bedroom, is it?
18:43And I didn't like that it was $15,000 over what I was willing to spend.
18:48The Ban Kiang Fa, I really liked it, but...
18:51Wait, say it again. Ban Kiang Fa.
18:54Ban Kiang Fa.
18:55Yeah, you're right.
18:56I think Ban Kiang Fa is a good option as well because it's not too far from the beach.
19:00The price is amazing. That's a really great part too.
19:03I love the pool, but it is not a one bedroom though.
19:08I wish, I wish it was.
19:10I like the 88 Condo because you know it's a true one bedroom.
19:14I like how it's modern. This is a bright bathroom. I like that a lot.
19:19I also really like the pool there. It's nice. It's just not in proximity to the beach.
19:30I think that I should probably eliminate La Casita because it's the most expensive one by far and there's no view.
19:42I really like the layout of the one bedroom. I just, the view I can't get over.
19:49Like the second floor is really not doing it for me.
19:52But Ban Kiang Fa is also good. It's the least most expensive one.
19:56I can walk to the beach with ease, but it really was small, so it's kind of a tough decision to make, don't you think?
20:02How much time are you going to spend at home?
20:04You know, it's hard to say because typically when I come to Hui Hin, I mean, I'm booked and busy with all of our friends doing all sorts of stuff that, you know, I guess I'm really not home all that much.
20:14So, I mean, maybe I should not worry about the one bedroom versus the studio as much as I am.
20:20Oh, now you've changed your mind.
20:22I really like the pool at Ban Kiang Fa better. The views are amazing. It's the most under budget.
20:28I know it's a studio and I really wanted that one bedroom.
20:31Let's get out the rain. What's this going to be?
20:33I think I'm going to go with Ban Kiang Fa.
20:35I really love everything about this city. I think it's a great place and I'm so happy that I can call it home.
20:54That's good. I really wanted a true one bedroom and I ended up getting, like, a studio.
21:03However, I don't think I have any complaints about my purchase.
21:06I love the view. You can see the water, you can see the mountains.
21:10You know how much I love it here and I'm so happy to see everybody.
21:14Yeah, right?
21:15Yeah, it's really wonderful.
21:16It's just amazing to be able to come back and to call this home.
21:20This was something that I've wanted to do for years and I'm so glad that it really came true.
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