Thai temple

Some Estate Agents double up as Letting Agencies too but there are also Letting Agencies that operate as nothing more. Like the Real Estate agents, the letting agencies of Bangkok and Thailand, do not focus too much on the lower priced dwellings due to the smaller commissions.

A lot of people stay clear of these agencies as they think the service will cost them more in the long run. This can actually be a bit of a misconception as their cut, commission, call it what you will, is not simply added to your monthly rent. Though they do make commission on their service, it’s quite often at the expense of the landlords as opposed to the tenants. Let me explain further.

Often, a private owner, especially an inexperienced one, will attempt to rent out his property using his own resources in order to save on agency fees. He is quite often over ambitious with his expectations for rent. After a few months without any luck he reluctantly seeks out the services of a letting agency to see if they can do any better. Here, they often inform him that to make his property desirable, he needs to spend a few thousand Baht on a bit of fresh paint, wash away the mildew from the bathroom, get rid of any tacky or broken furniture, fix the broken window, and sling a bit of bleach in the toilet prior showing people around etc.

They may also inform him that he’s asking well over the top for this property type. The greedy landlord may point out that he can’t afford to let it go any cheaper. The agent may reply to this by highlighting the amount of months his vacant property has already lost him by sitting empty, and if he doesn’t do something soon, it could remain in this unoccupied state indefinitely.

A plan is then drawn up, the agent takes over the management of his apartment, and the property soon reappears back on the market cleaner, smarter and cheaper than before.

As with the Real Estate Agencies, there are a minority of bad Letting Agencies among the good, and it’s always advisable to be mindful of this. Apart from personal recommendations there are no easy answers.

To summarise then, a letting agency acts on behalf of landlords, not tenants. In most cases they are paid by the landlord. There are various different types of letting agencies too. Some just find tenants for properties (sometimes referred to as accommodation agencies). Others manage properties on behalf of landlords and the tenants may never have any direct contact with the landlord.

First tip: When renting a private home whether it’s through an Estate Agent, a Letting Agency, or a private owner, never be afraid to negotiate the price. Be prepared to walk away and you could be surprised at the discounts available.

Second tip: If you definitely want the viewed property and you’re ok with the asking price generally, don’t push the above too far as you could lose it to someone just as eager as yourself.

Good luck.

“Andy Maingam” is a proficient publisher and webmaster of mrroomfinder.com where he owns an operates a 100% free property portal for the tenants, landlords, and agencies of Thailand. The site proves a very useful resource in helping new tenants make informed renting decisions, and is a great tool for home seekers and landlords either looking for or renting out Bangkok Apartments

Tags: agencies, agency fees, bangkok, Landlords, Letting agency, rent, thailandagencies, agency fees, bangkok, Landlords, Letting agency, rent, thailand

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The latest Google update, Jagger, has search engine optimisers all around the world in a state of disorientation. With Jagger, Google once again attempted to outsmart huge numbers of SEOs who had spent a vast amount of time trying to outsmart their competitors by legitimately but falsely making their websites seem more relevant and important than they really are. But what comments would the architects of this disastrous update say to a company’s debtors?

We all know that links carry significant weight within the algorithms of all the major search engines. As SEOs we have added value by swapping links and placing links on free directories. While there’s nothing wrong with this in essence, we have to addmit that a lot of these sites don’t really show that they are necessarily relevant or important to the host site.

Google much prefers it when the linking site adds value to enhance the value of a site’s content or to increase credibility and authority. And that’s exactly what Jagger was meant to do - when it found those sites, it simply adjusted their ranking to more accurately reflect their true importance, now deemed as:

1) Increased importance placed on Inbound Links Relevancy

2) Increased importance placed on Outbound Links Relevancy

3) Promotion of relevant Niche Directories related to Nos. 1/2)

Google is downgrading or eliminating reciprocal links as a measure of popularity. In short, Jagger undid the hard work of thousands - if not millions - of SEOs. As a result, hard-won high rankings and revenues plummeted.

All well and good, but I wonder then if the architects of this fine update could explain why the search term “web site design bangkok” had an error 404 page in French at the #1 spot (now #5), for a month (http://www1.oecd.org/error.htm)? So much for relevancy!

A colleague’s site disappeared from the listings for 2 months. Now we find that Jagger has almost de-listed us - and there has been little link building involved in this site.

When I next talk to my clients and they ask the same question, doesn’t Google carry some responsibility for this latest raft of online business failures?

The author is the media director of V9 Design & Build, a local and outsourcing company providing both brochureware and custom-designed websites, professional design and build, proven and successful SEO and e-marketing, e-commerce-driven database integration and content management systems.

Tags: bangkok, e marketing, emarketing, optimization, search engine promotions, seo, thailandbangkok, e marketing, emarketing, optimization, search engine promotions, seo, thailand

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The artificial island of KoKred lies cuddled between two bends of the Chao Phyra River at a point where the river wends to its narrowest. It is a counterfeit stricture, as this straight and narrow channel was cut to speed the journey of river traffic as it plied between Ayutthaya and the Gulf of Thailand.

This 10 kilometer square island is a delight. There are no cars, and the roads are narrow concrete strips splayed out around the island. The only traffic is an occasional motorbike or bicycle. What bliss, a stone’s thrown from Bangkok, a city that is being strangled by the motor vehicle!

and the roads are narrow concrete strips splayed out around the island. The only traffic is an occasional motorbike or bicycle. What bliss, a stone’s thrown from Bangkok, a city that is being strangled by the motor vehicle.

As you step off the ferry that has brought you across the river from Pakkred in a brief minute or two, you step back into a Thailand of 50 years ago. This island is home to a community of Mon people who came here from their homeland in the river Kwai valley north of Kanchanaburi . The temples and Buddha shrines scattered around the island are visible evidence of this neo-Burmese heritage.

The island is the site of a pottery industry. The rich clay soil provides an ideal medium for the red terracotta earthenware pots and water containers that were the mainstay of this economy. Sadly, others elsewhere, produce alternatives at a cheaper price and brick kilns have outlived their usefulness. Now the potters have turned their attention to the tourists who visit the island, usually on a Sunday in one of the large tour boats that sail up river from Taksin Bridge. However, the rich soil also supports a verdant landscape of palms, and fruit trees giving the place a wonderfully tranquil and rural feel. As a visitor you can walk around the island, hire a bicycle or zip quickly by on one of several motor cycle taxis. It’s quite a long walk, just over 5 kilometers, but a wonderful one at that! The path takes you under plantain tress with bunches of bananas overhanging the walk way and down below limes, papayas, pomeloes and all sorts of fruit I cannot identify grow in profusion.

For the really discerning travellers, there are rooms available to rent a very reasonable Bt 200 per night. The KoKred Restaurant has a verandah that juts out over the river. It is an ideal venue to eat or just sit, sip a drink and watch the sand barges and other water traffic as they glide by.

You don’t need to take the big cruise boats, chock full of tourists. Instead make you way to Victory Monument on the BTS. This missile like structure, which commemorates the Indo-Chinese War of 1940-41, serves as transport hub for Bangkok. Walk along the arterial skyway, and below you will see a sea of bus stands. Go as far as you can, descend and then wait for a 166 Bus. This will take you to Pakkred by motorway, thus avoiding the worst of the traffic jams. On reaching Pakkred, which is the terminus. You alight obliquely opposite the TMB bank, walk straight ahead until you encounter the motorcycle taxi-rank situated at the rear entrance of Jusco. Mumble something about KoKred and the driver will take you to the ferry stage at Wat Sana Nua. Enjoy the trip!

Interested in this subject? Try this link for more of the same.

http://www.Pagerankarticles.com

Tags: bangkok, KoKred, thailandbangkok, KoKred, thailand

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