If you are going to buy, what's the sweet spot?

Crazy but true stories here..... Been here 8 years and had 3 businesses and 4 homes. Many are happy here (or terrified of their wife and pretending to be happy lol) and many have lost their @ss (and all their money) to the "only true love that ever understood them" . I have been lucky and have sold everything I had (invested here) during the last year and all I have (cash wise) is thank merciful Jesus back in Canada.
I am glad to know many who are happy here but I strongly suggest not to invest 1 peso more than you can afford to walk away from in this country.. I am so happy and lucky to get back in a safe bank all I ever invested here, pity on my friends who might not outlive the greed of their wives, gf's or their family's... DONT BUT sh*t HERE!!!!

 

We lived in Dumaguete for 6 years. My husband passed away and my daughter and I sold our home and returned to the states so that I could go back to work.

 

I believe that is because the listed DI Properties are REALISTICALLY priced compared to what you often see posted on other pages, I have been looking at a lot of Real Estate lately trying to gain a better idea of the local market and am blown away by some of the asking prices for absolute Turd offerings... They say "you can't polish a turd but can roll it in glitter" but most here don't even bother with the glitter, just an unbelievable sales pitch with the straightest of faces!

 

I was just offered 100 square meters here in Malatapay for 2000php per square meter, I respectfully declined after paying 500 per square meter not 400m away for 2000 square meters of land...

 

Unless it is the right of way to the road and they have you by the balls....

 

There was a 300 sqm lot with price of 90k php offered to me in Tanjay. I like that nice city. But I'm still not sure if I should buy that one. It have nice neighborhood but there is only a way passable by motorbikes to it. And if there is the Tanjay river going high and also is a spring flood in the Tanon Strait then are chances there, that the property is set under water.

 

The National Highway climbs to the Maluay/ Malatapay bridge and our lot isn't too far from the Markets, so I doubt it will flood unless the Rice Fields overflow, which I have been told they have before cutting the Highway to Zamboanguita, but according to locals the River that runs under the Maluay Bridge has never broken it's banks even during typhoon seasons, so; *touch wood*

I would assume that here, like in the West, often Land further from the Capital Cities go for much less than that closer due to the lacking amenities, but 90k for 300 square meters seems a fair asking price compared to many other lots I have seen on offer...

 

The price looks fair but have to imagine that it can get flooded. The area was once 1 meter under water. Quite surprising was the very low damage to the area after the flood. The only big damage fas the failing boulevard at the beach. It got replaced by a much better version.

 

I swim like a ROCK so my number one priority was; NO FLOODING!
Surprising in Australia when you are driving along the back country roads, you see houses along the way and think nothing of it, but then look to the side of the road and see flood debris 10 to 15 feet above road level stuck in fences and trees! (I have even seen pictures of Cars stranded high in Gum Trees!) Hundreds of miles of flat country and severe flooding! I still wonder as to how they deal with that...

My Wife was born in the mountains behind Siaton and listening to her families stories of growing up there with floods, where they were once caught for a week stranded on the roof of their Nipa Hut surrounded by flood waters watching the bodies of people and animals floating past them chilled me to the bones! Eventually when the waters began to subside her Uncle rode his Buffaloes out and rescued them, higher up in the mountains were the last place I expected to experience flooding like that... Really; I HATE water, lived here two+ years and have NEVER been to the Beach even...

 

Have so far negotiated "Right of Way" with the adjoining neighbour for 20,000php but fully intend on getting that in writing in the contract we will get our Land Attorney to write up for us at the time we settle and gain the Title...

I bought a Tricycle for Private use and one of the neighbours got 'clever' and fenced their lot so only Motorbikes could pass through and chuckled to other neighbours about how we would have to sell our Tricycle or park it around 400 metres away on the Highway...
Soon after soon after selling our Tricycle, they bought a Tricycle, and THEN we bought the Lot between THEM and the road... Guess what? Karma is a Biatch! hehe