I'm leaving the Philippines

I am sorry to hear you have to leave, especially after putting so much time and effort into building your home. Would you be so kind as to post some photos of the house you built? It would be good to see your efforts appreciated.

 

Yes Sir I can do this but having just recently moved in we are still in a bit of a turmoil and it is not quite ship shape, it is a bit of a junkyard at the front. taking pictures at this time is not that a good idea, but this will happen in the near future, perhaps in a week or so?

 

Dave...wishing you and your family the best. Though we never got the chance to meet in person I did enjoy the discussions in the PMs.

Shawn

 

Thank You Sir, I'm not away yet so there is still a change to meet if you are down my way? do you need any clamps Haha

 

You can never have enough clamps.

 

I'm sorry to learn you are leaving Dave.
We are same age (1952 was a good year) and your wife is similar age to mine.
I agree that living here without much of an emergency fund is a pretty bad option, and I do have understanding for a house build that went over budget (you're not the first, and you won't be the last).
Having a reasonably good income though, I'm thinking it should be possible to overcome the financial issue.
What I can't imagine is how splitting the family would help with that (money), I would think it'd be quite the contrary result.

Obviously medical issues are a different matter altogether, and those can very well warrant a decision like you felt you had to make.
Lastly though, I am thinking the emotional aspects regarding family life here are probably your biggest issue.
I will only say that the house in Scotland could represent a nice emergency fund, that if you had a happy family life here would probably be the better solution.

Apart from that though, I've sent you a P.M.

 

House prices in UK have, according to a recent survey increased by 8%, that will of course depend where in the UK one lives.
Although older than you Dave and my wife is still working, we manage quite well, but a lot of people are struggling despite the current crisis caused by War in Europe.
Dutchie is suggesting a possible alternative, should you not of thought about it, ( I'm pretty sure you have ).
Part of my own decision to remain in UK was purely based on medical grounds, however had my wife not of been granted a visa to come to England, it might well of been a different story.
I'm sure this has been a very hard decision to make and maybe, just maybe, one that's reversable if you find the green green grass of home, aint so green.
Once again Dave you are wished all the best, whatever that final outcome might be. JB

 

Thanks John, Dutchie is correct (he usually is on most things? Smart Basket that he is) in just about everything he has to say on this issue of mine, but at this time I must return home, that is 5 weeks I have been in my newly built house and for me there is much to admire about it, although it cost me more than I ever thought it would I think the end result is good and I am fairly pleased with it at the end of the day, it has turned out well considering I was never in the building trade and this has been a first for me. Overall I am fairly contented with the life I have here in the Philippines, my young son of 4yrs is a joy to be with although building the house has kept us apart much more than I wanted, I was on site 7 days a week from dawn till dusk, leaving this bundle of joy will be difficult for me we are together that much more now we have all moved into the new house, he has so much fun here and room to run around, unlike his older half brother he enjoys helping out and even asks for jobs to do.


My hoose in Scotland is also a place I have enjoyed living in since I moved there in 1999, 4 yrs ago I was back in UK for a time thinking to get this ready to put on the market, sell up realise my assets and return to the Philippines to build a big Hoose and live happily ever after, so with this in mind I renovated the kitchen painted it inside and and outside and had it all looking spick and span, then one sunny morning I woke up and smelled the flowers, I decided then I'm never going to let that house go, to this day I think this decision was right for me, I need to return home to Scotland (I do sometimes miss the place) the house there will need some maintenance. Although it may seem less expensive for me to live here rather than me living in Scotland and still having to support the family here, I think I will be no worse off financially, I know my way around the kitchen and actually enjoy cooking for myself, on the rare occasions I do eat out I just go to Wetherspoons and eat their special which includes a free Beer, anyway the house in UK is an investment that I need to keep and maintain as an asset to the family here when I am gone, that more than anything else is so very important to me, what good would a big house be here in PI to my family when I am gone without any further financial input from me?

Of course I will come back here to PI from time to time but likely it will only be for short term visits?

Cheers

Daved

 

It sounds like the plan is that the UK house would be used to help your family in the Philippines if you were to pass. You better have someone you really trust to manage this and hope that someone (former wife, etc) doesn't encumber it legally. Especially, if you are not legally married to her. I suspect that your PI wife(?) is not in a position to even know what is happening in Scotland. Let's say you have a heart attack and can't manage the transfer, how will that happen? Will she have the skills to manage the complex issue of a foreign national making claims on an estate in Scotland? Will she have the finances to even attempt this? This can be a very complex situation. What if she needs money to make her claim but doesn't have it? Some would say I'm dead who cares, but it doesn't sound like that is your approach. I would approach a situation like this as if something can go wrong, it will. Have you communicated your plans with her? I personally know a woman who had two kids with an Englishman who passed away and she got nothing and she was his legal wife. My understanding is the wife would typically get his pension. She had no idea how to handle this. If you really want your assets to go to your family in the Philippines you better plan very carefully.

 

I have a son in UK of 45yrs, whatever happens to me he will step in and do the right thing by the family here and especially so for his half brother, I know many will will be thinking where inheritance is involved this can change people we have all seen this many many times. when I lived in Mactan with my partner (we are not married) and she announced that she was pregnant, I had a couple of what I thought were good friends come to me to have a man to man talk and their advice was for me to F off, my reply to them was I cannot do this as my Son in UK would never forgive such an action by His Father, needless to say these friends were cut off from that day forth, social and family values have gone out of the window in many western 1st world countries, but I am a Scotsman my son is a Scotsman and we do the right thing by our family's, I would trust this boy with my life, he also gave life to his sister in the form of a transplant, unfortunately she died 5yrs later, also understand my son does not need my money he has a Hoose in London a good job, good wife and two children he wants for nothing.