# Build New House Or Existing One



## Flyboy68 (Apr 30, 2015)

Hi All

I have just joined this forum, and find the topics interesting and informative. 

I will be visiting Bacolod come September, with the intention of retiring there. I am particularly interested in Talisay City with focus in the Town and Country subdivison. Lanhawk I notice you live in the area, could you shed any light on the area, in regards to property, life style, classification etc etc . Will it be better to build a house or buy an established one?.

Cheers

Flyboy68


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

The best advice is to rent initially to get an idea of the area. Can we assume you are married to a filipina as otherwise you can't buy land to build.


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## Flyboy68 (Apr 30, 2015)

Hi Gary D

My first visit will be a Recce of the area, and I will definetly be renting first. No I am not married yet, I just wanted to get an idea of what the costing will be for both scenarios for budgeting purposes. It will be another year or so before I will actually make the move.

Cheers


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Flyboy68 said:


> Hi Gary D
> 
> My first visit will be a Recce of the area, and I will definetly be renting first. No I am not married yet, I just wanted to get an idea of what the costing will be for both scenarios for budgeting purposes. It will be another year or so before I will actually make the move.
> 
> Cheers


The reason I enquired about you marital status was because I wasn't sure if you was aware of the land laws in the Philippines. As a foriegner you are very limited to what you can buy, a condo only is allowed. You can not own land so building will not be an option.


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## Lanhawk (Feb 25, 2015)

When you get into buying lots on subdivisions, you have to be careful as some subdivisions have their own rules, such as what type of house you can buy, what you can do with the land and who is going to build your house. There are a lot of beautiful sub divisions, with guarded & gated communities, it really boils down to how much you want to pay. As Gary D mentions , across from Robinson mall is a condo building where a lot of expats live. I think you can expect to pay around 1.5 to 2 mil for a small one bedroom ( but you do own it). One of the reasons why we selected Tailisay was because we wanted out of Bacolod to get away from the pollution and noise. Our subdivision is a Camella one called San Antonio, its not as nice as Town and Country but in my I can design my own home, build it myself , even put a small store whatever. Lot sizes are 512 sq meters and go for about 300K ( maybe more now). My phase is completely sold out and Camella lets you pay monthly over 5 years ( I think you can start to build once you have 20 percent of the balance paid). My wife built my house, designed it and ran the crew, the first one we built we sold ( also in San Antonio) then bought a double lot to build our last one. I should be leaving the U. S sometime in July to make a permanent move to Phils so give me a shout in September, you can see my house, and we can check out a few subdivisions if you want, many of these I have never been in before. Be aware ****** Occidental is having a house boom and prices are rising on a monthly basis. We are building a small restaurant on our lot and the price of hollow blocks and cement creep up every week. A lot of the subdivision sales people are sitting in the malls just waiting for someone like us to walk by and show interest. ha ha ha . Anyway the offer stands.


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## Flyboy68 (Apr 30, 2015)

Thanks Gary

Yes I am aware of the regulations governing ownership of land by foreigners. A number of countries in SE Asia have the same regulations. I have lived and worked in a number of countries in the area, except the Philippines, and was wondering what the lifestyle there would be. I should be retiring next year and looking for a place to do so. All the help I can get will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers


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## Flyboy68 (Apr 30, 2015)

Thanks Mate for the head up on Talisay and the subdivisions.

I will certainly keep in touch before I come to Bacolod. It will be nice if we can catch up for a chat and a beer.

Best regards


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Flyboy68 said:


> Thanks Gary
> 
> Yes I am aware of the regulations governing ownership of land by foreigners. A number of countries in SE Asia have the same regulations. I have lived and worked in a number of countries in the area, except the Philippines, and was wondering what the lifestyle there would be. I should be retiring next year and looking for a place to do so. All the help I can get will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Cheers


Flyboy68,

The Philippines is a pretty good place to drop anchor for retirement. Plenty to do here and the overall cost of living is low compared to OZ and the US etc.
It is however, an underdeveloped, 3rd world country that reflects that title at every turn.
It would definitely pay to make several trips and spend as much time in different areas as possible before making a decision on a move. The place is definitely not for everyone and would be a costly prospect if you changed your mind after making a move and getting settled.


Jet Lag


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Living remote*



Flyboy68 said:


> Thanks Gary
> 
> Yes I am aware of the regulations governing ownership of land by foreigners. A number of countries in SE Asia have the same regulations. I have lived and worked in a number of countries in the area, except the Philippines, and was wondering what the lifestyle there would be. I should be retiring next year and looking for a place to do so. All the help I can get will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Cheers


I live remote and one of the other issue's that will come up or you'll begin to notice is that nobody speaks english and I mean nobody, no one in the grocery stores, the department stores.. call centers, even though you push #1 for English, so it appears they understand you but they don't, or they do know some many of the basic questions but as you talk you'll find out they have no idea and don't understand the words that are coming out of your mouth, this includes my in-laws, maybe a few choice words but not enough to make a lasting and enjoyable conversation, bills, business and general questions can become exhausting without a translator.


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