Real estate and rentals

Real estate here in the Philippines can be a real headache for many people who do not understand how the system works. What I will say is check and double check with all the nessassary offices and even have the papers checked by a reputable real estate lawyer before you commit to buy anything.
We bought our property in July 2011 and thought all was ok with the papers as we were told by the sellor who happens to be british like me and ofcourse we trusted him (big mistake). It happens that it was not a clean title and was a mother title and we are still trying to sort it out three years later!
I will also mention if you do decide to ever buy a property never ever trust the sellor to pay the bir taxes and stamp duty as again this will never be paid, always pay it into the bank yourself or through a reputable lawyer and ALWAYS get a signed reciept.

There are good deals to be had here with real estate and plenty of bad ones, one of the biggest issues is people not paying the estate taxes every year which again you need to check up at your local municiple office, they will usually tell you of any other problems with the property.
Again if you decide to buy DO NOT buy from a dealer as they will usually add a large amount of cash to a property and all they will do is take you to the property once (you pay the transport cost) as they have no money!
If the property you are buying has a clean title and all is looking ok after the checks the title will be issued in around 3-4 months depending which province you live in.

Now we come to rental properties! Again there are good and bad rentals here in the Philippines, you hear some real horror story's and also great reviews. Rental prices can vary a lot depending where you are and whether furnished or unfurnished, always ask what is included in the rental cost and also just have a wander around the area to see how it looks, no one wants to be near a blasting karaoke until 3am every night.
Most of the local owned rentals are ok but not all are maintained very well or re painted that often so often look tired and gloomy. Never pay the usual 2 months deposit as I have heard many times the words "sorry sir no more money" when it comes to paying the deposit back, always have it written in the contract that the deposit can be used at the end of term or have it written the deposit must be returned minus your bills and any breakages.
Bills like electricity and water is another thing, when moving in always ask to see the electric meter and what the charges per kwh will be if they are paying the bills and the same for the water. I have also heard of a local rental who happens to be a foreigner who charges vastly excessive amounts for electric and when your times is up at this rental you would be lucky to get anything back and maybe ever ask you for more!

My wife and I have many foreign and local friends here on negros oriental and we always know someone who is trying to sell or rent out apartments or houses at varying prices. So please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need any advice on either of these matters. Will will also recomend a good real estate lawyer and we can introduce you to the sellor or owners of good rental properties.

Bayawan, negros oriental

After visiting bayawan a few times over the last few years I have now decides it's a pretty cool place. Yes there aren't the malls or big stores there but you can get some things and a new hypermart is to open in bayawan in October 2014.

It is so much more peaceful up there away from the hustle and bustle of Dumaguete and surrounding areas and what is nice is not many trikes or loud motorcycle exhaust systems tearing around on the roads.
The boulavard is really nice with two lanes for traffic each side with no heavy traffic, there are a couple of good resto's along the strip which I visited this time and both with good food and cold beer. One of the places is called pepe's and has great cold beer and imported stuff, cable tv on a large screen with a clean modern look.Another nice thing is it has a great sunset which I miss here in Bacong as mt talinis blocks it.

The local hotel is not bad either and also on price, a double room with cable tv, Internet and aircon is around p900 night, don't bother with the food though except for the free breakfast which is ok.
This was the first time I had really hung out in bayawan for a period of time and will defiantly be going back in the future.

Around 5kms North of bayawan there are some cold water spring water pools which were so refreshing to swim in and only a p10 entrance fee, cottages were p300 for the day but well worth it!

Dumaguete, one of the best places to retire 2014

I think the title says it all, it has it's good points and it's bad points like any other place. I have lived here or should I say just outside the city on the south side for just over 3 years now and much prefer this side,  good points about Dumaguete is you can buy most things you need if they are in stock!
Roads are pretty crowded in the city in the day time and rush hour is hell if you drive yourself, there are far too many trikes here on the roads now, some people say around 2,500-3000 and even the drivers complain they don't make such a good living now.

They say Dumaguete is a smoke free city now and have even won some awards but again I have not seen this yet especially with the 2 stroke pedicabs, jeepneys and trucks and buses belching out smoke choking everyone, I think they meant Dumaguete is free from smokers of cigarettes!

http://www.worldfactsnews.com/2014/08/dumaguete-city-one-of-world-top.html

Anyway it's still a pretty cool place to live and still much quieter than Cebu or Manila which I could never live in!


When we came here first we were out nearly every day exploring all the different places around Negros oriental like the falls, dolphin watching, snorkelling, hiking in the rain forest and much more, we even had several trips to siqiuijor and Bohol!
Over the last year many websites have been saying Dumaguete is one of the best places to retire which it may very well be but they also I don't think it is that easy to live on a budget of $500 a month! $1000-$2000 would be much more comfortable.
I have also noticed over the last few years how prices have risen in all aspects of life, I do wonder how long the economy will keep growing on this scale!

Furnished apartments,Dumaguete

Our apartments are all fully furnished right down to the bed linen and all kitchen wares, we are situated in a nice area of bacong just 10 minutes from downtown Dumaguete, 10 minutes from all the resorts and dive sites in dauin and around 10 minutes from the cooler town of Valencia.
The local market is only a short ride on a tricycle and you can find most things there including fresh fish.

We have a small garden area which can be used by all with a nippa cottage and covered bar b q area, also a drying area for your clothes.

There is one double bedroom with aircon and all the furnishings for your stay and one single bedroom which can be used as on office also.





There is a large kitchen area with fridge, water dispenser,two burner cooker with gas bottle, pots,pans and all you need for your stay with us.
Each apartment also has a nice living area with fat screen tv, floor fan and also a balcony for the nice cool mornings and your coffee.


For more details and pricing please visit bacongapartments.com

We offer free 5 meg dsl Internet, water and tv in all our apartments, the only extras you will have is electricity and gas.

Rates are long term, 6 months +.  Php 15,000
Short term - 6 months.  Php 16,000
Weekly php 8,000

Globe landline (035) 424-8313
Smart 09474823728

Whale sharks at oslob

           
There is a small municiple on Southern Cebu called oslob where whale sharks can always be found. I think it the only place you are guaranteed to see them,when I came to the Philippines in 2011 I saw the signs on the side of the road to watch the whale sharks but not on the scale it is now.
There are around 10 resorts who along the beach who can show you the sharks, the only one we use is the municiple run area as you will have to there at some point for a short seminar about do' sand dont's, you are not allowed to touch or go near them bit when snorkeling they do come very close sometimes when they are eating.

Most of the time there are around 7-11 juvenile whale sharks in the area and the biggest I think is around 8m, quite scary when swimming straight at you,it's a good job these creatures are gentle giants and will swim right past you without touching!
It used to be a bit of a circus a few years ago due to a lack of respect for the whales and no rules but now they seem to have got it right, the only thing I'm not keen on is the locals get it for half price!
There are also plenty of places to get quite good food also now at a reasonable price along with some souvenir shops selling tee shirts and fridge magnets etc.
It's easier to get to oslob from Dumaguete than Cebu city as only a short trip to the ferry and a half hour ride to get there.

There is also a nice water fall to visit up above oslob in the shade of the trees to cool off in the water, it's a bit of a hike up and down the hill but there is a local habel habel motorcycle which is far easier in the heat.
Also oslob boulevard is worth a visit and the old ruins, the water is crystal clear and great for swimming and snorkeling.

                                          http://bacongapartments.com/home/sightseeing-tours/

                                   

Mountains of negros oriental

Cashew nut

Over the last few years we have visited many areas of the mountains above Valencia and dauin, we have come across many new plants and animals, the picture on the left are cashew nuts grown by small time farmers. The strange thing is most of the time they eat the fruits above the nut and discard the most important part as they do not know how to process it or where to sell the nuts.
Also there are many exotic fruit trees like advocado, lansonis just to name a few.









                                                                                                                                                                       

Queen ant

The picture to the right is the biggest ant I have ever seen,it must have been over one inch long. There are some strange bugs and creatures in the Philippines and some of them don't even have a scientific name yet and little is know about them.
I think this ant is called a queen ant.
Below is a picture of one of the giant tree ferns which are found up around 500m in the Forrest's, also is a picture of one of the many species of ginger. If you sit quietly near one of these plants you may see a sun bird come along and feed on the nectar.
I am just starting to learn all the names of the animals and plants here on negros bit it's slow going as my wife only gives me the local name which really does not help when trying to find a reference on the Internet so best is by photo only!

Some times I just sit and watch what comes along but you have to be very quiet as the wildlife is very shy here unlike back home in the uk,it's not surprising though as the locals shoot or trap everything that moves so I don't know how long these animal will have left on this planet.

Tree ferns

One of the ginger family

Dolphin watching on negros oriental

I think this may be the top spot for watching dolphins in the Philippines now here on the tanon straight between negros oriental and Cebu.
We have had many trips out with our friend on his boat and I don't think we have missed them once! We even had a whale shark swimming around the boat once. You can also see pilot whales and melon headed whales if you are lucky.
At the bottom of the steps to the sandbar cottage and around the pillars you can often see banded sea snakes along with all types of other sea creatures.
We have stayed at the cottages out on the sand bar a couple of times roughing it as there is no electricity or water out there so you need to bring you own water and food but well worth the effort,total peace and quiet.
You will need to bring high factor sun cream also as I remember the time we were all snorkelling and forgot to bring,I suffered a lot :(


                                                     dumaguete4x4tours