Well it is winter again

-1F here this morning, burrr!  Wish I were in PR, for sure!

We're waiting on you guys to get here

Headed to crash boat this afternoon with the kiddos. I don't miss the Arkansas winters one bit.

Beautiful and balmy at the Rincon balneario while doing yoga today.
Oops, someone's cut off my head!

victorlglass wrote:

Beautiful and balmy at the Rincon balneario while doing yoga today.
Oops, someone's cut off my head!

There are no documented head hunters in PR, well .... until now.
I guess you lost your head for PR.

Sorry Rey, it is a balmy 80oF here and of course sunny.  I feel your pain and that it why we left NY. The cold and snow finally got to me.

Well just think of that day when you can come and enjoy this gorgeous weather with us.  Take care and bundle up.


Tonie

Every morning when I wake up I ask my wife the same question "Honey, have I ever told you I hate winter?".

I just got a text from my realtor that the paperwork on the house is almost complete and it is waiting for a signature. I have not answered him yet as I am having second thoughts because the stock market right now is very low and I would have to sell more shares in order to buy the house. I am on the fence as to buy the house or wait a year or 3 before I buy a place and retire.

Wife won't move unless we purchased a house, she does not want to rent, so I may wait until the stock market is somewhat more healthy. If I don't buy the house we have under offer I would loose my deposit, but such is life.

Fingers crossed the market gets better by the end of the month.

Oh, no, that is a very hard decision to make, Rey.  Hopefully, things work out for you!

Praying that things work out as planned. This is tough.

I am sorry to hear that you may not be able to buy the "finca" now. So looking forward to meeting you and yours and having you as a expat here. I know that if it is in the cards , it will happen. Just trust in god and if it is to be, it will be.

Take care and hope the market goes up.

Tonie

It is a big decision. Just bear in mind the conditions will never be perfect.  Plan with your head, but let your heart decide.

Thanks Tonie and Frogrock, You should had seen my wife when I told her we may not buy the property, she started yelling at me, I thought she was going to grab a brum and start hitting me. She had her heart set on that particular property.

I will know better which way it is going to go in a couple of weeks.
Thanks

Personally I love renting . You can negotiate. Owners need renter especially if the market and economy has people leaving the island. I am not responsible for anything. I have a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom with a cistern and a hot water tank and our water is included. With ocean views from the front and back for $500 . You can't beat that.  I rather not have a mortgage and can get up and leave whenever I want.  The stock market is going to keep going up and down especially now that the US is in a presidential election year. Bernie Sanders is rocking the boat and wall street is gettingb nervous .As they should.   If things are here are going at the rate as expected. More natives will be leaving and you can get definitely a better price down the road. But you need to be living here because it's all about timing. You really need to explain this to your wife .That moving and renting is best .Until you can find a steal. But you really need to be living here   no more winters or heating bills.   Time to enjoy your lives before it gets away from you

Thanks Sandra, those are wise words.

Sandra, I do agree with you as far as the renting goes. We are renting a beautiful house for a really good price-$750.00 for 5 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath house with a big yard, a large driveway, 3 balconies and fruit trees. We also are near town and have views of the ocean from the upstairs balcony. Utilities are not included but we also have a big cistern on the roof, solar panels for hot water and we purchased the generator and a bedroom set from the owner.

I believe that we lucked out with this house and have been here 1 1/2 yrs. We plan on purchasing the house in the future. We might have gotten it for less rent but we were satisfied with this rent and it fits into our budget well.

Tonie

The info regarding rental prices is most helpful. Would anyone mind sharing what their electric bills average? I have heard that this is the most expensive of all the utilities. Also, how did you find your houses for rent? Did you use a realtor or word of mouth. Thanks in advance ~Joy~

Joy, we used clasificados.com (which usually is in Spanish but sometimes, it has a English translation).
Some people do use realtors but we went this route.  Our electric bill is between $50-65 . It usually stays pretty regular, our water bill on the other hand goes up and down. Last month it was $48 and this new one is $75 and we haven't used any more water than usual.  the taxes are what kill you.  the actual bill was $56 bu then the other is the taxes.

Good luck on your search. Where are you looking?

Take care,

Tonie

Given the amount of sunlight and having the windows open to let the breeze in there is little need to use lights during the day. Also spending more time outside laying on a Hammock, reading, sleeping and or having some rum uses little or no electricity.

Switching to LED lighting can save you money. It all depends, some people have 125 electric and others have 40-60 bucks, use of fans and air conditioner makes a big difference, also electric stoves and ovens can crankup the bill, most people use a propane stove to lower the cost.

The closer you are to the mountains the better the breeze also not living in a "Urbanizacion" helps since houses in "Urbanizaciones" are close together and they block the breeze. I prefer country living even if I have to drive farther for stores and services.

Some condos have good breeze depending on orientation of windows and the altitude. A lot of locals tend to use fans instead of air conditioner since they are more acclimated to the heat.

Just make sure you have good screens in the windows, to keep bugs, mosquitos, crickets and Coqui frogs out of your house. Nothing like a cricket hiding in the bedroom when you are trying to sleep, they are loud and hid well.

Tonie what part of pr are you living?

Sandra we live in Quebradilla which is between Isabella and Camuy on northwest coast.

Toni I am familiar with the areas . I think it has one of the most amazing views in pr .Near the highway where you see the tunnel and all the way to Isabella .As well as the private cover area .  Those are 2 places I take people to when they come here . Been to the pirate festival once also.   Out in the boonies with rock carvings.  The town is also know for its beautiful mosaic signs and murals . Nice place but not enough English speaking people for me .I know very little Spanish plus I got a headache injury several years back so learning and retaining new stuff can be challenging

Hi i just moved here on Jan 18th, and i found my house that i will be
Moving into on friday by just driving down the road and looking for
Signs on the houses (For Rent). I found a 3 bedrm 2 full baths beach
House. Looks beautiful. Beach right behind my house. I will have to
Pay electricity and water. Will find out how much once i get my 1st bill.
Will keep ya posted. Much luck to you on your searchings!

Congrats Figz and welcome to Puerto Rico. Where is the house located? If you don't use alot of electricity , the bill shouldn't be too high. Good luck in your new home.



Take care,

Tonie