Suitable living

You may want to check out South Forbes which is around the vicinity of West Grove too. They have a golf course if your into that.

A bit farther than Tagaytay is Batangas. Punta Fuego would be a nice place with a beach, nice view and mountains.

If you need cooler temps, only Tagaytay because of the altitude. But if you need to commute to Makati on a regular basis, would recommend Subic area as SCTEX/NLEX can get you into Manila fairly quickly. Subic has pretty good amenities.

i'll suggest  anvay cove or any places near there fresh air, virgin forest and safety is in that place

Thanks slickb Punta Fuego looks very interesting. Is the closest shopping Tagaytay ?

dhnindc wrote:

If you need cooler temps, only Tagaytay because of the altitude. But if you need to commute to Makati on a regular basis, would recommend Subic area as SCTEX/NLEX can get you into Manila fairly quickly. Subic has pretty good amenities.

Thanks, which are the best areas subdivisions/estates in Tagaytay? Can you reccomend any?
Is it best when traveling from Subic to Manila to use the SCTEX all the way to Angeles or turn off and go through Guagua to San Fernando and link up with the NLEX? Which is quicker?

MYLYN PEREZ wrote:

i'll suggest  anvay cove or any places near there fresh air, virgin forest and safety is in that place

Anvay Cove looks like a great location. Although, some people report the NPA are active in this area. Fact or fiction ?

are u filipino? -if not most likely you cant buy house

greenetravel wrote:

are u filipino? -if not most likely you cant buy house

Thanks for the input. I have a Filipino wife. As I understand it we can set up a corporation with both of us as directors and 'own' a hose jointly. Is this correct?? Would appreciate all factual feedback on the "Foreigner Ownership" subject.

As for how to travel from Subic to Makati, take SCTEX to NLEX (about 80 km)(they connect) and take NLEX all the way to EDSA and then down EDSA to Makati (100km). The EDSA portion will be slow, but will have the same issues anytime you commute into Makati from South as well. On a good day, I can make it to Subic from Makati in 2.5 hours.

Tagaytay is nice, but the traffic up the volcano can be bad as its only a 2 lane road. I would recommend Puerto Fuego or one of the communities before you go up Tagaytay, but you were looking for cooler weather, which you will only find with elevation. I have not heard of any NPA activity in Luzon until you go further south. Batangas is fine.

no need to set up corporation ,your wife can own land/ property

Pete
the only thing u can own here is a condo,(not land)people have tried imagative ways to get around this but they are costly
the main thing to protect against is a breakup with ur wife
and it does happen much too often I'm sorry to say
Pete

blueoakey wrote:

Pete
the only thing u can own here is a condo,(not land)people have tried imagative ways to get around this but they are costly
the main thing to protect against is a breakup with ur wife
and it does happen much too often I'm sorry to say
Pete

so a corporation is not an option at all?

Pete
u will have to see a corp lawyer here about that but I don't know any expats that have done it
Pete

aussie pete wrote:

blueoakey wrote:

Pete
the only thing u can own here is a condo,(not land)people have tried imagative ways to get around this but they are costly
the main thing to protect against is a breakup with ur wife
and it does happen much too often I'm sorry to say
Pete

so a corporation is not an option at all?

Yes that is true, foreigners cant own land, only condos. I dont know about the corporation unless it is one registered / based in the Philippines? def a legal matter to research because sometimes here things seem so easy but you end up getting caught in red tape and people dont always tell you the full story.

thanks. will check it out thoroughly. now I'm hearing the corporation/ company is ok as long as it is no more that 60% foreign owned. So if I have a 60% share and Philo wife has 40% ok or 50-50 ok

Hi Pete, I think this one covers your topic https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=231605

I think you got that reversed. In general, a corporation has to be 60% owned by a Philippino and can be up to 40% owned by a foreignor. This is to protect Philippino land from being taken over.

A corporate lawyer can structure it so a silent partner holds the 20% to get you some control but its risky.  Better to just lease the land and own the physical structure so if there is a divorce, you will own the structure and can live there til the lease runs out. 

I would recommend just renting for a few years til you figure out where you want to live.  The Tarlac Expressway will open by 2015 and this opens up La Union, which is a nice coastal area.

Thanks Protogama, very interesting thread. Has turned me off buying land and house . Seems to be wrong option. Leaning towards Condo in Makati / Taguig area. Has any one purchased in this area? Experiences - Positive/ Negative ?  Have you been able to sell at a Profit? Has any one really been  totally ripped off?
Always a bit reluctant to rent as seems to be money down the drain. In saying that hear what some are saying better to be safe than sorry ?

Your right dhnindc. Will steer clear of this option for now. Change of tack, now looking at Condo purchase Makati/ Global City.... seems safer? option.

I hear you - "rent first " but feel rent is lost money. You say "better to lose rent than everything".

Ok go for it  everyone!! "Yay" or" Nay" ? Experiences, opinions, violent reactions.

As a foreigner I can own Condo outright ?  Should it be TCT or CCT title? Do properties in this area appreciate?

Just returned back to Australia after 6 weeks in Manila.

As a foreignor, you can buy a condo as long as 60% of the units is owned by a Philippino.  And yes property prices are increasing, but too fast.  Also, its easy to buy but difficult to sell as so many new units are coming on line, no one bothers to buy an existing unit. It can take years to sell. 

I would wait on purchasing in Makati/Taguig, we are in a bubble now and interest rates will go up and prices will fall. In my building, which is over 7 years old, a unit just sold for p15million. Thats a smaller 3 br 130sqm but in a prime location. Even 1 br/studios are going for p8million. Prices are high and unless you are paying cash, interest rates are pretty high (8%). I would look to AC or Subic if you are not working.

If you are planning to stay in the same unit for at least 10 years, then its good to buy. Any less, and I would seriously consider renting.  Buying property in the Phils is not the same as buying in Aus or US.

morefuninthephillipines thanks for the input. Yep, am certainly having issues with red tape and getting the " correct" info from the 'locals'. Challenging-but ask enough questions of many and will eventually get the answers. Just takes time...a long time.

Do you live in Taguig? How do you find it? Have you had experience buying in Taguig?

dhnindc Thanks for your valuable input. Have taken it on board. In saying that, am looking at something in BGC  to purchase. The property you mentioned sold for 15m, would you know the original selling price 7yrs ago?

This is a condo in BGC, original price was p8m.   They rent out at about p80k. Ultra high end PPt sells at p40m while 2 serendra probably around p25m. Low end Ikon is p12m. I can think of at least 6 new condos being built over the next 5 years. This will keep prices low for resale. Only buyers before 2008 when market tanked are doing well. Go to any mall or high street, will see a lot of condo agents trying to presell their units.

Buy to live, not for investment purposes.

dhnindc wrote:

This is a condo in BGC, original price was p8m.   They rent out at about p80k. Ultra high end PPt sells at p40m while 2 serendra probably around p25m. Low end Ikon is p12m. I can think of at least 6 new condos being built over the next 5 years. This will keep prices low for resale. Only buyers before 2008 when market tanked are doing well. Go to any mall or high street, will see a lot of condo agents trying to presell their units.

Buy to live, not for investment purposes.

Ok, that Condo nearly doubled in value in 7 yrs, p8m-p15m, thats not to bad is it?
Yes plenty of agents selling - there also seems to be plenty of buyers from my observation. demand still seems to be high. I think the new found " Call Center"industry" wealth could be the reason for this. Apparently the Call centers are now the 2nd biggest income producing Industry after over seas workers in the Phils. Also seems to be a lot of Chinese and Korean investors.
What do you think ?

aussie pete wrote:

Thanks slickb Punta Fuego looks very interesting. Is the closest shopping Tagaytay ?

Pretty much. I think there's an SM in Batangas. Not really sure.