About bisonburgher

Status:

Considering a Move Abroad 

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Citizen Of:

United States

I would love to live in...

Greece

Some Forum Posts:

Spain: Looking to meet a RE/financial adviser while in-country:

My spouse and I will be visiting Spain in later this month for 2½ weeks -- 80% holiday, 20% scouting for a place to retire. We are interested in meeting with either a financial or real estate professional while we're there, in order to get a realistic and concrete picture of the costs, opportunities, and challenges of going expat in Spain. We're specifically interested in investing (minimum) €500k to qualify for the "golden visa" program. We would be happy to pay this person for his/her time and professional knowledge. I can hold a conversation in Spanish, but given the specialized vocabulary and high stakes, things might go more smoothly with someone who speaks English. We'll be in Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, and Madrid (4 days each) and currently have no fixed ideas about which region we'd want to settle down -- only that we're *not* interested in the Costa del Sol. I'm hoping someone on this forum can help us find a trustworthy, experienced pro with whom we can meet in one of these four beautiful cities. ¡Saludos!

Uruguay: CoNEAT: please explain:

[Promoted from the "Howdy" thread because the value of CoNEAT scoring keeps coming up re: the agricultural-economic value of a property.] If I'm reading the MGAP site correctly , then CoNEAT is a cadastral program for estimating agricultural productivity, not fertility. At least that's what the original 1968 law sets out (Ley No. 13.695, Artículo 65). Artículo 68 goes on to explicitly define the mean (may translate as 'average') CoNEAT score to be the number of kilos of beef cattle, dairy cattle, or sheep a hectare of land is likely to produce. It doesn't mention agronomy or fertility. The text also implies that aerial photography (via the Uruguayan Air Force) is the primary -- maybe the only -- assessment methodology, which doesn't seem 100% empirical. So my first question is whether or not a nationwide program of soil testing (=> fertility) has been incorporated into the CoNEAT system since 1968. Assuming soils *are* being tested nationwide on a regular basis, how does MGAP derive a meaningful univariate score from the dozens of chemical, biological, structural, and environmental factors that contribute to soil fertility for a particular crop? Berries, e.g., require a completely different soil composition compared to fodder crops. Don't know about Uruguay, but in El Norte having the soil & water tested is part of due diligence before buying any kind of agricultural land. Do people in UY really make a purchasing decision based on CoNEAT score alone? Feels like I'm missing something here ...

Uruguay: Howdy & newbie questions:

Howdy from the Last Best Place, Montana. Longtime lurker, first-time poster here. My spouse and I are lucky enough to have seen a lot of the world, while keeping an eye toward our near-future retirement plans. Our short list is down to Uruguay and Nicaragua. We've seen Argentina from Iguazú to Calafate, but only day-tripped to Colonia (that damned "bu-bu-buquebus" will /never/ get out of my head). My Spanish is proficient (not fluent) however Rioplatense still sounds to my ears more like Italian with a Spanish accent. My better half is currently Spanish-challenged. Question 1: Is it within the realm of possibility to purchase enough agricultural property for (let's say) US$500k that would return sufficient profit to meet the UY income requirement for residency? We don't need/want to live on the coast but would consider running a mid-range B&B or estancia if the financials are attractive. We're both very respectful, resourceful & hardworking, and (think) we'll be good at anything from raising cattle to hotel management (and have done both.) Totally not afraid of heavy equipment, getting dirty, or breaking a sweat. Question 2: Although UY has marriage equality and no strong conservative religious tradition, is it fair to say that the social acceptance of gay folks decreases as you move farther inland? If so, by how much? Most people just assume my husband and I are brothers, but we have no desire to be closeted wherever we end up. Our closest friends here are families with children, and we've never been in-your-face party animals. We're pretty boring, actually... Sadly, people here in Montana have refused to do business with us (never to our face) once they found out we're married. We brush it off, but really just want to be part of a community where we're appreciated for our hard work, delicious asado, and keen eye for design. From what I understand, Urugayos are generally that kind of people -- please tell me I'm not wrong ;-) ¡muchísimas gracias!

Date Joined:

11/23/2015

Total Posts:

9

Posts/Day:

0.02