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Retirement in 2 Years

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BURNEDOUT
  1/6/2005 15:51 EST

Greetings from Florida! My Filipina wife and RN of 21 years "Carmen" and I plan to retire there in the near future and I have been told by family friends in QC that Tagatay is a great place to live. I would appreciate communicating with any expat currently living in Tagatay. I expect to have a retirement budget in the area of about $3500.per month, although I do not expect I will need more than $2000. per month to live good in Tagatay???? Being able to save while retired in PI is a great incentive to going back there. I certainly will not be able to do that Stateside. I am also considering Las Pinas, but am concerned with air pollution being near to Manila. My wife is also interested in Olongapo/Subic area
since she has some family that are police officers there. Appreciate any member wanting to give me feedback?

BURNEDOUT
  1/14/2005 13:35 EST

I guess there are no expats living in Tagatay in response to my post on 1/06, whereas the next post after mine had 12 immediate responses to their question. I suppose this in itself is helpful in understanding where expats choose to live. I will try on another expat web site "Living in the Philippines" and if the same results occur then there must be something about Tagatay keeping expats from retiring there. Hope it is not that darn volcano spitting fire? lol

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jfmancuso
  1/15/2005 06:04 EST

Hi, My wife (Espie) and I have been married 20+ years and are moving to the Subic/Olongapo area within a year or 2. I was stationed there for 2 years in 83', 84' and have been back numerous times, as recently as Mar-04. My income will only be about $1200 per month, but we are buying a house ~$40-50K US (cash) when we visit this March. We have already shipped 2 TV's (27" and 17"), a microwave, corell dishes, etc. Stuff that is expensive over there, and actually cheaper to ship. 27" JVC Flat screen cost $250 and $300 to ship. Costs about $1000 if you buy it there. You are allowed to buy a house and lot up to 1,000 sq meters for a residence. Get the 1 yr visa in the US (much cheaper and less hassle than trying to get it there). I'm thinking of selling my house in MD and cashing out ~$150K. Buy a condo in Florida for ~$100K and forget about mortgages. 6-7 months there, and spend rainy seasons in Florida. My only worry is my little Jack Russell - Skip, but we'll figure it out. He will stay at the kennel at FT Meade when we visit in March. The base vets are good, and it's a nice kennel. I'm not sure about Tagatay or Las Pinas, but Subic has a nice commissary on base for american food, as well as a bunch of other attractions. We're looking for house near Barrio Barretto and the beaches (15-20 mins from the base). Something that is strong, and won't flood. Sounds like we're pretty close on this. I like deep sea fishing. Maybe we can go halves on a boat after we settle there, if you end up in the Subic area? Shoot me an e-mail. [email protected] Later. -Jim-

Happy
  1/24/2005 20:45 EST

Burnedout: I don't live in Tagaytay but own a rest-house in Alfonso just outside of Tagaytay....through which I pass each time I go there. Tagaytay is a tourist town or attraction, that is to say a lot of us have rest houses in the vicinity but choose not to live there. Several things; there are no large shopping malls there or markets (just palenki-outdoor mkt), no hospitals close by, and no good schools. Also, transportation is available along the main drag, but property there is very high, so most likely u would live off the highway in a sub-division. Then u may need to either get a car or walk out to the highway depending on your intention.
There are a lot of restaurants, fast-food joints, clubs, inns, etc. We
live in Imus, Cavite, the province where Tagaytay Ciity is located; we are at the end of Cavite just south of Manila whereas
Tagaytay is at the extreme southern end of the province near Batangas. Las Pinas is also nearby, it is dusty and hot there with a lot of traffic, but is close to the airport and major shopping areas.
To me, one should visit first and see the area or place you wish to reside at. Find out what priorities u need when living at a particular sub-division (gated) or property. Many new sub-divisions are left unfinished with 1/2 a clubhouse, etc. Myself, I used to come here every year for about 5 years in order to find property, how things work, the banking system, probable U.S. tax problems, getting to know legitimate people, contractors, archetects, etc. Buy the local newspapers, check out the classifieds, make calls, etc. Buying the paper helped me find out where major shopping centers or highways were planned for, so purchasing land close by assured me of some property value and convenience.
Well, I hope I've helped u in some small way. If u have any specific questions just send it my way and I'll try to help u out.

BURNEDOUT
  1/25/2005 19:01 EST

Thanks for the reply! looking forward to a vist in 12/06 for 6 weeks to look around Luzon province from baguio to Tagatay to make a final determination. It looks like Subic might be my final choice but I am not sure! Thanks !

billjonna
  1/27/2005 14:38 EST

"Burned Out", well I can certainly relate to that. I was in Tagatay last Easter and it is very nice. At the time it was a bit under construction in many areas but stil very nice.
I'm considering the options of staying in the US and working or taking my bucks and heading to the PI with my Filipina wife and daughter. My two great concerns are for my daughter. One being "constant security" and the other being that she will be tossed into a culture shock. Another concern is enduring the harsher climate there. Basically it's a toaster oven most of the sunny season and being the bagel is no fun. Owning a car with good "aircon" is a must since the transportation options don't have "aircon". If one does wish to work andd make a few pesos, I'm hearing it's tough to compete for $3/day.

We already have a house in Las Pinas that we can live at until we decide to move somewhere else less congested. Las Pinas reminds me of some of the crappy parts of New Jersey or San Pedro, CA except more congested.

I like the Subic options you are thinking of but I thought that it would take my expenses above $1KUS/mo. I spent about a month there in the late '70s and I know it's changed significantly.

I did spend a day in Cavete and it was nice there. It was in one of those sub divisions that was only half complete and squatters had take up refuge along a waterway. The issues around squatters is a real concern for any community there.

Any way these are some thoughts I've had in the last two weeeks.

Bill

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BURNEDOUT
  1/29/2005 08:35 EST

Thanks for sharing your info. with me. I to have a daughter but she will be in college here in Fl. when we retire. I don't know if I would relocate a young child to PI. I know there r some good schools there and I must admit my daughter really liked PI when we visited my wifes family in Masinloc. Zambales. She enjoyed Baguio, Villa Esqundero, and we stayed a few days at the Manila Hotel so my wife could attend medical seminars thus allowing us to deduct some of the trip expenses she incurred. I have mixed feelings about having a child there though! But I am no expert and from what I read in researching and reading posts on "Living in the Philippines 3" it is being done by some and most seem safer there than stateside, with common sense safety precautions. I must admit that going to PI to try to work and earn a living is not a good idea. Going there to kickback, relax, and enjoy your retirement with Soc. Sec., pension, life savings, etc. is the only way to go. I would wait until you have enough to live on which in my opinion would be $1500. to $1800. per month, although many live on a lot less in the provinces. It all depends on what you want.
Search Yahoo for "Living in the Philippines3" join the group and u will find a treasure of info. from expats living all over PI and u can post and respond to questions from A-Z about PI. The first thing I do each day after work is sign in and read the latest questions and answers. Be sure to continue this site as well because it is also very informative. In summary I like Subic Bay area the best so I can join the local VFW and make friends with ex-military expats living there to play golf, go fishin, and share a few cold SM's with while shooting some pool. The infrastructure is good there and I got a sense of safety. So good luck! Mabuhay!

GIOVANNISALUDO
  5/26/2007 00:54 EST

Hi BurnedOut,

Greetings!

I owned a house and lot in Sta. Monica Subd., Subic Zambales very near in Bo. Barretto. Its a 267 sqm. lot. concrete fenced. It was a Navy-approved bungalow concrete house, 4 bedrooms and 2 T/B. This is inside an organized subdivision with 24-hr security-roving guards and with some good foreign nationals, mostly retired US military servicemen living around. I am offering it at Three Million Pesos or USD66,700.

Please feel free to reply on my below email address for any questions ore comments.

Thanks & best regards,
Giovanni Saludo
Sales & Marketing Manager
EXPONENT Electronics & Allied Industries, Inc.
#38, Cluster IV, Gamma Commercial Complex, 47 Rizal Avenue, CBD Area, Subic Bay Freeport Zone Olongapo City 2222 Philippines
Tel. +634732523641
Mobile. +639153081396
Email. [email protected]

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