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Tagaytay bungalow house

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calzia
  9/17/2018 06:59 EST

We are in Silang looking for a bungalow house here or Amadeo area. Also would like to contact a reliable real estate agent. Suggestions would be appreciated.

TeeJay4103
  9/17/2018 07:36 EST

Calzia

A few details may help for those who may be able to help.

1. Buying or renting
2. Budget for rent
3. How many bedrooms
4. Inside or outside of a subdivision
5. With AC
6. Furnished
7. Fenced with yard

A realtor is a salesperson, it's their job to make the deal. Money is tight for all in the RP so embellishment and or omission is not uncommon. Be very careful with realtors.

We have seen many rentals only advertised locally (meaning a sign on the fence), so boots on the ground and hitting the back roads helps.

Stop at local stores and ask if anyone knows of a rental, even a large sari sari in a neighborhood you like or the barangay office. Don't be shy.

Many say that you can't find a good deal on line, I have, though you have to look everyday. Just type "for rent Amadeo" or the town of choice and you'll see quite a few websites with housing.

We live near Tagaytay and if we see something we can relay the info based on your reply about the details of your Bungalow search.

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calzia
  9/17/2018 08:58 EST

Thank you so much for the information. We bought and sold a house in Baguio. Rented a year in Bohol. I share your suspicion of Realtors! We hope to buy a fenced three bedroom, two bath bungalow. Minimum 500 sq m lot would be nice. Twenty or thirty minutes away from Tagaytay would be fine. We went to Alfonso today to explore. Quite a distance but seemed a nice neighborhood. Some years ago we were trapped in weekend traffic here. Is there an escape route or do residents simply stay home Sat/Sun? Is Dasmarines the closest large shopping area? We are viewing a house tomorrow in Amadeo. Any opinion of the area? We appreciate your comments.

calzia
  9/17/2018 08:58 EST

Thank you so much for the information. We bought and sold a house in Baguio. Rented a year in Bohol. I share your suspicion of Realtors! We hope to buy a fenced three bedroom, two bath bungalow. Minimum 500 sq m lot would be nice. Twenty or thirty minutes away from Tagaytay would be fine. We went to Alfonso today to explore. Quite a distance but seemed a nice neighborhood. Some years ago we were trapped in weekend traffic here. Is there an escape route or do residents simply stay home Sat/Sun? Is Dasmarines the closest large shopping area? We are viewing a house tomorrow in Amadeo. Any opinion of the area? We appreciate your comments.

calzia
  9/17/2018 09:04 EST

We would go with either in or outside a subdivision but suspect a bungalow may be difficult to find in a subd. We would like to buy but if nothing is available, we"ll rent, look for a lot, and build (ugh!).

TeeJay4103
  9/17/2018 09:39 EST

calzia

Parts of Amadeo are very nice as is Alfonso, Mendez, Indang and Laurel Batangas.

Tagaytay and has two new malls, Serin and Fora (with movie theaters). Both have the usual mix of hardware, appliance, clothing stores and restaurants.

There is a new mall tentatively set to open at the end of October along the Aguinaldo hwy in Silang. It is call the Acienda designer outlet mall. It's a themed mall and claims to offer better clothing and restaurants. The themes are European with a 40ft dutch windmill, for what that's worth.

If you drive down the Tagaytay Sta Rosa road about 1/2 hour or so from Tagaytay, you'll come to an S&R store and another mall, Solenad. Nice mall with some good restaurants and clothing stores.

If you're looking to buy, obviously renting until you find the little gem you're looking for is the best idea. The countryside around Silang and Tagaytay is filled with nice homes. We saw one on line recently that popped up on OLX near a little restaurant that you may like call Chateau Hestia, beautifully landscaped with great food. The house was tucked away in a very small subdivision on a large lot and sold quickly. So the deals are out there if you're diligent in your searching.

I assume from your response that you are looking for something outside of a subdivision. If we see anything while we're out and about, we'll be happy to take down the info and send you a pm.

Wherever you look ask about the water supply and the internet. The power in the area is Meralco and should not be a problem.

Weekends and holidays we just stay home. The traffic is horrible, though they are well on their way to completing a connector from the SLEX through Sta Rosa, Silang, Amadeo and north to Kawit,connecting to the Cavitex with limited on and off ramps. Hopefully that will alleviate some of the traffic issues.

We have an acquaintance who is scouting the area for land or an existing house and he has printed maps of the areas he has visited and marked the roads traveled and favorite spots. He said it allows him to reference the maps if something new pops up and also keeps them from searching areas they've already looked at. Pretty organized and he said he's also found some nice little cafes, local resorts, etc, that he marks on the maps.

If you have any questions that we can help with, we'll be happy to if we can.

Good luck

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gelynch52ph
  9/17/2018 11:51 EST

Yes, DasmariƱas is the closest major shopping area but you can get most of what you need at a combination of Mahogany Market, Robison's, Ayala Mall, the new mall that surrounds the hospital like a donut, and I always made a monthly visit to S & R in Imus. I made that trip by bus and wasn't difficult at all.

Amadeo and Alfonso are both nice, quiet places.

The usual plan for Tagaytay is to stay home on weekends because of the traffic from Manila.

draks
  9/17/2018 12:34 EST

As usual tee jay is 100% right.
I have found a couple of houses on face book, again type houses for rent in the town you choose

racer1961
  9/17/2018 12:35 EST

TeeJay,
I must say that was a very well written and informative response / advise you had for Calzia.

calzia
  9/19/2018 09:56 EST

We are being asked for earnest money because the seller is coming from the States. I hesitate to simply deposit money in their account. Please advise the standard procedure. Thanks.

calzia
  9/19/2018 09:56 EST

We are being asked for earnest money because the seller is coming from the States. I hesitate to simply deposit money in their account. Please advise the standard procedure. Thanks.

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TeeJay4103
  9/19/2018 10:40 EST

Calzia,

You have a conundrum.

Is the sellers representative legally authorized (SPA special power of attorney) to sign an agreement on his behalf? If not then you are rolling the dice with your deposit into his account. 1% should be sufficient but many ask for 5 to 10% increasing your risk, and in this case, not his.

Do you have an attorney who can work with you on the agreement with the sellers representative and hold a check or bank / managers check until the owner arrives?

A standard form is linked below, though without an authorized signature on the sellers behalf it is not worth much.

http://legal-forms.philsite.net/receipt-agreement.htm

https://www.realestatend.org/image/cache/Sample_Earnest_Money_Receipt_Form.pdf

TeeJay4103
  9/19/2018 11:04 EST

Calzia

Have you seen the paper for this house?

1.Title showing clear ownership without encumbrances.
2. An up to date tax declaration for the house and lot showing taxes have been paid.
3.A survey of the land or lot so as to see if a couple of feet of your home is not on the neighbors land, it's happened.

Before putting cash into this guys account with no documentation, I believe I would at least want to know the house is free of encumbrances, in his name only and taxes are up to date.

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:26 EST

We didn't have the proper form. That is helpful. What if we email the form to the seller, they sign, scan and email it to us? Without an attorney, this may not be worth much. We will try to find a relative who could be a designated representative.

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:26 EST

We didn't have the proper form. That is helpful. What if we email the form to the seller, they sign, scan and email it to us? Without an attorney, this may not be worth much. We will try to find a relative who could be a designated representative.

charkee
  9/19/2018 20:35 EST

Make sure you get everything notarized. Going rates are about 350php for a notary.

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:35 EST

We went to deeds registration and have a certified copy stating the property free and clear.

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:35 EST

We went to deeds registration and have a certified copy stating the property free and clear.

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:48 EST

The information is very much appreciated. We have found this in Amadeo, a six minute drive from the main road. https://www.property24.com.ph/3-bedroom-house-and-lot-for-sale-in-amadeo-112182857?IsShowcased=True&utm_source=trovit&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=trovit&utm_source=Trovit&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=activelysearching_forsale

We've lived in Baguio and Bohol several years. Looked at Lucena city but this home seems to be a good choice. My wife's health (back) prevents us from buying/renting multistory home. Is there a common gathering place frequented by expats?

calzia
  9/19/2018 20:48 EST

The information is very much appreciated. We have found this in Amadeo, a six minute drive from the main road. https://www.property24.com.ph/3-bedroom-house-and-lot-for-sale-in-amadeo-112182857?IsShowcased=True&utm_source=trovit&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=trovit&utm_source=Trovit&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=activelysearching_forsale

We've lived in Baguio and Bohol several years. Looked at Lucena city but this home seems to be a good choice. My wife's health (back) prevents us from buying/renting multistory home. Is there a common gathering place frequented by expats?

TeeJay4103
  9/19/2018 21:42 EST

Calzia

Years ago my wife had to acquire a SPA (power of attorney) from her aunt in Baltimore to allow her to access moneys and to sign paperwork for her on her behalf with regard to real estate and banking.

Her aunt had a SPA established in the states through an attorney, she then had to have it "authenticated" by the Philippines consulate in Wash DC. When the document arrived in the Philippines, she had to take to to the DFA (department of foreign affairs) for authentication here. A real pain in the behind. So, while an document from the states, signed and emailed to you by the owner may ease your mind, it has no real legal value.

If the owner has a duly authorized representative work on his behalf, he also would have to have an SPA to makes legal agreements on the owners behalf. It comes down to a matter of trust, unless you get an attorney and meet with him and the owners rep and have the attorney hold the check until the owner arrives. The attorney could write up an agreement, and you both sign it indicating the purpose of the funds and it also gives you a legal document with the attorney, whom you also do not know. The rep could be there to witness the transaction and possibly even sign as a witness with verbiage explaining who he was and why he is there.

Otherwise, is just comes down to a roll of the dice.

There is a restaurant called Gilligan's in Tagaytay at the Robinsons Summit Ridge shopping center where some expats meet with girlfriends and wives once a week. There is also a new hotel / restaurant bar near the Mahogany palenke, where live music is played on Friday and Saturday nights. Some expats meet there.
The Ayala Serin mall also has a few coffee shops and restaurants and there are always quite a few expats wandering aimlessly (lol) about with their wives, shopping and chatting. .
There is a Deli called Santi's in Silang near Tagaytay on the Aguinaldo hwy where they serve and mix of European and western style foods (very good) as well as having fresh baked goods and a great deli with meats and cheeses. They also have a good selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages if you drink. It is also an occasional meeting place for expats.
If you golf, the Riviera estates, housing, golf and country club also has a lot of expats that meet there for a few rounds of golf and a few beers while many live there. It is in Silang along the Aguinaldo hwy.
The Taal lake yacht club also has a few expat members with small to large sailing boats who meet on occasion for races, small boat building and casual outings, They can be found on Facebook. They also offer trips from locals on boats to the Volcano or just around the lake.

Regards and good luck with the home.

calzia
  9/28/2018 07:44 EST

Last Wed. we finished the paperwork and made payment for the house in Amadeo. Moving in Sunday. Buying a car Mon. or Tuesday. Hopefully we'll be off this panic mode and settle down soon. We'll check out the expat haunts in several weeks. We have visited The Mahogany market. Very nice but a little expensive. Is there an alternative not too far from Amadeo?

TeeJay4103
  9/28/2018 08:51 EST

Calzia,

Congratulations on the home. Now comes the fun of making it feel like the two of you. Enjoy.

Amadeo has it's own small public market, though I cannot tell you exactly how to get to it.

Tagaytay has two public markets. The Tagaytay public market is on the Tagaytay / Sta Rosa road, it has less to offer than Mahogany, though it is cheaper.
Map:
https://www.google.com/maps/@14.1276489,120.9809708,17z

Silang also has a large public market, most of our neighbors shop there.
Map:
https://mapcarta.com/29702114

Enjoy.

calzia
  9/28/2018 19:55 EST

Ah! That is what we are looking for. Thank you so much for ALL the info. So appreciated.

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