I just got back to France, but when I am in Philippines I'm happy to help anyone in this Offshore Group wanting to know the scoop--for free...The price anywhere ALWAYS depends on location. That's true where ever you are. After a lot of looking I just bought a 2 bedroom Manila BGC (best location in Fils) condo with pool, gym, & only 15 meters from the top shopping malls Aura & Market Market + hundreds of High Street restaurants, bars, stores, etc. The appt has a super "greenery-park" view in the very best, most modern absolutely SAFE & crime free neighborhood of Manila. No car is needed. Everything is within a 10-minute walk! My all-
cash price was around $250,000.
I can & will rent it for around $1900 a month 7 months a year ... My ROI is better than in Europe or comparable USA cities. Syndicate Management charges & tax costs are maybe 10% of Stateside. The same size & quality unit in
Monaco (my other "home") would be around $25,000,000, Thus, I found the Manila Place I bought to be exceedingly cheap. It's a de facto
tax haven for foreigners who physically live there under 6 months a year.
Foreigners can buy condos (which normally have a useful life of only 25 years) and also middle class or small houses (not palatial estates with lots of land). Buying a place in the boondocks? It's easy to find a pleasant Nipa hut (made of bamboo) for as low as $1,000. I have a really big plantation with Nipa "residence" in the middle of nowhere (Mindanao). I got it for $10,000. Wanna buy it from me? It even has a big underground complex (a flooded wreck) built by the Japanese in WW2.
I will be using my delux 23rd-floor Manila apartment only 5 months a year, so if anybody out there wants to rent it fully furnished, it's available to you while looking around for a terrific, faithful, intelligent & industrious Filipina wife, or girlfriend. Or maybe just an apartment/house to buy. Just ask me & I'll give you a good deal. Picture below. If you look at a lot of places anywhere in the world you can always find good deals on repos, foreclosures & distressed properties You get them with a low-ball offer like I did... I advise renting for 6 months in the area before you buy.
One thing you got right is that the majority of builders in the big cities build cheaply --crappy high-rise bldgs with tiny studio apartments. They quickly deteriorate. These tiny studios may get occupied as rentals by families with 5 kids and cockroaches. The places become slums within 5 years.
But there are exceptions! If you buy or rent in an
Ayala building in BGC, even their hi-rise bldgs over 30 years old are still well-maintained (large!) apartments in high-quality buildings. Their garages are full of polished new Land Rovers, Corvettes, Ferraris & the like. Maintenance & security is 1st Rate.
There. are very few houses (called Villas) in BGC, but nearby, in the best single-family residential Manila neighborhoods, like Makati, Forbes Park, and Desmarines, the houses are well-built, & huge . They may cost upwards of US $2-$10 million. Similar prices to Los Angeles, or NYC.
Really safe pleasant city is Davao. Cebu & Subic Bay are also good . All have an international airport, like Manila does. Much cheaper than BGC Manila.
I just got back to France, but when I am in the Philippines I'm happy to help anyone in this Offshore Group wanting to know the scoop--for free...You can check out my informative blogs on Manila & the Philippines in general, at *youtube.com/@Lucky2balive888*
The biggest advantage over Cambodia,
Thailand etc. is that the national Language is ENGLISH . Most of the Upper classes are dual citizens of the Philippines & USA with 2nd homes over there.
It's my 1st choice in Asia.