Is It Worth Building A House Compared To Buying One?

[Miguk]

 

Yup I got spoiled living in Makati and can't settle for anything less (but can't afford any more

 

 

 

 

Odd how life takes it's form, we sit out on the terrace some nights and if our Daughter, is in a rare for her, Good mood, Money always seems to come into the conversation.  :unsure:  not too long ago, after a couple of cool SMB's I got brave enough to tell her, babe, look at all this Garden and House, one Day all this will be yours to have and do as you wish with. I hope that you will be able to afford to Run it. well said she, I will have my inheritance  won't I.

 

Cough! Cough!  :mocking:  sorry little one ( She is 14) Mama and I have spent your Inheritance, buying the lot and Building the House. WHY? was the indignant question that followed, Well honey my wife said, you, did not like the noisy dirty city area, we lived in before ( we rented then) SO!

 

Moral here.

Rent and we were wrong. (dirty, noisy city) 

 

Buy land and Build we were wrong.( Savings all gone but nice ,clean and fairly problem free.) 

 

Seems whatever we decide to do,  we can Please some of the family all the time, all the family some of the time BUT never all, the family all the time.

 

Ain't life grand  :thumbsup:

 

 

:tiphat:

 

Oh good god I thought teenagers were only an American phenomenon! :lol: Like the old song went "you can't please everyone so you got to please yourself".  Luckily my kids are all older and they already know there is not such thing as inheritance.  I made this money and I am damn well going to enjoy it.  Plus on my wife's side for us being in America really puts the kibosh on the whole "loan money" thing.....walang pera is my wife's motto on skype hahaha (until I retire there and they can make personal visits :unsure: :1 (103):

[robert k]

If I built a house I could decide on the diameter of the drain pipes and that would be a plus. Among other things. I might make own fixtures from ball valves because I value working for 10 to 20 years over pretty. :)

[nigelmac]

WOW A wealth of information here and some good advice, as a well traveled expat most of this sounds like common sense to me however, thank you all for sharing these insights. I am still getting over reading the thread about the Canadian expat who was shot real spine chilling stuff (and eye opening) just waiting for the movie to come out now. :)

[MikeB]

It seems like there is more pollution in the country as they burn everything all day long. There is no garbage pick up. There is a constant haze and stench. As for traffic, everything and everyone is on the road from caribaos to tractors, to 12 year old kids driving motorcycles. Hundreds of tricycles and triskeads slowing everything down. The streets and highways are workshops.

All this comes as quite a surprise to me after living in a provincial town for the past 2 and a half years.They actually do pick up garbage here but only once a week so I have a guy do an extra day for p20. I did have a minor trash-burning issue with neighbors but a polite request to move the source took care of it. As for all the haze and stench, by all means get the word out. Hopefully, there'll be fewer people moving here.

[jpbago]

 

It seems like there is more pollution in the country as they burn everything all day long. There is no garbage pick up. There is a constant haze and stench. As for traffic, everything and everyone is on the road from caribaos to tractors, to 12 year old kids driving motorcycles. Hundreds of tricycles and triskeads slowing everything down. The streets and highways are workshops.

All this comes as quite a surprise to me after living in a provincial town for the past 2 and a half years.They actually do pick up garbage here but only once a week so I have a guy do an extra day for p20. I did have a minor trash-burning issue with neighbors but a polite request to move the source took care of it. As for all the haze and stench, by all means get the word out. Hopefully, there'll be fewer people moving here.

 

 

The garbage is picked up here once a week also (well, most weeks, maybe 42/year) but only for the home owners, not for the squatters which perhaps make up 50% of the population. It is the squatters that burn plastic bags and bottles that they get from the markets 3 times a day. They are everywhere backing up next to subdivisions and all along the highway right up to and on the shoulder of the road. Look around at all the people wearing hospital  masks or covering their faces with some type of cloths because of the bad air. The word is out.

[robert k]

It really sucks that pretty girls are wearing hospital masks in Manila. Normally I would say that they do little good but I like to walk and after taking a 2 hour walk in Quezon city Manilla, I hand washed my shirt in the hotel sink [i am not good at this] and I was amazed at how much filth came out of the shirt. I am still looking for my spot to settle, outside of the center of a larger provincial city, about as far out as I can get and still have the services I need. I encountered little pollution on Mindoro other than litter and dust from the street in Calapan but a friend of mine who says that there is little to do there besides procreate has some justice on his side. :)

[Americano]

If you watch any one of several TV programs which show Crime and Investigations in countries around the world you will know that most murders committed by a family member is done due to greed. They become so greedy that they want it all. Some even open life insurance polices and of course they are the beneficiary. This level of greed exists in the Philippines too, maybe even more so because the people are so poor here.

 

I'm not saying don't build here but if you do I hope you know all of your girlfriend's or wife's innermost thoughts and secrets. And, those of her family members who think they will become rich by your death. If you have a large life insurance policy. You can put your woman's name on it as the beneficiary but don't tell her about it. Leave a way for one of your family members in your home country to tell her after your death if she is not a suspect. The problem with telling her she's the beneficiary to a large sum of money is she will not be able to keep it a secret. Filipinas talked about everything even things that are personal and should be kept a family secret. One reason is nosy family members and neighbors are always trying to pry into your family's personal business.

 

If anyone doesn't believe that private family matters do not remain private then tell your woman that you purchased a $500,000. life insurance policy and she will be paid $500,000. after your death. Be sure you tell her that is currently P22,000,000. Then tell her to keep it secret from everyone and don't talk about it when anyone is present besides you. Most women will tell someone within the first few days. A text will take her about 15 seconds. The person she tells can do the rest. Or when she walkes out side she could tell the first neighbor she sees so she can brag about how rich she will be.

 

CAUTION: If you try this I hope you can convince everyone that it was only a joke before someone decides they want to help spend the $5000,000.

[Miguk]

It really sucks that pretty girls are wearing hospital masks in Manila. Normally I would say that they do little good but I like to walk and after taking a 2 hour walk in Quezon city Manilla, I hand washed my shirt in the hotel sink [i am not good at this] and I was amazed at how much filth came out of the shirt. I am still looking for my spot to settle, outside of the center of a larger provincial city, about as far out as I can get and still have the services I need. I encountered little pollution on Mindoro other than litter and dust from the street in Calapan but a friend of mine who says that there is little to do there besides procreate has some justice on his side. :)

 

I too am looking for my elusive garden spot......our little piece of heaven as it were.  Keep us informed please I may have to follow you there :-)