Popular Post Dave Hounddriver Posted August 22, 2019 Popular Post Posted August 22, 2019 13 hours ago, Mike J said: A rough estimate is that 50% of expats who move here leave within five years because they cannot adjust to the life and culture here. I would agree with your rough estimate and add that another 50% of those who make it 5 years eventually move on for one reason or another. Its been 11 years for me and I am thinking Philippines has changed, I have changed and it is getting close to time to try somewhere else. I would not change anything about my 11 years here but, in my opinion, its not half the paradise it once was for a foreign retiree. Its still good though. If I was still 52 I would likely still come here. I just cannot see the practicality of the Philippines, (for me), for a man who is over 65 and wants to live a good life until, maybe, 95. You may ask why? Well I got my woman so the girls are not a draw. Wee Willy is getting to the point where it doesn't matter anyway, Health care in the Philippines is not that great. Most hospitals here think you are old at 70. Its hot. I used to love it but now it means sitting in my lazyboy with the A/C on. It ain't cheap any more. I can live on the same budget elsewhere. Good help is hard to find. Its cheap but you get what you pay for. Brownouts get old. Traffic gets me grumpy. Beer does not agree with my health as I age. So if the above does not apply to you then come to the Philippines and you will surely enjoy yourself. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeochief Posted August 22, 2019 Posted August 22, 2019 1 hour ago, "P2" said: I do own my house here and I understand the recommendation about not selling it and that I should rent it out... Have any of you guys had any issues of living abroad and trying to maintain a rental in a different country. I can only imagine the headache that would be.... especially if you encounter bad renters who don't pay the rent properly and become squatters. Getting rid of squatters, especially in the US, can be a nightmare and a very lengthy process. I can't imagine how much more of a problem it would be to deal with it from being on the other side of the planet. Check with property managers in your area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginprune Posted August 22, 2019 Posted August 22, 2019 3 hours ago, "P2" said: .... oh and also, is there anyplace or areas we should be aware of that are not friendly to westerners? I heard Marawi City is a "No Go" place and most of the southern islands because of the muslim terrorists in those areas. Thanks again! Marawi City, until rebuild, doesn't really exist anymore especially for visitors. I live in South Cotabato in the south east of Mindanao, have done so happily for more than 4 years. There are many displaced people from Marawi now resident here, have not noticed any change in the general attitude towards westerners, so far. Have got to know socially more of the Muslim population and find many of them like it here because of less strict religious observances. Time will tell of course whether any Islamists will gain a foothold, the area is still 90% Catholic. What I am stressing is, do not be put off somewhere extremely beautiful and very friendly by the doomsayers, the majority which have never even visited this area. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jollygoodfellow Posted August 22, 2019 Posted August 22, 2019 4 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said: I have changed and it is getting close to time to try somewhere else. Probably should be a new topic but where are you thinking? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonjack2847 Posted August 22, 2019 Posted August 22, 2019 11 hours ago, "P2" said: Thanks for all of the replies! My wife and I are planning a trip to the Philippines sometime in July of 2020 to visit her relatives and for me to meet them. I'm looking forward to it. We are hopefully planning to visit a couple of different places to see where we may want to settle down at. I'm leaning towards Cebu, from what I have read about the place it has a mixture of just about everything. Big city and rural environment all together. We will be working on getting her US citizenship ASAP. Should we wait a little while before trying to get her dual citizenship or will doing right after she gets her US citizenship cause any issue? I do own my house here and I understand the recommendation about not selling it and that I should rent it out... Have any of you guys had any issues of living abroad and trying to maintain a rental in a different country. I can only imagine the headache that would be.... especially if you encounter bad renters who don't pay the rent properly and become squatters. Getting rid of squatters, especially in the US, can be a nightmare and a very lengthy process. I can't imagine how much more of a problem it would be to deal with it from being on the other side of the planet. Again... your advice is greatly appreciated! I rented my place to people in the UK and it worked but was not easy, all the rules favour the renters and not the landlord. In the end I sold as it had become not cost efficient in that they were breaking things and I was not there to say it was their fault and make them pay. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Tommy T. Posted August 23, 2019 Forum Support Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, sonjack2847 said: I rented my place to people in the UK and it worked but was not easy, all the rules favour the renters and not the landlord. In the end I sold as it had become not cost efficient in that they were breaking things and I was not there to say it was their fault and make them pay. My ex and I rented out our home in USA for several years. It proved a nightmare. We had friends "manage" it and they failed miserably - it just wasn't their forte. We had a "professional" manager at the end and he did not follow our written contract regarding things like pets, number of occupants, etc... Eventually we sold it when realizing we would never return there. Still, it was a good idea not to sell, despite the setbacks and hassles. We still had a place of refuge in case we really needed it. So advice here is to keep your home and try to find someone you trust to live there - maybe even for free if they take care of it - or someone you can trust to manage it for renting. Don't unload it until you are really certain of your future plans... Edited August 23, 2019 by Tommy T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted August 23, 2019 Posted August 23, 2019 9 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said: Probably should be a new topic but where are you thinking? No need for a new topic at this time . . as I am not thinking of any specific place yet. Back to Canada to regroup, then look at options. Life is like dominos. Each move depends on how the previous domino falls. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Kid Posted August 23, 2019 Posted August 23, 2019 On 8/22/2019 at 2:04 AM, "P2" said: Greetings Everyone... I've been lurking on this site for a little while now. So I thought I would pick your brains for more info... A little about me.... I live in Virginia with my wife whom I met while vacationing in Hawaii back in 2015. She is a Filipina and we hit it off right away. I convinced her to leave Hawaii, where she had lived for the past 18 years, and come with me to Virginia where we got married in November of 2016. Now I am considering retiring early and moving to Cebu, Philippines. Not in the city but, somewhere on the out skirts, maybe near the water. I would take what money I have saved and the money from my companies 401k and then in 10 years add my SS retirement to it. I am by no means a "rich" man but I have enough liquid cash to live comfortably on, say about $2500 a month. What sort of things do I need to be aware of when transitioning to the Philippines? Hidden costs? Travel documents/passports. My wife is a green card holder (18 yrs now) and we are working to get her a US citizenship before moving. Is this wise? Looking to make the move in less than 4 to 5 years but I am unsure of the process or what it takes. So I'm reaching out to you guys for some input. Also, is $2500 USD per month a livable amount? Need more or less? Talk me into this or talk me out of it. Thanks for all of your help! I moved here in 2002 at age 50 on my military pension. Got tired of the rat race at the pest control place I worked at and made the move. Started collecting my SSN benefits when I turned 62. You won't live like a king like some of the websites say but it's comfortable. Your lifestyle will adjust to the amount of money that you have available. I still live in the same place that I did before I got the extra SSN money and it just made life a little more fun. I'll be 67 this coming Dec. I'm really happy that I made the move. You will find ways to entertain yourself. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Arizona Kid Posted August 23, 2019 Popular Post Posted August 23, 2019 23 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said: I used to love it but now it means sitting in my lazyboy with the A/C on. Would it be any different if you retired somewhere else? Grumpy is grumpy no matter where you retire. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham59 Posted August 23, 2019 Posted August 23, 2019 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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