7- Ways Foreigners Are Getting Ripped Off in The Philippines!
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Here is Greg and Wilma's Excellent RUclips Channel:
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Don't Get Ripped Off When You Build or Buy a House in The Philippines!
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@everymanhasastory
Greg and Wilma are great people just like you and Jen are known Mark. He is a great guy, and very knowledgeable about all things that are happening in life. Great Video, of a guy that I truly want to meet as well as you Mark, when I finally get there.😊
Thank you so much for your kind words of support. Please look me up if you visit Dumaguete 😊
markfthornton@yahoo.com
There are only 3 words you need to know about Real Estate in the Philippines, Rent Rent and Rent.
That's my opinion too. Thank you for watching ☺️
I appreciate being on your channel again. This is somewhat of a difficult topic to discuss, but I feel it's important to get as much truth out there as possible. Simply, too many retirees are losing large sums of money with little chance to get it back. Buyer beware, take it slow, don't trust, and still verify. Trust your instincts. Be careful out there, guys.
It was a pleasure having you on again Greg. My audience loves you
The very best advice for guest to give viewers is DO Not buy or try to build a house in The PH as a foreigner. Rent, rent, rent! You have too much to lose $$$.
This is not a problem only for foreigners, even the locals get ripped off all the time.
Great conversation. I think Greg and his wife had more than luck… they were smart and present/ on site for the build. 👍🏻👍🏻
I’ve been here for years, and I’m now here on an SRRV with the incentive that allows us to invest the $20k (USD) deposit toward the purchase of a condo. Based on everything I’ve seen and experienced here over many years, I will never avail of that incentive.
Sad to say, but the Philippines is just a very difficult place in which to do business. The country is never going to appreciably advance in the world economy unless and until that changes.
I agree with you 💯
I met Greg and his beautiful wife Wilma. They are great people. Thanks for the video. They have an amazing place.
I agree with you 💯. Two of the nicest people I have ever met. True friends
Thank you guys for exposing the very prevalent contractor scams and building challenges in PH. Important and sobering information.
Glad you brought this topic up. Maybe the more people are aware of what goes on the better they will be prepared.
I built whilst overseas .on my arrival i questioned the engineer why the house was 2 metres to high. He said as you are tall i thought you would like it.then he built a dirty kitchen on the second floor again i questioned why 2 kitchens in the house .His answer was if you were lazy you didnt need to come 🤪 downstairs
Great video. Hopefully future expats coming watch this very important and Informative video.
Also very important to have a right of way to avoid problems with the neighbors.
Interesting interview, I had one of the positive experiences in being my house. The land was already my mother-in-law's lot so just needed to get a good contractor and we did. House was built to spec and on budget/schedule even during the COVID-19 period. The house construction started in February 2021 and it finished in November 2021. VERY happy with my retirement home in San Roque Bitas, Arayat, Pampanga. Sounds like I was lucky.
That's great! Thanks for watching
Great content, On the topic of water, be very careful when buying property if there was a piggery close by, the ground water could be contamated, , many small pig farms have open pits not a contained system,
Great video Mark!!!! 2 thumbs up my friend!!!!
Thank you for watching ☺️ I'm so glad you liked it 😊
Wow, what a great, great interview. I've been a subscriber of Greg and Wilma since they started building their dream home, and I've got to tell yaw, it's a fantastic home. It's exactly what I want when I move there. I've also heard of horror stories from my daughter in-laws' mother, a Filipina who lives in Antique, and was warned of doing my homework before even stepping foot on Philippine soil. So, yeah, finding the right contractor and attorney is so crucial in being successful in building your dream home. And I too am phobic about snakes and big spiders. Lemon grass is essential in gardening plants for your outer perimeter to ward off snakes. have a few cats around for the smaller rodents.
Contractors are ripping off Americans in America too.
We've bought & sold various properties & built a home which we also sold, the process is never easy but it's way easier to buy than it is to sell. We won't be doing it again in the Philippines.
Wow, you booked a ⭐️ star. We will be Greg and Wilma’s neighbors. Great people.
Developers can not be trusted either, I built my really nice town house more than a year ago and still no title and the developer has not paid the BIR and uttered false documents to get the land tax over with the LGU.. Yes I wert to a lawyey an incompetent lawyer at that. I am doing to sue the developer for breach of contract but it will take a long time to go to court. My house took in 9 months as it is a row howse 2 storey 3Br 3 Cr and 2 car garage in a gated community with a first class contractor doing the build and happy with the result.
Thanks for tip on TLC Construction in Valencia. 👍
Thank you for watching ☺️
there is very little consumer protection in the Philippines and don't dare complain publicly about shoddy business practices. I recently bought a brand new motorcycle from a kawasaki dealer who claimed it was a 2022 model. i paid cash for it. when the or/cr came back from LTO it was listed as a 2020 model. the dealer offered no resolution. the receipt from the dealer and the insurance company all said 2022. basically the dealer said there was no difference in the model years and so it was ok like that. in the US this would be clear cut misrepresentation.
This video is very valuable in that it reinforces that most westerners should not even consider retirement in a foreign country. Leaving aside property investment or god forbid construction in the Philippines I would like to elaborate on a very good point that Greg touches on. In SE Asia or indeed any traditional society it is always the man who makes the decisions. If you say in any business dealings “talk to my wife, GF whatever” you’ll get what you deserve. If your partner has the relevant business knowledge and experience then why is she with you? In fact if she’s with you she almost certainly has never had any meaningful financial dealings in her life. I’ve seen this 1st hand with a friend who married a Thai girl and thought leave everything up to the wife when living in Thailand. Well now he and his Thai wife and her son (to another man) live with his elderly parents back in Australia.
Thank you for watching ☺️
I watch Wilma and Greg's channel. Great information.
We built our house here on biliran island 30 years ago.. And its still here and so are we. We had family members that knew what they were doing build it..We've had the same worker now doing work around the house for over 30 years.. Now our plan from the beginning was not to retire here..Mostly because of the poor medical facilities here.. as you age that become more important at least to us..and we've been married now for 41 years.. We are looking at moving to Ocala fla area..with in 4 years when I turn 68 and my wife will be 66. We'll keep our houses here we have 2 now..and come back for a month or two every year..to visit family and we'll do that until we can no longer travel..
Looks like so many foreigners are getting in on the RUclips video craze after they get here.
Super awesome video
And great information
Paul, very good video and Greg and Wilma chanel is very good. It will save you thousands. I have built a house in Northern Luzon and been ripped off. Best advice is be on site, handle all of the paper work yourself, stear clear of parent titles, have clear title, right of ways and access to the property, talk to the baranguy yourself, check the power connection, internet access and dont hand over large amounts of cash.
I'm Mark. Paul is Old Dog
Thank you for arranging and conducting this interview. This is certainly a important public service announcement and one that could certainly save a lot of heartache and difficulties for many people. Between yourself and other vloggers perhaps a joint channel or playlist could be created with this important information presented as input for deliberations rather than out-and-out prescribed advice.
Thank you for watching and for sharing your opinion 😊
If that is the case, then why aren't they in jail?
Good question. I don’t know
wealth of information Cheers
Good interview and great information !
You folks have not looked around first before you build. You have to talk to people and review the work the contractor does. Also talk to the owners of the buildings the contractor has completed. You have to take ownership and verify all documents before you start. I am currently building a house in Siquijor and my contractor has been nothing short of a good and honest man. This contractor has gone over the standard of competence with us. The land has been moved into the wife s name and is current application of title, which does not really matter to us we will live here until death. Make sure you verify all.
Good advice. Thank you for watching ☺️
Foreigners by law, cannot own a single dwelling home. Only a condo. Just rent F.F.S....
Why Is No One Being Held Accountable!!
Enjoyed all the great information.. really like listening to Greg because he knows his stuff and is a honest person..fyi Greg, I'm sure you probably already know this but you need to check it out with your wife.. there are many plants that you can plant in your yard that will run snakes away and also mosquitoes.. they're also plants you can put in your house that will run insects out of your house and help your breathing.. thanks for another great and informative video Mark 👍👍😎🤗
First time to your channel and have have watched Greg and Wilma's channel. This type of stiff happens all around the world. I like that this was directed to stories happening in the Philippines. Each to their own as everyone has their current situation but like this video with Greg shares, due diligence, take your time and don't rush into anything. Finally, Great snake story to end it and glad Wilma is OK.
Makes me want to start a Facebook or Telegram support group where foreigners can share names anonymously so we can have a whitelist/blacklist.
Expats keep on doing again and again their mistakes. They must listen to advises by the expats who have the experience already. Tell your people to deal with the right people and report it to the government.
You are gambling your hard earned money by buying a house in the Philippines. If your Filipina wife leaves you, you are screwed financially. The land is under her name. Don’t take a chance.
Great interview, very informative. Please be careful guys especially to all foreigners who’s planning to retire and build houses know first the contractor and black and white systems
Greg's experience is a little bit different because he had an American contractor. The most important lesson is you must get multiple bids from several reputable contractors. And the best way to do that is talking to Filipinos you trust will give you the proper advice and who's looking out for your best interest. Never be afraid to ask the contractors' past projects and see it for yourself in person by asking the homeowners if they're satisfied with the work. Getting a trusted attorney is another important lesson as they can verify the title and deed before you purchase, and they can even draft an agreement with the contractor before you start the construction. It's a truly sad commentary that these people get conned by contractors. A big reason is because there aren't agencies who protect consumers and there's no law enforcement you can trust to go after the bad guys. As much as people might hate the plethora of laws in the US it is there for a reason. And that is to protect the consumers and to enforce the rules and regulations of the construction industry.
Thank you for watching and for sharing your advice
A relative built his new house over his old house. Both 2 storeys. So if the workers leave he still has a house. He supervised from his old house everyday. We got a tour with him mentioning if we were in the old or new house while traversing. Surreal, amusing, ingenious... He got it as he wanted it.
Well done guyz - thank you
As I said, Mark, create a workshop orientation for the expats. It will be a disservice if you won’t do this.
We have a contract created by our attorney. 40% to start in Mid January. then 30% once the 40% was complete, 25% at the end of may and the final 5% in July. Contract states project will be complete early August and everything is going well. I found our Builder after I found a house that was nearly finished last year . The work has been very solid. It is in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte
I would have a smart Filipino supervisor and pay him weekly to assist me in doing my own contracting.. thanks for the heads up and thanks for the video.. Greg and Wilma have a beautiful place and did a fantastic job and are very nice people 👍😊
This doesn’t happen to only foreigners. A good friend built a house and a contractor from his church ripped him off for 40k
My present landlord fired her engineer who built the house I am in. He obviously was quite clueless building it. After still another screw-up, she fired him and he disappeared with an unknown sum of money
Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience 😊
Progress Billing is the best way to pay your contractor. It's like, You Work I Pay!
I agree with you 💯
That happens in a lot of countries sad 😔
good vlog. buying property in places like the Philippines and Thailand sounds like risky business. but many expats do it. many people buy vacation timeshares too😂
What a contractor charges is directly proportional to how much they think you have. It's world wide. I used to have many rentals in San Diego and each house was charged based on the neighborhood. It's all about money everywhere. The one difference is that in the states the contractor can lose their license. There, I doubt it.
We bought a house from a reputable builder in a planned development and I used a licensed agent. That's the first step, verify the agent is actually licensed. I think a good business to start is home inspections. That's something that's not done there.
Even though the house was nearly new it had termites and the kitchen needed a lot of work and that's from a reputable builder. Although the cost to repair was far less than it would be in the states it was still irritating. One thing the agent did that was to my benefit was arranging the sale to where I hold the mortgage with right of foreclosure. That's something I would recommend to any expat. If your gal flakes on you at least you won't lose what you paid especially if you're not married which I'll never do again.
Mark, this is a great video. A bit off topic but I noticed that room is the same one your wife used to build the crib. A bit off topic but it still involved building something. 🤣😅
Yes, it took my partner about seven months to have the land transferred to her name.
Thank you Greg and Mark, very educational, as we are having dramas in Mindanao. But Greg, that stunning property overlooking Cebu, but with the snake issue. For about USD1000, there are electrical ways to guarantee no snakes, anytime, guaranteed. We live in Australia, and have more then our fair share of them. :-)
Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate learning about this information, the sobering reality.
Thank you for watching ☺️
You can build anything, get permits as long as you Grease the head honcho of the town. The Mayor, etc. I once had a builder that was surprised that I had him sign a contract using my attorney in-law to have him sign the papers. I also have the builder agree to submit a progress schedule and progress report. I only pay him every 15-day progress with a graph showing the progress. That way, no progress no pay. I have the foreman do the daily progress report. Everthing went smooth. They cannot screw me because I am a Construction inspector/Manager while I was in the US Air Force. Every move is properly doccumented. If he fails to deliver, he goes to jail.
That’s why when you’re a foreigner, and you moved to the Philippines, even if you’re married to a Filipina as a foreigner, you can’t really own a home in the Philippines, a condominium you can but not a home so you would save yourself a lot of headaches, by just simply never building, or buying a home as a foreigner I’ve seen so many foreigners slapped down 100,000 or $200,000 of their retirement and then the relationship or the marriage goes south and then they lose the home that’s why as a foreigner you don’t buy a home in the Philippines but a lot of foreigners, never listen, and they end up learning the hard way
There's a house worth 25M pesos sitting in Neg Or. That senior American must be rich. I wish. 😢 a lot of people don't value money. It's money that could have been earning good annually.
It’s the same in Mexico. You can own the buildings but never the land.
Good interview guys.
You need to be involved on location , have building knowledge, sense , and do the research like this man says and did .
Any fair contract makes progress payments monthly.
If contractor cannot operate under that agreement then you have the wrong contractor 🎉
You also have to be careful which attorney you use.
Sometimes the attorney is in on the scam to steal from you.
Also, just because they say they are an attorney doesn’t mean they are.
Buyer beware! 😮
My wife in Phillipines already had land, should be finished with house by june
Good for you
Even heaven has fallen angels, what more paradise with just mere mortals. Very good video for awareness👍🏽
Ecuador is the same. You go down the coast of Ecuador and you see lots of startups that are over 25 years old and just never finished.
This is the most informative video you’ve ever made.
Hire a reputable attorney.
I have been following a guy in northern Florida that built an addition to his house. He got scammed because all good craftsmen were occupied so he had to take what was available. Those guys wanted 30% in advance to just start the job. The are problems everywhere if you don’t look,out. Sueing in the US is lengthy and expensive, also.
Ripping off is very normal. That is how contractors becoming rich. You should be very careful. Be sure you are knowledgeable in building construction. They always think Foreigners has a lot of money. Be careful. I had 3 Filipino friends that they thought they built a house of retirement with the help of reletives as administrator and found out that the house is not on their name. One guy thought that he is building a house but the reaality is his house is being built and at the same time his brother-in-law i s also building a house using his money. To be sure, buy your lot from the bank. Title is clean. Do not trust anybody!
Why are people buying and building homes in PH????
Rent is cheap enough, get into a longer rental situation, and do some basic upgrades!
Then sell the idea of doing the work, in exchange for reduced rent, possibly free!
Why would you build a home if you can't own it. Pay alot of money I would never do that...what if you spilt up you have lost everything
Where is the guests channel? Sounds interesting.
I swear to God he was talking about Scotland, UK ;-) My experience with tradesfolk/ builders is that you cant always rely on recommendations. Preference is to use a much older tradesperson than a younger tradesperson to do the job . To save headache, inconvenience and money - just move 🙂
Caveat Emptor
Never pay for anything in advance in the Philippines.
True
The only way I'd build a house in the Philippines, is if it was a gift to my wifes family. I wouldn't live there if I married a Filipina. I wouldn't take her back to to U.S. either. Thailand or Belize. I want to own in those places. Already own in the U.S. Honestly though, I'm not interested in dating a Filipina or marrying anyone for that matter.
Thanks Mark. Great info but my thoughts are hghlighted by the word "Cobras". Have you had ANY sightings at the compound, or do the dogs there keep it clear?
Im living a horror story in the philippines. Bought a property 2017 developed it small house water power and the girlfreind sold of parts of it so all up ive put in about 200k aud that is everything inclueded wages expensies , and now im thinking just to walk away fuck the philippines , 8 yrs wasted here in a false love , they are their own worst enemy
I'm so sorry to hear that. It does happen. You have to make sure you really know someone before investing in their life
Yer bough two blocks off the plan in new subdivision owner ran with the money when 80% sold that was 10years ago money gone don’t buy off the plan
Sad to hear this story..
Key take away is to find a western contractor to build your Philippino dream home.
no no no money up front for any thing , stage payments is he way to go , a little bit of work , then a little bit of money , so on and so on then the last 10% upon completion and acceptance
My own attorney ripped me off. hahaha.
It's a risk,you have to check and double check everybody.dont do it
What about buying a home in a Camillia homes sub division?
I don't know
You're right. I'm Filand I DON'T trust Phil way of doing business. It's a scam. My niece has Filinvest property all paid up, up until now where's the title? Their employees or agents keep giving excuses...so buyer beware..
TEN MILLION Pesos! My house cost one million pesos and we did a lot of upgrades.
If so many random people are crooked, how can they even trust their attorney's?
Naging tatak sa isipan at puso ko na, sa tuwing may nakikilalang Pilipino, Isa lang pagkatao nya, scammer.
I am Filipino myself and I have experienced such bad habits of most Filipinos do.
They think is normal to do scam and steal people's money. Money that they work hard in abroad. Samantala itong mga Pilipino stuck in Philippines and making small amount of salary, thinking it's our fault that we are making dollars. That's why pilit nila magnakaw/scam sa mga tao nangaling mula sa abroad.
Tapos may magreply sa comment ko in denial. Marahil isa syang SCAMMER.
You would think people would learn and read about this and take the advice. But, they don't. All those SE Asian countries are the same. Same horror stories all over SE Asia.
If you think like a drug dealer: as long as you have an income and someone depends on it, you are safe.
It is pretty much everyone unless you are connected with people high in the Government. My Land Lord in Pasig City owned dozens of apartments and was building 20 more. I used to go sit in her house and talk with her often, she told me how difficult it was to build these places without things falling apart or work not being finished. She was a rich Filipina who was really sharp, highly experienced and speaks the language. What hope do you and your Princess have?
I also knew a guy when I moved to the province who spent 12 million P on a mansion and it became famous as the falling down house.
Poor guy had to go back to the US to work and make back the money. With title problems, same thing. If you are connected and pay some consideration money then you have no problems. I went and met with the former boss of the titles office for Luzon, Husband was a former Congressman both retired. Paid 50K and they set up a meeting with the new boss, was escorted past hundreds of people to her private office and the title was printed out over a nice club soda.
Since you can’t own a house, why would any expat spend the money to build?
As much as I enjoy your channel, Mark, and appreciate your contribution to my life, I have always believed you undermine your credibility of this channel by being excessively positive about the Philippines. I went there and married in 2001. At that time the Wall Street Journal ran an article that stated that 75% of all land titles in the Philippines were gray titles and you can never get a clear title. My ex-wife's Lolo owned land in Mindanao for 30 years and one day a Filipino came by and asked for rent. The Lolo went to the land title office and was told the other man owned the land. Her Lolo would find out the people in the land title office had been bribed to transfer thousands of hectares to this man's name. The Philippines best years were under American administration where they were a mini-United States. Filipino friends that travelled to Japan and Philippines in 1965 said at that time the Philippines was nicer than Japan. Now they say it has gone downhill with fraud and corruption ever since. It does gives American guys the opportunity to get great girls. The best advice is buyer beware and enjoy the country.
Fair enough. I'm just a glass half full guy. But I'm not gullible
This is not an isolated experience about building contractors. This happens to locals too. That’s why it pays to do your due diligence. Research, research, research. Sad to admit that this our culture.
Cobras 😳
I don’t understand why you not sharing the name of contractors that scam foreigners?
why would you trust anybody and build here? come on use common sense, Ive been here 9 years and have done financing in the Philippines for energy projects. Its even more corrupt that in Cambodia or Vietnam... use wisdom....