hey guys im from the US and plan on moving to PH within a month to grind. i have lived in the US my whole life but my mom is filipino and i have lots of relatives living in Quezon City. i've read through most of this thread and have a few question maybe someone could answer.

Banking - i've heard a couple different options in this thread, HSBC, BDO and BPI. HSBC seems like the easiest option from what i read for opening a US$ account, can i wire money from my US bank to fund my HSBC easily? i read that deposits can be done on stars with a HSBC account as well as wire transfer withdrawals, would i be able to pay for rent, internet, bills etc using this account or would i need to get an ACR card and open an account in PHP to do this? or would it be easier to just withdraw cash from my US$ HSBC and exchange at someplace in the mall and pay for bills with cash? also i read earlier in the thread about bank accounts being closed down because of the large wires coming in from poker site withdrawals, is this anything i should worried about at one bank vs another?

Internet - the major ones i hear people talking about are PLDT and Sky, everyone says that PLDT is solid and very stable and sky sucks and is unreliable. i have 100mb cable here in the US right now and it seems Sky is the only company offering 24,48 and 112mb speeds, which are ridiculously priced BTW, 112mb is $460/month compared to the $80 i pay here, anyways speed and reliability are a real big priority for me cause i play a lot of games online along with grinding and the 3mb offered by PLDT seems so slow, i dont think ive used internet that slow since 2006. can anyone chime in that has had experience with any of the faster speed sky packages or anyone that games on the 3mb PLDT connection? also what are the requirements for signing up for isp's over there, do you have sign contracts, pay months in advance or need any other special requirements? i couldn't find info on the sites just prices and phone numbers.

Cell - i have an unlocked iphone im bringing, any reason i should choose sun,globe or smart over each other? from what i read on their sites they are all kinda pay as you go, couldnt find any unlimited talk/text/internet plans on the prepaid stuff like we have here.

Visa - one quick question about the visa thing, i know i have to have a return flight ticket to get my initial 30 day visa, do i have to have that upon arrival or can i pick up a cheap one way that leaves within my 30 days when i arrive at MNL?

Renting/Place to Live - seems everyone likes to be in Makati, after reading a little bit about it doesn't really seem like the place for me, seems like its just a financial district with posh clubs and western restaurants. i grew up in downtown atlanta, im used to dealing with homelss people, i've lived in some pretty rough areas, ive always hungout at drive bars, i guess i dont look like your average american expat either cause im half filipino and would probably blend in pretty easy, have lots of visible tattoos etc. my cousins live in Quezon City and can help me look around for apartments there when i arrive any suggestions on areas to look in QC that are relatively safe, good value and close to food, shopping and good bars, doesnt have to be anything super baller. ive been looking on sulit and found some nice looking places but i dont really know whats around them lol. would be open to any other suggestions for areas to stay as well.

Misc - the power is 220v there so i should just be able to pick up a converter thing for my laptop when i arrive at the airport right? do they sell marlboro special blend lights there?

p.s. anybody interested in getting a poker house set up somewhere i might be interested in that as well. hit me up on skype - k00pa666

any input would be appreciated. thanks.

I can understand renting being easier if all the utilities are inclusive with the rent. Aside from utility bills, are their other hidden charges the home owner has to deal with?

As for your capital earning 3-4%, it still could if you were on the pag-ibig scheme.

What isn't full of risk?, leaving your money in the bank, the poker sites, e-wallet etc presents a risk of sorts, so does getting married, having babies, working hard and paying the mortgage. Nothing is certain. I agree about the complex laws there though, most things seem set up so foreigners have little to zero rights.

This is pretty much in line with my thoughts at the moment. I acknowleged in my previous post that the condos were overpriced so for me to buy one, it really would be as a last resort. The buying land option in the sticks is spot on, does a foreigner have to be married or or is having a trustworthy filipino friend enough?

A little more about my situation.

I'm a 47 yr old Brit who's about to become unemployed again. Too much savings to claim all benefits but not enough savings to really do much here. I'm renting property with no chance of ever buying it so basically, if I dont get another job ASAP, I'll be throwing my savings down a black hole in rent.

I've been playing online poker for around 5 years but never played it seriously, it was just something that was there to kill some time and supplement my income. I'm currently getting coached by a successful 400NL player so hopefully I'll be capable of grinding 100NL in a few months, getting up to 200NL would be even better obv.

So, Philippines. I dont require the 4-5 star luxury some of you chaps are enjoying. Nights in a spit 'n' sawdust karaoke bar with a few grande red horses are enough for me these days so I really dont need the bright lights of the expensive Mayneela. Having spent time in a 4th grade city in Mindanao, I'm pretty sure I could adjust to a grade 2 city in Visayas. I've seen 2 bedroom houses for around P5-600K, so long as I can get internet, I can bang out some tunes and there's a nearby karaoke bar, I'm set.

Assuming I was also buying the land the house is on there would have to be a trade off. Whilst marriage would be out of the question right now, I do have a trustworthy Filipina who could front any purchase. Whilst this is obviously risky, compared to staying here in UK and spending on rent and getting nothing at the end of it, the risk seems minimal. Buying through Pag-ibig would almost certainly guarantee me a roof over my head for the short to mid-term so long as I dont make her mad. FWIIW, she's a good girl who'd be happy grinding a sari-sari or a BBQ. I can assess the long-term when I get there.

Well it sounds easy enough but I'm sure it isn't that straight forward so please feel free to tell me any flaws in the plan.

You're given a free 21 day visa when you 1st enter Phils, if you're staying longer than 21 days then you need to visit BOI where you'll be given an additional 38 days, from thereon you renew every 59 days. Although they often dont check, an outward bound ticket is a must have. If you dont have one, you can get a throwaway ticket to HK (preferably dated within the 21 days). Once you're in Phils, you can cancel the throwaway ticket and claim some $ back (you'd need to check beforehand but I've read Cebu-Pacific will do refunds although it does take time).

@K00PASC00PA

Mobile: Avoid sun, they are cheap but not as good as Globe and Smart so go with those imo.

Internet: I have Sky 6Mb right now and its great during low-peak hours (1am-2pm). I download torrents overnight with speeds of 700-800kb/s and play online games during nighttime towards europe but gets slower and slower towards 6pm-11pm where its terrible. This suits my lifestyle since I avoid sitting by the computer in the evenings. Its still stable though but overpriced. From what I've heard, PLDT have a more even performance over the hours.

Visa: You need it the return ticket when you arrive to the Philippines, the immigration office will ask for it before you get your 21 days visa.
I've always Photoshoped a ticket from a previous one so no need to waste money on a ticket you wont use.

Renting/Place to Live: Timog in QC seems like the ideal place for you, check it out.

Misc: Normally you only need an adapter for the plug, those are like p10 at any hardware store. Just check the back of your power adapter, most will say 110-220 and then you're fine.

TheOriginalASBOkid
Make sure to buy land directly from the owner, ideally a farmer with a lot of land, agents adds at least 100%.
I'm currently doing a lot of research and visiting potential areas right now so please let me know later on about your findings.

How much land are you actually looking to buy and what are your plans for it?

This is way out of my league but I could see great potential with it http://anver0711.multiply.com/photos...t_in_Catanauan

This is 'allegedly' P280/sq.m . I've seen similar land (without the beachfront) advertised for as little as P70/sq.m again 'allegedly'.

For me, buying land equals a small plot on the outskirts of a city, big enough to build an house or two and then seeing where I go from there

If you research well enough, condos in the Philippines can be great investments with cap rates unachievable elsewhere.

@K00PASC00PA

your situation sounds pretty similar to mine. i was born and raised in the states and just moved here in february of this year. both my parents are filipino but still live in the states.

housing: when i first moved here i lived with a cousin to get a feel for the lay of the land before making any housing decisions. the majority of my family live in QC so i didn't want to live in the makati or the fort bc they are too damn far. they can be up to 1+ hour in traffic from QC. so i ended up moving to eastwood which is in QC and plenty nice for me. all the condos in eastwood are like a 1 min walk to restaurants, bars, shops, a mall, cinema, etc. very convenient and also cheaper than makati and the fort. one other person mentioned timog. good area too in QC, but not as convenient if you don't have a car (which i don't). i walk to everywhere in eastwood and just take cabs when i need to go anywhere else.

visa: i've just been extending my tourist visa since i got here (which has been kinda pricey). one of my cousins takes it to some travel agency in makati (so i don't have to wait in line and mostly bc i'm lazy) for me. the government just wants your money so as long as you keep up to date (read: give them money) on the extensions it's all good.

but i'm going to singapore for a couple days this week so on the way back through immigration i'm going to try to get a balikbayan stamp which gives you a one year visa. i'm just going to check "balikbayan" on my entry form and if they ask any questions (since i have a US passport and don't speak tagalog (i understand it though)) i have a copy of my birth certificate showing both of my parents are filipino and were born here. if it doesn't work i'll just tell them f it i'll just pay the tourist extensions.

power: check if your laptop takes 220V, i think most do, mine does and i just plug it straight into the wall. but my toothbrush, electric razor are strictly 110V so i just bought a converter at a hardware store for like 20 bucks and it's got two outlets.

Around 1000 square meters possibly more to keep future neighbours away. I plan to build my own house and since I'm a libertarian and survivalist so I need a lot of land
I might buy more land if I see that the potential is good to secure my possessions when the fiat currency collapse.
Its very early plans, not married yet and if it happens then I'm looking to buy the land next year.
Areas of interest right now are Baguio, Lipa and San Juan, all great areas imo. Any more suggestions?

Ya, you might be right, you've been here much longer than I have and I haven't spent that much time into research, only looked at 6-7 buildings so far before I decided that it wasn't a good investment but I should pick it up again if there's good potential.
So far I stick to gold and silver

I've been looking at studios and they have been between 3 and 6 million and I figured that I can let these for between 15-25k a month minus dues, unoccupied months and likely agent fees/royalty then we're probably down to 10-20k (pretty optimistic imo) which would take 25 years to pay the condo with.
Note that I haven't calculated the value of the condo which probably will go up and if the value goes up then the rent will follow as well presumably so that could reduce the number of years.
Enlighten me please!

@K00PASC00PA and Russutca

A law was passed about 30 years ago that allows people born in the US to automatically become filipino citizen if at least one of the parents is filipino. Both my parents are filipino so all I had to do was go to the consulate and apply for citizenship, it was very easy and if you plan on staying here long you wont have to worry about visas.

Aye, securing a place in Baguio sounds good, save a fortune on the overpriced leccy bills. Just from reading on the internet though it seems it has already been tapped into big time? Good luck on finding a bargain there.

Not heard of the other 2 places but google tells me San Juan, Batangas, same place?. Have a Filipina friend who visits Batangas regularly, the beaches there are stunning. This is an area I'm definately interested in. Large parts of Visayas are still relatively cheap and eco friendly.

Not much use to me if I was to go with my current plans (too close to family ) but I would also consider buying land in the Northern parts of Mindanao (eastside), the cheapest of the 3 main islands. Sooo much untapped potential. The only downside would be dealing with NPA's, but they really aren't interested in foreigners. To make a quick buck, getting land in Davao would be pretty good, it's fast becoming a haven for ex-pats.

Edit** A couple times you've mentioned about marriage. Is marriage about your own sense of security or for more legal reasons?. Couldn't a trustworthy filipino do the same job legally?

I've tried a few times to write an answer to the question about buying land but I don't think I'm able to do it justice due to the complexities of the situation.

I've known people who have bought houses and sold houses with no problems at all through various methods of ownership. But I also know of people who have bought/built there dream home only to get royally ****ed over and are left with either 40% or nothing at all.

What advice I think im qualified to give would be to Scout out different areas, speak to expats, speak to lawyers, speak to local officials. More importantly only invest what you are willing to lose!

I've only just seen your edit.

Blimey, I've seen studio condos advertised (allegedly ) for circa P1.2m in Quezon City. The only thing that puts me off (aside from being a scam advert) is the high cost of living in a rough area?

This is exactly where I'm at. If I stay in UK my money goes down a black hole very fast. I know I have no real rights long-term in Phils but I figure I only need to survive 3-4 years to break-even before returning home with my tail between my legs. So long as I have an exit strategy should it go belly up then I'm prepared to gamble. If I get it together with grinding pokerzzzzz then it's in nobodies interest to f*** me over.

Lipa is a city in the province Batangas. San Juan is a area on the east coast of Batangas, just east of Lipa. Just outside Lipa is my best bet right now, my current GF have several of "established" relatives (business owners, police officers etc) there who I hope would be able to give us advice if I decide to marry her. They also receive money from relatives living in Canada so they live good and I hope not to get bothered with them asking for money in the future. Otherwise I would never live close to someone's relatives.

I know there's many dangers so I've started to do research already, reading forums, talking to friends etc so I'm prepared if I decide to carry on with my plans. I have enough savings/investments on the side if things screw up but if I lose my house in the future that would obviously hurt, emotionally at least. But I've decided live outside Europe and find a cheap and warm place where I can retire in a few years and focus on my house and family so I guess its a risk you have to take in the type of countries that fits my needs.

I'm 31 now and hope to have kids before I'm 35. I wont rush it too much but I wont wait forever either. The other part is the security, even though I have some really good filipino friends here that I'm known for 5+ years but you never know what happens in 10-20 years.

so you were able to get dual? do you have a link, bc i wasn't able to find anything stating such.

also, were you a US citizen before? because i thought it was their policy to not allow dual US/xxxx(whatever) citizens....

Anything around Batangas sounds good and more probable than Baguio (just my opinion from afar of course).

Not really sure you answered my question on the 2nd part though. I'll try and set a scenario:

If I was in UK and suddenly a rich Filipina gave me a ton of money to invest in land or housing, I'd be seen as living beyond my means and rightly (or wrongly) open to questioning by the authorities. Does this problem exist in Phils?.

Don't wish to take anything away from your gf as she could be an absolute angel, many are. I just dont see marriage as security.

Edit** LOL, again I've just seen your edit. You're very particular with "rich" and "established". There does seem to be a theme around the Batangas area with people being relatively "well off". I know my friend is a tough ol' boot (she's only 27 but great wife potential), she'd eat me alive if I ever p***** her off. I guess I'm just saying be careful here.

Not sure I understand your question fully. You mean that the authorities would question the investment and think its something dodgy? I haven't heard of it but I can ask some expats on the cebu forum (livingincebu.com). Great resource btw. (Another resource is http://www.coolthaihouse.com/, good guide to build a house in the 3rd world)

When it comes to gf and marriage here my is understanding that getting their own stable family is top of their list, especially if their parents are doing well. More so here than other countries I've lived in (Sweden, Denmark, US, UK and Thailand). And I've picked a gf with wife potential (educated, manager job, "rich" relatives etc). You can obviously get unlucky, marriage is always a gamble

PS. Sry about my edits lol

Insurance, Maintenance, Council Taxes, Land Tax etc. Renting out a property anywhere in the world typically gives a return of 3-5% pa. Insurance and Maintenance take a significant dip out of that to the point where it's not worth it in the long run to buy properties to save on rent - the only real reason to buy property is to get tax rebates or for speculation purposes.

You're pretty close to the mark. It does concern me my friend is poor. To be suddenly in a position to buy property/land/whatever might just raise eyebrows legally, it certainly would in UK. That said, it'd take somebody to make a complaint. Bearing in mind she'd be new to the area and not known, with an obviously rich kano (I wish ) it probably wouldn't be an issue. The last thing I'd want is any legal issues where anything could be confiscated during procedures. To be fair I've never heard of this happening in Phils and it would be paranoia of the highest order.

Yeah I'm aware of LinC. Good mix of people on there but they dont get the poker thing. I also know the general advice would be to get married or stay home lol. My plan is outside the norm.

As for the gf and marriage, there really isn't any rule, whether in Phils or elsewhere. Forums like LinC will tell you supporting the family is a must. Sometimes it's true but you should know that before marriage. Whatever is good for you after marriage, make sure it's known beforehand, then stick to it.

I don't intend renting it out, if I do buy it's for living in, long-term. To continue living where I am gives me nothing long-term. I can claim benefits when the money runs out, much better to take a chance abroad?

thanks for the answers guys

@L4Freedom
with Sky 6pm-11pm you say is terrible? like ungrindable not able to stream a movie/play a game etc? if its that bad i might just go with PLDT. do you have to sign a one year contract with them? do you know if the Sky service in Cebu is any better than Manila?

@pokaplaye12
can you provide a link to this info?

after researching a little i think im trying get a 3-4 bedroom poker house in Cebu, i want to be closer to the beach, less traffic/pollution etc. anybody got anymore insight on places to look at there please let me know. i've talked to a few people that are interested, if anybody is interested hit me up on skype - k00pa666

Not sure I understand what you are saying.

Cash has long-term value too. Like I said, you could put the cash into a bank account and earn interest equal to the amount of rent you are saving. And then you don't have to worry about all the hassle that comes with owning a home.

@K00PASC00PA and russutca

http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/ is the home website for the Philippine conulate in Los Angeles

Here is information regarding report of birth
http://www.philippineconsulatela.org...ipino_Citizens

This is the form I used
http://www.philippineconsulatela.org...ortofBirth.pdf

I was able to get it done the same day if you do it in the morning, you will get a set of paper work that you can show to people here in the Philippines that you are actually a Filipino citizen, I did not have to give up my US citizenship I have both now. You can get a Philippine passport also but it takes 10 weeks to process.

btw K00PASC00PA I added you under skype with the username that has alfred

Between 6pm and 11pm my internet is still stable and shouldn't be any problems to grind but you better ask someone else regarding poker since I no longer play that much.
Its slow however, watching lowest quality youtube requires some time to buffer, I have to wait around 2-3 times the clip-length before its fully downloaded. Paying 3k a month for this is bad value for most.
I'm moving to a new place soon and might cancel my skybroadband but I need to do some tests with PLDT first before I make up my mind.
So if anyone with PLDT's 3Mb package wants to do a speedtest.net towards Paris during low-peak hours, that would be awesome, thanks.

Regarding Cebu, your speed towards Sky's servers are excellent at all times so location doesn't matter I would think, the problem is Sky's bandwidth towards a main internet hub, Japan in this case, isn't enough when everyone comes home from work and starts surfing.
When the guy came over to install my sky I ran a speedtest right away afterwards towards europe and got silly low results, this was peak hours. The installer picked their speedtest-hub that sky provided and I got exactly 6Mb.

FWIW I built a house out here in Cebu with my wife. I can say that yes province lots can be cheap but believe me there all kind of things you have to consider before taking on a project like this besides having someone who you can trust. If your married, no matter what your spouse would be entitled to at least half (it's not that hard to have someone unimportant killed either if they really want to get it all from you and yes its happened to some guys out here). It'd be possible to do this not through marriage but believe me if it comes between Filipino family needing help and you, most won't hesitate to take advantage unless it's seriously worth it. You could have them sign memorandum of agreements on how to divide the properties etc...through a Filipino lawyer which make things slightly more binding.

Others things to consider

1. Materials are generally a lot more expensive out here since most of its imported and need to endure high tariff's and tax rates (plus 12% VAT at the point of sale). You can build a nippa hut for next to nothing but doubt it will hold up well against harsh tropical conditions. Decent furniture is more expensive as well. Plenty of people go with cement out here which has its draw backs (heat) but can be strong if built properly.

2. Having some construction experience is a big plus, carpenters and construction laborers here are generally quite clueless and how to do quality work especially when it comes to skilled finishing. Being able to catch things when people are f*cking up and teach them a few tricks will help things greatly. Obviously the labor cost is insanely low compared to the states but just remember you get what you pay for most of the time. A lot of the skilled construction laborers and engineers leave the Philippines (usually for the middle east) so when you do find a good ones, do what you can to hold onto them. It can be especially expensive to have something get f*cked up, lose the valuable materials and then rebuild it all over again.

3. You could hire a construction company/engineer to do all the supervising and boots on the ground work but you better believe they will try and overprice the **** out of you at every chance (big mark ups on materials, deliveries etc...) and you won't save much money at all vs just buying a house outright. Work quality can be very shoddy compared to what's promised as Philippine building codes and construction standards aren't nearly what they are in developed countries. ****, things like proper screens on windows and garages are seen as luxuries. There are some hard to find reputable construction companies and tradesman but I would advice micro-managing the **** out of any project you hire them for. People don't generally like to admit when they don't understand something or get something wrong here which can make simple jobs turn complicated FAST.

BTW it's not like I'm talking building a mansion either, just a simple two story house with proper bedrooms and bathrooms.

I could go on for awhile about this but that is just some of the legal and construction side of things. Living in a province has a lot of it's own inconveniences; proper water supply, even less infrastructure, access to banks/markets, distance and viable transport to any developed area. Location is big which is why I choose to live closer to the city.