AboutBill and Lorna Collings Expertise Feel FREE to ask us about traveling, living, relocating, retiring and investing in the Philippines. Guests from 83 countries make our place in Manila an incredible meeting place for world travelers who exchange travel stories and information. We understand both the joys and the hardships of living and traveling in the Philippines.
Experience I arrived in the Philippines in January 1980 to travel for 2 months; I stayed 4 months before reluctantly leaving. I met my Filipina wife, Lorna. an incredible stellar, "one in a million" individual in 1983 in Seoul and we moved to the Philippines in 1986 and opened our 3BR house to world travelers on a budget. After welcoming thousands of guests from 83 nations our place has grown to 30 bedrooms but will never lose its "Home away from Home" atmosphere. Almost everyday at The Townhouse Hotel there's a party-like social scene with vibrant, almost magical energetic conversations between our guests who have the pleasure to meet each other and share their life's many experiences. Sometimes. three groups with conversations in different langauges are going on at the same time.
So we've been exposed to every kind of person from all over the world and shared their experiences.
Publications Suite101.com, eDreams.com, expertcentral.com ( who asked me to apply with allexperts.com since About.com has bought both companies and are in the process of integrating them)
Education/Credentials some college 2-1/2 years - no degree - I've been traveling since I was 18, almost 30 years.
Awards and Honors Luckily, my wife and I have been semi-retired since we were 30 years old, more than 15 years.
Question Hi - my family owns about 1.8 hec of Boracay land that we are looking to sell. To you have any suggestions on how to go about selling the property, or do you know of any investors that might be interested. Thanks in advance for your help.
Answer Hi Tom we just bought 2000 sqm on an elevated hill with view of the sea last month as a short term investment and have owned 2000sqm beachfront since 1991 where our beach resort, Casa Camilla is located. Prior to that my wife bought her first 1000sqm in Diniwid beachfront back in 79 our former Angol 700sqm where we built our first beach resort, Villa Camilla back in 89 and sold in 95. Just to let you KNOW, YES we are VERY familiar with Boracay land and various values. BUT there are hundreds of court cases with Boracay properties and there are many parcels with long term squatters living and operating businesses on Boracay land. Recently we learned that one parcel which PDIC government bank / insurer is holding the tax declaration / ownership papers required sending down a group of 24 / 7 security guards to protect it from invasion from the previous local family owners. SO what I'm saying IS
1 ) when was the last time you PHYSICALLY visited your 1.8 Hectares?
2 ) Who's name is on the Tax Declaration? and are the taxes PAID updated?
3 ) If the original person on the TD has passed away has an EXTRA JUDICIAL PARTITION OF REAL PROPERTY been filed coordinated with a NEW land survey? And which geodetic engineer / surveyor did the sketch plan?
4 ) Location? Location? Location? where is it?
5 ) many Boracay land owners with ALL the necessary updated ownership papers are advertising their land for sale at extravagant prices; the lands for sale next to the property we JUST bought LAST MONTH are FIVE TIMES HIGHER??!! So ASK yourself AND your family members HOW BAD DO YOU WANT TO SELL? Now?? meaning in "Philippines Time" within a year of two? or in time for your grandchildren? 10 to 20 years from now.
6 ) Also ask your yourself and your family if you'd consider sub-dividing the land thereby making it easier more affordable to buy for 99% of the buyers interested as ONLY 1% of the buyers will have enough financial power to buy 1.8 hectares on Boracay.
We also just bought 1000sqm lnad with panoramic view of the sea on a concrete road in CATICLAN ( TABON) at 1/4 of the price the neighboring land owners were trying to sell to us. And we paid ONLY 1/3 of the price for the Caticlan property compared to the BOracay 2000sqm so there IS COMPETITION. IF Boracay land owners with NOT the BEST location are asking too much then 90% of the REAL INVESTORS with REAL MONEY will consider buying / locating on the mainland. The Ayala Land Corporation ( Life Insurance dept maybe ) as already purchased a HUGE property in the inland hills of Caticlan so the movement toward investing in land there is already started.
