5 months rent in advance because I'm an American?

Hey the way I've looked for a house is by walking around the neighborhoods and looking for a "se arrienda" sign. Idk how good your Spanish is but I've found that this is the easiest way to rent and also gives you the most bang for your buck. I avoid agencies at all costs bc of all the hoops they make u jump through and how complicated it can be.

I think you need a new real estate person... For sure....

That's nothing new that's always been the case if you use a real estate agency they wanna see income produced in Colombia and cosigners they dont wanna get buned I have heard of people having to put 6 months rent in a CD in the owners name as an insurance my case I had to have a cosigner and show bank statements but if you deal directly with an owner you can work out a deal directly with them.

Not because you are an American, but rather because you are a foreigner, probably with an undesirable tourist stamp, who could skip out on his rent, leaving the rental agency holding the bag.

@Javier03824 unfortunately my Spanish is very limited and I'll have nowhere to stay while I look because I have a large service dog and hotels won't allow him. I'm also landing with 8 large bags so I need to have a place to go straight from the airport. I do have an acquaintance there that might be able to search for me.

Thanks

@khobbs40 I understand.  In that case an agency will best suit you.  Best of luck man !

I say forego the agent and use VRBO or Airbnb you can negotiate on VRBO for your monthly rent / utilities. That's what we did and it worked out just fine, granted we are in Cartagena.

@Osaya yes, I just found out I need to have a Colombian bank account for at least 3 months in order to avoid paying the 5 months in advance so I'm searching Airbnb now. This will also give me time to get my visa and foreigners id card and look for a place to rent directly from the owner and not an agent. Thanks

@khobbs40

You should read this since you are a disabled veteran

expatgroup.co/english/news/visas-denial-cases-for-u-s-war-veterans/

Would love to help you, but EXPAT.COM does NOT  allow the posting or direct sharing of any contact info.  I am an XPAT and have never paid more than 1 month deposit.

Would love to help you, but EXPAT.COM does NOT allow the posting or direct sharing of any contact info. I am an XPAT and have never paid more than 1 month deposit.
-@AgroSurAmerica

If you want to help, to send a message, simply click upon the user name.  A screen will come up and on the right there will be a button, Send a Message.  Click on that button to send a message which may include any info you want.

Hello everyone,

Indeed as rightly said by OsageArcher, contact details and any info can be shared directly through private message by clicking on the members' username > send a message.

We just request members not to post sensitive infos on the public forum (contacts, names etc) use the private messaging functionality for confidentiality.

Thanks in advance

Bhavna

Yes, it is common for owners to ask for 5-6 months rent up front from foreigners.  Typically, for locals, they will ask for a fiador...someone to pay in case you (they) leave.  So the 5-6 months rent up front protects the owner.

Also:  $6 million/month???   That seems like a lot, unless you are in a gated community with a bit of land.

It seems like you want to rent where the super rich rents. Forget it. The rent is too high and the City doesn.t deserve that kind of rent , just to hide in a huge house. Go to another city like Armenia or Pereira.  Better quality of life, crime is low and people are nicer. And also for half of that you can stay at the governor's house ...just saying. Go to youtube and check it out. Also expats veterans have an office in Armenia.  Only 3 hhrs from Cali.

I am paying $850K now ................ when I started 4.5 years ago it was $650K                   Here is a video of my apartment in San Cristobal that is part of Medellin ....  https://youtu.be/wBVF8wyb34Y        I paid one month upfront and 1 month rent for security deposit       

To the last 3. I make 24 million pesos a month in VA and SSDI disability income that increases yearly and will never go away like a normal persons retirement savings so I can easily afford 6 million a month. And yes I want a house in a gated community with a little land for my service dog and a pool, where the super rich are, not an apartment. I want to really enjoy my life and live it up.

The reason I'm moving to Colombia is so I can live a lavish lifestyle on the amount of money I make because in the US I can barely afford to live in the ghetto on my income.

Be careful, in Colombia (and in latin America, in general) : You don't have to "dar papaya" as they say, it means not to show your assets, or exterior signs of wealth (Rolex watch, gold on sight, famous cars, ...). Here, in Colombia, there is an indeniable fact : positive discrimination when they say you're a "gringo" or when they know you're not from this country, so, they think you're rich, and will spoil you, so , stay discreet and "awake".