Buying property in the island

Are you a Filipino citizen?

Or are you married to one?

If not, then you cannot buy land in the Philippines.

You can buy a condo, but not land.

Hilantagaan island has no high speed internet.  At best you can maybe get mobile signal for SMS and voice but but I wouldn't count on having internet to let you work remotely.  Consider moving to a condo closer to the cities for high speed internet if that is a priority.

I just bought my flight to the Philippines for tomorrow. Cebu here I come. If I would end up buying this property I will not be able to wait until the title work Is completed. Is there escrow system in the Philippines like in the US when buying properties?

Jackson4 wrote:

I just bought my flight to the Philippines for tomorrow. Cebu here I come. If I would end up buying this property I will not be able to wait until the title work Is completed. Is there escrow system in the Philippines like in the US when buying properties?

Let us know how it works out.

As luck would have it, I bought the airline tickets all the way to CEB (Cebu) leaving on the wee hours in the morning of Mar. 13. On Mar. 12, President Duterte announced lockdown on sea, air & land travel thru Manila. All international flights go thru Manila. I guess I'll try again as soon as this thing passes.

Jackson4 wrote:

I just bought my flight to the Philippines for tomorrow. Cebu here I come. If I would end up buying this property I will not be able to wait until the title work Is completed. Is there escrow system in the Philippines like in the US when buying properties?

No escrow here, and in many cases, property I have wanted to buy with my partner, the seller demands at least half or all the money up front and maybe you get their title for proceesing the transfer some time in the future. Do your homework regarding buying a property in the Philippines and then do it again.

You didnt answer a question about your eligibility to buy property in the Philippines...

I regained my Filipino citizenship after a few decades after moving to the US. I am now having dual citizenship. I am planning to retire around the Cebu area or at least part of the year when it is cold in Cleveland. I regained the citizenship so I can purchase land and possibly retire there on the beach.
Handing half the money without guaranty seems quite risky, I am not sure how you're going to go after the person in case he runs.
For those whose spouses bought the land for their dwelling, how did you manage that risk?

Jackson4 wrote:

I regained my Filipino citizenship after a few decades after moving to the US. I am now having dual citizenship. I am planning to retire around the Cebu area or at least part of the year when it is cold in Cleveland. I regained the citizenship so I can purchase land and possibly retire there on the beach.
Handing half the money without guaranty seems quite risky, I am not sure how you're going to go after the person in case he runs.
For those whose spouses bought the land for their dwelling, how did you manage that risk?

We bought from relatives and then built so it was very different from your situation.

My only suggestion would be perhaps to work through an attorney that you know and are 100% certain you can trust.

good luck

Jackson4 wrote:

I regained my Filipino citizenship after a few decades after moving to the US. I am now having dual citizenship. I am planning to retire around the Cebu area or at least part of the year when it is cold in Cleveland. I regained the citizenship so I can purchase land and possibly retire there on the beach.
Handing half the money without guaranty seems quite risky, I am not sure how you're going to go after the person in case he runs.
For those whose spouses bought the land for their dwelling, how did you manage that risk?

also

You can check the title with registry of deeds. Municipal assessor can also provide information on who has been paying taxes. Land Management Bureau can provide a copy of approved map. Check the title for encumbrance, leans and rights of way. Sorry if you already know these. Just trying to be thorough. When in doubt talk to attorney.

I know of cases where people put money down and the n started looking at the documents only to learn there is a problem.

Remember that even after your deed of sake your process goes through several organizations and you will need signatures from the seller at various points. So don't lose track of them.

Jackson4, are you buying from a developer or an individual?

I am looking to buy the property from an individual.
The property is titled to the parents who are deceased. One heir (55 years old gentleman) is the 'owner'. His siblings has waived their claim to the property.
I have not committed to purchase the land until I see it. I am also trying to find a local company that does title inspection and insurance.
It is beginning to look like an uphill battle.

Jackson4 wrote:

I am buying the property from an individual.

I cannot advise you what to do, but you stated "If I would end up buying this property I will not be able to wait until the title work Is completed." This for me is a red flag. I would not let the paperwork be done without following it personally. Too much can go wrong. That is just my opinion based on our situation that we went through.

And I do agree with you that handing over the cash is scary. I have seen this sort of thing go bad here many times and for a lot of different reasons. 

People end up giving money to someone who does not even own the property.

All I can say is be very very careful.

"I am also trying to find a local company that does title inspection and insurance"

They had nothing like that here near us, but if you can find a good one that is a great idea. I hope that you can. It is already looking too complex for me to have a good feeling about it.

I was going to suggest earlier maybe buying a unit from a developer. You can have problems with a developer too, but it might be something to check.

Thank you for all your input.
I'll share my experience once I go (or not go) through this endeavor.

were you able to buy? or you're still looking for one? please give me an update, i might have a listing that would fit your need

Jackson4 wrote:

It is beginning to look like an uphill battle.

I guess he's up on the hill & still contemplating on the battle ahead!