Well, I am back again with my Podcast called “The Expat Answer Man“.
To listen to the Podcast, just click on the play button of the audio player that you will see just above this article.
Today is the very second episode of this podcast, but I hope to include it here on LiP once per week in the future, provided that enough people leave questions that can be included for the podcast. Actually, it is my plan that there will be daily shows of this Expat Answer Man Podcast which will be featured on a new website that I am working on, with one episode per week included on LiP, so that readers here can get a feel for the show, and hopefully pick up a few answers to questions that they may have in mind regarding life in the Philippines.
Today’s Episode
For today’s episode, Episode 0002, we got a question from Victor in Australia. Victor is wondering about how to find a place to live in the Philippines when you plan to move here. Well, there are a number of strategies that I know and have used in the past, so I have some good information from Victor, I think.
So, give the Podcast a listen and see what you think. I hope you enjoy the show, and will listen in each and every week.
Do You Have a Question?
If you want to send a question for inclusion in a future Podcast, just use the app below, click on the button below, where it says “Start Recording”.
Questions submitted by eMail will no longer be answered, you must submit through the voice message above.
Thanks again for listening, everybody!
Hi Bob,
Thanks for another informative podcast. When I visit Davao (3 times a year for a least a month at a time) I do basically what you have recommended, that is negotiate a lower price for staying at least a month, I get 25% discount at the place I stay and this works in nicely with the new 30 day tourist visa on arrival. The only downside I have found is if you go travelling for a few days you will paying for two places, but in saying that I do have a nice safe place to leave my motorbike and belongings. Another mistake I made in the early days was location … I stayed in nice place on one side of town (Lanang) while my wife had to attend regular business meetings on the other (Matina). On every occasion I went with her the traffic was horrendous and really started getting to me to the point I would not go with her … never once did she complain (the Filipino is one of the most patient races I have ever encountered). These days I really do have it down pat and after doing this for several years I have crunched the numbers and have just signed up for a condo which is due for completion next year. You really do need to spend lot of time in country before you make any commitment … whether that be personal or financial … cheers
You make a good point, Greg. Davao is a huge city in terms of land mass, and two places like Lanang and Matina can be quite a hike, especially if traffic is at its peak hours. That can be a 1 hour + trip during busy hours.
Hi Bob,
It was nice to finally put a voice to your picture.
Are there typically quite a few places for rent in Davao? I look on Sulit quite often, but the selection there is very limited it seems, and usually quite small houses, and so many are already furnished it seems.
From your knowledge of the area, can a nice place be found in the 50,000p or under range?
What is a typical rental house lease like there,(length of term, deposits, what do they maintain and what do we maintain, and anything special that you would recommend I maybe add to the lease , or try to remove from a typical lease) What does the homeowner take responsibility for as far a fixing things that break of wear out.
Thanks as usual!
Hi Bill – Oh yes, I would think that there are thousands of places to rent in Davao at any given time! Davao is a major city, and thus there is a lot to choose from. As i said in the podcast, looking on the Internet is not the best way of finding a place. Out of everything available, I would be surprised if even 5% of them are on the Internet. Just my guess.
P50k per month? That is in the range of some of the nicest places in Davao! For that price you can have a palace, my friend. We live in a very nice house and our rent is P35,000.
Most landlords will expect a 1 year lease. There is generally 2 months deposit in most cases. Who takes responsibility for what varies, you need to discuss that and negotiate on it before signing the lease. In general, in our case, any kind of major repair is covered by the landlord (unless we do something to cause it). Little stuff we just take care of ourselves.
excellent advice. bob. my wife found 4 different places for me to look at. it was nice to actually have a choice. the only bad thing was I did not know internet connections varied from neighborhood to neighborhood. now I am in a good neighborhood with a bad internet connection.
Hi William – Yep, I hear you on the Internet thing! For me, Internet is so important that no neighborhood is a good neighborhood if the Internet is not good there! 🙂
Hi Bob – Well answered. The way to find a place in the Philippines is so different to Australia. I got lucky by stumbling across Filipino friends who drove us around for a day and a half doing what you suggested, until we found a place that was suitable.
Thanks, Brenton. Yeah, that system has always worked for me!
Bob,
As you know, I normally dont listen to these things on the web….BUT, since I see you made it available on itunes I dont have to do anything but add to my subscribe list and it will auto download to my phone and on my drive to work I ALWAYS have time to listen…and drive of course. 45 Minute commute each way.
Will leave a review there after a few new episodes. I see you had some other pod cast adventures that I did not know about. Also ever thought about putting your books on iBooks? There is not a lot of good competition there at the moment.
Hi Tito Joe – Thanks, glad to have another listener on board! I don’t know if you noticed, but I also have transcripts available for those who would rather read.
Hey, if you could leave me a review on iTunes, it would be GREATLY appreciated!
I will look into the iBooks thing… I didn’t even know such a thing existed!
On the iBooks thing. You would need to either use a Mac to use the program needed to create the books…or pay someone to do it. iBooks Author only works with MAC OS.
iBooks does take ePub…..but those that know the mess well, won’t use it via iBooks. It has some issues rendering properly.
For ePub I use nook and amazon.
Thanks for the tip, Joe.
Hi Bob,
I like this. You have a good voice and manner of speaking, could be on the radio :).
RJS
Thank you RJS, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the compliment!
Bob, is it possible that you can list some internet friendly neighbor hoods in and around Davo and Cagayan De Oro City?
Thanks and keep up the great info podcasts!!
Mike
Hi Mike – I would be happy to offer advice on getting a good internet neighborhood! However… I always need questions for this podcast… if you would be so kind as to record your message through my voicemail system, I will include it in an upcoming podcast. Look for the orange button in the article where it says “Start Recording”. Record your message, and I will get it via e-mail notification.