I’m considering returning to the Phil to live at least 6 months of the year and have been investigating the possibilities [and horrors] of land ownership…..so easy to loose your investment and efforts. I have leased here before, but only with trusted friends and I was lucky it worked out, but at the end of the term, my investments and improvements returned to the owner. Research on other forums mention potiential horrors even with leasing, as you are at the mercy of the land lord. Renting has it\'s drawbacks as well as expenses.
I now am considering another approach to renting or owning a house and land…….A mobile home!! You could use a truck chassis or retrofit an old passenger bus into a comfortable camper and move it where and when you want. I have many friends in the north along beaches and up in the mountains that would gladly allow me to park for a while [or maybe longer] and could change my scene easily. On the beach for a few weeks or the mountains to chill out or a peaceful rice field. Could even find a place to park in Angeles city or Subic for a week of fun.
Advantages and considerations…..
With all the compact [and mobil] electronic devises you could have mobil internet, tv, etc. and stay connected and entertained.
Construction of the ‘shell’ and interior could be done quite cheaply by local welders, which are mostly cheap and do good work.
It could easily be constructed so it would be more secure than a standard house using motion detectors and security cams and alarms.
If built on a truck chassis, it could be parked on jacks and truck could be used as vehicle.
Auxilliary backup power could be by generator, battery bank, solar, and an inverter to 220v as it is done in mobil homes in the US.
A small motorcycle could be carried along for local trips to save moving your rig and fuel savings for short trips.
With the many ferries going between islands, you could explore the many southern islands.
Investment saved by not paying rent or for house and lot and investment could be recovered by selling when you want.
I have had this fantasy for years here in Asia, but have never acted on it but am now reconsidering it as an alternative to buying or renting. I think that a comfortable rig could be assembled for under 1mil pesos with cheap labor and Filipino creativity. Maybe I’m missing something, so I’m putting this out there for feedback and possible negative aspects that I am overlooking…….like legalities??
Has anyone seen a mobil home here?? I haven’t.
Your comments welcome…..both negative and positive