Philagrivest Testimonials
We live in Abu Dhabi, although we lived in Dubai for a few years. We've
kind of moved around the Middle East for the last 10 years, living in
Doha, Qatar; Dubai; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and now here in Abu Dhabi. We
like it here. As Canadians, we like the "no snow, no taxes" philosophy.
I grew up in Toronto and moved to Calgary as a young adult while Terry
grew up in the Edmonton, Alberta area.
We had decided years ago that we would look to retire in Thailand some
day. We had been several times and found real estate prices to be very
cheap. I looked again last year and found that they had skyrocketed. A
beach front property of 2 acres was going for $2 million. So, I started
looking around.
Terry lived in the Philippines for a couple of years over 30 years ago,
so he suggested it as a place to look. I spent literally hundreds of
hours on the internet doing research, comparing the different islands
and looking at the land and prices available. I started to correspond
with a few real estate agents and, as always, there were a few agents
who rose to the top. I went on a scouting mission last October by myself
and then with Terry in November visiting Bohol, Palawan, Northern Samar
and Tablas. There were a lot of great choices. Chris and Theresa's
little paradise in Northern Samar was very tempting. However, once I
went to Tablas (and I went there last), I fell in love with it and knew
this was the right place.
First of all, the island is incredibly, incredibly beautiful. I have
travelled over much of the world and haven't been anywhere so beautiful.
It is lush and green, with high mountains, white sand beaches and clear
blue water. I can't say enough on how beautiful it is. It is also less
developed than the other islands so there aren't many cars and traffic
on the roads and life is simpler. With the daily air flights to Manila
(which are only about $40), it is easy to go back to Manila if you need
a little "urban fix" of things you are used to back home.
We bought some beach front land in Ferrol. We also bought some ocean
view land in San Andres. I love both of them. We mainly bought those for
investment purposes. We plan to live in Sunset Beach Villas, which is
right beside our San Andres land. I had decided that I didn't want to
build a house on a piece of land and then just sit there thinking, "what
now?" I really liked the idea of being with other expats, having friends
to explore the different islands with or just being able to sit down to
dinner with others and telling each other our experiences that day. I
really wanted the amenities offered of the swimming pool, fitness room,
and restaurant. And, most importantly, the piece of property that Sunset
Villas will be built on is absolutely the best beachfront that you will
find anywhere. Anyway, that was my thinking process. Chris did say that
we could build on our other land in San Andres and have access to the
amenities at Sunset Beach Villas which is also very appealing. If you
were looking at other land, you could keep this in mind.
We have also invested in the farm that is beside Sunset. It is
unbelievable what they have accomplished in such a short period of time.
We believe that it will provide us retirement income when we are ready
to retire. It is being well-managed and they seem to know exactly what
they are doing. It is a very exciting proposition.
Chris is a great guy, all around. He is a knowledgeable savvy real
estate man and businessman but at the same time kind and compassionate.
He will do everything in his power to help. His staff has done a great
job in getting us a corporation and looking after all the paperwork.
They have made a very complicated process into an easy one for the
buyers.
To sum it all off, I couldn't be happier with our decision to move to
the Philippines. I can't wait until we can retire there in the next few
years. If you would like to talk about this further, my husband and I
can meet with you. We live only an hour away from you. If I can answer
anything further, I would be happy to help”
Karen Montauk