Chile Forum

This project is still very much going on, and will proceed for several years. We have two floors close to being finished (some final touches are needed on what's already done, plus 3 storage/appliance rooms and a chimney insert...) and we've been working on the front yard and gate lately. We have another two floors, the back yard and pool, and two terraces that we have barely touched yet. Not to speak of the outer wall sidings, some sort of stucco we'll remove and replace with... well I don't know what yet, but something less likely to peel off because of the rain. The only certainty is that we're going to stay broke for a long while but I believe it's a sound investment that should be pure savings, and should even produce a profit in the long run (but the idea is to enjoy it at least until our kids are grown up and leave).

I need to gather pictures stored left and right and post them somewhere.

otravers,

Congratulations on the amazing progress you have made, so far, with the remodeling of your new home! The sacrifices you and your wife have, undoubtedly, made to give your children a wonderful new life full of unlimited opportunities is much to be admired. May the rest of your remodeling efforts be as rewarding for you and your family.

I just took a couple pictures and it's really not the best time of the day to manage to get good contrast within the house and see the ocean outside in the same shot. This is just a small glimpse but might give the gist of how it was/what it's becoming. On the third shot you'll see our son recovering from an obviously exhausting morning at the MacKay playgroup In reality you see the ocean across these windows (as per second picture). I have dozens of pictures during and after the remodeling but I'll need more time to organize them in a way that makes sense.

Nice view from a nice house.

Is that the carpenter on the couch?

Hey, just because he is asleep doesn't mean he's a contractor.....though the inference is understandable.

John Hyre, Saying Mean Things About Union "Labor" Again

I'm only a mild libertarian thus against child labor under the age of 8. My son gets another 4 years as a pure parasite.

(For our leftist friends, this is what passes as humor among libertarians.)

The house already looks great and the ocean view is beautiful. It seems you have found your Shangri-La in Chile.

My wife, baby and myself are currently renting in Viña, and are considering (marginally) buying. Do any of y'all have a good agent you could recommend? PM me if necessary. Thanks.

We've interacted with many, if not most of them, and it's really, really hard to come up with someone to recommend. On the other hand I know a few that I'd tell anyone who wants to listen *not* to work with! They'll just waste your time and bullshit you all the way through.

At best the agent will half competently get the paperwork done, and not interfere too much with your pricing offers, but my advice is for any buyer to aggressively drive the process and identify properties themselves. No matter how much you explain your criteria, they'll show you whatever is on the market, expecting you to commit in writing after the first visit and pay with your firstborn. "Marginally" considering it is not going to cut it if you want good value for you money. You'll need to involve yourself fully and be ready to see dozens of houses if you don't want to end up buying Chilean crap (no insulation, no decent windows, crappy electricity) at first world prices (considering the deals currently available in the US).

We have Chilean friends who had to route around the agent to find a direct introduction to the seller and make him an offer he ended up accepting. The agent just wouldn't transmit the offer (we had that happen to us too), so it's not just the "gringo tax", it's the "I think you can afford it and I want a bigger commission" tax, regardless of nationality. We're talking about a $350K house in their case - upper range of the local market save the very few exceptional properties.

That's for houses. Apartments are easier. We've heard the market is noticeably more tense since the earthquake (i.e. less of a buyer market).

That said, a couple of recent pics taken from our terrace:

Stunning, truly stunning pics. I can picture a warm summers evening on the terrace, a light breeze and something cold in my hand - can almost smell the bbq sizlzing away in the background *happy sigh*

thanks for the detailed post.