Big Island vs. Taiwan

[Kelena]

Norway rocks, or so I hear. Not for me, though. The cell phone coverage is fantastic, but the snorkeling is among the worst in the world.

[John S. Rabi]

I follow the international real estate market very very very closely and I subscribe to several related publications (like International Living, EscapeArtist and various "Insider" publications) but I have not seen Norway recommended anywhere.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[John S. Rabi]

We just got back from Taiwan and Malaysia and I finally saw our furnished and finished condo in Taichung! My biggest surprise came when I found out COSTCO opened a store there in November, and it's only about 15 minutes away by car!

Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by John S. Rabi

....My biggest surprise came when I found out COSTCO opened a store there in November, and it's only about 15 minutes away by car!

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Nice... I just saw the location of that Costco!

Carries everything one could need:

"1 Hour Photo, APS Processing, Bakery, BBQ Deli, Beer & Wine, Food Court, Fresh Deli, Fresh Meat, Fresh Produce, Fresh Sushi, Gourmet Deli, Pizza Kitchen,,Rotisserie Chicken, , Tire Service Center, Tobacco" []



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Lower your expectations and be ready for anything.

[Rob L]

John, What is the situation like for getting a long term visa to live in your property, or is it purely for investment and you never intend to spend any time in it?

Aloha,
Rob L

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rob L

John, What is the situation like for getting a long term visa to live in your property, or is it purely for investment and you never intend to spend any time in it?

Aloha,
Rob L

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Umm... Investment []

quote:

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Originally posted by John S. Rabi

....... I still remember when we got back to the hotel at 11PM and called a massage service. Two girls were there in 15 minutes and we got a two-hour massage for $12!

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Lower your expectations and be ready for anything.

[gtill]

How much realtor involvment was there in the transaction, what percentage over there?

[james weatherford]

John,

We are purchasing (on Hawaii Island) 55.2ac of average-to-good farm land at 400' elevation with ~100" rain/year, with not-so-great roads and metro-market access. What would that be priced at on (maybe the East side of) Taiwan?

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[John S. Rabi]

I will try to answer all the questions in one posting. My wife is Taiwanese and she moved to Hawaii for me, so I promised her we will spend some time in Taiwan when I retire. That was the main reason of our purchase there. Most foreigners are allowed to stay up to three months in Taiwan. However, had it not been for Cathy, I wouldn't have bought anything there. Hardly anyone speaks English, all the signs are in Taiwanese, and I am not ready to learn another language. We bought directly from the developer and my wife handled all the details of the purchase, I was just there to ask questions. The salespeople of the developer were salaried and I don't know what the commission rate is there. I don't know the property values in East Taiwan either.

We also have a condo on Penang in Malaysia. (It's an island of about one million people about an hour from Kuala Lumpur.) http://ferringhi-heights.com. That will be our main retirement place. They have a "Malaysia My 2nd Home" program there. (http://MM2H.gov) It gives you a 10-year visa and many other tax benefits too. The official language is English there. Even though we bought the condo from a developer, we hired our own agent to represent us. He got 1% as a commission, though most developers in Malaysia pay 3% to foreigner real estate agents for a referral. However, I believed I would be better served by an agent there representing me than taking the 3% of the commission myself.

Everything I buy is an investment and investing in foreigner countries has its risk. Don't buy anything without extensive research. I bought land in Fiji 10 years ago, that's how it began. SE Asia is the fastest growing part of the world and investing in properties there can be very lucrative. As they used to say, follow the "big boys" (like Costco, Home Depot, etc.,) they usually are 3-4 years ahead of the local boom. (I didn't know about the Costco in Taichung, maybe they were just following me?)

I don't think I will spend much time in Hawaii after I retired. I have no close family anywhere but in Hungary, and I certainly wouldn't go there, so I can move anywhere. The world is big and the cost of living is much lower in Malaysia (and Taiwan) than in Hawaii, not to mention the quality of the service. In addition, I like it there.

As a footnote, I would be interested to know how can they build super-luxury properties there for $120/sq.ft. while we can only get a package home for that price here, or maybe not even that.


Aloha,
John S. Rabi ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"

[Rob L]

John, thanks for all the information! I have been doing similar calculations in my head. When I lived in Mongolia I was thinking of retiring in Hawaii. (No one thinks about retiring in Mongolia, just dying.) But, now I live in Indonesia and have an Indonesian boyfriend. Foreigners can't own land in their own name in Indonesia, but I have been thinking more about retiring in Asia, where as you say, the cost of living is so much lower, medical care is amazingly lower and the level of service is so much higher. Maybe I will explore Malaysia as a possibility. The Malay language is almost the same as Indonesian, and as you say the official language is English.

I couldn't connect to the two Malasia links you gave. The first one said it was still under construction.

Aloha,
Rob L