Where are these places in the Fort that are full of P4P girls?

I have never had a girl ask for money. Ever.

(07-23-2014 01:56 AM)jackleballs Wrote:  Places like Greenbelt and the Fort are full of P4P girls. There are "normal" girls there too, but any girl that hangs out in a bar is probably looking for a foreigner, and there is a good possibility that she will ask for money.

This info is coming from the same guy who brought his girlfriend over the whole time

And i had my phone stolen by two little girls at mango square, thought they were begging for money. Even had my hands in my pockets, not sure how they got it out but i was drunk though. Secrurity completely useless as expected, they are just there for show.

I actually got my phone stolen in Manila, by a cab driver no less. Luckily it was just an old Nokia.

(07-23-2014 09:19 AM)Innuendo Wrote:  I actually got my phone stolen in Manila, by a cab driver no less. Luckily it was just an old Nokia.

I appreciate the BOTG information by everyone. It just goes to show that everyone will have different experiences and that it always pays to exercise caution. Walking around drunk, especially by yourself, will surely make you a higher probability target for just about everything. Then again, who doesn't like to occasionally walk around moderately drunk (oxymoron?), especially on vacation?

Based on this input, I still like the idea of bringing an older generation low-cost quad-band cell phone, especially if you will just text with it most of the time.

To those that extended your visa, did you go a Bureau of Immigration office or have a travel agent handle it? I see on their web site it is 3,030 pesos for a 29 day extension and they require a photo to be submitted with the form. There are travel agents who will handle it for a fee of 500 or 1,000 pesos. But I saw online someone mentioned there are fake travel agents that create a fake form and pocket the 3,030 pesos which result in more problems later.

Just go to the immigration office in the morning nd u'll be out within an hour

Can't remember the name of the place but I can show you where it is someday.

I didn't "bring my gf" either, I was there for two weeks alone.

I have a company that picks up my passport from condo and brings it back with the visa extensions done.

so far I have left the country a few times after having used there services and no problems with immigration so I am assuming all things are legit.

I paid something like 4,500 or 4,700PHP to get it done. So more like 1,500 more than the visa cost. But for me I am happy to pay it so I don't have to spend a day dealing with it.

(07-23-2014 05:08 PM)username Wrote:  To those that extended your visa, did you go a Bureau of Immigration office or have a travel agent handle it? I see on their web site it is 3,030 pesos for a 29 day extension and they require a photo to be submitted with the form. There are travel agents who will handle it for a fee of 500 or 1,000 pesos. But I saw online someone mentioned there are fake travel agents that create a fake form and pocket the 3,030 pesos which result in more problems later.

I wouldn't say that the places in the Fort and Greenbelt are 'Full' of P4P girls, but most definitely they will be in attendance at ALL of the bars in these area's

When you get P4P girls infiltrating places like 71 Gramercy, well these girls have no fear

In my experience, if you are looking for non P4P girls then you need to get yourself out and about in places like Ortigas and Quezon City and avoid the bright lights of CBD and the Fort

Also, I know most guys here will consider it a dive, but Padi's Point can also be good hunting ground for a roll about....but it is very 'local' and if possible you should take along a Filipino wingman

I'm on the ground here in Makati, have been for the last 8 years so if you need a heads up on anything just give me a shout....cheers

(07-23-2014 02:33 AM)DirectDanger Wrote:  Where are these places in the Fort that are full of P4P girls?

I have never had a girl ask for money. Ever.

(07-23-2014 01:56 AM)jackleballs Wrote:  Places like Greenbelt and the Fort are full of P4P girls. There are "normal" girls there too, but any girl that hangs out in a bar is probably looking for a foreigner, and there is a good possibility that she will ask for money.

Pacfan,
Good to see a local expert on MNL in here! Hoping to see you posting more in here!

Thanks VP

Wouldn't class myself as an expert, you're always learning over here!

I've had a good look through the various threads and most of the info that has been put together seems fairly legit

Quote:He said he will personally be there to greet me when I arrive which will be like 11pm or later and he asked for flight itinerary so he can keep track if the plane is late. Any guys here been through this already? Am I being paranoid about the potential cock-block from the owner/building?

I wouldn't be worried unnecessarily, but you need to get your logistics in place. My advice is to send a few messages back and forth on AirBnb and get a feel for the type of owner. I prefer middle range condo towers. Probably the ones which you can buy a studio for 30,000USD in Makati. The security is usually very slack. First day, you stay at the condo, just talk some inane shit to the guards, and they will remember you and not ask any questions. Moreover, I think I was one of the only white dude in my block. As a precaution, when with a girl, walk in the block, and tell her the room number and follow later.

After going to a Greek party island and staying in a hotel, where the guest policy was ridiculously strict, I now tend to avoid hotels and carefully research Air BNB places!

Can you actually buy a studio in Makati for USD30K? How much rent would you pay for the same studio? I thought they were much more expensive than that but I have never been to the Phils.

(07-26-2014 05:18 PM)ZayanZaken Wrote:  Can you actually buy a studio in Makati for USD30K? How much rent would you pay for the same studio? I thought they were much more expensive than that but I have never been to the Phils.

Rent is insanely expensive in the Philippines relative to the value of the real estate. In a developed market like Australia, you pay about 4-5% of the value of the real estate annually to rent it. In the Philippines, it's up to 15% or more. In other words, if you rent a place for 6 years, you might have paid out as much as if you had bought it.

Buying a condo, a lot of places will give you terms of 20% down and the rest over 5 years. Can be very tempting - $30k condo (which admittedly is the very low end), $6k down, then repayments of $400 per month plus interest for 60 months, and it's yours. You might be paying $400 per month on rent for the place anyway.

I haven't seen any that cheap in Makati. You're looking at 50K I would say for a 20 sq M box in a flood zone, like the Beacon.

It may be possible to buy a 30k apartment that is "technically" in Makati City, but if you want something in a modern well located building figure on 65 - 150k for a studio or 1 brm.
Here, like in most parts of the world, rental yields are higher on the lowest value properties, the trade off being that they will likely have poorer capital growth and greater management hassles.
The prime located apartments will likely net 2 - 5% pa.

BTW, that 20% down and the rest over 5 yrs deal is usually in the context that they will build it and deliver it to you in 3 or 4 years time.
Good luck living in it or renting it in the mean time.
I wouldn't call this an undeveloped market place. The developers are quite sophisticated!

Thanks for these responses, all three

Clearly I must do some more research, preferably after seeing the place for myself, to find out exactly where in the wide range you describe deals that might interest me may fall. I figure you are all correct but talking about different locations within Makati and different construction qualities. Anyway, thanks again for giving me something to chew on.

(07-26-2014 08:05 PM)Antipodean Wrote:  BTW, that 20% down and the rest over 5 yrs deal is usually in the context that they will build it and deliver it to you in 3 or 4 years time.
Good luck living in it or renting it in the mean time.

Correct and agreed.

The only exception is if you have a job in the Philippines, a wife, or a business.

Otherwise, they will not allow you to live in the condo while you're doing that deal.

(07-26-2014 09:37 PM)Dagnasty Wrote:  

(07-26-2014 08:05 PM)Antipodean Wrote:  BTW, that 20% down and the rest over 5 yrs deal is usually in the context that they will build it and deliver it to you in 3 or 4 years time.
Good luck living in it or renting it in the mean time.

Correct and agreed.

The only exception is if you have a job in the Philippines, a wife, or a business.

Otherwise, they will not allow you to live in the condo while you're doing that deal.

I'm a little confused. Are we talking about purchasing a new yet to be built unit? You can't live in a new build until it's built anyways.

Or are we talking about existing units? If so, are you saying that you can't live in a unit until it's 100% paid for in cash?

Antipodean is much closer to reality. Plus Antipodean has actually gone through the process of buying a condo here.

Here is a basic example of buying vs renting a studio in one of the nicer buildings in the fort.

Price to buy = 7,500,000 PHP (173,000 USD)
Rent = 35,000 PHP (810 USD)

The rent includes the monthly dues so the owner is also paying around 4,000 PHP every month. So now his rent is down to 31,000.

Also when you purchase a condo you pay a 12% VAT tax so that 7,500,000 is now + 900,000 (20,000 USD)

Also my condo is fully furnished so that is another added expense to the owner. The owner also has to pay the broker a % for finding me to rent the condo as well.

Not exactly anything to get excited about as an owner.

Thanks for the worked out example, DD

It looks like if you want to live in Makati rental is not a bad idea at all. The other side is good for a young guy who expects serious appreciation, but still can afford the price without mortgage. I somehow suspect mortgage rates are hefty in the phils.

One thing I'm confused about: why can't you live or rent a place you just bought, while it's still being paid for? Doesn't male sense to me. DD or Antipodean or anyone familiar with this, can you guys explain why is that?

As far as I know you are paying cash to buy the condo. No mortgages for foreigners.

If this is not true I would love to hear how to do it otherwise.

(07-26-2014 10:07 PM)ZayanZaken Wrote:  Thanks for the worked out example, DD

It looks like if you want to live in Makati rental is not a bad idea at all. The other side is good for a young guy who expects serious appreciation, but still can afford the price without mortgage. I somehow suspect mortgage rates are hefty in the phils.

Many people are paying upfront for condos that are being built now. Obviously you can't live in a condo still being built.

If you are just buying a condo in a building that is already built then living or renting the place as soon as you buy it is no problem.

(07-26-2014 10:12 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  One thing I'm confused about: why can't you live or rent a place you just bought, while it's still being paid for? Doesn't male sense to me. DD or Antipodean or anyone familiar with this, can you guys explain why is that?

20,000 USD Studio

30,000 USD STUDIO

40,000 USD STUDIO

Just doing some searching, I've listed a few studios with approx prices. We all have different budgets but the properties in the 30-40K bracket are really in ok areas. They are not luxury but you could make them comfortable. Of course, they are not in prime locations like next to Greenbelt or in the Fort area.

I'm looking for a condo but 40,000k USD is all I want to spend and I think it is realistic.