antiguru has left 201 comments

antiguru comments on Interior Painting Cost

saltador, have had the same problem. even the good painters here are really messy. i forced mine to clean up all the messes he made before i paid him. the culture here does not emphasize "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". i guess they figure labor is so cheap that it's just as easy to pay someone to cleanup afterwards.

antiguru comments on Interior Painting Cost

the custom here is to pay per square meter. 3 coats - primer plus 2 finish coats, runs about 1500 pesos per square meter. if you don't need a primer coat, then it would be less, probably 1000 pesos/sq m. you supply materials, including sandpaper if needed. they bring their own equipment. by paying per square meter, the job will likely get done much faster and you won't have to be on top of the workers and worried if they are slacking off. i recently had quite a lot of painting done if you need a painter i know a good one. honest, smart, fast, but he gets around 2000 pesos per square meter. if you need to look for a painter, you can go to one of the big paint distributors and ask around out front.

antiguru comments on Can anyone help me to translate this sentence please?

would be great to hear what you are up to

antiguru comments on sneak preview of new rooms for rent in Medellin

thanks dtbrooklyn clyde...the set up is as follows: it's 5 floors...1st floor common areas (laundry, etc.) and a restaurant in the future, 2nd floor is a 5-bedroom, 2-bath apartment, 3rd floor is a 5-bedroom, 2 bath apartment. 4th floor is my apartment, 5th is rooftop with steam room, bbq area. the bathrooms are shared. birdie321... the minimum stay is 1 month, so the new law does not apply. not doing short-term rentals

antiguru comments on Recommended bars/clubs in La 33, Laureles?

you can walk up one side of La 33 and down the other in about 20-30 minutes and check out all the restaurants, clubs, and cafes at your leisure. just ask the taxi to take you to La 33 con La 76 and then start your reconaissance work. They are widening the sidewalks of La 70 right now, lots of construction/dust. Not a good time to go there. Wait until the work is done.

antiguru comments on Know of any good travel package web sites / companies for travelling around Colombia y Sur America?

www.despegar.com

antiguru comments on is this starting to become a everyday thing in medellin

i live in Medellin and heard about the killings last night from someone who lives less than a block away. she said the guy who was targeted was involved with the mafia, had recently and quite abruptly come into a lot of money thru shady business dealings. the article says he was a "forex trader". right. so i moved here last november, and I am cautious when out after dark. same as i am when i am in San Francisco, NY, Oakland, chicago, etc. Muggings and shooting seem to be on the rise in most urban areas in the US this year as well. Tenants of mine were mugged in SF just last week. They were drunk and walking home in the South of Market Area of SF. A few months ago there were 15 shooting during a single weekend in Chicago. There is crime in this world, but it should not affect where you decide to live, work, or play. Just be street smart. As long as you are cautious, Medellin continues to be a great place to live. When I go out at night, I leave my wallet at home and just have a neck pouch with a 100,000 pesos, my drivers license, and color copies of some other important documents. No fancy watch, and I dress like a local. I have lived outside of the US for 15 years and never been mugged or killed ; )

antiguru comments on Best place to buy new appliances in Medellin - Exito? Downtown? Makro?

elchoco .. where is SAO?

antiguru comments on So what happened at the Barking Spider on Tuesday night?

it didn't happen, at least nobody admitted they were there for the "meet up"

antiguru comments on

i know a good, extranjero-friendly accountant. here's his email "john jairo echeberri giraldo" jjechege at hotmail.com

antiguru comments on buying real estate in medellin and a lawyer to avoid

for any of you who want to take your real estate investment out of colombia in the future, make sure the full sale price is declared in the escritura (ie, don't lower it to save taxes), as the Banco De Republica will only recognize your investment up to the value shown on the escritura (ie, if the escritura value is less than the Promesa de Compraventa, that's the value they will use and the full value of your actual investment...what you really paid...will not be fully recognized and you won't get to take that money out in the future tax free). this happened to me.

antiguru comments on Zoltar Suites - Update #6

hey zoltar, you say your place is a few blocks from centro comercial molinos, no? but in your pics you show the BodyTech that is near Unicentro. That's a few miles away, right?

antiguru comments on friend got drugged and robbed in Medellin

$1000 US. i had it locked up, but he took it out to get his ipod. he was just passing thru on the way to panama. no cameras yet, building still under construction. not sure how he's feeling, he flew to panama the next morning for a one-month sailing trip.

antiguru comments on Six months studying spanish- is Ecuador/Guatemala my best bet?

I have studied and become proficient in 4 languages (Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, and Spanish) from scratch. No doubt in my mind that one-on-one learning with a native speaker is the most efficient method. Regarding Spanish, I was living in Cuba and just not progressing, so I spent a month in Antigua, Guatemala to kick start my studies. Excellent choice. Tons of schools, one-on-one instruction, cheap accomodation and classes, and a great int'l environment to relax in when you are not studying. If you have the bucks, you can create a similar program in Colombia (private lessons), but if budget is a concern, Guatemala is a great choice. Some things to remember....at the beginning it is mostly memorization, so get your flash cards ready and dedicate a lot of time to memorizing vocabulary and verbs. Definitely pick up 201 or 501 Spanish verbs and start memorizing important verbs in all of their tenses so you will recognize the endings/tense when you hear them (learn a regular verb from each group and 5-10 important irregular verbs). Doing this will give you a global view of the verbs that is very important. Don't let a teacher keep you stuck in the present for a few months, then learn the past in the next semester, future in the next. Learn a few verbs in all the tenses immediately. In your classes, explain to the teacher that you intend to talk and that you are paying to talk and to have your Spanish corrected. Make sure at least 15-30 minutes of every hour is dedicated to you talking without interruption. Give them a pad of paper and tell them to zip it for that time interval and to write down your errors without interrupting you. This way you will begin to develop fluency and it will force you to construct sentences and then see your Spanish compared to how a native speaker would say the same thing. Good luck! Your days should consist of 3-4 hours of classes, 3-4 hours of memorizing, and then evenings chatting/being around native speakers. The information coming in will be overwhelming and your brain could shut down if you don't control the inflow, so when you feel blocked, make sure you take a break, a day away from Spanish, so your brain can assimilate what you have been learning.

antiguru comments on Property questions

so Banco de la republica recognized the price in el certificado de libertad (about 35% of what i actually paid) and said the rest should have been declared on a formula 5. they said there was no penalty for registering the money incorrectly. i plan to appeal the decision since it is legal to declare the catastro value and the actual amount i invested was hire and supported by the promesa de compra venta. stay tuned.

antiguru comments on Furnished Apt for Rent First, Last and Security. Poblado walking Distance Parque Lleras

sweet apartment....good job!

antiguru comments on

the guys with the carts are the ones to talk to.... just tell them tengo chatarra para regalar....te interessa? cuando puede pasar para llevarmela?

antiguru comments on

scrap metal sells for 200 pesos a kilo. if you leave them somewhere they will be recycled. lots of people would want them, the problem is transport to the metal scrap yard to collect the cash.

antiguru comments on Colombia Building Costs

800,000 to 900,000 per square meter of new construction in Medellin, assuming ceramic floors around 30,000/m2 and kitchens around 5,000,000. don't forget a one-time tax of about 10,000,000 for each new dwelling (assuming an apartment of about 100m2).

antiguru comments on GREAT GPS SITE FOR COLOMBIA

larry, i haven't been able to update my finder. i downloaded the assistant, the actualization starts, and then it gets interrupted and deosn't complete. have you had similar issues?

antiguru comments on How do 220V electricity meters work in Colombia?

you don't need to change the meter. a 220 circuit is just two 110 circuits combined, so that's why an air conditioner uses more energy, which the meter will measure as increased use. think of it in terms of your water meter.... when you add new appliances, like a dishwasher or garden irrigation system, these are new loads on the system that the water meter will measure (water flowing thru the meter, dials spinning faster) and you will be charged for the additional use. got it?

antiguru comments on pbiemans

ask catalina at institutodeidiomas44 at hotmail.com

antiguru comments on VERY NICE RESTAURANT FOR SALE IN PARQUE LLERAS..

justanother gringo...wrong again... estar interesado, ser interesante

antiguru comments on VERY NICE RESTAURANT FOR SALE IN PARQUE LLERAS..

hey just another gringo, don't you have anything else to do other than make picayune comments about someone's spelling. the OP is nearly bilingual. you?

antiguru comments on Anybody know a good mom and pop TAILOR?

there is one on the north side of la 30 between calles 74 and 76 next to ferreteria electrolaser...but kind of far from where you wanted. there everywhere though. ask them how much to hem a pair of pants...if they want more than 8000 then keep looking

antiguru comments on Property questions

elSapo...the mistake was letting the seller pressure me into declaring the lower value. i gained nothing because i have torn down the house and built a building so catastro will visit and give the building a new avaluo and my future taxes will be based on that. also the original sales price is irrelevant because it is a new building now. it was one vivienda, now it is 3 plus a commercial space on the first floor. anyway, i was just wondering if i should go in and plead ignorance ..."seller said this is how things are done in Colombia" ...but that now i want to correct the escritura/declared price. should be possible.

antiguru comments on Property questions

hey bickerss...can i get your opinion? so my case is declared value (cert of libertad) is much lower than actual purchase price (promesa de compraventa..actual sale price and money transferred). i am expecting a letter from the banco de la republica soon saying that they only recognize the lower amount. later i expect a letter from supersociedades threatening a multa. do you think i should preempt them by having the price on the cert of libertad corrected (of course add'l taxes would have to be paid by both buyer and seller, etc.)? or just wait and see what happens?

antiguru comments on Property questions

PASTY i guess i will be getting my letter of investigation soon. i paid 250 million for a house but we only declared 100 million. but i will say the difference was to buy construction materials from the owner (who happens to be a distributor of construction materials). maybe we can combine resources on this (go halves on accountant and attorney fees... i have good ones lined up already). i think will will be getting my letter in the next week or so. if you are in medellin, we should grab lunch.

antiguru comments on I want to translate / Translation services offered. I.E. Advice / Job offers?

ok, good luck. let me know if you want me to proof your translations.

antiguru comments on I want to translate / Translation services offered. I.E. Advice / Job offers?

walk into a stock brokerage, like merrill lynch, and ask for some company reports. translate one on one of colombia's top listed companies. take an article on the economy/recession, etc., from one of the major newspapers. for legal, maybe part of this banking law http://www.banrep.gov.co/documentos/el-banco/pdf/l31de1992.pdf good luck!

antiguru comments on Failed Transactions at ATM’s...... Beware

i had the same experience as pedro. failed transactions led to money being withdrawn...but the entry line said ATM Transaction PENDIENTE (Pending ATM Transaction).... these entries disappeared in about a week and the money reappeared in my account.

antiguru comments on 2010 World Cup Update and impact on Seleccion Colombia

Steven they are called the South American Games, or juegos sudamericanos. being hosted by medellin starting apr 2010 WIKI: IX South American Games (Spanish: Juegos Sudamericanos; Portuguese: Jogos Sul-Americanos) are a multi-sport event to be held in 2010 in Medellín, Colombia. The Games are organized by the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR), who awarded the Games to the city with 8 votes over the bid by previous host Santiago, Chile (6 votes).[1]

antiguru comments on 2010 World Cup Update and impact on Seleccion Colombia

hey stevenycer what do you know about los juegos americanos scheduled for medellin in april 2010. what's the scope of the tournament, what teams are coming, etc.? thanks for any info

antiguru comments on massage therapist / chiropractor / physical therapist

dave, there is an incredible physical therapist who works out of the Santa Maria de Los Angeles branch of BodyTech between avenidas poblado y las vegas not too far from Oviedo. His name is Herman

antiguru comments on I want to translate / Translation services offered. I.E. Advice / Job offers?

Get a portfolio together. Do three 1-page translations...1 legal, 1 general business, 1 financial. Make them perfect, even if you have to hire someone to review them for you. I am a former Japanese to English translator, worked at UBS, Nomura, and Salomon brothers. Then send them with your perfect bilingual resume and cover letter to the first three translation companies in the yellow pages. They should call you in for an interview or send you something to translate. Make sure your translation of their piece is perfect. You should start getting work. I'll review your translations if you want. WARNING For you nitpickers out there, my PBH comments may contain spelling and gramatical errors, and sometimes don't make any sense at all

antiguru comments on bilingual skills.

you should be able to find someone for 25,000 to 40,000 per day.

antiguru comments on How does one move to and work in Colombia?

find a job and apply for a work visa. so how long? as long as it takes you to find a job and gather all the required documentation. here's a link to the requirements: http://www.colhouston.org/pdf/visas_english/Work.pdf the visa application fee is around $200

antiguru comments on

Lisa Zee, whether it's illegal or not seems to be a gray area in Colombia. Depends on the amount, etc. I think until you receive a written complaint from a neighbor, you "don't know" about it. Once you receive written notice, I think you become legally responsible for the activity in your apartment and would be required to act. At that point you would probably need to write a letter to the tenant warning him/her about any illegal activity, that it must be stopped. That would protect you. If the neighbors kept complaining, you might need to evict the tenant, which you could probably do immedidately because of the possibly illegal activity. But you definitely need to ask your lawyer about this. Your tenant should at least be more careful though. they should burn some incense or otherwise camouflage the smell. of they should smoke in a room with all the windows closed and use an air purifier. If one of the neighbors is really upset, I wouldn't be surprised if they call the cops and exaggerate what's going on. "hey there is a guy dealing drugs out of apartment #...." then i suppose the cops could come and search the place. better tell your tenant to keep a very small amount of weed at the place, just in case.

antiguru comments on

hey PBS one of my best friends here in Medellin is an excellent attorney. he has helped me with a variety of things. he hates injustice. when i ask him how much i owe him for services he says, whatever you think it's worth. he has handled some things for me that would have normally cost a million or two and i give him 2 or 300,000K and he is happy. his specialty is labor law, but he has helped me in several unrelated areas, he does a little research and goes to bat for me. he looks like a supreme court judge, white hair, etc., is highly respected, and he gets people to back off quickly, yet he is always diplomatic. let me know if your friend decides he wants help. a letter or two, some phone calls, and the landlord will back off. my friend will probably threaten to sue the landlord for damages, etc., and he will back off. once the neighbors find out their is an attorney involved, they will back off. the neighbors can be sued for damages too for unfounded claims. what proof do they have? they wouldn't be pulling this bull if your friend was Colombian or other spanish speaking resident. sounds like they are bullying your friend and will continue to do so until they find out he has a fancy attorney. works every time. as soon as your friend has an attorney, if his landlord or any cotenant or doorman mentions the subject, he simply says, "please call my attorney". in the meantime your friend should be quiet and respectful in the common areas of the building. follow all building rules, ie, not give the landlord any legitimate reason to evict him. but he should continue to live his life, enjoy the apartment he is paying for, have guests over whenever he wants. if he knowlingly or unknowlingly is hanging out with any undesirable types (profesional or amateur prepagos, anybody doing drugs, etc.), he should not associate with them for the time being.

antiguru comments on de-facto / fiancee visa COLOMBIA

the girl i mentioned in this thread http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/visa-expediter-recommendation/ knows all about and has the contacts at the notary and in bogota that you need

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

she is a girlfriend, a lover, i have been honest with her (told her i don't see us together in the future). we are good friends and she is great company, we often spend the weekend together. anyway, i agree with many of you who say if she wanted to end his harassment, she probably could. so like some of you said she probably tells me about it for attention, i definitely go into protective mode, even though i am not that serious about her, it still pushes my buttons when i hear about it. but i agree with most of you and have decided not to do anything about. the next time she brings it up i will just tell her that the gig is up, and that it's a pretty lame way to get attention from me and that i know she knows how to deal with it. she is just annoyed that she can't push my jealousy buttons so she looks for another way to get attention. i am spending less and less time with her and agree with those of you who talk about socioeconomic equality, looking forward to meeting a woman who i have more in common with in terms of education, etc. as for darloup, your comments about starting fresh don't make sense to me. your comments actually seem to project your past onto my present so you are doing exactly what you so proudly say you don't do.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

she tells me to get a rise out of me....i'm normally quite stable, but she tells me this shit i go into fix it mode and wan't to solve the problem, then i realize my bag of int'lly acquired tools don't fit the job here and i start brainstorming and i'm still not sure if my reponse is going to make things better or WORSE so i threw up the post here. anyway it basically comes down to her needing to learn how to be more assertive and that's not something that happens overnight. at least the light went on in her head. when i heard she hides under the bed in another bedroom, i thought that was pretty pathetic and she needs some help in learning how to stand up for herself.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

good points onthemoon. professional help sounds like a good idea. the door won't solve the problem, but at least she'll have some privacy in her own home.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

onthemoon if i didn't know her really well i might agree with you, that she likes the attention, but you know there is always more to the story. dad left when she was born, history of abusive men, etc. she is not assertive, often fearful, avoids confrontation. i think it's just an awkward situation that she just hopes will go away. as for the door, i've got like ten to get rid of because I'm remodeling an old house. 30,000 to install it. less than $15USD for me, no big deal.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

definitely not planning to marry her, not really that serious about her. i already told her i can't get involved especially since he is not your average cop walking a beat, seems he is some duro in forensics. did tell her to speak up and LOUD but assertiveness is not her strength. I will not be calling the guy nor investing in money the problem, but it is interesting to learn about the various tactics used here in Colombia. I do live here and don't plan to leave so I am learning the ropes slowly but surely.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

sorry toneloc24, read the thread and in my opinion it has little if nothing to do with my OP. the other comments were more relevant for me. no disrespect intended. truth is she is from a lower strato and i think that is the main problem. but most of colombia is lower stratos, so these situations come up and i am curious how others have dealt with it.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

you're right toneloc24, don't want to get directly involved, that would be dumb. as for her not being mature enough, definitely part of it, but i think even mature women in this country often have trouble with sexual harassment and no resources or support for dealing with it. domestic abuse and harassment seem pretty rampant in this country.

antiguru comments on Advice needed - girlfriend's cousin (a cop) harassing her

no, haven't talked to her mother. the mother just stays home and takes care of the grandmother. my gf works and supports the household.

antiguru comments on

not sure if I have met any of you yet, but I like the proposal and would like to discuss at the next lunch

antiguru comments on

thanks for the info bickerss