help with buying property in Cali

kalder says on May 16, 2007, 05:13:

The classified property section in El Pais? I browse it sometimes.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 06:52:

hi I work with Realtors here in Cali.And there are a few properties for sale in my Barrio San Antonio that are not in the newspaper.many home owners do not like to place classified ads in the paper due to the lack of security.
arthurbrode at aol.com

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 07:25:

rumbera what's your price range? A very good friend of mine sells real estate on customary 3% comission, mostly in the south of the city and she'll make sure there's no drug money connections with the property. If interested. contact me by e-mail.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 07:59:

but who wants to live in the south? es mas fresco en el norte ~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 08:59:

I like the south and no,it's not cooler in the north, only in the western hillsides in barrios like normandia, santa teresita, juanambú and perhaps even san antonio, where the average temp is about two degrees lower than the rest of the city.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 09:22:

and lets not forget Los Cristales,Mira Flores,Santa Monica residencial,Arboleda and OFCOURSE San Antonio.thats one of the reasons why so many foreigners are attracted to San Antonio because of the climate up here.overall its HOTTER in the south.

~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 09:31:

Yeah, but none of the barrios you've mentioned is in the north. They're all west, except Santa Monica Norte which has a small portion uphill. I already said that west is cooler than the rest of the city, so what's the point you're making?

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 10:01:

Desi The point iam making is that your friend sells real estate in the SOUTH.And that the north/west(high elevation barrios) are overall cooler than the south.Plus,even though this is Cali,its not very common for a property to be connected with drug money.


~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 10:08:

she sells real estate all over Cali, but mostly in the south and only strata 4 up. You'd be surprised how much of the properties in higher stratas have been financed with drug money in Cali. You want to stay away from those places.

This is getting to be very childish, Arthur. The North of Cali is NOT ELEVATED, only the WEST, NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST. The only exception would be a small portion of Santa Monica Norte which is hillside. The rest of the north is just as flat as the south plus it's got the industrial zone of Yumbo nearby. Not good. Most of San Antonio is pretty dodgy and so is Miraflores. Bellavista, for example, in the southwest, is both cool and very lovely.

Cheers,
Desi




"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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nbenjamin says on May 16, 2007, 10:30:

Desi.... You are trying to call out my man Brode? My man brode keeps it street in Estrato Tres. The man Brode is out there in Estrato Tres - hustling and flowing. Noone knows Cali like Brode.

My man Brode rolled into barrio tres cruces with boxers on, and no t-shirt at 12 at night. Doode came out with 4 Calenas, 3 sacks of yea-yo, 2 suitcases of cash and a Los Angeles Dogers hat. Doode is a legend out here.

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fugdis says on May 16, 2007, 10:52:

Dodgy What?? Miraflores is dodgy???

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 10:54:

nbenjamin, I'm not TRYING anything. I'm sure that your friend Arthur Brode is familiar with a lot of barrios bajos in Cali, definitely more than me. Now, about the good barrios, I just might have a little edge on him....LOL.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 10:58:

Not miraflores, I was thinking
of Libertadores, the next one towards San Antonio. It's not really dodgy either, it's strata 4, I suppose, most of it, except perhaps a little strata 3 way up. Miraflores is quite nice; I don't care much for the steep hills and dead-end streets there or the fact that the houses don't have anything between the street and the front door, but it's a solid middle-class neighbourhood, albeit old.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 10:58:

Desi, i said that the high elevation barrios in the north/west are cooler than the south.besides,the high elevation barrios that i mentioned are so close to the North that it really doesnt matter.all the Barrios that i mentioned are estrato 4 and up(except San Antonio which is estrato 3)

~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 11:36:

BTW San Antonio is not "Dodgy".Many foreigners are buying up the colonial style houses in San Antonio.Like my Realtor friend says.."Property in San Antonio is like gold".Good deals are harder to find now.Especially now that San Antonio was declared "Patrimonial" and exempt from property taxes.


~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 11:48:

San Antonio is ok


but to close to downtown and the olla for my taste,
Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 12:30:

my street

http://www.calirentals.net/

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larumberainglesa says on May 16, 2007, 12:40:

Thanks Kalder but I really wanted to actually be able to see some properties on line. This can give me an idea price wise but I notice after looking today that most of them don't give prices in El Pais. (I've just had false nails put on for the first time in my 40 years and it's a bastard typing -I have also given up on contact lenses - almost blinded myself earlier) anyway, as for where to buy I have no idea. My husband lived in Cali for a bit and visits occasionally but that was quite a few years ago. Just thought it might be a gooid idea to be a bit nearer the pacific coast for family visits. As for barrios - no idea really. Planning to visit first. Who would rent out a place from us - is it likely to be daily lets like we do in Cartagena or a long term resident (which we are looking for now in Cartagena actually as business is slow). What would we get for 90,000.000 - 100,000.000? Anything in Bellavista say, Desi? Would want somewhere with security I suppose.

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miamimike says on May 16, 2007, 15:28:

Try the real estate section in Mercado Libre.com http://www.mercadolibre.com.co/

Inmuebles y Propiedades upper left hand column,,,


Some examples: http://listado.mercadolibre.com.co/_CategID_1468_PriceMax_-30000000000_PriceMin_500000_InmState_PVALa16cc6

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 16, 2007, 15:40:

Bellavista properties We were driving around and showing some of those properties to some friends I'm not 100%sure but I think those properties were around 150-200 million each.

If you want to speak to my friend send me a mail with your e-mail address or your phone number, privately.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 15:46:

i just spoke with my Realtor friend for between 70-90 million pesos she can get you a 4br-6br fixerupper house in Barrio San Antonio(estrato 3)

for 135 million pesos she can get you a 4br./3bath house(180 square meters) in excellent condition



~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 16:26:

a few pics. of the 4br/3bath 180sq.meter house in San Antonio
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=16475491&uid=5831975&members=1

They are asking 135 million pesos.but the price is negociable.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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nbenjamin says on May 16, 2007, 17:12:

San Antonio Is the most beautiful neigborhood in Cali. I think. But it has a little ghetto edge. I ran into a few problems right on your street broder - more my buddies fault than anything.

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arthur brode says on May 16, 2007, 17:50:

Ben,you should have rang my doorbell i would have jumped out with my chainsaw and straightened everything out

~keepin it street in estrato tres....

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 02:41:

homes for sale in Barrio San Antonio(150 million pesos and up) http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=16480529&uid=5831975&members=1

http://www.calirentals.net/

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 04:38:

nbenjamin "My man Brode rolled into barrio tres cruces with boxers on, and no t-shirt at 12 at night. Doode came out with 4 Calenas, 3 sacks of yea-yo, 2 suitcases of cash and a Los Angeles Dogers hat."

LOL! :D

Have you any more stories like that? You could dine out on them for years.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 05:03:

Hi Larumbera. Interesting discussion isn't it? I like San Antonio. A lot. But Desi's reservations about it strike a chord. It strikes me as having an 'edge' and there may be better places to raise a child in Cali.

I've got a question for DESI here:

Re, your comment: "You'd be surprised how much of the properties in higher stratas have been financed with drug money in Cali. You want to stay away from those places."

Other than a moral injunction to not reward crime etc. what are the hazards of buying these places? Does it mean that they're liable for seizure as criminal assests; buying leads you inevitably to doing business with vendors who are part of the underworld; that it increases your chances of having dodgy neighbours? I'm genuinely curious.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 07:44:

anything in the north/west strikes a chord with Desi because her "friends" properties are located in the SOUTH.The Cool/high elevation ESTRATO 4 PLUS barrios that i recommended are NOT in the south...Mira Flores,Santa Monica,Los Cristales,Junambu,Arboleda,San Antonio,Normandia.And there are children in San Antonio.as a matter of fact there is a elementary school down the street.i have lived in San Antonio for 18 months straight and have not met anyone here that has been a victim of a crime on my block.atleast in estrato 3 you dont pay up the yingyang for utilities.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 08:30:

"Certificado de Tradicion" Kalder,before a property is purchased a complete investigation is done on the history of that property with the "Oficina de Registro"

http://www.calirentals.net/

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billyb says on May 17, 2007, 08:36:

Arthur has ben real helpfull to me in locating... and showing them to my cousin and sending me pics and info on properties in San Antonio that I am interested in as an investment, as SA is in transition and being gentrified because of it's architecture. The 'hoods in the West and NW that AB mentions above would be my preference, but La Rumbera, you did mention cheap, and these are not all that cheap.

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nbenjamin says on May 17, 2007, 08:38:

Kalder... I got so many stories about "KID-BRODE" you would not believe it. If someone could just tell me how to post a photo on here... I could show you guys some things . . .

What happened to don-gringo?

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 08:51:

nbenjamin Go to tinypic.com for uploading your pictures.

DonGringo? We can but speculate. He's PBH's Jimmy Hoffa now.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 08:57:

Arthur- couple of questions What estrato is Santa Teresita?

And is it still an official 2a.m. shutdown for bars in Cali?

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 09:02:

Billy, my personal preference is San Cayetano and Los Libertadores because they are inexpensive and social barrios.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 09:08:

Santa Teresita is estrato 6 .

http://www.calirentals.net/

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 09:10:

Iam usually in bed before 11pm.what do i know? i know that in Juanchito they stay open after 2am

http://www.calirentals.net/

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 09:13:

AB Thanks for the info.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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billyb says on May 17, 2007, 09:28:

Sta. Teresita is nice, but you get... the runoff from Terron Colorado above, when it rains.

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mecca says on May 17, 2007, 10:03:

santa teresita is strato 6 i think AB, and it's very nice, it does have the rain problem only with the serious downpours.

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kalder says on May 17, 2007, 10:08:

Santa Teresita I used to like taking a coffee in the bookshop there.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 10:21:

you are right,mecca i just called my Realtor.She says Santa Teresita is estrato 6.i thought it was estrato 5.no wonder it is so expensive over there.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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fugdis says on May 17, 2007, 11:52:

Terron Beware any kind of runoff from terron colorado.
I was up there on mothers day. Witnessed 1 shooting,heard 2 other shootings,lots of wailing and screaming.
Saw a massive drunken street brawl.
I've got some real horror stories from terron colorado.One of the few places in Cali where i feel nervous.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 17, 2007, 11:58:

arthur arthur arthur Shall we take this from the beginning ONE MORE TIME: the barrios you mentioned are ALL in the WEST, not NORTH, not SOUTH except Santa Monica Norte. Miraflores is already southwest. Libertadores and San Cayetano are strata 3, I wouldn't live there. The streets and sidewalks there are in bad shape and dangerous to transit, either by car or by foot.

Another nice barrio in the west is Santa Rita; it's also west, but does not have the same elevation, but has some really lovely old homes by the river.

There are lots of fine apartments available in Cali where people would just not move in, becuause they used to belong to members of the cartel. Some of them still do, to friends or relatives of dead or jailed mafiosos and the apartments stay empty because people feel nervous about buying them or renting them. The certificado de tradition just gives you the names of the previous owners, not their criminal records or mafia affiliations. A scrupulous realtor investigates a property ownership more carefully, does not sell mafia-owned properties and keeps his/her customers out of harm's way.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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billyb says on May 17, 2007, 12:27:

Fugdis, that is why they call it.. Terror Colorado ;)

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arthur brode says on May 17, 2007, 12:52:

Yes Desi,West my point is that the barrios that i mentioned are not in the south and close to the north.Iam only a hop and a skip away from the north.

Los Libertadores and San Cayetano i consider to be good friendly barrios.just because Desi wouldnt live there and they are estrato 3 doesnt mean that they are bad barrios.the last time i was there(two weeks ago) the streets and sidewalks were not as you described.i will take some pics.the next time iam there.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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billyb says on May 17, 2007, 13:54:

I thought this thread was intended for La Rumbera's... benefit, and she mentioned somewhere cheap, so it doesn't matter where we would like to live personally, but something that fits what La Rumb' is looking for, which would probably be a 3 or 4.

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Buongone says on May 17, 2007, 23:05:

Barrio Guadalupe Alto? Up above La Plaza Toros Arriba. What estrado would you call it? Just Curious/ Thnks

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 17, 2007, 23:25:

I haven't been there Avenida Guadalupe is strata 5, most of it anyway, but I'm not familiar with the alto part of it.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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larumberainglesa says on May 18, 2007, 05:08:

Thanks for the discussion Been too busy rowing with my husband to reply....but that's another (yawn yawn) story....
Arthur, not sure about those house pics - the garage seems to be in the living room (!). Thanks anyway. This is an idea for about 8 months down the line. The idea is to have somewhere to stay when we go on holiday (about every 18 months or so) and somewhere that can be rentable the rest of the year so we are looking for a nice barrio, preferably with security.We are not planning to live in it. It has been interesting to see people which barrios people mention. Actually the first thing I thought of when we talked about buying somewhere in Cali was just the thing you mentioned Desi about the past owners/sellers backgrounds. Desi, I will be in contact later on I think. I have only ever passed through Cali on a bus from Bogota to Popayan and felt quite at home in the bus staion I have to say as it seemed similar to Guayaquil, Ecuador where I was living at the time (and certainly a lot nicer place than the bus station in Quito). Spent Christmas watching the Feria de Cali on telly in Cartagena and wwant to be there next time and would like it to be in our own place. Later on we may be able to go above the 90,000.000 so I would prefer to wait a bit.

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arthur brode says on May 18, 2007, 07:13:

thats because the garage is next to the living room car garages are rare in barrio san antonio.most houses do not have garages in this area.

http://www.calirentals.net/

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englishsettler says on May 18, 2007, 07:33:

I WOULD RECOMMEND LISTENING TO DESI, SHE IS RELATIVELY IMPARTIAL.....ARTHUR ALWAYS HAS HIS FINGER WEDGED IN THE PIE.

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arthur brode says on May 18, 2007, 08:02:

. because i recommended some of the high elevation barrios(which are close to the north) and personally prefer some of the estrato 3 barrios in Cali my finger is wedged in the pie?

http://www.calirentals.net/

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Desideria (Moderator) says on May 18, 2007, 10:19:

It sounds like you'd probably prefer a small townhouse in a gated community; strata 4-5, north or south, because west might be out of question being quite costly, unless you can settle with an older, a little run-down property like the ones Arthur is showing you. It won't be a problem to find something in your price range, perhaps in southwest, like Miraflores or Tejares, a little elevated and solid middle class. Let me know when the time comes and I might be in Colombia myself at the time so we can tour a little a take a look. I'm a little tempted to sell my Lido house too and go uphill. Perhaps fugdis will be selling?

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

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fugdis says on May 18, 2007, 12:24:

Selling Yep Desi,hopefully in another 3 months the house will be on the market.It has 4 floors with plenty of bedrooms and a garden,perfect for your future B and B and I wont even put the gringo tax on it.

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mecca says on May 18, 2007, 13:03:

larum about 2-3 years ago was a much better time to buy. In spite of the poor exchange now, prices are up quite a bit from 3 years ago.

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larumberainglesa says on May 18, 2007, 13:46:

always the same theres always '2-3 years ago was better'. but 2-3 years ago I didn't have the idea or the means.pleased to hear my flat in Cartagena is worth £7,000 more after buying a year ago and only paid 75,000.000 for it. So that's almost doubled in profit. Sounds good Desi, will be in touch. Yes, that's the kind of thing I would want. No problem doing an older place up - that's my husbands job.

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mecca says on May 18, 2007, 19:16:

larum, you'll find a good ganga. Just keep looking, they are out there for sure. Great news about your place in Cart. Congrats.

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larumberainglesa says on May 19, 2007, 13:44:

Yes, good news wish I'd had the money to buy 2!

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