jmbone has left 120 comments

jmbone comments on

THE ENTIRE WORLD, IS NOW IN RECESSION! BUT, IN COLOMBIA, WE HAVE GOOD REASONS FOR CONFIDENCE! COLOMBIA'S ECONOMY IS BASED ON "OLD FASHIONED", ROCK SOLID CASH. IN COLOMBIA CASH IS KING, and it does not take much to LIVE LIKE A KING! Read the full article at: http://cartagenainfo.net/colombiaeconomy/index.html enjoy, Jim

jmbone comments on Are there real apartments in Cartagena?

The Portal: www.cartagenainfo.net relates to Cartagena. Visit: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/alojamientos/alojamientos.php?categoria=APARTAMENTOS&lang=ENG and you will find about two dozen Home Pages relating to apartments for rental, includes fotos, prices, contact info., etc. Enjoy Cartagena, Jim

jmbone comments on buses from Medellin to Cartagena info

Check out: http://www.medellininfo.com/buses/index.html which has the schedule for routes, bus companies and telephone numbers. Enjoy your trip to Cartagena regards, Jim

jmbone comments on Opinions on Hotel Kokomo in the Rosario Islands

Hola Mosqboy, May I suggest you visit our Portal: http://cartagenainfo.net . There you will find more than two dozen Cartagena lodging Home Pages. Each Home Page contains the basics: two fotos, facts, prices, contact info, and if they have one, a LINK to their Home Page. I'm a gringo, living and working here in Colombia, for the past six years-and enjoying each and every day. In that time I have known the owner of the business mentioned in your Post. The business is NOT mentioned in our Portal. I know the manager of a "5" star hotel and there is NO WORD of that hotel in our Portal-their "management" IMHO, is immoral and dishonest. As a member in the hotel association (mentioned in the posting of LilaM), they consistently encourage other members to stay away from our Portal. A few members, who are interested in RESULTS, and have have guts, do use our promotion! We want to help all of them, but after six years of trying, I have given up. Our great city is VERY CONSERVATIVE. Some business people are ignorant, and many are just plain STUPID! My partner is a third generation Cartagenero. A grad of L.S.U. Paul speaks near perfect English. He keeps me appraised as to the sleazebags and the good guys. Paul is a realty broker: http://cartagenarealty.com, and I am proud to be his Jr. partner. My 30 years of experience as a real estate investor and current Florida Licensed Real Estate Broker has taught me an important lesson: if you are not of the culture, always be CAUTIOUS and if your going in business, find a good, honest partner. Paul's website is current and up-to-date, on a daily basis. It has more than a hundred listings, with COMPLETE info. I know from years of observation and experience, that Paul, like me, has turned down many money "deals" where the people have a history of being immoral and dishonest. And to beautiful LilaM. I ask you to look at the website you recommend. And visit the LINKS that the site promotes. Sorry to say, but when it comes to RESULTS, these websites: SUCK! I have been promoting on the Internet, first in Venezuela and now in Colombia, for the past thirteen years. In five minutes, I can evaluate a website and offer suggestions that will substantially increase the numbers of interested visitors. I have offered to help, even our competitors, and NO ONE HAS ASKED FOR MY FREE ADVICE.....NO ONE! Our Portals and websites enjoy great stats and Google PR. Our Home Page clients receive positive RESULTS, and our low fees is next-to-nothing. Sorry LilaM, but your beautiful culture and business owners/managers DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE INTERNET. If they did, the Cartagena economy, and improvement of the poor, would easily have tripled over the past ten years. The universities, and the IT grads who work in Internet design and "promotion" are learning about beautiful design and IMAGE, but NOTHING about SEO. Search Engine Optimization, is the KEY to Home Page placing first page Search Engine RESULTS. Don't jump to conclusions as I know the answers to my comments and questions I've posed above. I am NOT complaining. "Culture" is a comfort zone. "Government" can be the driver (the change) of Culture. Look at the Orient. Over the past 25 years many of these governments have led their cultures, and the people, to better health, living, housing, work, education, etc. Economic changes that have advanced twenty times over our Latino economies. One MAJOR REASON: their governments understand the Internet, and they know how to use it! Don't get me started about the U.S. She is a great country, which over the past thirty years has steadily gone down the toilet....mostly over GREED. My nearly 70 years knows about changes! Enjoy Cartagena and Colombia-great culture...great people. I accept it, and enjoy it. Try it...don't fight it, you will love it! Jim

jmbone comments on cartagena luxury rentals

Hola Bossclip, THE source for Cartagena apartment rentals, many with prices can be found at: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/alojamientos/alojamientos.php?categoria=APARTAMENTOS&lang=ENG Currently there are about two dozen with Home Pages in both Spanish and English. Many of the Home Pages have multiple apartment listings, with prices and fotos. Good Luck, and enjoy a great city......Cartagena, Colombia Jim

jmbone comments on jmbone

Hola joelg, Forecasting the economy is not my thing...sorry. I live in Cartagena, have a nice apt. right on the beach. I bought it about 5 yrs. ago for $19,900 furnished. Now the same floor plan in the same edif. is going for 85k and more. I did not buy it for a great investment. I understood that a similiar apt. is South Beach, Fl. would cost a mil plus, but I bought it because I liked it, and wanted to live there.....and I do! I love MDE as much as CTG, and would also like to buy a nice small apt. in MDE, sharing my time at the best of both worlds. For me, and for now, the time is getting the cash. One advantage of CTG over MDE is that CTG is known around the world....it's on the ocean...historic...safe....romantic....2.5 minutes from Miami, ETC. ETC. I am a jr. partner with www.cartagenarealty.com ....check it out as it has some good buying TIPS that will also apply to MDE. All of the CTG. projects that we promote....those that are still in construction (maybe 40 or so) are still activly in construction. I don't think this is true in MDE as some have stopped or delayed construction because the buyers mkt is soft. Ck. out pre owned units and houses, where the seller has some real motivation to sell.....check out similiar and near by comparables....offer a low ball cash....the trick is not to piss them off.... and c what happens?? I think that when it is known by all that MDE is in a burst situation, it will be...IMHO, because the developers, the city, real estate cos., the "flippers", universities, and in general the population still thinks "small" about MDE. They do not look at the WORLD MARKET....they think small..... You will notice my Portal (Google Page Rank of 5) brag...brag..does not mention a single word about the past problems ie. Pablo, etc. etc. I love Medellin, Colombia, and the people. Good luck. Enjoy MDE jim

jmbone comments on Buying Property

Hola CascadeBob, Check out http://Cartagenarealty.com Paul' website has lots of info., rules, and tips regarding buying real estate in Colombia Enjoy, Jim

jmbone comments on While in Medellin you must.........

Check out www.medellininfo.com. It has loads of info and hundreds of fotos all about what and where to see and do in Medellin...a great city. The Portal has a google Page Rank of 5, and there are many other very good Home Pages that promote the city. Good Luck and enjoy Medellin, Colombia Jim

jmbone comments on Purchasing apartments

Dear Deathnova, In Colombia you can't put the cart in front of the horse. The basic reason the states are in big trouble is because of cheap PAPER. In Colombia, it's all about MONEY. Congrats on your 740-760 credit score. Take it to a bank or realty office in Colombia and it will mean NOTHING, a big zero! As other posters have mentioned, credit in Colombia is highway robbery....even if you can get it, stay away! But don't give up, Merida and Colombia in general, is worth working toward. Good Luck. Jim

jmbone comments on

Hola "LookAtMePee", Try peeing on a govt. employee and all u get is wasted time and frustration. Best to get the hell out before the world's greatest country totally self-implodes. NOW, it’s all about GREED. When it comes to suitcases, try buying used suitcases at the Good Will or hospital outlet stores. Normally I pay about $3-5. TRY IT, some have looked like new! On round trips I use a Good Will cheapie hand bag with wheels and a handle which will normally go for a ten spot or less. If possible, with a hand bag, the whole trip, and its contents, are safe, fast(er), and without the frustration of having your stuff torn up. Don’t over pack cloths as there are same day laundry service stores all over the place. If you have a Florida airport choice I always use FLL instead of MIA…a world of difference. MIA is a mess, and gets more so every trip! Mostly I use the Good Will, one-way suitcases? I re-cycle them. Usually I give them to my Cartagena friends who sell them to the street vendors who use the old suitcases to daily transport their China crap (er… products), to their store (er.... portable day time, on wheels, street "spot"). Seven years ago I moved my Internet businesses (including 17 old suitcases), using public busses from Merida, Venezula, to Cartagena. Ya, I made the one man pony show trip, but for the next 2-3 years I had to daily do work outs, using some back exercises. Between the CTG bus terminal and my Old Walled City "family hotel" ($130 a month), I was stopped by the police. My pick up driver was nervous, but I put on a good smile as I opened 3 of the instructed suitcases, (had no receipts for my stuff), gave them my new business card (promoting Cartagena Tourism, on the Internet- http://cartagenainfo.net ). They helped re-pack the suit cases, gave me a smile, and a good luck wish! Arriving in CTG, and not yet having any new friends, I sold 15 of the old suitcases to vendors for $60, which paid for the buses, taxi, pick-up truck and some food a long the trip. By now you must know that I follow the name of this website....poor but happy! I have never had any problems with CTG, or Colombia govt. employees. Like some of the govt. employees back home, there were many times, IMO, that made no sense of what they were doing, but the trick is to smile, and get on your way! I have thoroughly enjoyed living and working in Cartagena-a very, easy going, liberal, enjoyable, beautiful, interesting, and historic city on the Caribbean. Stay straight, mind your own business, and enjoy...CARTAGENA. She is a GREAT CITY. Jim

jmbone comments on

Beaches and Islands has to be Cartagena. Regarding real estate asking prices in Cartagena, Paul Juan, Broker, recently completed a study based on price per sq. ft. at: http://www.cartagenarealty.com/analisisdeprecios.html Understand that Paul specializes in Strata 4,5,6 and waterfront properties, AND that these are asking prices. An interesting report that may give you some ideas. Enjoy Cartagena

jmbone comments on Where to Live?

Regarding real estate asking prices in Cartagena, Paul Juan, Broker, recently completed a study based on price per sq. ft. at: http://www.cartagenarealty.com/analisisdeprecios.html Understand that Paul specializes in Strata 4,5,6 and waterfront properties, AND that these are asking prices. An interesting report that may give you some ideas. Enjoy Cartagena

jmbone comments on

Ck. out: www.cartagenacolombiahotels.com They have more than 4 dozen Home Pages all about Lodging places in Cartagena. Plus apartments, prices, photos, and a link to: www.cartagenainfo.net with more than 1,000 pages of CartagenaInfo, and more than 1,500 Cartagena photos. Enjoy Cartagena Jim

jmbone comments on more inquiries!

Hola pledge, You say: "I recently had my heart set on Medellin but my friends have all recently moved to Cartagena. " Your "friends" should be your best source. Why not contact them FIRST, and THEN ask your questions to a bunch of us goofballs on PBH? jejejeje. Enjoy Cartagena.

jmbone comments on Hotels in Cartagena

Hola Livkid, Ck. out: www.cartagenainfo.net where you will find dozens of Hotel and Lodging Home Pages. You will enjoy Cartgagena...have fun. regards

jmbone comments on Is Medellin Safe for Americans?

Hola El Poblado, You say: "and from everything I have heard it is very dangerous for Americans!" I suggest you pay attention to: "from everything", especially State Department. Always remember, they know the truth about "EVERYTHING"! Be safe. Quit your job. Save gas. Stay at home! Your couch is your friend. Enjoy your large screen LCD as you watch "your" government, ALL of it, ALL of them-millions of them, as day-by-day, they flush a great country down the toilet. Relax and enjoy! Frig morality, NOW it's about: GREED.

jmbone comments on

Hola MountainTop You will enjoy CTG. Check out the Portal: www.cartagenainfo.net It has about 800 pages of info and more than 1,000 fotos, and all about Cartagena. regards, Jim Bone

jmbone comments on Medellin Feria de las Flores 2008

Hola Al http://www.medellininfo.com/calendar/index.html will show all of the major Medellin events of 2008. It shows Aug. 1-10 Enjoy. Jim

jmbone comments on

Check out these three Cartagena Floristeria Home Pages, in both English or Spanish, with lots of fotos, prices, order info., etc. http://www.cartagenainfo.net/floristeriasensaciones/english.html http://www.cartagenainfo.net/floristeriaagapanto/english.html http://www.cartagenainfo.net/florarte/english.html Don't forget your Colombian woman....child, sister, mother, grandmother, lover, secretary, and of course your wife! regards, jim

jmbone comments on Avianca Fare Sale... leave on/before March 12.

You can see the actual Avianca Promo advertising at CartagenaInfo which keeps them up to date. Check out: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/avianca/index.html Have a good trip. regards, Jim

jmbone comments on Has anyone done any saltwater fishing in Colombia ?

Hola DodgerDogs, Check out: Cartagena Deep Sea Fishing at The Guide To Cartagena: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/noticias/MarlinMagazine/index.html LOTS OF INFO. RELATING TO: 1. Best time of the year, 2. Time of the month, 3. What to catch, 4. Fishing holes, 5. Boats, 6. Costs. Also, a Marlin Magazine story tells about fishing in Cartagena, Colombia. SPAN: THE LORD DOES NOT SUBTRACT ONES ALLOTTED TIME, SPENT WHILE FISHING. Enjoy!! Jim

jmbone comments on Question...

Hola, Try it again....The first screen will be from PBH postings. There are about 12,000. good luck. Also check out our website: www.cartagenainfo.net regards, jim

jmbone comments on Free ticket deal from Avianca

Avianca's current promotion is Los Angles RT to: BAQ, BOG, CLO, CTG and MDE. from $349*. * Don't forget to check out the EXTRA FEES, which over the past few years have really jumped. The Avianca promotion dept. E-Mails CartagenaInfo., which most recently has been about once a month. NOTE: They don't give us a Peso-cheap skates! BOOKMARK: www.cartagenainfo.com (Spanish) and or, www.cartagenainfo.com for the Avianca promotion deals. Some of them have been very good! Enjoy Colombia. regards, jim

jmbone comments on scumbuster

Good morning, In addition to the website that tom tom mentioned, you can also check with about a dozen real estate/rental agents at Cartagena at: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/negocios/?categoria=BIENESRAICES&lang=ENG Some of these businesses are strictly rental businesses. The website www.cartagenainfo.net, with a PR (Page Rank of #6) is loaded with lots of info. about CTG... Enjoy, Jim www.cartagenainfo.com

jmbone comments on Street map of Medellin?

Hola gogopher As many posters mention, book and stationary stores sell Medellin Street Maps, or check Google Maps. On www.medellininfo.com, under the FACTS button are a dozen maps, of which two are Medellin Street Maps. They can be increased to 150% size, to show blocks and streets, but individual street names are to small to see. One of the street maps was delineated by drivers at a Taxi Stand. A half dozen drivers used a light blue magic marker to show areas in Medellin which they considered to be SAFE AREAS-locations where visitors walking, should be safe. Of course, there are many others as well. Good Luck, Jim

jmbone comments on

Nice website Medellin Traveler (http://www.medellintraveler.com). You, myself, and many friends from the states share the same amor-Medellin! I wonder why so many Gringos, in particular, fall head- over-heels for Medellin? If there is anything on my not-for-profit site: http://www.medellininfo.com, which you feel would compliment your efforts, please feel free to use it. regards, Jim

jmbone comments on Computer prices in Colombia

Two yrs. ago, I brought from the states, 3 Samsung 19 in. monitors...all fit nicely in one 3 dollar throw away Kiwanis Thrift Store suitcase. At the airport, I was asked, and I showed them my business card..... www.cartagenainfo.net, and was waved on bye. Last yr. I brought in a 32 in. LCD TV for personal use-no trouble, and my partner brought in a 40...again no trouble. We just bought two Dell PC's with LCD monitors from Dell here in Colombia. Everything is working fine. We have long suspected that certain electronics with lower MTBF...(mean time between failure) numbers get shipped to countries where the people seem to "accept" junk more than countries where the people are "guarantee" oriented? I was reminded of this just yesterday. I live in an apt. where an outside repairman was "rebuilding" a half dozen of our high energy coiled, screw in light bulbs! I could not believe what I was seeing! I told him that I just brought in 16 bulbs (to be used in the halls) from the states. He said we would not have any trouble with these because they came from the states. Which to me, substantiated our belief that a lot of the lower quality crap from China gets shipped to countries where the people accept it, and don't complain.....it's a culture thing that hurts the people! On the positive side, it does provide employment for thousands of savy Colombians who repair the crap!

jmbone comments on getting to Cartagena

Hola El Flaco, Avianca has DIRECT FLIGHTS from MIA to CTG. Try www.avianca.com good luck Jim

jmbone comments on Diving in Colombia

Hola Colombiano, Check out: www.divecartagena.com for Dive Shop Home Pages and contacts where you might find work. regards, Jim

jmbone comments on New Apartments, COST per Square Ft

BAQ...This is a re-post that first appeared in the Renting and Selling section of PBH. Though it's not specific relating to New Apartments, the information maybe useful? What follows is a Spanish to English translation of a Feb.3,07 article, which appeared in Spanish, in the popular Colombia national newspaper: eltiempo.com / economia ----------------------------------------------------- Colombia´s most expensive realty is Cartagena´s Historic Centro, which sells for up to: 6 million Pesos per square meter. Castillogrande, in Cartagena, a peninsula surrounded by the Caribbean, is the second most expensive area in Colombia, where the per square meter cost reaches 5 million Pesos! This information is reported by Flavio Romero, President of the Architects' Society of Colombia (Bolivar State), who performed a recent study of houses/apartments for sale, and sold in Cartagena. Only The Cabrera, north of Bogota, where per square meter costs can reach up to 4.500.000 Pesos, are sales prices similar to Cartagena and Castillogrande. The historic Old Walled City of Cartagena has changed from the days when two buildings in ruins, The Santa Clara, and The Santa Teresa were completely renovated in the mid 90´s, into what are now, popular five star hotels. In the recent past, properties in Historic Centro, were recognized and purchased by many foreigners, as world treasures of the Spanish conquests in America. They bought cheap houses, in ruins, restored them, and spent their vacations living in Cartagena. The foreigners added their money into the economy, and joined with powerful Colombian families and personalities, to begin the restoration of the Historical Center. Obviously, the major popularity of Cartagena must be attributed to the Historic Old City. Outside the cities ancient walls, there´s a construction boom that locals say is without precedent. Currently, 67 projects, totaling 6,000 housing units, are in some phase of design or construction. Many residents and recent buyers in Castillogrande are foreigners, mostly from Spain and Italy. They are enchanted with the ambiance and lifestyle. They are buying apartments for vacations, or to give to their Colombian wives or fiancees. There are those who also attribute the continuation of Cartagena´s housing boom with the supposed imminent arrival of the multimillionaire Donald Trump. Many believed Trump would invest in Barú, but Luis Hoyos García, president of the local Real Estate Association, says that construction is slowly shifting, over the last seven years, away from the high strata areas. THE ATTRACTIONS OF OTHER CITIES If the history of Cartagena, and love of the Caribbean Sea are major attractions, the closeness with nature or with commercial zones are equal attractions, for many, who buy and live in the other major cities in Colombia. As an example of living close to nature, is the area known as the: Cabecera del Llano, in Bucaramanga, which is a forest reservation. In Ibagué, prices for the most expensive housing, reache 1.400.000 Pesos per square meter. In The Vergel, is a popular neighborhood with a sector of commercial development. As the correspondents of this newspaper reported about the 10 cities of Colombia, they note that the construction boom is the result of greater availability of credit. Price increases are fueled by the increase in money movement within each of Colombia´s major 10 cities. BARRANQUILLA-THE MOST ECONOMICAL CITY PER SQUARE METER Of Colombia´s four principal cities (Bogota, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla) the largest city along the Atlantic Ocean, Barranquilla, is the one city which offers the lowest quoted costs per square meter at: 1.650.000 Pesos. Rossana Pezzano, the manager of Camacol Caribe, a developers association attributes this to: "scarce personal purchasing power. 80% of the population earns less than four times Colombia´s minimal salary", he says. In fact, rising housing prices are extending to popular locations of even the smaller cities, like Manizales and Pereira, where the highest square meter costs are 1.800.000 Pesos. In Risaralda, builders attribute the rise in prices to the influx of remittances from Colombians living and working in foreign countries. MEDELLIN AND CALI ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PRICES. Another point of interest is Bucaramanga, where per square meter costs follow those in Cartagena and Bogota. Observers suggest some of this activity is funded from illegal sources. "In our market there is no housing available in the 800.000 to 1.000.000 Peso range. It´s no secret that there are unusual sources of money entering the housing market", affirms Liborio Plata, President of the Market of Santander. Even the costly and rising housing prices in Colombia, do not reach the higher prices of many other Latin-American cities. IN THE HEROIC CITY OF CARTAGENA, FOREIGNERS REPRESENT AN INCREASING NUMBER OF BUYERS. The plan of Fedelonjas is to turn the northern strip of Cartagena, along the sea, and leading to Barranquilla, into a large, high-end development center, catering to investors that today are discovering Central America. In a few years, more than 70,000,000 (seventy million) U.S. baby boomers will retire. Many will discover, along with the Europeans, many of whom who are already here, the beauty and low cost lifestyle of the Caribbean Sea, all along Colombia´s northern coast. Bolivar State, with the capital in Cartagena, annually attracts tens of thousands of ocean cruise line vacationers from countries in Europe, and mostly the United States. According to the calculations of the Architect's Society of Colombia (Bolivar State), 25% of Cartagena house and apartment buyers are foreign. ---- For one Cartagena realty company. which promotes exclusively on the Internet, the figure is greater than 90%!(see DISCLAIMER, below) ---- Juliano Stefanini, an Italian, says that he bought in Cartagena´s Old City because: "it´s like Venice surrounded by water". He thinks that in South America, there is no other city that can compair". THE ADVANTAGES OF MOBILITY, ADDS TO THE HOUSING COSTS OF BOGOTA. The oft given reason as to why Bogota realty goes for 4.500.000 Pesos per square meter in the high strata (Strata 6) northern area known as The Cabrera, is the ease of commuting to other places of the Capital City. "The people are mobility conscious and aware of the time savings provided by good transportation services. If they live in The Cabrera, and are employed at the International Center, they are home in 20 minutes for lunch with the family. When living in areas known as Chicó or Rosales the time is only 10 minutes. Less time on the road means a higher degree of personal safety and more time with family, all of which promotes an over-all higher standard of living for the entire family", affirms appraiser Óscar Borrero. Traditionally these sectors have been costly, and now values increase because the high rise apartments are permitted up to 12 floors, and in Chicó 8 floors. The most recent study of the Bogota indicates that the existing re-sale market is going for 2.200.000 Pesos per square meter. Like in other capital cities, the closeness to commercial centers is increasing the demand, and thus the per square foot costs. The disadvantage, says Borrero, is the fact that the above mentioned areas lack large area parks. The green space trade-off is the savings of time and stress, which for many, tips the balance toward increasing demand met by increasing prices. Another housing option in the Capital City is to live in popular rural places such as Guaymaral, Altos de Yerbabuena or Aposentos, accessed at the exit to Tunja. In municipalities such as Chía and Sopó, the cost of living further out is higher because of toll roads, increased gas costs, and the ever more precious element of: time to get back and forth to Bogota. According to real estate professionals in the Capital, the tendencies are: families with small children choose to live outside the city, families with college age children perfer to live in the city, and when the children leave the house, the parents want to return to the country side. BUCARAMANGA, THE CAPITAL CITY OF SANTANDER, IN DISTRICT NORORIENTE In Santander the boom in construction activity, east of the city, fetches 2.800.000 Pesos per square meter. Currently more than twelve apartment towers are under construction. Taking the character as: The Capital City of The Northeast, Bucaramanga attracts landowners, stockbreeders and businessmen in the agro industries located to the South of Cesar, and Bolivar, to the the Northeast of Antioquia, and to the North, Santander and Arauca, who turn into buyer clients of the luxurious projects in the city. Real estate experts think that once those luxury complexes are finished, the city will not see anymore costly building developments. MEANWHILE, IN PEREIRA (RISARALDA STATE) the areas known as Pinares, Alamos , and Los Alpes, in the Northeast, are leading the market with the most expensive per square meter costs of 1.800.000 Pesos, as well as increasing costs in the Center. Native Risaraladans, who live abroad, are boosting the housing market with their purchases. They represent 15.6%, or about 260,000 persons, of the total population of the State. In Manizales the west area boasts the highest cost of housing in areas like Palermo and Sancancio. TRADITIONAL AREAS, EXPENSIVE LOCATIONS IN MEDELLIN AND CALI. Medellin continues as one of the costliest cities to live. In El Poblado, a square meter costs up to 2.400.000 Pesos. This area, located in the southwest of the city, has evolved into alternate city center, with a strong concentration of: commercial, educational, financial, and tourist related activities and services. La Loma de los Bernal, in the Southeast, has had a construction boom in recent years, and is another expensive housing area with apartments selling for as much as 2.200.000 a square meter. Traditional Laureles Estadio ,in the east, continues to be a preferred and growing place to live. ALSO IN CALI Ciudad Jardin, in the South, maintains its popularity as one of the most desired locations. In fact, the capital city, Valle, is spreading towards this sector, because there is still available land for development. Currently they are selling 66 housing projects. Normandia, in the west, is another exclusive sector, but, in contrast to the south, suitable land for development is scarce. Currently there are only 13 projects underway. The president of the Realtors Association, Federico O'Byrne, affirms that in Cali, prices have not risen because good building locations remain readily available. ----------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: The following single line quote is factual and appears in this independent translated version of the El Tiempo article as: "For one Cartagena realty company that promotes exclusively on the Internet (www.cartagenarealty.com), the figure is greater than 95%!" This supporting information has been added to, and is NOT a part of the original El Tiempo article. By jmbone originally posted on 2007-02-07 08:21:01 in Renting, selling & meetups.

jmbone comments on CARTAGENA

Sorry, I got the domain wrong... www.cartagenacolombiahotels.com time for an eye check-up.

jmbone comments on CARTAGENA

You also might check: www.cartagenacolombahotels.com They have more than 30 Home Pages of different places of Cartagena lodging, with prices, maps, fotos, contact info.

jmbone comments on Buying property in Medellín

Hola Usher127 Paul of Paul Juan Realty in Cartagena (www.cartagenarealty.com) has a good referral relationship with an experienced and trusted Broker in Medellin. If you will send Paul an E (paul at cartagenarealty.com) explaining what your looking for: area, size, price range, etc., Paul will forward it and you will be promptly contacted. Based on past successful transactions, Paul is confident you will be pleased, but If for any reason your not completely satisfied, please get back to Paul ASAP. The commission rate will NOT CHANGE because of the small referral fee involved. Good luck. j. bone

jmbone comments on Flights and places to rent in Cartagena

www.cartagenainfo.net has apartments for rent The Portal for Cartagena, Colombia. Check it out. All together there are more than 30 Home Pages that relate to realty rentals...plus more than 800 Cartagena fotos.

Have fun. You will enjoy Cartagena

regards,
jim

jmbone comments on Flying vs. Bus

All Bus Lines to Antioquia cities with phone numbers Bookmark: http://www.medellininfo.com/buses/index.html

for handy info. on busses departing the North and South Terminals in Medellin, that go to more than 125 cities within Antioquia.

Enjoy,

Sinerely, Jim

jmbone comments on Cartagena - Best Hostel

The Cartagena Portal has about 40 Lodging Home Pages Check out: www.cartagenainfo.net

This Portal has many listings for Cartagena Hostels, complete with contact info.

Good luck. You will enjoy Cartagena. The "natives" are friendly!

regards,

Jim

jmbone comments on Where can i find good pictures of Cartegena

Clatoris might also go to Google Images Thanks TomTom.

Clatoris might also go to Google Images and enter: Cartagena Colombia photographs.

Or better still Clatoris should visit one of the most photogenic cities in the Western Hemosphere and take his own fotos, then send them to www.cartagenafotos.com and they will post them free. It´s
a non-profit website..no ads, all about promoting a great city.

regards,
Jim

jmbone comments on Where can i find good pictures of Cartegena

Clatoris might also go to Google Images Thanks TomTom.

Clatoris might also go to Google Images and enter: Cartagena Colombia photographs.

Or better still Clatoris should visit one of the most photogenic cities in the Western Hemosphere and take his own fotos. Send them to www.cartagenafotos.com and they will post them free.

regards,
Jim

jmbone comments on american looking to live in medellin

Famsearch....tell us, when was your wife last in Medellin? Just within the last few years in particular, many things have changed for the better, through out Colombia.

Colombian´s who have not been "home" in many years, and even those who live and remain in remote areas of Colombia, often voice their "honest opinions" which many times are way out of date with actuality.

For many, the long ago reasons that forced them to leave Colombia remain forever etched in their minds, and present day reality is not to be believed.

Bring your wife back for a visit, and the two of you just might decide (based on facts) to return for a lifetime!

jmbone comments on american looking to live in medellin

Semperfi...for more about Medellin check out: www.medellininfo.com

It´s a Not For Profit project (promoting Medellin and Antioquia ) that I have dedicated myself to. The people, the city, the mountain settings, are all very special. It takes but a blink of the eye to fall in love with the area.

If "Colombia is Passion", than "Medellin is Seduction".

I want to present the Portal in Spanish, and so I´m looking for a translator. Can´t afford to pay much, but the publicity for the translator would be (visit the site and check out the graph/statistics on the growing numbers of unique visitors) a positive springboard for doing translations while working out of the comfort of one´s home-located perhaps, high in the mountains looking down into the beautiful Aburra Valley?

Semperfi, you have found a very special place (and I´m sure, a good woman) in a great Country-Colombia.

Enjoy.

jmbone comments on

An interesting comment made by Arnold Toynbee who is generally regarded as one of the two best historians of the 20th. century can be found at:

http://www.cartagenainfo.net/others/historic/english2.html

or, to cut to the chase, during Toynbee's visit to Cartagena, while standing in front of the fortifications that defended this great city from attempted invasions by the King of England, Toynbee said:

"This (CARTAGENA) is the reason that South America does not speak English"

jmbone comments on Brief travel guide to Cartagena

The most complete website for Cartagena is www.cartagenainfo.com where there are Home Pages for BOTH Casa La Fe, AND Casa El Carretero, plus dozens more, including Cartagena Relax.

We invite Peter to provide us with a Link in the Cartagena Travel Guides as our Portal is the largest and most complete in Cartagena. If printed the site would total more than 800 pages and more than 2,000 fotos....all about Cartagena. It appears in both Spanish and English and normally it is updated at least 3-4 times a week.

Pyireland, you will enjoy Cartagena

jmbone comments on

Hola Mike....my recent Avianca experience is OK I´m back and forth between MIA and CTG, a couple of times a year, and since the ownership of Avianca has changed, I´ve noticed a nice improvment in both passenger treatment and their website where I now purchase E tickets. I used to check with all the so-called discount on line ticket houses and then call Avianca to get them to match the best discount price. Since the ownership change, I´ve found that Avianca now offers, up front, the best prices and good availability. Currently Avianca is offering some nice deals. Check out:

www.cartagenainfo.net

and click on the Avianca banner.

jmbone comments on Utility Rates in Poblado

Thanks tejasmarcos for the factual info. I have observed that when actual numbers and facts are presented, the thread dies quickly, OR it turns to bla bla bla.

Tejasmarcos, you have done your part is helping PBH remain a trusted source of reliable info. Thanks.

Due to the high number of bla bla bla postings, the Search THIS SITE feature of PBH, is usually a time waster.

Perhaps Peter could add a tenth catagory: Bla Bla Bla?

Bet no one would use it! grin

jmbone comments on Colombian Travel Agencies / Sites

Travel Agencies in Cartagena check out Home Pages of Cartagena Travel Agencies at:

http://www.cartagenainfo.net/negocios/?categoria=AGENCIASDEVIAJE&lang=ENG

Before you depart, send each of the Agencies identical E mails detailing exactly what you are looking for. Then monitor their response time and answers to your E mail. This should be a good indicator as to who will provide you with the best service.

The Guide to Cartagena (with more than 800 pages if printed)at: WWW.CARTAGENAINFO.NET
is all about FACTS, CONTACTS, RESULTS AND MORE THAN 2,000 CARTAGENA PHOTOGRAPHS.

Good Luck, and enjoy Cartagena

jmbone comments on Buying a house in Colombia

MTBE...a typical defininion of "Buyer´s Market" would be: A SITUATION, WHICH FAVORS THE BUYER DUE TO MORE PROPERTIES BEING ON THE MARKET THAN THE NUMBER OF INTERESTED OR ABLE BUYERS. MOTIVATED SELLERS TEND THEN TO REDUCE THEIR PRICES.

Sure, the prices for most well located Colombian properties, especially in the major cities, have been on the rise over the past four years or more, but there are realty closings taking place every day in which the closing price is less than market value because of an over supply of properties. One can find many examples of over supply with properties priced at and below market value being on the market for a year or more. And, many properties being sold are the result of counter offers of 15-25% less than original market value asking prices. All of the above examples are indicative of the current: "Buyer´s Market".

What may be confusing, regarding the term: "Buyer´s Market", is the activity in sales of NEW APARTMENT PROJECTS. When potential Buyer´s see prices continue to increase, especially during the pre-construction and construction periods, the idea that it´s a Buyer´s Market, does indeed look like, as MTBE suggests: "agents BS."

But, as you know, professional realty agents do not set prices, the developers and property owners do!

jmbone comments on how to rent an apartment without being "cheated"

"advice from Colombian people" many of the postings offer good advice. So far, however, I see no postings by COLOMBIAN PEOPLE, like Josergar asked for? Why is this?


Every month, in all of the major cities, the number of available rental units owned by non Colombian´s keeps increasing. These postings offer MAJOR reasons why the entire Colombian rental market is transitioning through some important changes. BUT.....

WHERE IS THE:"advice from Colombian people"????

Surely on PBH, there are rental agents, real estate company employees, abogados, taxi drivers, street hustlers, scam artists, Colombian renters, etc. who could "spill the beans" on the inside tricks and scams used in the rental business, AND more importantly, offer their(COLOMBIAN)advice as to how to avoid being ripped off?

"advice from Colombian people"....that´s what Josergar asked for....let´s hear it from the horse´s mouth! How about it my Colombian friends?

jmbone comments on Mid-priced hotel in Cartagena?

Check out more than two dozen Cartagena Hotel Home Pages http://www.cartagenainfo.net/alojamientos/alojamientos.php?categoria=HOTELES&lang=ENG


Home Pages include complete contact and booking info., text, photographs, prices and some Home Pages have maps and photo galleries.


Please deal direct with Cartagena businesses. When you accept the limited information of the international airline and hotel booking websites you are diverting commission money, that must be paid by the local Cartagena hotels, AWAY from the poor economy of Cartagena.


If you love Colombia, and her wonderful people, and want to help, please deal direct with businesses in Colombia.

Whenever you have the opportunity, consider using the power of the Net to help the local people, rather than enrich the big international companies.

Thanks,

Jim

jmbone comments on Loving Medellin? Why?

My website: www.medellininfo.com is full of hundreds of examples, and more than a thousand photos, as to why I love this great City of Eternal Spring. In 06 I lived for more than four months in Medellin and met and worked with some wonderful people. This year I hope to spend even more time in the area.

The Portal is attracting thousands of unique visitors each month, and the numbers keep growing. As the current site is only in English, this is a good indicator of worldwide tourist, business investment and real estate interest in progressive Medellin and Antioquia.

There must be someone who loves this great city as much as I do, and who will translate the websites English into Spanish? I have been looking, but so far the prices that fellow lover´s of Medellin want to charge are just to high for a pensioner with a Not For Profit, no advertising, website........any takers?

Check it out at: www.medellininfo.com

regards,

Jim

jmbone comments on Cartagena Real Estate

This post began with: "Visiting Cartagena next week.... and may look at at some Real Estate. Anyone know the history of the market the last five years and or have an opinion on the next five?
By scott321 at 01/20/2007 - 16:26 | Friendly Talkzone | next forum topic"
------------------
A poster with the handle of: "jake" (he has used other names) made the below quoted comments.

NOTE #1: Some of "jake's" postings took place within seconds of each other indicating he pasted them to PBH. Nothing wrong with that, but it seems to suggest that he is trying to dominate the thread with many postings? If you check "jakes" PBH history you will see that his PBH membership is rather limited, under the name of: "jake" and other names as well...for example:

"jake
History
Member for:
1 day 12 hours"

At the time of his actual posts he had only been operating under the name of "jake" for less than an hour! He says his password did not work, and so he had to get another name and password??

-----------------------------------------------

Look at a more recent post of scott321, the man who started the thread:

"Jake
I will be in Cartagena this week for vacation and to do some initial scouting around. If I like the city and feel it is a good investment I will take you up on your offer and come back on another trip solely to look at real estate. I currently live in Nicaragua.
By scott321 at Mon, 01/22/2007 - 01:24 | login or register to post comments"

Scott's comment: "If I like the city...." may be an indicative that "jakes" postings have influenced him regarding: Cartagena? "Jake" uses words such as: stupid Gringos, ghetto apartments, rip offs, prostitutes, absolute dump, cockroaches, paying twice, etc. etc.????

When I first brought this post to the attention of Paul Juan, his initial comment was: "I think that this very negative for the image of Cartagena". Later on, after I pointed out a few more of "jake's" posts, Paul phoned his attorney, who reviewed the posts. If "jake" will let us know where he can be reached, the attorney would like a chat with "jake".

Isn't it obvious that "jake" has a personal problem with my good friend and partner, Paul Juan?. If so, why has "jake" failed to talk directly with Paul about his problems? Paul suggests that "jake" gather his "facts" and visit with the government District Attorney (Fiscalia) located in Crespo. Paul says he will pay the cab fare-both ways!

PAUL DOES NOT SET PRICES. Sellers and Developers set prices. Paul invites those who may be interested, to visit his website: www.cartagenarealty.com, where fees, commissions, closings, Buyers Tips, etc. etc. are presented, in detail, for all to see, 24/7.

Compared with many Agents and Brokers that I know in the states, Paul's sales approach is very low, low, key. I know from experience that a few former customers of Paul, who chose NOT TO BUY, are upset and even bitter over their decisions! Who knows, perhaps "jake" is one of those who missed out on buying in Cartagena when prices were much lower?

NOTE # 2 to the PBH MODERATOR...Has this posting stream been moderated? Comments have been made, that in my opinion, are AGAINST THE STATED RULES OF THE WEBSITE OWNER: PETER?

Following are quotes from "jake's" postings:


"YES IT IS TRUE! If you are a stupid gringo Paul will ask you to pay him 1.5 percent in addition to the commission the seller pays him."

"Paul Juan sells the most over priced real estate in Cartagena. There is no one with prices more than him."

"Jim likes to make himself sound like a big business man but the truth is this 67 year old man lives in a $20,000 ghetto apartment in Cartagena. Any successful business person would not live under the poverty line especially at his age."

"Jim admits that Paul Juan charges commission to the BUYER. No one else in Colombia tries to rip off gringos to this extent."

"Bottom line is Paul is over charging the gringos."

"Something more I got to add about this 1% commission thing since it is completely crazy."

"Paul is asking for 1% of the sale price? Yes? This is crazy!!!! CRAZY!!!!"

"Paying someone $1000 to spend 1-hour translating is absolutely INSANE!!!"

"When I met Paul he made it sound like him charging an additional commission was how things worked in Colombia."

"After I spent more time in Colombia I found out that Paul Juan was just trying to get a double commission."

"If I had bought something from him I would have felt ripped off for paying twice. "

"I feel very strongly about not doing business with Paul Juan because he is promoting gringo prices."

"Almost every apartment on his web site is over priced."

"However, I noticed a lot of the apartments are in Conquistador. This building is an absolute dump and should be avoided at all costs."

"But avoid this building unless you like living with transient prostitutes and cockroaches."
---------------------------------------------

Sincerely, Jim

PS. I'm just an old pensioner who loves living in Cartagena. In spite of the fact that somebody named "jake" says that I: "live under the poverty line". Considering my comfortable digs (yes my apt. is small, but very efficient, and I love it), my work, and lifestyle, if "jakes" poverty line B.S. were true, I would consider it a compliment to my amazing skill in frugality!

What (additional B.S.) say you, "jake"?