jmbone has left 104 comments

jmbone comments on Things to do in Cartagena

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 Sending Flowers & gifts to Cali

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 Learn from the locals: May I recommend a guide to the "other" Medellin?

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"?

jmbone comments on Cartagena Real Estate

Jake, many of the points you raised in your post were... addressed by my previous post at: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/20315 so I will not repeat them.

As a Jr. partner of Paul Juan, I know that Paul's commission requirements are always known by his principals BEFORE the commission is earned or presented for payment. Jake, when there is Full Disclosure, what's the problem? There are no Colombia laws regarding real estate commissions. "Net plus commission" deals are common in Colombia. This is where the Seller tells as many people as possible (including taxi drivers and street peddlers) that he will sell for a firm net price and whatever the "salesman" gets over and above the net, is his to keep! This often results in unconsciously high "commissions" that in many cases the Buyer is never made aware of. This practice is frowned upon by most professional Brokers in Cartagena.

Jake, the devil is in the details. For example: Paul currently has a Gringo Buyer client who asked Paul to close a deal that was found and negotiated by the Buyer. For this Closing Service, Paul routinely charges 1% of the actual sales price. The Buyer, pleased with Paul's work, told Paul: "I'm not going to pay you 1%, I'm going to pay you 2%". Did Paul charge the Buyer 1% or 2%?

In your second paragraph you mention the name: "Juan", which PBH readers could confuse with the name of my partner: Paul Juan. Juan Ventura is the person that your referring to, and he is an honorable man.

"Jake", you mentioned, that you have also posted under the name: "jerryw". What about the name: "jookloo"? I would normally ask this question in an E mail, but none of the above three pseudonyms show an E mail address?

regards,

jmbone

(j.m. bone)

jmbone comments on Cartagena Real Estate

Scott, Many Cartagena properties have doubled in price and a some have tripled or more! Starting from a low cost base, when compared to similar properties internationally, this is understandable. As in all over the world, the 3 most important factors in selecting good Cartagena realty are:(fill in the words).

For a good overview of Cartagena check out the Portal: www.cartagenainfo.net . which has about a dozen Home Pages relating to Cartagena real estate at:
http://www.cartagenainfo.net/negocios/?categoria=BIENESRAICES&lang=ENG or, you can cut to the chase and go direct (IMHO) to the best realty websites (one in Spanish and the other in English) in Colombia at: www.cartagenarealty.com .

As to realty prices during the next five years, stand by and you will see the B.S. posts of many PBH sages and prognosticators!

As for me, I have no idea of what the future holds. At my ripe old age of 67, I no longer buy green bananas, but instead find warm fuzzy comfort in living for, and enjoying the moment, not fretting over the future. Sorry.

DISCLAIMER: I am a part owner of Paul Juan's Cartagena realty websites, and a 50-50 owner with him, on the Not For Profit Portals promoting Cartagena.

Enjoy Cartagena, she is a great historic city.

regards,

Jim Bone

jmbone comments on Please fix the home page.

I know tomtom, and he is a very positive type person perhaps on the 29th. he was moving his head left and right
to read the posts, INSTEAD OF MOVING HIS EYES LEFT TO RIGHT?

And, the next day, on the 30th. he was back to his old positive
self, moving his head up and down, while his eyes did the
horizontal movement? I know he has had corrective surgery to his
eyes. Perhaps this explains it?

Kidding aside, I agree with tomtom, I will not remain on a website
that has horizontal (side to side) scroll....BAD DESIGN!

I'll be back in Cartagena on Oct.10th. and I guess you will be in on the 14th? Have a safe trip.

regards,

jm bone

jmbone comments on Any New Year Advice For Colombia/Cartagena

The Portal for Cartagena, in Spanish and English is: http://CartagenaInfo.net for the English site and

http://CartagenaInfo.com for the Spanish site.

More than 2,000 fotos and hundreds of Home Pages including
Hotel Home Pages with fotos, prices, contact info, etc.

You will love Christmas in Cartagena. Historic, romantic and right on Caribbean.

regards,

jm bone

jmbone comments on Happy in Medellin

A brief photo walking tour of Laureles can be seen at:

http://www.medellininfo.com/neighborhoods/laureles/index.html

Richard, your right, Laureles is a nice neighborhood. Since you live in Laureles maybe you could provide more infomation which would offer a more complete picture of the area?

regards,

jim bone

jmbone comments on Miss Colombia Pageant 2006

Beauty Pagent and other annual event dates can be found at: http://www.cartagenainfo.net/calendarioturistico/english.html

The dates for the Cartagena event are from November 1-13. There is "something" going on each of the above days. Make your lodging
reservations early. This same site also has Home Pages of Hotels
with photos, info. contact info and prices.

Have fun

jim bone

jmbone comments on How do mortgages work in Colombia?

Santa Elena is a nice area overlooking Medellin Many posters have commented about the Annual Flower Festival. The Silletera's live and farm in the Santa Elena area. A nice selection of Silletera photographs can be seen at:

http://ieducativasantaelena.com/htdocs/silleteros.htm

This (www.ieducativasantaelena.com)is a first class school website
which could use some volunteer help in translating the current text
into English.

Visit the website and if interested, you care to comment, or ask questions, the webmaster goes by the nickname of Jaz. She speaks fair English and is the Profesora of I.T.

regards,

Jim Bone

jmbone comments on Budget hotel in Cartagena

Your Cartagena Lodging options are many and.... http://www.cartagenainfo.net/alojamientos/alojamientos.php?categoria=HOTELES&lang=ENG

makes it ez for you to find what your looking for. There are more than two dozen lodging Home Pages, each with photographs, full descriptions, contact information and prices.

You can learn a lot about Cartagena from this site. It has more than 1,500 photographs and 700 pages, if printed.

Enjoy Cartagena.....it's a great historic and romantic city, right on the Caribbean.

Jim

jmbone comments on Miss Colombia will visit "Late Night with David Letterman"

For a photo of Miss Colombia go to:

http://www.geocities.com/pageantmania2000c/colombia06.jpg

enjoy.....
the beauty of Colombia


Jim

jmbone comments on What are the Colombian Monday Holidays in July?

The Colombia annual holidays calendar and a monthly events calendar for Cartagena can be found at:

http://www.cartagenainfo.net/calendarioturistico/english.html

enjoy Colombia!

Jim

jmbone comments on Economic hotels

Home Pages of Cartagena hotels, in English, with prices, photos, and E mail contact info., can be found at:

www.cartagenainfo.net

good luck,

You will enjoy Cartagena

regards,
jim

jmbone comments on Travel tips for Cartagena?

Travel tips for Cartagena Check out: www.cartagenainfo.net.

The site has about 1,500 pages (if printed) and more than 2,000 photos, all about Cartagena. The Portal is in both English and Spanish.

Good luck.

You'll love Cartagena.

regards,
jim bone

jmbone comments on good steak restaurants in Cartagena?

Great steaks....good luck! Leonardo,

If you check out: www.cartagenarestaurantes.com
you will find a hand full of Cartagena restaurants along with menus and prices.

And, for those looking for lodging options there is: www.cartagenacolombiahotels.com
which has about three dozen Cartagena lodging options. Both sites are in Spanish AND English.

A "cultural note"'. At one time there were about 20 restaurants promoting on the above website. The ones that renew each year ($100. u.s.), in addition to asking clients if all is OK, will generally ask their clients how they heard about the restaurant.

Most places of lodging routinely asks this important marketing related question. Those who KNOW they are getting results from their advertising money, are quick to re-new. When in doubt, in a poor economy, most will cancel, as they watch their income continue to slowly decline!

Typically, Hispanic people do not complain in public. The food, service, and prices may all be malo, but when the owner, or a family member at the cash register, asks if everything was all right, the most common answer is very complimentary.

Foreign tourists on the other hand, freely offer their opinions, hopefully with a smile, and in the form of constructive criticism, which may be appreciated by business owners back home....but not here! This is just one business related cultural difference as to why many things change very slowly here.

Regarding finding a "great steak". I've just about given up the search. Meat is tenderized with a pressure cooker, ageing, or chemically through marination or the addition of MSG. I prefer ageing, which is not a common practice where the economy is poor. They can't stand paying for the 15% loss in weight shrinkage as the meat ages for a couple of weeks in a cooler! I've watched in silent amazement as Colombians chew and chew, and chew a small piece of dry, thin sliced beef, and then smile as they pronounce it,delicious!

The last time a Pope visited Cartagena, an aide requested aged beef. A friend, then active in the cattle business, was able to help! From this, one may draw three conclusions: The Pope was informed about the difficulty of finding tasty, tender beef, His Holiness had good taste, and, most everything Papa wants, Papa gets-as well he should!

Tomtom's advice may be worth following. I believe Quebracho claims their beef is from Argentina?

Enjoy Cartagena.....a great historic, romantic city on the Caribbean.

jmbone comments on Apartment Prices in Bogota & Medellin

Medellin, Poblado Apartments-Average Realty Prices Colombia real estate is always a hot topic on PBH with some posters saying: BUY NOW, as others warn: RENT FIRST, then buy when the prices drop.

While personal convictions on what to do remain strong, there seems to be little in the way of actual price comparisons and year-to-year trends.

Check out these April, 06 numbers regarding Medellin Poblado apartment prices at:

http://medellininfo.com/realestate/poblado-prices.html

Regards,

Jim

jmbone comments on Looking at Moving to Cartagena and buying a business

I'm the Gringo that owns www.CartagenaInfo.net, as pointed out by Patrick. Both mcewena 1 and cremaster are offering you VERY GOOD ADVICE-please take it!

I would not trade the six years I've lived and worked in both Cartagena and Medellin for anything. Both are great cities, and for very diverse reasons.

Get help from your woman, for if you fail, she fails. Bear in mind that much of what you may know about business in the states does not apply here. Take it easy...learn...enjoy. Colombia is a great country.

regards,
Jim

jmbone comments on Gold, Dow Jones or Colombian stock market?

18Kt gold-pawn shops are buying at 25,000 pesos a gram. They quote a sell price of 35,000 Pesos. I
got these same prices from a half dozen pawn shops located in
Medellin's Centro...BUT, none of them are selling! Buying yes, but not selling...cause in this rising market hoarding makes more sense, and I can't blame them. The buy sell spread of 10,000 Pesos was also the same with all six shops.

QUESTION: Is the control of buy/sell and the spread, a function of the Colombia govt. or colusion among the pawn shop dealers? And, is there anyway around this??

regards,
Jim