Well we are looking into other properties in Puerto Rico since we think Awilda is going to try and sell the Lares Property to someone else without the proper title work. We had asked her to call us back if anything had changed, but we haven’t heard anything. We figure that since we spent much of our time on the beaches that we should look to somewhere closer to Rincon. We are looking at Aguada. I think we can find something that has a few acres and we would still be close to all the ‘action’.
This NYT article lists PR as one of the more affordable places in the Caribbean to live. We would like to be out there in 2 years or less. Its a big goal for us. I keep looking back to a picture we took on our last trip. (mainly because its my desktop pic..lol) and it reminds me of our goal often.
Its a good thing that spring/summer is here in Colorado though. Its been really nice out and this weekend is rainy. I love rainy days. The mountains look beauitful and I am going to try and get up there quite a bit this year.
A shot of the Rocky Mountains taken from the car while we were on I-25
Well we saw that the Lares, Puerto Rico property was back up and listed for sale online. The price had gone up in the listing by $15,000. We had gotten our deposit back after a year + of waiting on the title. She was free to try and sell it to another buyer and we are free to look around again. So it was not a bad thing at all to see it listed.
I decided to call Alwilda just to see how things were going. I asked her how the title was coming along? She replied “I have sold the property”. I was kind of surprised, but knowing how badly she wants to move I was happy for her. “Bien! Bien!” I said, “When will you be able to move?”. She said that she is selling the property in June to some Canadians.
There are a few things that struck me odd about that.
I’ve looked up lots of information over this last year and its kind of hard to pin down, but I don’t believe she can sell the property until it is listed in the title registry. I’ve seen information online that even says that a notary has to sign for the deed and the first thing they have to do is verify is that the title is properly filed in the registry. This one isn’t listed, which is why we couldn’t buy it. Carlos (her lawyer & also a notary AND ex-son in-law) kept telling us that if we paid with cash, then we would be able to buy the property…Yeah….right. I have a bridge to sell you.
The other odd thing is that she is selling it in June which means to me she hasn’t sold it. Maybe they are looking into it the same as Cassie and I did? To visit and make a decision.
I don’t know the people that are buying the property but if they are reading this (they might stumble across this), be careful. There are some odd laws in the books down there. William is the one who owned the entire plot broke off and sold the 25 acres to Alwilda. William has children who may have legal right to the land when he dies (Spanish inheritance laws). When we applied for the loan thru the bank, the bank was saying “no way” due to the title issues. Some of the best advice I received from a realtor was to go thru the big well known institutions and reputable places. They are protecting themselves in the deal and as a result you get that protection. Which is why even if you have cash to buy something outright its not always the best route. You lose a lot of protection so you better be sure you know what you’re doing. That’s my opinion anyway.
Estrella, Alwilda and me, plus Pirulo (the dog)
It’s a beauitful property deep in the mountains of Lares and if we could have bought it legit, I think we would have. However, I think we are just going to look for a place closer to the beaches and wish Alwida the best of luck. We do feel like we kind of missed out, but it is probably for the best for both parties. We will continue to stay in touch with her and visit when we are in Puerto Rico next.
I called Carlos this morning (the lawyer working on the Puerto Rican property title) just to see where they are at. When we were there he was supposed to have a meeting with the surveyors. It was scheduled a day before we left. Well they STILL haven’t had that meeting. I guess it goes to show that we made the right choice by getting our deposit back and start looking at other options.
The Puerto Rico title process takes a long time. How hard is it to get 3 people together in person to talk?!?! Seriously.
Well, we have been pretty busy these last few days. We went to San Juan with Awilda to help her deliver some pasteles, pick up yuca and other supplies and talk with Carlos, the lawyer in charge of the property proceedings. While at the meeting with Carlos, Britton asked Awilda for the deposit back and…after delaying and trying to put it off, she finally wrote out a check a day later after he asked her again about three times. It is a great weight off our shoulders, but I am sure that the weight has now been placed firmly on hers. But really, I think we have been pretty patient considering we gave the money over a year ago with nothing to show from it…They can’t sell the property and don’t know when they can. Soon, it is alway soon, they say, but never is. Paso a paso (step by step).
So we are still in line if we are interested in purchasing it at some unforeseen moment in the future, but we are also now free to look without worrying about getting our money back, and she is free to look for a buyer who can buy it without a properly filed title. (Good luck!)
After that drama and awkwardness, we decided to get together with Dios Dado, the man we met on the airplane on the way in. We met him in el centro de Lares at the famous Heladeria where they have a variety of ice cream flavors including rice and beans! As we were trying to find a parking space some dude in a big ol’ pick up truck backed right into us and then ran off! Luckily it only left a minor scratch in the front fender where the rental car was already scratched. Hopefully the rental car people don’t notice. Crazy drivers, seriously!
After enjoying our ice cream and hearing a history lesson about the area from Dios Dado (who is very knowledgeable and a former history teacher), we followed him up to Arecibo to park our car in front of one of his friends’ house. They invited us in to have lunch. I think that was the best meal we have had since we have been here, and we have had some tasty food. They fixed up some habichuelas, arroz, ensalada, tostones, chuletas de cerdo, jugo de naranja and quesitos! It was awesome. I now know what really good Puerto Rican food should taste like. It is a lot different than the vegan versions that Awilda has served.
After telling chistes, talking about antiques, and telling travel stories, we headed off to some of the north coast beaches. Dios Dado took us to Arecibo, Manati, Barceloneta, and Vega Baja. It was a windy day and the waves were high. We saw an old abandoned mansion that Britton says would be great for playing paintball (they call it “Gotcha” here). It was an awesome day. Thanks Dios Dado!
Even the trees are dancing!
Later that evening we drove back “home” through the fog and rain. It was kind of cool knowing we were basically driving through a cloud at the top of the mountain. Sometimes I think about that part in “Batman” where his cave mansion appears after a curve in the road on a foggy night. That’s how it was last night. Anyway, it has been a very interesting trip so far, and there is more to come! Stay tuned…
