Why Retire in the Philippines/Marinduque Vacations: Am I Ready for A Change of Lifestyle and Another Move?

Planning to Retire Soon!

If you are planning to retire in the Philippines soon, I suggest you visit several excellent websites on pro's and cons of retiring in the Philippines. However if you want to retire in the provinces, where life is simple, standard of living cheaper, less traffic congestion and pollution, availability of fresh seafood and vegetables compared to the big cities, my island province is the place for you! If this is your first time in my site, welcome. Some of the photos and videos on this site, I do not own. However, I have no intention on the infringement of your copyrights. The photo above is the front yard of Chateau Du Mer- Our Retirement Home in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines

Friday, March 3, 2023

Am I Ready for A Change of Lifestyle and Another Move?

For Sale: 8167 Treecrest Ave, Fair Oaks, CA ( Call Tim Pantle-916-834-6376)

Last week, I decided I will sell my 4BR,2.5B single residence(2200 sq.ft) with a big yard to a smaller 2BR (+Den perhaps), 2B condo/townhouse so that I will not be living alone. I have been living alone ( except with my 2 cats) for over a year. I have decided it is not conducive to a longer life being isolated and away from your love ones.

The new location is a prestigious Senior 55+ community with all the amenities a senior citizens desires. It will be more expensive but I will live the few remaining years of my life to the fullest. Now I could start playing bridge again and not scared if I fell no one is around to help me.

I have hired several professionals and also with the help of my relatives to get the house ready for the market by April 1 with the hope of closing by June 1. The real estate market here in Northern Ca is slow because of the high mortgage rates. There are more available homes for sale than buyers. But My realtor has listed my home to the lowest estimate based on Comparables of Similar home in my neighborhood.. The plan are as follows:

Dumped all junks and prepare for the Estate Sale. Removed all clutter as suggested by the staging Professional. Fixed every thing in the house-both in and outside.

I have hired the service of Tim Pantle, Coldwell Banker Realty. Tim plans on doing this with his 5% commission.

1. Professional Photography-36 professional photos for print and online to make sure the property look its very best

2. Single-Property Website- Professionally design property website that is viewable on all devices and easily shared via social media

3. Just Listed e-Flyer- "Just Listed" announcement eBlast sent to an exclusive list of personal and professional contacts

4. Property Tour- Professionally produced photo slideshow with narration

5. Print Advertising- Eye-catching property advertisement in one of the regions prime print publications

6. TV and Online Promotion- Professionally produced spot featured on Coldwell Bankers' TV Show, At Home in Northern California, Saturdays at 4:30PM, CW 31

7. Property Brochures- Beautiful, professionally printed property brochures to showcase the house.

8. Mobile Brochure- Exclusive Yard Sign with CB Mobile brochure technology that delivers the house unique details and photos to consumer mobile phones

9. Area Realtor Notification- Agents at all local real estate companies in my area notified that the home has come on the market

10. Online Property Syndication- Home displayed on most visited websites, Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia and other popular real estate websites

11. Seller Update- E -Detailed Report outlining everything that has been done to bring the property to market and maximize its exposure

With this plan I hope we will close by June 1, in spite of the slow market and High mortgage interest rates. We hope by middle of May the rates goes down to 6%.

Meanwhile enjoy this latest photo of me during our Dinner-en-blanc Party on my 88th birthday last December.

This projected move will be my 13th move( hopefully the last) in the more than 63 years of my life here in the USA. The 12 moves are detailed here:https://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com/2019/07/our-twelve-moves-in-forty-two-years-in.html

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Fruit Trees in the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer

The Mango Tree-I have three varieties in my Garden-The Indian, Guimaras and Carabao Mangoes My caretaker/gardener informed me last month that due to the El Nino drought in Marinduque, two of my Durian trees died in spite of his vigilant watering. One of the tree was attacked by insects that looks like a big fly but yellowish in color that sucks the sap of the seedling. The roots of the other tree was attacked by ants residing in the soil. However, my other fruit trees, the rambutans( 2), the lanzones(2) and the jack fruits ( 2) trees are doing well. The above eight fruit trees were given to me by Retired General Recaredo Sarmiento of Boac and Lucena., about three years ago. General Sarmiento is the “atid” of my wife. “Atid” is the colloquial term for brother. Evidently, Macrine's father, the late Bernardo Jambalos was the Godfather of General Sarmiento during his baptism and comfirmation. Gen Sarmiento's hobby is orchard planting, reforestation and farming. The other fruit trees in my garden are guayabanos, cashew, avocados, starapples, duhats, ates, guavas, mangoes( 3 varieties) and papayas as well as several varieties of bananas . Of the above fruit trees, my favorite is the guayabanos, also known as soursop tree known for its anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties . The following are photos of the fruit trees. The Durian photo is from the web. Note that it almost look like a jack fruit tree, except that the leaves are bigger and shiny. My desire is to have a passion fruit tree in the near future. You are welcome to visit my orchard and flower gardens any time, if perchance you are in the vicinity of The Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center.

The Rambutan Tree and Fruits

The Lanzone Tree and Fruits

The Jack Fruit Tree

The Durian Fruit Tree