Category Archives: Tropical

Lares Puerto Rico Property Update

View of the property

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.

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Back to Colorado from Puerto Rico

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We arrived back at DIA in Denver at about 8:00pm to cold weather. We were just starting to get used to the time difference, so it felt like it was 11pm to us (Puerto Rican time) -the weather difference was easy to get used to! 🙂 The flight was uneventful, but as we went from Puerto Rico to Miami and then Miami to Denver we saw a definite shift in people, and we knew we were back in plain, sterile, straight (roads) and fairly uneventful Colorado.

We were trying to describe the difference of Puerto Rico and Colorado to people. It’s kind of like being in a dream world and then waking up in boring reality (or Greality -Greeley- in our case). Another way to describe it is going to Toon Town (PR) in Roger Rabbit and back to the regular world, or going back to the black and white part in the Wizard of Oz after seeing the Emerald City (Colorado is very drab right now with virtually no color and Puerto Rico is just covered in color and life). It is an awesome difference where there is something new and unknown around every corner, but I suppose it is also nice to have a boring routine to go back to as well- like warm water in the sinks and showers, and where time actually means something concrete and not vague.

Our last few days in Puerto Rico we met up with Nick and Miri again after trying to see another movie that the theatre accidentally forgot to start (again time is something very vague there). We also met with Dios Dado and he took us to Lago Dos Bocas near Utuado and we took the free boat ride across the lake.

Orocovis town center plaza

He then drove us to Orocovis where we had Longostino (sp?) for lunch. It was real criollo Puerto Rican food, and very good. Orocovis is the dead center of the island.

Now that we are back, it is bittersweet. We were just starting to get the swing of that lifestyle and now we have to readjust. We still have a lot of pictures and stories that we’ll post in the coming days though. We left on pretty good terms with Awilda, all things considered, and we still may buy it. In Puerto Rico, you never know anything for certain.

At the beach in Puerto Rico

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Paso a Paso en Puerto Rico

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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…

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Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice Every Morning.

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Yesterday we stayed at the property, hung out in the hammock and made fresh orange juice from oranges we picked on our hike. It was relaxing and nice not to drive at all for a day.

We decided to start looking at some other properties around the island. We dont know how long the title work will take in Lares. Its already been a year and could be another or two?? We talked to a realestate agent here and he confirmed that the title could take years because of the water resources. He also mentioned that the water law here is kind of complex (which is news to us). We want to stay friends with Alwilda even if the deal doesn’t go thru. She and Estrella are very nice people and have been very welcoming.

It takes about an hour to get to Rincon from the property and this seems to be where we gravitate to, maybe because of all the gringo amenities. Being closer to the ocean would be nice. We have an appointment setup tomorrow to check out some other options. We dont need to (or want to due to price) be right on the beach. Just a small house 1 or 2 bedroom with an acre or two of land would be suitable maybe in Aguada. We are also going to head down the west coast and just look around.

I dont think either Cassie or I have our heart set on the property in Lares. There are pros and cons and we go back and forth every day sometimes by the hour on if we should stick with it or not. Plus since the title has already taken so long; we aren’t counting on anything.