General Advice As Requested
[QUOTE=RiceRocket99;2532977]Just got back to the good ol' US of A after a 3 month stay in mostly Medellin, but also ventured out to Bucaramanga and Cali. It was the longest stay I've ever had (previous was about 2 months) and it seemed I was living there, and not just visiting, which was very refreshing. I stayed all over Medelland, but enjoyed particularly Niquia in Bello. No gringos, lots of hot pros and non pros around, many bars / restaurants, and prices overall are cheap. I've been going to Medellin 2-3 times a year for the past 8 years. Just recently turned 40 and I'm seriously looking to buy an apt here even though I'm not ready to retire yet. Just wondering if anyone here has experience of buying property in Colombia? I would pay all upfront (looking at $60-80 k USD budget). I plan to do lots of research on the matter, but wanted some general advice if any is available.[/QUOTE]Some things to consider if your thinking of buying an apartment in Medellin. Are you buying as an investment, or just a place for yourself. Based on the amount of money you want to spend, you won't be able to buy a very desirable "gringo rental property" if at all in Poblado, but in Bello you can buy something very nice if just for yourself. If done properly you should be able to obtain an investment visa for a period of one to three years from which you can obtain a Cedula. If you were investing upwards of 200 K USD you could obtain a resident visa, which basically is a green card. As far as bringing any money into the Country, you need to engage a Colombian attorney to correctly register the monies coming into the Country, if not, it will be very difficult to get your money out of the Country. You said you hadn't plan to retire just yet, but if you work remotely, and are in Colombia more than six months a year, your considered a tax resident and must file just like a citizen. As far as buying property in Medellin, it's like the wild west with no "exclusive listings", there will be multiple agents representing sellers and different prices posted and they don't have Escrow companies, and the due diligence is performed by attorneys, and lots of gringo's get burned. So my general advice to you is as follows: Find a top notch Colombian attorney after you have done your research. But this will be a challenge because to become an attorney in Medellin you only need a degree, and there's no bar or exam to license someone as an attorney, so most of them are not competent and may be dishonest. Good Luck.