'RETIRED' Real Estate

RETIRED

WE WILL BE COMPLETELY RETIRED IN FEB. 2011. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO RETIRE ON A 10-20 ACRE HORSE FARM HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA. WE'VE SPENT 1 1/2 YEARS LOOKING AND HAVE COVERED 80% OF THE STATE AND HAVE FOUND EITHER THE IDEAL HOUSE OR THE IDEAL LAND...NOT BOTH!!!

WHEN WE CAME ACROSS ECUADOR AND THEN URUGUAY WE BECAME VERY INTERESTED EVEN THOUGH BOTH ARE QUITE DIFFERENT. WE ARE THINKING ABOUT URUGUAY BECAUSE OF ITS COSMOPOLITAN FEEL, INTERNATIONAL CUISINE AND SUPPOSED COST OF LIVING. WE HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME IN WESTERN EUROPE AND HAVE LIVED IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.

OUR MODEL FOR RETIREMENT INCLUDES A SINGLE STORY HOME W/WO POOL, W/WO BARN AND ACREAGE FOR A FEW HORSES. WE WANT TO ENJOY FARM/RANCH LIFE AND YET BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE CULTURAL ASPECTS OF MONTEVIDEO.

TODAY I FINALLY FOUND A PROPERTY IN PIRAPOLIS, MALDONADO. OBVIOUSLY, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MAY BE WITHOUT SEEING IT. WE ARE LOOKING FOR A EUROPEAN/MEDITERRANEAN STYLE HOME. I THINK THAT MAY BE A LONG SHOT BUT WE WILL BUILD IF WE DON'T FIND WHAT WE WANT. IF THE SAFE RURAL COUNTRY AREAS ARE LIKE MALDONADO WE THINK WE MAY BE IN THE RIGHT PLACES.

OK. HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS: CAN ANYONE DIRECT US TO THE APPROPRIATE GEOGRAPHICAL TOWNS OR VILLAGES WHICH WILL MEET OUR RANCH CRITERIA? DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE USING LOCAL CONTRACTORS FOR HOME BUILDING PROJECTS AND WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE?

WE LIVE AN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS LIFESTYLE HERE IN THE STATES. OUR SS INCOME WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 3300.00/MONTH. IF ANYONE CAN TELL US HOW MUCH ABOVE THAT FIGURE WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT LIFESTYLE THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

WE ARE PLANNING OUR FIRST VISIT TOWARD THE END OF SEPTEMBER AND HOPE TO MEET SOME OF YOU AT YOUR EXPAT REUNION.

THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE,

ANTHONY & SANDY

Ethnic restaurants are few and far between in Montevideo and I bet very very scarce outside the city.

Uruguay is quite unlike other places on the planet so come and look/see for yourself before buying anything. In my view the only good reason for living here is because you love it for and in spite of what it is. The cost of living swings according to the exchange rate and state of the economy so over time its likely to be both expensive and cheap. At the moment its edging up to expensive.

If you like generally bland but meaty fresh food at medium prices you've come to the right place.

We live a comfortable rural life midway between MVD and Buenos Aires, run a pick-up, sponsor a dirt-track saloon car racing team and other rural pursuits with occasional overnighters to Bs As a bit of Big City for about 2.7k U$S/month. I even do a bit of farming for a few days a year but growing wheat and soya isn't exactly time consuming.

I spent 2.5 years refurbishing 200 sq meters of old house and adding a mock Norman keep (another 200 sq meters) using a team of 4 to 8 workers. "Glacial" is the best term I can think of to describe my workers progress though a lack of prefabricated parts and plant hire didn't help. I felt obliged to supervise operations all the time because on the rare occasions I made it to MVD for the day, I'd be sure to find a major error when I returned. If you are planning major building works you either need to stay on site yourself or to hire an architect to do it for you.

Having said that I understand that you can find people in MVD and the Coast who move at much greater speed/efficiency together with a much broader availability of prefabricated parts like concrete beams, construction timber and sheeting materials so progress is generally more rapid.

I'm thinking that for what you are looking for, Uruguay is right.

I don't believe that Piriapolis is it (I like Piriapolis a lot) but you would not be to close to City life.

Canelones will be the "Departamento" closest to Montevideo where you will find that Farm that you like and City life, also if you find the right place you can be close to the Coast and nice Beaches.

Reading from Patrick (Rural life) I come to realize that Colonia offers the best of both worlds and one of them "twice". You will be an hour and thirty minutes from Montevideo and Buenos Aires and able to live in a nice rural area, riding Horses and eating in "El Suizo".

So as a Uruguayan living in the States for 41 years and knowing Florida I think that Canelones and Colonia will be your best bet.

Good luck and enjoy retirement, we're almost tasting it.

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