It had been more than 2 months since my last post here in Hive. The harvest season, planting again, chili trading, and a task given by my boss really consumed all my time.
Now, I have more free time after a week of staying in Mindoro to find some land to purchase for our boss.
I got the task of finding a property on Mindoro Island here in the Philippines. Together with my companions, we travel to Mindoro and stay there for weeks. We saw and examined every piece of land for sale along the main highway. The land prices in Mindoro were very tempting; they were very low. We got offers as high as 1500 pesos ($30) per square meter and as low as 60 pesos ($1.1) per square meter. The only difference was the location; the cheapest were too far from the main highway (usually in the mountains), and the most expensive were near the town proper and along the highway. What we were looking at was a property suitable for establishing businesses but at a cheap price (value for money).
So after days of seeing property sites, meeting, and examining land papers, we end up going to the beach after a recommendation from a landowner we visited. We simply want to relax. At the beach, it was amazing. I finally got to the ocean again after a few years. The beachfront was so quiet; there were only a few houses around, and the water was very clean. Suddenly, my phone rang, and it was our boss just checking up on us. I told him we were at the beach, just relaxing and enjoying the views and the water.
That night in the hotel, my boss told me to send him the videos and pictures that I took at the beach we visited. So the morning came, and we headed to visit a property along the highway. Then I got a text from our boss, telling me to look for some beachfront properties. So then, after some calls to agents, we went to see land for sale on the beach.
Looking for a beachfront property wasn't in our plan at first, but if we can get a raw beachfront property at a good price, my boss can build a resort, and it can be a good business.
It was not that simple; some beachfront properties seem overpriced and crowded, and others don't have access to roads or electricity. Finally, we got our eye on a half-hectare property facing the beach. It is along the road on one side, and on the other side, it faces the beach. The place is very raw, with only very few houses, and it has access to electricity. The asking price seems cheap: 500 pesos ($9) per square meter. After meeting the owner, checking, and validating all the papers, we put that property on our list.
My only task was to look for properties, but in dealing with prices and paperwork, it was another person, actually an attorney. So after my recommendation of three properties along the highway and one on the beach, my work was done.
That was my first time in Mindoro; it was an amazing trip. Endless mountain ranges, beautiful beaches, thick forests, and very quiet places—hopefully, I can come back next year for a vacation.
All of my recommendations were already in the process of being purchased; only some minor paperwork needed to be done. Of course, I will have a percentage of the purchase; that was the agreement with my boss.
So I think, most probably, I will go back to Mindoro for a vacation. 😉