Thursday, May 25, 2006
I guess I should post some Pictures
What good is a blog without pictures?
Well, on second thought, it could be even better without pictures.... Hmm.
Anyways, I don't have any that I'm planning on posting right now.
Hey, it's only one more month until we move. June 25th. I'm feeling the itch that I'll soon be where I need to be. For some reason, I'm drawn to Buenos Aires and my wife's family/friends....
Well, on second thought, it could be even better without pictures.... Hmm.
Anyways, I don't have any that I'm planning on posting right now.
Hey, it's only one more month until we move. June 25th. I'm feeling the itch that I'll soon be where I need to be. For some reason, I'm drawn to Buenos Aires and my wife's family/friends....
Friday, May 12, 2006
Life is good
Well, I certainly can't complain today; this week I found out that my current employer will let me keep working for them, from Argentina! So, the job puzzle has been solved. I'll do my programming, and meetings, remotely. From Argentina. It's pretty incredibly mind-blowing. I had hoped for something like this, but was never sure it would happen. Now it has. Thanks be to God, he answered ours, and others, prayers.
What do I do now? Well, I've got to buy a house. I'm working on getting the funds for that ready. ...
We arrive in BA on June 26th. We'll be staying with my in-laws for a few months, until we can get a place of our own.... The housing market looks awesome in BA. Here's my take on the positives and the negatives:
1. Purchasing power- Few Argentians have any. So, the average price of houses is low. You can get a house for $60,000 in a decent to good part of town, that would cost $200,000 in Vestavia Hills, or $140,000 in Chelsea.
2. Low prices because of limited capital - Mortgages ain't in Argentina. I read an interesting article in the Tucuman newspaper - an Argentinian Province - and it said that Chile has 20 times as many mortgages than Argentina, and Spain 40 times as many. It also said that 1 in 10 houses are bought with a mortgage, compared with 9 out of 10 in developed nations. Why is this? The article speculated that the requirements of a mortgage in Argentina are beyond your average Argentinian-
1. Income level requirements: Most argentinians don't make enough to qualify for one.
2. The fact that 50% of Argentinians are payed under the table "en negro", and therefore their income doesn't even count towards a mortgage!;
3. The fact that banks require a down-payment of about 30% -
They don't make much money, and they don't have much savings! Now, the article also pointed out that experts expect to see 40% more mortgages this year than last, and that the economy is growing, so this problem will be improving.
3. Houses are built with cement. Thus, it is very rare for a house to be consumed by fire, maintenance is lower, and the houses last longer. No rodents eating through the house. No weather damage from not running the A/C in the humid summer.
So, all of these positives make me want to jump on the market, because I think that housing prices are literally 50% off international prices, or more!, and that's just not going to last for forever. In fact, prices are up 30% in the last year!
Negatives:
1. I probably won't be able to get a mortgage. I'm looking for alternate forms of capital. I may take out a bank loan. I'd like to get $15,000 - $20,000 in capital...
2. Renting is really cheap for traditional leases (2 year, unfurnised), so it is tempting. But, it's also a lot of hassle, since we'll have to get Romy's parents to put up their house as surety (garantÃa). Also, I'm afraid where prices might go in 5 or 10 years....
3. I'm new to the culture, and to buying a house there, so it will undoubtedly be hard. But, it should be worth the sweat and blood, right? :) Even just for the experience! Hail Argentina.
Phos
What do I do now? Well, I've got to buy a house. I'm working on getting the funds for that ready. ...
We arrive in BA on June 26th. We'll be staying with my in-laws for a few months, until we can get a place of our own.... The housing market looks awesome in BA. Here's my take on the positives and the negatives:
1. Purchasing power- Few Argentians have any. So, the average price of houses is low. You can get a house for $60,000 in a decent to good part of town, that would cost $200,000 in Vestavia Hills, or $140,000 in Chelsea.
2. Low prices because of limited capital - Mortgages ain't in Argentina. I read an interesting article in the Tucuman newspaper - an Argentinian Province - and it said that Chile has 20 times as many mortgages than Argentina, and Spain 40 times as many. It also said that 1 in 10 houses are bought with a mortgage, compared with 9 out of 10 in developed nations. Why is this? The article speculated that the requirements of a mortgage in Argentina are beyond your average Argentinian-
1. Income level requirements: Most argentinians don't make enough to qualify for one.
2. The fact that 50% of Argentinians are payed under the table "en negro", and therefore their income doesn't even count towards a mortgage!;
3. The fact that banks require a down-payment of about 30% -
They don't make much money, and they don't have much savings! Now, the article also pointed out that experts expect to see 40% more mortgages this year than last, and that the economy is growing, so this problem will be improving.
3. Houses are built with cement. Thus, it is very rare for a house to be consumed by fire, maintenance is lower, and the houses last longer. No rodents eating through the house. No weather damage from not running the A/C in the humid summer.
So, all of these positives make me want to jump on the market, because I think that housing prices are literally 50% off international prices, or more!, and that's just not going to last for forever. In fact, prices are up 30% in the last year!
Negatives:
1. I probably won't be able to get a mortgage. I'm looking for alternate forms of capital. I may take out a bank loan. I'd like to get $15,000 - $20,000 in capital...
2. Renting is really cheap for traditional leases (2 year, unfurnised), so it is tempting. But, it's also a lot of hassle, since we'll have to get Romy's parents to put up their house as surety (garantÃa). Also, I'm afraid where prices might go in 5 or 10 years....
3. I'm new to the culture, and to buying a house there, so it will undoubtedly be hard. But, it should be worth the sweat and blood, right? :) Even just for the experience! Hail Argentina.
Phos
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Tickets are bought. Now all I need is a job
04/05/2006
The tickets have been bought, and we will be moving to Argentina on Sunday, June 25th, 2006. We're selling our house to my parents! The sell date is going to be early to mid May. We'll be holding a Garage sale on Friday and Saturday, May 19th-20th. We're currently in the process of boxing up our old stuff, to either store at my parents's house, or to try and sell at the Garage Sale. If we don't sell it, then we'll give it away.
I'm trying to find work. My strategy includes:
1. Prayer
2. Looking for contract work. I currently have 2 clients! One of these clients is a long-time client, he's been a client of mine for about 5 years. The other is brand new, I just started working for him about two weeks ago. However, these two clients are pretty small-time. I estimate that my yearly income will be between $4,000 and $10,000 from these two clients. While it will may have a big impact on our needs- My estimated expenses are $15,000-$20,000 a year - it won't cover all of our needs.
3. Contacting a friend of mine to see if he'll hire me full-time. I haven't yet emailed him. I spoke with him back in December, to test the waters, and the water looked pretty good. He expressed interest, and told me to contact him closer to the move date. Now, I just have to email him. I'm planning to email him this week, maybe even tonight!
4. After making my case with my friend from #3, I'm going to approach my current employer.
5. If all else fails, then I'll look for a job in Argentina. The job market has really picked up, so I feel pretty confident that, in time, I'll be able to find something.
Once we get to Argentina, we'll stay with my wife's parents for a few months, and then either buy our own place, or rent an apartment. I'd love to buy, since housing prices just keep going up, but we'll have to see if we can afford it....
The tickets have been bought, and we will be moving to Argentina on Sunday, June 25th, 2006. We're selling our house to my parents! The sell date is going to be early to mid May. We'll be holding a Garage sale on Friday and Saturday, May 19th-20th. We're currently in the process of boxing up our old stuff, to either store at my parents's house, or to try and sell at the Garage Sale. If we don't sell it, then we'll give it away.
I'm trying to find work. My strategy includes:
1. Prayer
2. Looking for contract work. I currently have 2 clients! One of these clients is a long-time client, he's been a client of mine for about 5 years. The other is brand new, I just started working for him about two weeks ago. However, these two clients are pretty small-time. I estimate that my yearly income will be between $4,000 and $10,000 from these two clients. While it will may have a big impact on our needs- My estimated expenses are $15,000-$20,000 a year - it won't cover all of our needs.
3. Contacting a friend of mine to see if he'll hire me full-time. I haven't yet emailed him. I spoke with him back in December, to test the waters, and the water looked pretty good. He expressed interest, and told me to contact him closer to the move date. Now, I just have to email him. I'm planning to email him this week, maybe even tonight!
4. After making my case with my friend from #3, I'm going to approach my current employer.
5. If all else fails, then I'll look for a job in Argentina. The job market has really picked up, so I feel pretty confident that, in time, I'll be able to find something.
Once we get to Argentina, we'll stay with my wife's parents for a few months, and then either buy our own place, or rent an apartment. I'd love to buy, since housing prices just keep going up, but we'll have to see if we can afford it....
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Permanent visa to Argentina. The move is on.
01/04/2006
Today, I received my permanent visa to Argentina, from the consulate in Atlanta. We're definitely moving!!!!!!!!
The whole process was pretty painless. My appointment was at 9:30 A.M. eastern, and since I live 2:30 hours away in Birmingham, I woke up at 4:45 A.M. central. After making the drive over, and fighting a few wrecks, I arrived at the consul at 9:10 A.M. Everyone was very cordial, and by 10:00 A.M. they told me that everything was in order, and that I could return between 12:00 and 13:00 to finish everything up.
I returned at 12:35, and was ushered in by 12:45. They took fingerprints of all fingers, twice, had me sign a few papers, including a sworn statement (You can see the sworn statement as a part of the application, e.g. here: http://www.consuladoargentinoatlanta.org/images/docs/visa_permanente.doc), and they gave me the visa. Now, interestingly enough, the consul said that the visa would last for 6 months. We had been planning on going in September, so I told him that. He did a doubletake! He then said, "You can't! This is only valid for 6 months!" But then, he said, "Let me see the visa." He then said, "Well, it's a permanent visa. It should be alright." Hmm... I agree that neither the visa itself, nor the stamp they placed in my passport, appear to have any expiration date, so from that standpoint I'm sure we'd be O.K. to go in September. However, I fear that the Certificate of Good conduct, or something else associated with adjusting my status to permanent residence, may cause a problem in Buenos Aires. So, we're going to go in June, now. Actually, we wanted to go in June previously, but were talked out of it. Now, I don't know if we can be deterred. I really feel God moving us to go in June.
Ok, enough with the details of what happened today. Let me tell you what I did to prepare. I used the consul's instructions as a guide, here: http://www.consuladoargentinoatlanta.org/visa_permanente.htm . However, I changed it up based upon discussions with the consul. So, the details of what I did are:
1. I obtained 3 original copies of my birth certificate, from the State Registrar of Alabama. Once obtained, I sent these off to the Secretary of State, to have them Apostilized (Apostille's seal placed on them, although it doesn't seem to actually be placed on the document; instead, they just staple a new page with the Apostille seal.)
2. I obtained a certificate of good conduct from the Birmingham police office, with a notary's seal. Note that you can also obtain a certificate of this sort from your local courthouse, however I believe that Argentina wants the one from the police office. Be sure to get it notarized. Because, next I had to send it to the Secretary of State, to have them place the Apostille's seal.
3. I had 6 passport photos taken at Walmart, although they only used 4. Go figure. I think the other 2 may be for the national ID (DNI), which you don't get until after you've gone to Argentina.
4. Marriage Certificate. My wife and I got married in Argentina, and we had it Apostilized down there, so this was no problem.
5. Translation to english - The web site says that you have to have a translator sign the translation, get it notarized, and get an Apostille seal. However, I asked the Consul about this, and they told me that I could do the translation myself. So, that's what I did.
6. My wife's DNI, with her residence (domicilio) listed as her residence in Argentina. The consul told me that if your sponsor (e.g. in my case, my wife) changed his/her residence at an Argentinean Embassy/Consulate to be within a foreign country, instead of within Argentina, then you can't obtain the visa in this manner. Instead, you have to bring all of the above papers to Argentina (you enter on a tourist visa), you have them translated by a public translator, and then do everything down there. He also advised getting a lawyer if you go this route. Btw, he said that anyone can go this route. So, if you don't plan ahead, then you can do it all down there. BUT, it seems to me to be a lot easier here.
7. Medical Record - I got this done, but they told me that this is no longer required... Go figure.
So, they gave me the visa, and also 2 envelopes; one for immigrations at the airport, and the other to take to immigrations 10-15 days after arrival. Apparently, this will secure my permanent residency, and a National ID card (DNI).
Today, I received my permanent visa to Argentina, from the consulate in Atlanta. We're definitely moving!!!!!!!!
The whole process was pretty painless. My appointment was at 9:30 A.M. eastern, and since I live 2:30 hours away in Birmingham, I woke up at 4:45 A.M. central. After making the drive over, and fighting a few wrecks, I arrived at the consul at 9:10 A.M. Everyone was very cordial, and by 10:00 A.M. they told me that everything was in order, and that I could return between 12:00 and 13:00 to finish everything up.
I returned at 12:35, and was ushered in by 12:45. They took fingerprints of all fingers, twice, had me sign a few papers, including a sworn statement (You can see the sworn statement as a part of the application, e.g. here: http://www.consuladoargentinoatlanta.org/images/docs/visa_permanente.doc), and they gave me the visa. Now, interestingly enough, the consul said that the visa would last for 6 months. We had been planning on going in September, so I told him that. He did a doubletake! He then said, "You can't! This is only valid for 6 months!" But then, he said, "Let me see the visa." He then said, "Well, it's a permanent visa. It should be alright." Hmm... I agree that neither the visa itself, nor the stamp they placed in my passport, appear to have any expiration date, so from that standpoint I'm sure we'd be O.K. to go in September. However, I fear that the Certificate of Good conduct, or something else associated with adjusting my status to permanent residence, may cause a problem in Buenos Aires. So, we're going to go in June, now. Actually, we wanted to go in June previously, but were talked out of it. Now, I don't know if we can be deterred. I really feel God moving us to go in June.
Ok, enough with the details of what happened today. Let me tell you what I did to prepare. I used the consul's instructions as a guide, here: http://www.consuladoargentinoatlanta.org/visa_permanente.htm . However, I changed it up based upon discussions with the consul. So, the details of what I did are:
1. I obtained 3 original copies of my birth certificate, from the State Registrar of Alabama. Once obtained, I sent these off to the Secretary of State, to have them Apostilized (Apostille's seal placed on them, although it doesn't seem to actually be placed on the document; instead, they just staple a new page with the Apostille seal.)
2. I obtained a certificate of good conduct from the Birmingham police office, with a notary's seal. Note that you can also obtain a certificate of this sort from your local courthouse, however I believe that Argentina wants the one from the police office. Be sure to get it notarized. Because, next I had to send it to the Secretary of State, to have them place the Apostille's seal.
3. I had 6 passport photos taken at Walmart, although they only used 4. Go figure. I think the other 2 may be for the national ID (DNI), which you don't get until after you've gone to Argentina.
4. Marriage Certificate. My wife and I got married in Argentina, and we had it Apostilized down there, so this was no problem.
5. Translation to english - The web site says that you have to have a translator sign the translation, get it notarized, and get an Apostille seal. However, I asked the Consul about this, and they told me that I could do the translation myself. So, that's what I did.
6. My wife's DNI, with her residence (domicilio) listed as her residence in Argentina. The consul told me that if your sponsor (e.g. in my case, my wife) changed his/her residence at an Argentinean Embassy/Consulate to be within a foreign country, instead of within Argentina, then you can't obtain the visa in this manner. Instead, you have to bring all of the above papers to Argentina (you enter on a tourist visa), you have them translated by a public translator, and then do everything down there. He also advised getting a lawyer if you go this route. Btw, he said that anyone can go this route. So, if you don't plan ahead, then you can do it all down there. BUT, it seems to me to be a lot easier here.
7. Medical Record - I got this done, but they told me that this is no longer required... Go figure.
So, they gave me the visa, and also 2 envelopes; one for immigrations at the airport, and the other to take to immigrations 10-15 days after arrival. Apparently, this will secure my permanent residency, and a National ID card (DNI).
