Hi Jacki,

Are you still going out to Goa next week? If so could we have a chat first?

Cheers,

Jeff

Yes - managed to get the place furnished and "electricaly" fitted out i.e. lights - aircon - fans etc. Helped a lot that our niece bought a apt near us and was out furnishing hers a couple of weeks before and so did a lot of the legwork - price checking - lucky for us!

Jeff46 - what type of visa do you have?

Hi Flip,

Just an ordinary tourist visa - 6 months I think. Went out for the first time last Sept and stayed at Club Mahindra,Varca Beach. Liked it so much we decided to buy an apartment! I think the Visa expires about now. Will probably go back later this year but can't be sure yet as we have bou
ght an apartment in Bulgaria which should be completed in 2 months time.
Jeff

Help!! Please!!

We have heard so many different stories about buying in Goa. We havepaid the first couple of installments and the next is due when we go over in April.

Has anyone got any onfo they could help us with? Starting a business - legalities of owning in Goa etc etc.

I thought everything was going ok but the more I read the more I panic!

Has anyone gone through the process? We are both British citizens with no Indian connections which I understand makes a huge difference.

Many thanks

Jo N Gray

Hi Jom 1964 - Don`t panic - buying in Goa is straight forward as long as you have a respectfull and well known professional development company to buy from. Firstly you must be aware that unless you are resident in India you cannot buy the freehold of a property, but you can purchase a property on leasehold for a period of five years - which your developers should renew indefinately every five years or untill such time as you can full fill the requirements for gaining residency ( look back at previous threads for info ) and having the freehold of the property signed over to you. Going down the road of forming a company to enable you to purchase freehold is an option,but unnecessary in my view if you are intending to use the property for holidays in the short term and perhaps for retirement in the not to distant future as this is one of the requirements for residency as well as the 182 days rule.

Thanks Bam

Just getting a bit nervous about it all - I have PM'd you just to say thanks again.

Jo

Hi all

Went to Goa to look around (mainly Colva) in feb and am really glad that I did - confirmed our decision to buy.

Met the architect (from Tecnica) - really sound chap and quite friendly. Quality seems to be much higher than I expected.

Anyway, I have a question - can anyone recommend a way to transfer money to India that combines security with a good exchange rate?

We made our first payment the other day through our regular UK bank and whilst its very secure, the rate was pretty poor (about 74.7rup/£). This makes our purchase more expensive that originally planned.

Any thoughts anyone?

Cheers

Hi All,

This is my first time on this forum. As an Indian living abroad it feels odd asking a question about selling Indian property in a forum mostly used (I'm assuming) by non-Indians! I guess that's the global village we all live in!

Anyway, I have an apartment in Calangute that I would like to sell. I've owned it from the time it was built about 12 years years ago. Any suggestions on how to figure out the market value, find a broker etc would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
JB

Hi Jamesbrown,
there is a good English agent in Calangute called Roy Freeman and his business is the Goan estate agency. He has had experience in selling both for uk nationals together with resident indians. If you contact him he would be able to give a guide price. Although it seems in Goa that you put it up for sale at the price you would like and see how it goes!!

To Bam
We too have lost out cos of poor exchange rate....it is really annoying when you have budgeted on the exchange at the time. I contacted loads of money transfer agencies before we sent our cash and their rates were chronic. In the end we sent with Nat West but booked a rate first. It is unfortunate that so far, this season the rate has only reached R80 once. Last year R85 was almost the norm!!

Thanks Towpal, I'll try Roy Freeman.

JB

Hi
It seems like a good idea may be to set-up an account in India and transfer money when the rates are good so it is ready for when its needed.

Cheers

Hi there.

I wonder if anyone can help me?

I am a singer, keybord player & DJ, and for several years now, I have been hatching a plan to retire eventually to India. I currently live and work in Tenerife.

Two things have arisen, however, which might make it more attractive to move sooner rather than later.

Firstly, the tourist industry in Tenerife seems to be decidedly on the wain, with work for entertainers here becoming more and more "hand to mouth" (unless you do Elvis! ). Secondly, watching the appreciation in property values in India, if I don't get "on the ladder" there fairly soon, I can foresee a time when I may not be able to afford to make the move. I've watched as properties valued at 4000€ 5 yrs ago have hiked up to the point where they are now changing hands for 30,000€!

My ultimate aim is to retire (bearing in mind retirement for me is about 10 to 20 yrs away!) to one of the less tourist areas, possibly Southern Rajasthan or Gujarat (I have friends in both of these areas). If I intend to move now, however, I need to settle initially in an area where there is a need for English entertainment, and the possibility of making a good profit on a property (which will effectively constitute my "pension"). As I intend then to remain in India, the rules about taking profit abroad will not affect me.

What I am hoping you might be able to tell me is:

1) Is there yet a call for English speaking entertainers and DJ's in Goa? (When I was there a few years ago, it seemed to be mainly locals & Portuguese doing the entertaining.)

2) If so, what remuneration could I expect for work in that industry in Goa? - Cabaret fees, DJ fees, salaries for entertainment work in the hotel complexes, etc. - Obviously, I don't expect european rates, but I couldn't afford to work for a few rupees a night either!

3) Do I have to have a firm offer of work before I can obtain a work permit, or can I come over on a tourist visa, and apply for a full working visa only when I've got enough work in the diary?

4) Do you know if they have such things as entertainment agencies in India, and if it is worth my contacting them from here before I go?

5) Does anyone know of a cheap way of getting my equipment (keyboards, recording machines, etc.) over there?

6) Anyone know how to apply for visas & work permits, etc. from Tenerife? (There is no Indian Embassy or High Commission this side of Madrid! )

I realise I may not get all of these answers, but any information you can give me will be gratefully received.

Thanks

Ian

Ian,

I'm a musician who plays soul, blues and a bit of jazz and have visited Goa many times but have never played there but spoken to and seen a lot of musicians.

Here are some observations.

There are a lot of Goan musicians playing in mainly duo format or solo with midi files, the front man usually playing guitar or keys. Some of these entertainers are good some not so (vocals being a problem). In general the overall standard of playing is good. Their repertoire is made up of very slushy ballads Celine D, Neil Diamond, Whitney, etc..... nothing past the mid 80's, this is typical of Eastern covers bands. Not my cuppa, my idea of musical hell. There are also quite a few good jazz musicians.

I must add that I have also seen the occasional really out of tune singer (thought it was a joke) with midi files where the hotel management have not blinked. Probably playing just to get practice.

The Goans seem to have the resorts covered and I would imagine they are playing for next to nothing.

Maybe the big hotels down South would be your best bet as they have to keep the standards high and there would be more money. I have heard a few of the bands down there and they were much better than those around Candolim/Calangute. Quite a few bands/musicians had done the cruise ships.

I have seen a few European singers/guitarists but none with Keys/midi probably due to the cost of flying in gear. Saw an English progressive blues/rock band in the Jazz house who were appaling yet worked a lot.

The Goans seem to have all the gear which they buy from Mumbai. There is a music shop in Panjim but definately not hi-tec.

I don't know about disco's as the Goan people seem to take great pride in their music.

The thing is there might not be much money to start with but it would definately be a move forward. I personally think that this market could open up sooner or later for you.

Best of luck.

Neil

Thanks, Big Neil. This is just the sort of info I'm after.

It sounds like things haven't changed much since I was last there about 4 years ago.

I was hoping that the opening up of commercial property purchase to "foreigners" a couple of years ago might have made available a few more jobs for us Brit entertainers.

I should make it clear that while I've been here in Tenerife, I've never taken the keyboards to a gig! The way things work over here is that 99% of the venues are equipped with PA, minidisk & karaoke, so all you carry with you is a minidisk & your microphone.

This originated because, in the early days when South Tenerife was something new, the bars would only pay local labour rates for a cabaret show. The only way that UK entertainers could make the kind of money they were used to was to carry as little gear as possible, and run from bar to bar, doing three shows a night. As more and more Brits and Scandinavians opened bars here, the money for each show started to rise, and led to what many show-people regard as the island's heyday.

This was probably about 6 to 8 yrs ago, and at that time, good English speaking entertainers could easily earn over 1000€ a week, and even bad ones could make 500! The "3-a-night" culture remained, however, and as tourism began to settle and then decline here, the venue owners retained it as a way to reduce costs. They just started booking less cabarets, resulting in 3-a-night becoming 2-a-night, then 1-anight. We now find ourselves in the position where many venues are still paying the same 60€ (equivalent to 10 mil of the old pesetas) for a cabaret spot, but with so few spots available, instead of 3 per night, many artists are now having to manage with 3 per week, during the low season.

Bear in mind that, in the same period, long-term property rentals have hiked up by about 500% in some areas, most other prices having gone through the roof with the introduction of the Euro, and it is little wonder that entertainers are leaving the island at a rate which might bring one to the conclusion that "last one to leave pays the tab"!

Anyway, I use my keyboards and recording equipment to create and re-master minidisk tracks for use when I am compereing or doing cabaret. I also do some remix CD's for my DJ'ing. The most I ever carry to a gig is a flightcase of CD's.

I think there is a good chance that, as Goa develops, there will be more work there for Brit entertainers. From what you are telling me, however, it sounds like that time is not yet.

I am still interested in any more information anyone can give me, as India remains my "final destination". Maybe the initial key may lie in the new hotel complexes, or even in some intermediate tourist area somewhere else in the world as a "stopover" on the way...

So... a couple more questions:

1) Can anyone tell me if any global hotel chains now exist there, where I might be able to apply for something like an Entertainments Manager position through one of the hotels I currently work for here in Tenerife? I would be particularly interested in any complexes who work with Airtours, as I already have a contract with that company.

2) Any suggestions of other "intermediate" destinations (anywhere in the world, but preferably not US territories, as the work-permit situation is too tortuous), where I could make good money as a singer/compere/DJ/entertainments manager while I wait for Goa to be ready for me!

Thanks again

Ian

Hi Bam, about sending money out to Goa: I've done it loads of times and loads of ways, safest is via your bank (mine is Alliance & Leicester, they have an international section). However - word of advice here! - don't accept the first rate they offer you! Challenge them and they will often come back with a better rate. Last time I did this I was sending around £17K, the first rate offered was something dire like 76.5, I got it up to nearly 79, it made a difference of over £400. Good luck!

Hi Automike

We've just come back from Arpora and saw the apartments being built ( you lucky thing)!! A cheeky question but roughly how much are these apartments going for...???

we have recently been trying to get a five year visa at the london embassy because we are going to move to goa to live , we have an apartment in highland beach , candolim and a villa in nerul but when we went to the embassy they tell us we can only have a five year visa , can anybody tell us why this is and more importantly is there any way round this problem because we hear people saying they have five year visas but when you ask them they just tell you it was easy to get .
all you help is greatly needed.

hi ginaL
the apartments you are talking about in arpora are selling for £34,000 a workmate of mine has not long bought one and he says that they are all sold on that plots he has never been to goa and bought off a company from the internet me and the wife saw them last week and they look pretty good from the road. my workmate has been looking at the progress on the internet and he seems quite happy so far.
neil