Expats: Fresh Off the Boat | High Prices & Scams

You are a new expat / immigrant arriving in a new country. You are at your most vulnerable at this moment. You don't know what to expect, you are excited and nervous. You are ripe for being fleeces, tricked or worse. How do you protect yourself from people looking to take advantage of your emotional state and lack of knowledge on the ground?
#expat #relocation #nicaragua
29 May 2024
www.buymeacoffee.com/scottala...
^^^^ Support the Channel ^^^^
If you are interested in chatting with me, you can contact me at [e-mail]
Check out my other channels for more content:
/ @nicaragua360
/ @nicarumba
/ @drivewarp
/ @cameracafebyscott
/ @takeflightwithscott
/ @thisisnicaragua
/ @everydayvloggerscott
/ @scottalanmiller
Find me on social media:
Mastodon (like Twitter): nicaloro.com/@scottalanmiller
Images: nicagram.com/@scottalanmiller
Matrix Chat & Calls: @scott:nicahabla.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/sheepgu...
Instagram: @ziffedtraveler
Thank you so much for all of the follows, views, likes, and support!
Consider sending me a VIDEO of your questions or comments, too. 30p (frames per second), at least 1080HD or 4K even better. Send via wetransfer.com and use [e-mail]
Linux Administration Best Practices by Me:
www.amazon.com/Linux-Administ...
I get my music from Artlist and Epidemic:
Artlist: artlist.io/Scott-2883988
Epidemic Sound: share.epidemicsound.com/spcr2y
🇳🇮

[@MrFrodo1111]

Great advice for folks...When I was a Realtor I would tell people don't buy right away rent for 6 to 12 months and get to know the area...funny thing is when people realize you have their best interest at heart, they come back, recommend their friends and life gets a whole lot easier for all

[@user-cw8qi9td3e]

Another great video Scott, thanks. Some important wisdom shared.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Thanks!

[@patriciaflaherty]

I saw a Facebook post the other day where a wife was sending her husband to Nicaragua to find a farm or land they could purchase for their future homestead, which they planned to move to in a year or two. She had no questions about the real estate buying process, soil quality, utilities, water supply...just wanted to know if there would be other kids for her kids to play with in a potentially very rural area 🙄🤦‍♀️. A few people commented that she and her husband were doing things wrong and that they should just come here and rent for a while, but those good samaritans were outnumbered by real estate agents who promised to privately message her. 😥. You put out a lot of great information, but you can't fix stupid. I'd love to see a video where you play and react to some current real estate listing videos and tell us what you think those...oops! I mean SIMILAR...properties should really be selling for 😈😁.

[@MikeElPortonVerde]

TLDR: Before planting roots in foreign soil, dip your toes in the water. Rent before you buy, sample neighborhoods like a buffet! Rushing to buy? That's how you get played. Caution is a savvy investor's best friend, whether in Nicaragua or anywhere. Expat life 101: Know before you own! #RealEstateWisdom #ExpatsKnowBest

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Exactly!!

[@carollecasey2517]

Thank you Scott! I have been listening to you all week! My husband likes your video too! Open me curiosity about Nicaragua! Our daughter was in Leon 25 y summers ago as a int student from Ottawa on a project I will ask her more details about that I will certainly share you with our friends! I will gladly buy you a coffee when we meet in Nicaragua for sure! Thanks for your honesty You got a gift with talking for sure !! Carolle from Canada 🌠

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Awesome Carolle, thanks for joining us, we're glad that you have found our little community here!

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

@@dizzypringles14 For those who are reading down this far, a quick note that DizzyPringles was the inspiration for this video as they are involved in a scam relocation business down in Paraguay with zero knowledge or experience and runs a channel and business attempting to fleece those who are new to the country that they claim to be in and don't know how to research that they have no honest info. These are the kinds of scammers you are warned about.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

@@dizzypringles14 not quite, but you are an inspiration. These scams are a dime a dozen, though, whole town of San Juan del Sur is dedicated to these and I'm reviewing a video of someone who is an advisor and got scammed by someone similar. But it's great that you admitted that you WERE the scammer because you'd been trying to avoid admitting that up until now.

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

My friend tells that most Nicaraguans despise the foreign “real estate agents”. When I was looking for a place, they had caught wind of it and swindled it from the old lady who owned it. My friend cautioned me to stay away from “real estate” agents at all cost. I hear all kinds of stories about how people have paid double or more for properties then they realize the true value when they sell it. The most dangerous places to buy are the “planned communities” being marketed by foreigners. You could find that you built an $80k house on a $35k lot that is without roads, power, water, and is completely worthless. Because the “developer” couldn’t find enough victims for his scheme to pay the bills. I would guess the “real estate agents” would have tried to sell my place for 5x what the actual value is.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

This ^^^^^ exactly this. Time and time again.

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlogalso my friend is the “face” of the improvements that I have done to the property. Even if people know that I own it, I have him deal with the negotiation. Regular things like going to the market, etc I don’t get screwed on because I know the prices. If you ride the bus, ask the person next to you the price before they ask you for the$. Easy stuff. When I restored my house, we were tight on the price/budget but rewarded the workers. I bought several meals, drinks at the end of the week. Also brought sodas, waters etc for the workers. Paying too much for the work that you need done helps one person. Getting quality work done at a fair price, and being generous to the workers helps a community

[@dubNoFunkinSoul]

Poignant video. Thank you! Great news on the YT channel and Nicaragua traffic increase. Nothing else like it!

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Thanks, yes. What a crazy awesome week it has been. Really feels like some validation after some years of effort.

[@Brent-ox8lk]

Finding the balance as a newcomer: Being open to new experiences while, at the same time, keeping your guard up. It's an art. lol. Great info, as always!

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Yeah, for sure. Easy to get overly emotional during a big life change.

[@Doncheleguapo]

Excellent intel 👍

[@1stLukecifer]

Time for an intern from one of the universities to assist in all that file management & indexing prior episodes.

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Not a terrible idea. I've been trying to come up with a good solution for that.

[@1stLukecifer]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog , hit the tv studio up for a REFERRAL, lol.

[@colbyroad1]

thanks so much Scott ...you have defiantly nailed it...emotions are running high back here in Canada especially for retirees...you have reminded everyone to B-R-E-A-T-H-E... Blogs-Explore-Research-Advice-Tour-Experience

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Thanks, and yes! Definitely. Take a moment, consider things, breath deeply. Definitely consider moving BUT, don't be reckless either.

[@user-oe8tv8zh8g]

Good Job Scott, Mariano from Miami

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Thank you!

[@Kitiwake]

When you stand back and take look at it, why should you pay to live? Ownership and renting. Is that the only choice?

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Yes, that's the only choice. Your shelter, food, water have to come from somewhere. All living creatures have to pay to live. It's the nature of all life. If you don't pay to live, you make someone else pay for you to live.

[@thecriticalnous]

What town in Nicaragua has the most Canadians by far ?

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

Granada always has the most by headcount. SJDS always the most by percentage

[@GoochGooch-cc7sj]

Looking for what area to steer clear of?

[@Kitiwake]

​@GoochGooch- cc7sj Managua. It's crap end the locals are scammers

[@cerventes761]

Hey Scott Im an undergraduate in Computer Science and currently taking a 2 year for computer graphics, currently living in jersey. My wife is Nicaraguan and so am I but American. So we are planning to buy a house down there, but the job is were the problem is at what do you recommend for me in the Entry Level?

[@ScottAlanMillerVlog]

This would be a good discussion for tonight's live stream. You are talking about my field (IT and software engineering, since 1989), so you've hit on a combination of my things. But let's start with this... what is your hopefully career that you are targeting once you graduate? Those degrees are suggestive, but not super specific. Do you have an "ideal job" in mind for the future?

[@cerventes761]

@@ScottAlanMillerVlog Yea I love gaming and Im already an artist, so I would like to focus in that area. Interested in freelance work, would like to build portfolio in Python , C++ and Database SQL. Just anything to get my foot in the door here in Jersey...