We bought this two-story house for $64,000 on Margarita Island, Venezuela.
About 180 m² (1,940 sq ft), tucked between the hills of Guarame, in a small community of eight homes with a shared pool.
In much of the US, $64,000 won’t get you anything close to this.
We bought it because we want to build a life here with our family. Mountains around us, Caribbean beaches nearby, and space to enjoy both.
But I also see real long-term potential in Margarita. The island has an international airport, the port of El Guamache, and duty-free port status. There’s a foundation here for tourism and commerce, and I believe there’s room for much more.
Of course, buying in Venezuela takes homework. The area, utilities, property condition and paperwork all matter, especially when you’re buying from abroad.
Having gone through the process ourselves, I’m offering guidance to others interested in buying on the island: finding properties, understanding the practical details and connecting with local professionals.
If you’re considering a home or an investment in Margarita, send me a DM. Happy to share what we learned, what we paid, and what I’d look out for.
The more I look at Margarita, the more it feels like a diamond in the rough.
I believe many existing homes are undervalued, especially when you consider the land, materials and work it would take to build them again. Some need updating, but there’s value in what’s already there.
And if you’d rather build something your own way, there’s also a huge selection of land. A home designed around your family, a few guest cottages, or simply a place with the view you’ve always wanted.
What draws me in is the combination: beaches, mountains, warm weather and an island with so much still to offer.
There are real challenges, and a low price alone doesn’t make a good investment. You need to understand the location, services, paperwork and actual costs before buying.
But that’s why “diamond in the rough” feels right to me. I see somewhere worth getting to know, putting work into, and being patient with.
Manuel retweeted
Bill Gates predicts a massive number of people will reject AI and choose to "live like the Amish."
Manuel retweeted
Americans are productive AF.
But there isn't much community.
No after-work meetups at the pub. No popping over to neighbors houses unannounced. No kids playing with other kids and group dinners several nights / wk.
And I think thats why most Americans are miserable.
Manuel retweeted
Los romanos tenían una palabra para lo que hoy casi hemos olvidado: otium.
No era vaguear. Era apartarse del ruido diario para dedicarse a lo que de verdad alimenta: conversar, escribir y pensar.
Y lo más curioso: el trabajo se definía por oposición a él. Negotium = nec otium (“no-ocio”).
Para ellos, el negocio era la interrupción. El otium era la vida.
Manuel retweeted
There was something special about being a kid when adults didn't feel the need to entertain you every minute of the day.
Your parents could take you somewhere incredibly boring, and you were just expected to deal with it.
The bank. The hardware store. Your mother's friend's house, where you sat on a couch covered in plastic and weren't allowed to touch anything.
Nobody handed you a screen. Nobody worried about whether you were having fun.
You studied the wallpaper. You read the same magazine three times. You stared at the clock and wondered if the second hand had stopped moving.
And if you made the mistake of asking, "Can we go now?" your mother gave you that look.
You know the look.
The one that could end your entire afternoon without a single word being spoken.
I swear, we developed half our imagination simply because our parents refused to entertain us.
Looking back, I think being bored was one of the best things that ever happened to us.
Manuel retweeted
Hey, @grok...
Is it true that Zuckerberg, Thiel, Sam Altman and other tech leaders are buying "apocalypse insurance," stockpiling guns, building bunkers and underground fortresses with blast doors, and buying farm land?
What do they know that we don't?
Manuel retweeted
We are slowly removing coincidence out of our lives. We don't pick a restaurant before even checking the ratings. We don't hear music before the algorithm ever predicts we'll like it. We don't even take a route before maps removes the wrong turn. Barely meet someone even before checking their profile. And none of that is necessarily bad. But that's what makes it interesting because every tool nowadays removes every tiny bit of uncertainty, but uncertainty is where a lot of your favorite memories came from. The place you found by accident, the friend you met because the plans changed. The street you weren't supposed to be on that ended up having the best restaurant you've ever been to. We've optimized our life so well to the point where nothing unexpected ever has room to even happen and a life with no accidents is easier to manage, but it's just harder to remember.
Manuel retweeted
Aprovechemos que la inelecta quiere limpiar su imagen usando a los animales para recordar algunas cosas hechas por la tiranía chavista de la que ella ha sido parte protagónica durante 27 años:
Bambán, el perro de Alonso Medina Alfonzo. Mientras Alonso estaba detenido y era torturado, a Bambán lo mutilaron, maltrataron y mataron. Grabaron todo y le mostraron el video mientras lo torturaban. Jasper y Astro, otros dos perros vinculados a Alonso, aparecieron muertos tras el allanamiento de su casa.
Azabache, la perrita de Emirlendris Benítez. Cuando secuestraron a Emirlendris en 2018 (embarazada de cuatro meses, hijo que perdió producto de las torturas), un funcionario lanzó a Azabache por la ventana del vehículo porque podía ensuciarlo.
Thor y Arpa, perros del coronel Oswaldo García Palomo. Los dejaron unos 20 días encerrados en su vivienda e impedían que proteccionistas les llevaran comida y agua. Cuando finalmente fueron rescatados, el SEBIN detuvo a la proteccionista Ángela Expósito y se llevó también a los perros a El Helicoide. Thor pasó unos 22 meses encerrado. Apareció abandonado en 2020, desnutrido, con parásitos y lesiones.
La barbarie chavista no se maquilla con fotos y propaganda. Ha sido demasiado salvajismo, demasiado odio y demasiados crímenes. Contra los venezolanos... y hasta contra sus animales.
¡Feliz Día Mundial de los Animales!
En Venezuela reafirmamos nuestro compromiso con el bienestar y la protección de la fauna. Desde la Misión Nevado, promovemos una cultura de amor, respeto y cuidado, enseñando a los niños y niñas a protegerlos y quererlos siempre.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Delcy Rodriguez forma parte de la dictadura que causó hambruna en Venezuela por décadas no solamente a la gente sino a animales de zoológicos y mascotas
latimes.com/espanol/intern…
Manuel retweeted
Venezuela es hoy uno de los países menos polarizados del mundo. Casi todos quieren lo mismo: cambio, progreso, luz, agua y que funcionen las cosas básicas.
En sociedades más ricas se pelea con furia por identidades, problemas abstractos y guerras al otro lado del mundo que afectan sus vidas solo en el plano simbólico.
Los problemas reales unen. Los problemas imaginarios dividen. Lo primero genera esperanza. Lo segundo, tristeza.
Manuel retweeted
there is almost zero point to complaining about virtually anything.
you either change your perspective on the thing, you leave the thing, or you simply accept it.
complaining is usually just the least useful fourth option & high cognitive load to boot.
