Fes left a very overwhelming effect on me. I really loved it and felt that I could follow some dreams there. Just a few months ago, before I even went to Morocco the first time, I promised myself that I would focus on making a 5 year plan for myself to create and enjoy a life in what i love: travel and food. A few lights switched on when I visited Fes the first 2 times, so I'm back here chasing a couple of dreams. My potential future may be here and I'm doing some research to see if this is true.
One of my tasks is to look at some riads in fes to potentially buy, restore and then run as a guesthouse. This has always been a dream, and I saw it being possible on my last trip. Initially, I was finding the prices of real estate there to be favorable to our exchange rate. but i soon learned that those blogs and prices were from 2008, and since then, prices had nearly tripled. not so great. in doing lots of research this past month, I was able to get in touch with some Americans who have already done the same and met them to ask for advice and ideas. Such wonderful resources. I was even suggested to start a project management business here to oversee the nuances of construction that non-construction ppl or foreigners not living there full time, want to deal with. Another option. It already made me feel like I could create a sense of community there, and I haven't made any moves or decisions yet.
I did eventually see a riad that left me a little speechless. I was shocked at how much I liked it-- almost like I didn't want to find a place I would like, and I was surprised I did. I liked all the original features, the character, and the potential. I can't stop thinking about it... but the price isn't exactly where i want it to be, and one important factor in this process is the fact that there are basically no mortgages on these riads. these homes are so old and have been passed down through generations of families, so they typically do not have titles, or paperwork, or debts. when you want to buy a property, you have to go through a long process of having ever living member of the family that is tied to the property, sign over the sale to you. if you want a title, that takes about a year and many fees. THEN, maybe you could get a mortgage. but the harsh reality is that these are almost always cash transactions. so let's say that you find a place you like that is at a great price of $70,000, you need that in pure cash, and you need nearly the same amount in renovation costs.
my whole thing is, if i had $150k in cash, i doubt that i'd be looking to invest in a small business in morocco- could do enough with that in nyc. not to mention that beurocracy is ever present and extremely frustrating to deal with. i've read too many stories of people with power looking for hand outs and bribes to allow you get your permits, licenses, etc. and doing all that alone in a country i don't know, with a language i don't understand seems risky...
I've been carefully analyzing each experience to kind of gauge my attitude about living here, but so far all the same feelings and reasons for wanting to come back in the first place hold true. That's a start.
I have a lot of thinking to do and even more decisions to make. It's really crazy. I've had all these ideas and dreams, but them coming true??... is that even possible??
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