From our Annals of Ali Baba Bureau with some assistance from our Bureau of Real Estate Bargains in Socialist Latrine American Totalitarian Hellholes and our Bureau of Communism in Action
Who can buy a $300,000 house in Cuba? After all, the asking price is equivalent to four thousand years of income for the average Cuban. Well, you know the answer. . . . Oligarchs, foreigners, and diplomats. But that only answers one of many questions posed by this communist real estate puzzle.
A second question immediately pops up: Since all property on the island belongs to the military junta, can anyone really “own” this house after they “buy” it from Castro, Inc.? You know the answer to that, too . .. If Castro, Inc. stole the house decades ago, what’s going to stop them from stealing it again? Aaaah the delightful intricacies of a communist utopia.
This luxury home is in my neighborhood, which emptied out in the early 1960’s as Cubans began to flee the island. The 106-year-old house is in great shape, and has obviously never been subdivided for use by multiple families, which means that it has been in the hands of Castro, Inc. since it was stolen from its owners in the early 1960’s. The only houses that remain undivided and still look this good in Cuba are those owned by the dictatorship and its operatives or by foreign embassies
Right now it is being rented. And this raises another question: who can afford to rent such a house in Cuba? Well . . . you know the answer to that too. Ali Baba is a landlord with an exclusive clientele.
Loosely translated from Periodico Cubano (article includes video tour of the mansion)
A historic three-story mansion located in the Marianao district of Havana has been put up for sale for an impressive $330,000. The price of the house in Cuban pesos (CUP), based on an exchange rate of 320 pesos per dollar, amounts to 105,600,000 CUP. This means that it would take over four thousand years to pay for the property using only the monthly minimum wage of 2,100 CUP.
Built in 1918, the mansion features seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, and an eclectic style. It covers a total of 638 square meters and requires minor maintenance on its facade and carpentry. Real estate advisors claim that despite the high price, it represents a unique opportunity to acquire an architectural gem in Cuba’s capital.
The property was constructed by Francisco de la Caridad Domínguez y Roldán, a prominent doctor and colonel in the Cuban liberation army. Domínguez, who served as dean of the Faculty of Medicine and plenipotentiary minister in Paris, lived in the mansion, which has remained in the hands of the same family since its construction. Currently, the upper level of the house is partially rented out, making it an attractive investment.
Upon entering the property, visitors are greeted by a spacious garden surrounding the house, offering views of the greenery. The main living room, measuring 23 square meters, stands out with its large windows that allow natural light to flood the space, and is decorated with moldings on the walls and ceilings. Meanwhile, the dining room, which was once the mansion’s library and spans 31 square meters, is paneled with mahogany wood and adorned with beautiful wall details.
The kitchen, one of the house’s most charming areas, measures 11 square meters and still has its original range hood, as well as white tiles lining the walls. The mansion also includes a small patio and multiple rooms, some of which are currently under repair.
The second floor, dedicated to rentals, features a small hexagonal living room and a climate-controlled bedroom with a private bathroom. This upper floor also includes a 22-square-meter dining room, two balconies, and a kitchen with shelving for storage.
The mansion also offers space for two cars in its garage, along with a tool room and an additional bedroom with a bathroom and kitchen, which is currently disabled. With its combination of history and elegance, this property is an exceptional offer for anyone looking to purchase a luxury home in Havana.
This is nothing new. When the beast first took over, he established an entity called la “Casa de los bienes mal versados” [the home of stolen properties]. The name given to this entity is typical of Castro’s obscene gaslighting, since Cubans traded in valuables that they acquired honestly and in many cases were in their families for generations. Desperate Cubans were robbed blind. For instance, a desperate Cuban needing a fan because he was dying of heatstroke in Cuba’s hot and humid summer would trade in a family heirloom worth a fortune for a cheap fan. Cubans traded in gold chains, pearl earrings, wedding rings, all types of valuable jewels, etc… My uncle was one of those that traded in a solid gold watch for a cheap fan.
The irony of the beast and his cronies is that they live off of Cuba’s bounty stolen from the very Cuban exiles they claim are thieves. Cuba is the gift that keeps on giving. The regime is still living off the bounty of the Cuban exile: stolen mansions are sold to foreigners, art works and priceless manuscripts are sold at Sotheby and Christies, old cars are used as promotion in travelogues, etc….
So, this house being sold for $300,000 is not a surprise at all. Cuba has become what Castro claimed we were pre-59, a country of the haves and the have nots. And what makes it worse is that the haves are all foreigners or the castro family and a handful of military leaders. At least pre-59, the wealthy class were Cubans who belonged to Cuba’s vast civil society.