Cuban-Americans in Miami on Thursday questioned the legitimacy of a reported Raul Castro reform, which will allows Cuban citizens to buy and sell homes.
Nick Gutierrez, a Miami lawyer who advises Cuban-American exiles on how to possibly regain property confiscated by the Cuban government.
"This is about getting Cuban exiles in Miami to send remittances for relatives to regain properties as place holders for exiles who can’t do it yet," said Gutierrez.
But he warns that Americans cannot do business with Cuba because of the embargo.
"What are you really getting? Are you getting a pig in a poke?" he said.
Gutierrez said the titles to the homes would be worthless.
"What good is a piece of paper going to do for you from the government that stole everything from everybody," he said.
The reform will start Nov. 10, according to Reuters. Cubans can now own homes but cannot sell them for money. Cubans have swapped houses for years and sometimes money would exchange hands when the homes weren't equal size, but none of that was reported, Reuters said.
A Communist party newspaper said taxes will have to be paid on any purchase or sale, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Jose Azel, with the University of Miami Cuban and Cuban-American studies think tank, said Cuba has no banking system that can accommodate mortgages.
"What we are really talking about are cash sales, and for the most part, the cash has to come from Cuban diaspora," he said. "Without free market, without supply and demand how are prices going to be established?
Azel said things are different in Cuba.
"In the U.S., a person can afford a home that is three times their annual income. The annual income for a person in Cuba is about $200. So are we talking about $600 homes?"
The announcement was reportedly well-received by Cuban citizens.
