Eager to Share Insights on Dominican Republic Real Estate!

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windeguy

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Okay guys, this is New Members forum. We’re so far off the OP that it’s probably hopeless that it will get back on track.

Hint: it’s not about immigration, not about Haitians, certainly not about Winde.

Let’s try.
Yeah, Let's go sell some houses to lowlifes and scumbags here on the North Coast or Punta Cana, if that works.

Just don't buy one you can't close on in the AM and move into that PM.
 
Jan 22, 2024
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Yeah, Let's go sell some houses to lowlifes and scumbags here on the North Coast or Punta Cana, if that works.

Just don't buy one you can't close on in the AM and move into that PM.
Hey windeguy, let's remember to appreciate everyone's hustle and the different paths we're all on. Even if we don't fully understand someone else's job, it's important to respect the effort and dedication they put into it.
I do real estate as a service. I love what I do and helping find people their place here in punta cana. And no, they arent lowlives or scumbags, and they certainly aren't bitter people as you seem to be.
So loosen up a bit.
Best,
The chill OP
 

El Hijo de Manolo

It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous!
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Hey windeguy, let's remember to appreciate everyone's hustle and the different paths we're all on. Even if we don't fully understand someone else's job, it's important to respect the effort and dedication they put into it.
I do real estate as a service. I love what I do and helping find people their place here in punta cana. And no, they arent lowlives or scumbags, and they certainly aren't bitter people as you seem to be.
So loosen up a bit.
Best,
The chill OP
Windy is not bitter, he is a realist. He has a wealth of experience also. Isn't it time to drop this novice lead fishing thread of yours. Thanks for posting your "about me" section of your CV though!
 
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El Hijo de Manolo

It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous!
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I also remember a time when DR1 wouldn't allow this type of second hand marketing under a user handle that is business related. I guess the bar is lower these days.
 
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Jan 22, 2024
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A rose by any other name. Call it whatever you like, but I agree on the 6 month solution.
Agreed but it should be readily available at immigration as you get your passport stamped on entry. Available to expats, snowbirds and tourists who want the option of staying longer if they choose to do so. The cost could be the same as the six month overstay fee. A generic six month visa. The standard 30 day tourist visa would still be available for AI clientele.
for us Dominicans, leaving our country often means dealing with a ton of paperwork just to travel anywhere. It's like needing a permission slip for every trip. I can stay in the US for example, up to 3 months, and if I overstay my welcome, I would be eligible for a visa cancelation no questions asked! Americans and Europeans enjoy passport privileges, so you guys are all talking from the "easy-pass lane"!

After a certain point, if you're still lingering in the DR after 120 days, you're not just passing through — you're settling in. It's like crashing at a friend's place for a few days versus moving in rent-free for months. And just like anywhere else in the world, if you're making a home or a living here, you've gotta play by the local rules
 
Jan 22, 2024
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Windy is not bitter, he is a realist. He has a wealth of experience also. Isn't it time to drop this novice lead fishing thread of yours. Thanks for posting your "about me" section of your CV though!
Hey Manolo, I never insulted his line of work. Why should he insult mine?
Again, not fishing for leads here. I've got plenty. Just wanted to open up a thread to talk real estate but WOW, tough crowd.
 
Jan 22, 2024
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Yes, I'm sure this was not a problem, as there was no purchasing involved, and this was about a family of Dominican entrepreneurs that have been in real-estate for decades... They also obviously have their lawyers and still they had issues with documents due to some family members with ill will...
There are some lands that have been sold over and over, and not until the title registry updated its filing system, you could see a lot of these problems. Especially in the countryside and in certain areas of the country.
 

El Hijo de Manolo

It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous!
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I would my handle to something less obvious like Punta Cana Pammy. Then, when they're not suspecting, you hit them with the presidential suite upsell!
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
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There are some lands that have been sold over and over, and not until the title registry updated its filing system, you could see a lot of these problems. Especially in the countryside and in certain areas of the country.
Hey Pam, what is your opinion on the current status of the title registry system?
 
Jan 22, 2024
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Punta Cana
Unfortunately the OP is talking to some people who live here, not blue eyed dreamers.
Plenty of P.C. and other DR real estate available for DR bargain and value hunters, Buy, Buy, Buy!
Before it is all gone and prices increase. 🤣
Believe it or not, i have lived here for longer ! Why is there such resistance to foreign investment and to my line of work here?
 
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josh2203

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There are some lands that have been sold over and over, and not until the title registry updated its filing system, you could see a lot of these problems. Especially in the countryside and in certain areas of the country.
Thanks. Yes, this was a constructed piece of land way in the campo, but not just any campo, a location where they are currently building villas. It may or may not have to do with the fact you're describing above not sure, but what happened was that a family (Dominicans, not from campo, but entrepreneurs) had a piece of land from family, and built a sort of a vacation home on the land. Everything was fine for close to 20 years, when suddenly, within the same family, someone else started claiming that the land belongs to him. The family has a history of fighting, unfortunately. I believe the family, unfortunately, ended up losing the land and the house built on it, I'm not sure though (they don't really like to talk about this, a sensitive topic).

To give you a better image of this "wonderful" and loving family, this same person THEN claimed that he had the paperwork claiming that the actual home this same family is living in, does not even belong to them, so one member of a relatively wealthy family was trying to make another member and his family and children homeless. Thankfully this went nowhere, but it shows of what kind of persons this family consists of... This bad person is just a piece of work in this wonderful family...

Then again, my father-in-law and his spouse, also have decades in building and renting / being landlords. They use lawyers for everything but I know that they have in fact never had a single issue with anything related to properties or the real-estate law. They are obsessed with that paperwork is always right and whatnot, so it just goes to show that you can certainly carry out real-estate transactions in the DR with zero issues, you just have to be careful, which I'm sure the OP of this thread is...
 
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Ecoman1949

Born to Ride.
Oct 17, 2015
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Believe it or not, i have lived here for longer ! Why is there such resistance to foreign investment and to my line of work here?
The DR does well with foreign investment. Countries like China have invested millions of dollars in DR infrastructure. There are other countries that do the same. With regard to residential and commercial real estate, I wouldn’t say there is resistance. There is skepticism and caution because in the DR, things are never as they seem.

Property buyers in North America, the UK, and Europe are used to legal safeguards when they purchase or invest in property. The agents have to pass stringent certifications and are legal liable for any wrongdoing. Lawyers involved in the process are well trained in real estate law. A registry of deeds is maintained to track the sale of properties. Squatters rights is not recognized legally.

The DR is the polar opposite. Anyone can sell real estate in the DR with no training and certifications. They are not legally liable for any problems created by their lack of knowledge of the properties they are selling. Many agents misinform buyers and are not taken to court for damages. Certain lawyers take large fees up front and it takes years to get a Deslinde deed registered. Previously it wasn’t expensive and it took less than a year to get your deed. Many buyers have left their property for a period of time and returned to find it occupied illegally by Dominicans and it costs a lot of money and time to get them evicted.

The reality is the DR justice system favours Dominicans and discriminates against foreigners. This forum has hundreds of horror story posts about buyers who have been ripped off by DR agents, lawyers, and the DR justice system.

The posters here are not against you personally. They are very cautious about dealing with the DR real estate system. You happen to be part of it.
 

Big

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Apr 24, 2019
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Believe it or not, i have lived here for longer ! Why is there such resistance to foreign investment and to my line of work here?
Well Ms Pam. Probably because there is a lot of fraud in the industry. Unfinished condos being sold never to be completed. As indicated, never being able to obtain a title. Selling real-estate is a worthy business, navigating through the mine field is the problem.
 
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Jan 22, 2024
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Thanks. Yes, this was a constructed piece of land way in the campo, but not just any campo, a location where they are currently building villas. It may or may not have to do with the fact you're describing above not sure, but what happened was that a family (Dominicans, not from campo, but entrepreneurs) had a piece of land from family, and built a sort of a vacation home on the land. Everything was fine for close to 20 years, when suddenly, within the same family, someone else started claiming that the land belongs to him. The family has a history of fighting, unfortunately. I believe the family, unfortunately, ended up losing the land and the house built on it, I'm not sure though (they don't really like to talk about this, a sensitive topic).

To give you a better image of this "wonderful" and loving family, this same person THEN claimed that he had the paperwork claiming that the actual home this same family is living in, does not even belong to them, so one member of a relatively wealthy family was trying to make another member and his family and children homeless. Thankfully this went nowhere, but it shows of what kind of persons this family consists of... This bad person is just a piece of work in this wonderful family...

Then again, my father-in-law and his spouse, also have decades in building and renting / being landlords. They use lawyers for everything but I know that they have in fact never had a single issue with anything related to properties or the real-estate law. They are obsessed with that paperwork is always right and whatnot, so it just goes to show that you can certainly carry out real-estate transactions in the DR with zero issues, you just have to be careful, which I'm sure the OP of this thread is...
Well then! This looks quite a lot more complex than your regular story of bad due diligence, crooked lawyers or crooked sales persons. This sounds like a very well complex case of hereditary and succession law gone bad. When there are multiple heirs involved, especially if they have conflicting interests or relationships, settling the succession of real estate can become more complicated. Disputes among heirs can lead to legal battles and lengthy proceedings. This seems to be the case.
 
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Jan 22, 2024
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Well Ms Pam. Probably because there is a lot of fraud in the industry. Unfinished condos being sold never to be completed. As indicated, never being able to obtain a title. Selling real-estate is a worthy business, navigating through the mine field is the problem.
Thank you for your honest message. I understand there is fraud in the industry, but there are also honest and sincere people out there, wether it is builders or real estate agencies. You can't to punish the innocent along with the guilty.
 
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XQT

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for us Dominicans, leaving our country often means dealing with a ton of paperwork just to travel anywhere. It's like needing a permission slip for every trip. I can stay in the US for example, up to 3 months, and if I overstay my welcome, I would be eligible for a visa cancelation no questions asked! Americans and Europeans enjoy passport privileges, so you guys are all talking from the "easy-pass lane"!

After a certain point, if you're still lingering in the DR after 120 days, you're not just passing through — you're settling in. It's like crashing at a friend's place for a few days versus moving in rent-free for months. And just like anywhere else in the world, if you're making a home or a living here, you've gotta play by the local rules
No doubt Dominicans are excluded from the world community, by visa requirements which most can never fulfill.
Even married to a Canadian with proof of financial solvency, in many cases travel visas are not issued.
The excuse "We assume that you will not return to your country after expiry of your visa". return air tickets also did not help.

Many don't want to apply for permanent residency, just travel and visit.

However, visa requirements for Dominicans are the result of overstay and illegal work by many, who now screwed it up for all Dominicans.
Living here I see the Dominican attitude of doing whatever they want, fkuk the laws, zero consideration for others, no clue of public comportment.
There are a few exceptions but the majority operates as stated above.

Your government wants affluent foreigners/tourism to stay and enables tax collection through overstay fines.

Most are from the US, CAN, EU.......with some Russians Eastern EU sprinkled in.
Money is gained in Russia and E. EU, China by corruption and crime, that's the government structure.
Real estate purchases and money laundering are the easiest ways.

Refugees from Haiti or other Latin (except drug money) countries don't bring money and are just a burden on the DR.
The overstayers form US, CAN, EU have money and are zero burden, but a net gain.
The drunks and whoremongers are dying out, a thing of the past to a large extent.

Playing by the local rules as Dominicans are doing is skirt the law, screw foreigners by overcharging whenever possible, cry discrimination.
When IN US, CAN, EU Dominicans are treated with respect, helped and not overcharged.

The mentality of average Dominicans will not be changed in our lifetime.
The educated elite which also travels and knows the world will remain a small percentage of the DR population.

I can only hope that foreigners wake up from their unrealistic Tropical Fantasies.
Live here at lest 3-5 years full time, then decide if real estate purchases for gringo prices in USD and monthly maintenance payments in USD are worth it
for lifestyle or ROI.
I live with Dominicans in a Dominican neighbourhood.
It's not for everyone for me only part of the year as I can not stand it full time.
I have many options in N. America and EU, with infrastructure, laws, and much better prices on food and consumer goods.

For those with play money, play and buy in the DR.
For most 500K to one Million USD is NOT a smart financial investment in the DR, with many other attractive options off island.

I understand that you may be a very decent person trying to make a living in the DR.
You can also advertise and pay for your business on dr1.
 

franco1111

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May 29, 2013
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Believe it or not, i have lived here for longer ! Why is there such resistance to foreign investment and to my line of work here?
See my post #19. To which of course you did not respond. Just my point of view. You are involved in an industry that is exploiting the DR at the expense of all that has been good about it. Your family is not Dominican (correct me if I am wrong - but you exhibit the traits of a foreigner - and speak that way as well).

Punta Cana is becoming Disneyland/Orlando with the entire focus on foreign tourists. And, over-run with Airbnb apartments. The real estate business is complicit in these (to my family) obnoxious and undesirable changes. They promote buying apartments to rent them out for short term stays. To the detriment of anyone who wants to live as a resident of the community. For these reasons, we recently sold our homes there that we and various family members lived in. We have invested in land to the north where we may or may not build a home. That was our intention but it looks like the same will happen there (Miches). [The government is spending substantial amounts of money to attract more than 10 million tourists a year. A whole different topic.]

I will also note that the real estate sales industry in the DR is unregulated. Hence, there are many inexperienced, unethical people in the business who like to call themselves real estate agents. And, since they have no experience or skills in the business, they are only able to push to buy the new projects and are incapable of finding a particular property that their clients may want.

We are currently living in La Romana where we have a house.
 
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