Call me lucky!
If I were to purchase property in the DR again, I would select the area, and go hang out there for several months and get to know the locals. I think this is an important part about ?feeling good? about your surroundings in the DR. One week in the DR depending on where you are, may seem nice. In a few months it could be hell!
My story is a good one but I would not recommend it to anyone! My wife and I ?cruised? here two years ago for a hurricane season. After about a month and a half we sobered up and started ?poking our nose around? looking at what sort of property was out there. My wife said our retirement home HAD to be on the ocean. After only one week we found a ?Dominicanized? house on a beach for a reasonable price (150k), three days later we closed on it. We gave the owner ? down and he financed the balance for one year ?interest free?. We stuck about 50k into the place and made it our own. We found paradise! The longer we spent in the DR, the more nervous we got about what ?might happen? with our investment. We have a good ?English speaking / educated Dominican lawyer and everything was safe. A year later we paid the balance in cash and the clear title is in our name. It all worked out perfectly!
There are about 7 other homes on the beach where we live and they are all ?unoccupied? 90% of the time, though each home has a ?domestic worker? (guard) full time. So do we. I had a real problem putting bars on the windows, but me being into ?personal responsibility? I understand now. Our home is a fortress if anything did happen, but nothing ever does. You cannot call 911!
We live outside of a town with a population of about 2000. Maybe 200 Haitians. Everyone gets along fine and we are well known in the community. Everyone watches out for every one else. It?s perfect! We have two American friends that live about a mile away and there are French, Belgian, German and Canadians that live near too. There is a more populated ?gringo community? about 20 min away. We love this country and I think it?s all about the people around you. There is bad?.but for us, the good far out weighs it. One a side note, we spend about $1200 (US) a month to eat, drink, internet, phone etc and have a full time employee, and a one time property tax. You can?t do that many places! Just my thoughts?Thanks for listening!
Respectfully,