Location, location, location

over four hours to las terranas from cabarete I think.....you need to be aware of security in all areas.
Value for money ?- its only good value if you want it...no one can tell you that

Good question, but possibly somewhat premature?

What JR and BD said... AND...

I am little scared when I see people coming from abroad waving money, ready to buy or "invest" while they apparently do know the island at all (how far is Las Terrenas from Cabarete. Sorry, this is NOT to offend the OP, but a dear warning, as your question may indicate that you are running onto quicksand. You can't approach buying, establishing yourself and even less "investing" like you would around the neighborhood you are coming from. This is not Palm Beach Florida either, where you can inquire about neighborhoods and developments, prices and levels of luxury or lifestyles. It's much more complicate than that. There are no fixed prices here, no public records to check on recent transactions, etc.
I don't want to put you off, please don't misunderstand me...

But first. Keep your money at HOME, safely parked or invested in things you know and understand. You should NOT need it here for another year or so. You ought to RENT, explore, get to know, kick the tires, learn (the language too!), aclimate, experience etc... Talking about the later -experience- well, there are so many meanings to the word, but one way to limit the chances of a bad experience is again, keep your money at home for now, limit your exposure.
Renting gives you flexibility and leaves you an ever available exit option and buys you TIME and piece of mind.
Try to move to an area you know (I hope you know something here or we will certainly try to direct you to a place to start based on your preferences when you share them with us). Preferably a place where you don't immediately need a vehicle. then move on as needed and get into it as you feel comfortable to.

linmagic said:

...
Would it make more sense to purchase a condo and then look for a bigger property when we have moved over?
... Lin

Click to expand...

Buying is EASY, the selling part is NOT easy at all, not just currently but historically. Don't let sellers and those who profit from sales misguide you. Those who do NOT make a loss buying and selling here are probably in a one digit percentage group... usually very experienced or incredibly lucky, but mostly never recent arrivals.

... J-D.

linmagic said:

As I've never been to Palm Beach Florida (we live in the UK at the moment), nor am I under any impression that DR is anything like the place, I felt assured by reading through the threads here for some time now and the helpful advice I have already received, that my questions would not be shot down in flames! However, that may not have been the case. :ermm:

I don't think I can be accused of "waving money", also not knowing the distance between two places on the island is such an awful thing either is it?



We may explore the rental opportunities first, as we are ignorant of the areas (hence my question), we will decide what we want and where once we are more clued up but one of the options would be to buy a condo as if my daughter does decide to come over in the near future, she would have somewhere to stay.

We're not going into this lightly, we have done some serious research with no decisions made but the desire to do this some time next year.

Once again, I am grateful for the advive and information in these forums, it is really quite eye-opening!

Lin
:bunny:

Click to expand...

Yes, you have quickly learned you must take the words and advice here with a "grain of salt"-that is as far as the assumptions of your DR related experience, knowledge and overall wherewithall.
This being said some of the replies you received are from very knowledgable people with vast experience here. Dont confuse their negative words as their goal, really is a helpful wake-up call. It is a great resource although sometimes an "in your face" approach.

linmagic said:

As I've never been to Palm Beach Florida (we live in the UK at the moment), nor am I under any impression that DR is anything like the place, I felt assured by reading through the threads here for some time now and the helpful advice I have already received, that my questions would not be shot down in flames! However, that may not have been the case. :ermm:

Click to expand...

No flame throwing from my part here. Sorry if you felt offended. Just friendly and UNINTERESTED advice or sharing of opinions and thoughts (I am not selling you anything so far) based on what I see going on here. If you felt offended, please accept my apologies.
I took the liberty to mention a SE Florida county, because it has a history of attracting foreign investment, merely as an example only, to which I did not expect you to relate directly. Popular places in South Florida, in sharp contrast to this country here, have public records available freely to buyers, sellers and agents. Prices levels are quite comprehensive from neighborhood to neighborhood. There is zoning, and development and availability of utilities can be assumed. This is NOT the case here. It take a lot of ON SITE investigation and experience to be able to rule out many properties offered. Many homes are built into flood zones, improperly drained or in the way or rivers. If one does not have local knowledge it could be easy to buy into such a situation or worse and sadly, few are the real estate agents who will warn prospect buyers of these and many other risks, even when asked.

You are certainly at liberty to visit any of the 10's of real estate agencies around here which I trust will be more than happy to assist you with their guidance and set you up real good. I am sure that yours already contemplating buying a succession of properties will guarantee you their undivided attention.

linmagic said:

I don't think I can be accused of "waving money", also not knowing the distance between two places on the island is such an awful thing either is it?

Click to expand...

Maybe my choice of words could have been more refined in answer to your short question, just as you labeling it an "accusation" seems a little... uhm... not the fine British way.
Not knowing distances may indicate to the reader that you may not really yet know the island very well. You also seemed to imply that you were basing your question about Las Terrenas bases on a suggestion, which furthered that suspicion. There is nothing wrong with not knowing and even much less with asking. However, I find it inadvisable to "invest" money in such an exotic and fundamentally different in most every way country before knowing the place inside and out (and not just it's geography). That was my intended message to you and other readers.

linmagic said:

We may explore the rental opportunities first, as we are ignorant of the areas (hence my question), we will decide what we want and where once we are more clued up but one of the options would be to buy a condo as if my daughter does decide to come over in the near future, she would have somewhere to stay.

We're not going into this lightly, we have done some serious research with no decisions made but the desire to do this some time next year.

Click to expand...

I am relieved you are least considering the rental option first.

linmagic said:

Once again, I am grateful for the advive and information in these forums, it is really quite eye-opening!

Click to expand...

You are quite welcome, Lin! ... J-D.

see listings on DR1

Dominican Republic Real Estate Listings & Information by DR1


others who want to advertise can contact Robert@DR1.com

where were the flames ? did they get deleted ?

jrhartley said:

where were the flames ? did they get deleted ?

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It seems that stating that I have a real estate office and inviting a pm if the op would like help is advertising even though my advice was to rent! My wrist has been slapped LOL

Black Dog said:

It seems that stating that I have a real estate office and inviting a pm if the op would like help is advertising even though my advice was to rent! My wrist has been slapped LOL

Click to expand...

Funny you said that. There are rules I would imagine. I woke up to hate mail from one of the members of what appears to be an underground blog policing society (hmmmm) for my username sounding suspect.

Yes, I can see that is does look suspect now - LOL
No biz being sought in gringobiz. Glad to make a recommendation though.

-G

Is it a crime to be a real state,

gringobizadvisors said:

Funny you said that. There are rules I would imagine. I woke up to hate mail from one of the members of what appears to be an underground blog policing society (hmmmm) for my username sounding suspect.

Yes, I can see that is does look suspect now - LOL
No biz being sought in gringobiz. Glad to make a recommendation though.

-G

Click to expand...

I don't want to upset the powers any further but in my defence the rules say

Not Allowed
1. Owners, brokers or developers posting real estate for sale or sending spam to our posters via PM's (Private Messages).

I didn't do that, anyway, enough said :bunny:

jrhartley said:

Is it a crime to be a real state,

Click to expand...

It sometimes feels that way but you only have to look at the testimonials on my website or my circle of friends to see that we do go that extra mile to do a professional job

Can we change the subject? I can feel the sword of Damacles hanging over head LOL

BD

explanation sent to you via pm.

jrhartley said:

where were the flames ? did they get deleted ?

Click to expand...

The "flames" comment was directed by the OP at my 1st post in response to her inquiry, JR. No deletion there that I could see.
Since the OP took exception to my comments, I guess Lin (the OP) may still be looking for answers and suggestions beyond a real estate agent's invitation to PM him.


... J-D.

Lin, thanks for your favorable reception of my clarification.
Yes, we tend to write as short as possible. It can at times read a bit like "in the face".

Similarly, Pig's warnings here should not be discarded just because of how he worded them.
A home away from all the noise, the sankies and prostitution and partying, can indeed fool new residents here into a dangerously false feeling of safety and peace of mind. Researching these forums for past threads will probably tell the reader that yes, a person living out in the campo can indeed find itself on it's own. Thieves and assailants know that. Also, the apparently friendly campesino neighbors may see no wrong in "taking" some of the "excess" pertenances they see gringo range folks own. This can cause frictions and reactions which can be ill understood by some of the locals involved or related to them.

As to your grouping of posters:
I understand that from where you stand right now, you could get away with an impression which led you to organize posters as you did.
I am pretty confident, that once you lived here you will not only reorganize the way you group "us" but also surprise yourself as to which group you will join.
I think you will also be amazed to find out that many who seem to post a lot of advice here, don't really live here.

I don't think that there is a sizable number of posters which live here and try to keep people off "their paradise". Haitians set apart, the DR still has a relatively low percentage of resident foreigners... even on it's coasts, when compared to the Spanish, Floridian (there I come again with Florida, sorry), even Thailand and other destinations. It's not like the boat would be full.
Additionally, the current world economy situation is forcing a lot of foreigners out. Many who are here, own property and would love to see the buying pressure go back up again. So, many really have an interest in seeing people come here and eventually buy.
I wish the best for "my" island and I am very much aware that a healthy influx of financially fit and/or creative foreigners can be helpful to the country. But I am one, who believes that newcomer's experiences have to be positive in order to be able to hop for them to become successful expatriates. Only one reason I make it a point to warn those who ask, about the most common mistakes historically documented. And then, I don't sell real estate, so I am at liberty to speak my mind.

... J-D.

To the Op,

I would continue to review threads associated with the different areas where you want to live to see what people have to say.

Also, I would highly recommend renting an apartment for the first few months so that you can take your time and visit the areas you are interested in.

When you guys are ready I have a realtor that is a good friend and honest and charges the minimum commission.