Making the move

[mountainannie]

I will log back on once I have more time to look into and break down some of the things said. I can tell you that I am mid 20s, female, who would probably never make such a drastic move to be with someone, and I do have $25k. I can also tell you the nickname Chobby is not so bad! AE, I see you noted my many questions! I am naturally a worrier which is a pain in my behind. I think I have read article, after thread, after article of people moving down there with false hopes and ending up in bad positions and that can be very discouraging, but eye opening as well. I am working on slowing down looking into all of this, instead of giving myself headaches.

donP- I bet your property is beautiful. I am a hard worker and would like to keep in touch once I know more. :classic:

DRob- I like your idea of renting for a couple of months, would be a smart thing to do. Going about finding such an apartment would be less difficult in person, eh?

Going to check out some of your sites and info, thank you for the responses and input.

Thanks for filling us in. Good that you have that amount of money (and no college debt!) -- Since you do have Spanish,I would suggest that you try Las Terrenas - there are not that many places that have ANYONE who really speaks
English.. And you can get a cheap place to live. Plus there are lots of little places to LOOK for work -small hotels, restos..

whereas.. not so much around Barahona.

 

[Harleysrock]

Welcome to dr1!! If you have $25k why not come here and see if it is for you but that really will not last that long as start up is expensive.
Work is hard to find and you won't make much.

If the Dom you will be living with is a guy who treats you like no other guy has ever BE CAREFUL!!!

I thought I didn't want to be around grinogo's either but I could never live here without them!

Good luck wherever/whatever you decide!

 

[jd426]

We still dont know if there is a Dominican Novio, or is that a Given. but yeagh $25K,. you wont be starving and should be fine til you get yourself established, its possible.
... Now if that Cushion amount ever dwindles to a dangerously LOW level, you need a Plan B for sure.

 

[monfongo]

twenty five k is peanuts here .

 

[DRob]

twenty five k is peanuts here .

No, 25k is peanuts in Switzerland. In DR, it will buy a reasonable amount of time.

If she's careful, she can stay down here quite comfortably for 8-10 months, particularly if she gets a furnished apartment and a used scooter, doesn't have expensive habits, finds a job that provides her a bit of income (and diversion), and relies on public transportation for longer trips.

Chobby, you're in your 20s, and life is precariously short. Have fun, do something different for a year. You can always find your way back to a gig back home if you don't like it.

 

[LTSteve]

Hi everybody,

I am another expat who has decided to make the move to DR. After reading many and many discouraging reasons said not to, I am still interested in doing so. I am young, no huge responsibilities tying me to the US, and have always had that crazy passion for the Caribbean. I know it will not be easy as I am continuously reading into what needs to be done, but I am begging for some advice that I cannot find via google. I visited for my second time in July, for a month, traveled around every coast and have narrowed in on the southwest region and Las Terrenas for relocating. My first choice would be the south of Barahona, but this is where I may need someone to talk some sense into me. I am in love with the mountains, right beside the sea, and the lack of other expats. However, I will need to find some sort of small job and I feel it is hopeless when it comes to that region. Is this true? Also, I am looking into finding a small home to rent for a year. If it is even a little possible for me to find work there (does not need to be high paying), I would like to try. Las Terrenas is beautiful and by the sea, with more tourists, which could be more ideal for me finding work there. I realize the cost of renting would be more expensive. Are there any neighborhoods outside of town that one would suggest to look into?

1. Finding work and renting home south of Barahona
2. Finding work and renting home in less crowded area of Las Terrenas

I am visiting once more for a week to look around in person, but will be deciding between the two locations before so, given limited time. I will be living with a Dominican (who is also helping) if that makes any difference to you regards to the neighborhood, etc.

I am lost, any insight is appreciated and would benefit my searching.

Thank you in advance.

I lived in LT for about 6 years. It is a great place to live and work, however to work legally you would need to apply for residency. You need to contact the closest Dominican Consulate and find out the requirements for that. It is a quite involved process and expensive. Also I would not move to Las Terrenas unless you had a definite job. There are many locals and ex-pats trying to find work, some can speak 3 or 4 languages. In the hotel field you wil not be making much money, maybe if you are fortunate $75-100usd a week. Is this Dominican person a girl friend? If so go slowly as many women seem very nice but have alterior motives. I would not recommend renting a house, especially if you have never lived in the DR. This is where most of the crime occurs. Guarantee you will be ripped off even if there is a security guard. Also you may experience violent crime putting yourself in this position. You are better off initially renting an apartment in a safe area that preferably has a gate and neighbors all around. Believe me , been there, done that. I don't know if you are latino or look latino but as a "gringo" in the DR you will be targetted. You need to put yourself in the best possible position for personal safety. I am not trying to discourage you but just as in all third world countries there is a big difference between the have and have nots. Keep that in mind. If I were you and could do it I would go down and rent an apartment for 1-3 months and see what it is like. Going down for a week and not experiencing real world conditions will not give you a true picture of life here. Good luck.

 

[the gorgon]

twenty five k is peanuts here .

you beat me to it. without a worthwhile income, you will blow through it in a year.

 

[jd426]

you beat me to it. without a worthwhile income, you will blow through it in a year.

Not to be Argumentive... not at all,. but

First we were all talking about 4-6 months.. so the figure thrown out was $10K, to 15K..
I upped the anty to $20K to be SAFE and leave a cushion..

She also claims she is seeking WORK..

So now people said $25 K... as a suggestion.

So then someone said, " oh thats Peanuts"...

So at what point was the Time line changed to 1 FULL YEAR ?
and we are removing the Job Factor ?

Its rather Humorous how we keep one upping each other (myself included in that pile on)..
and changing the Parameters. just to make out Points...

just an observation.. and the chronological order of the posts will prove what I just said as accurate

LOL

 

[Curacaoleno]

The 25K will be gone asap as the novio needs 'help' as does his family...

 

[the gorgon]

The 25K will be gone asap as the novio needs 'help' as does his family...

a few passolas for Fausto and a couple of iphone 6s for Belkys and Duberkis will whittle down that 25k in short order.

 

[jd426]

That though keeps resoundingly bouncing around in my head.

Chodgy, I say go for it. I also say bring 10K and NOT A PENNY MORE. That's roughly 450K pesos.

The majority of people here live on 30K a month or less. You should be able to as well, especially if you're down south.

None of your money should go to your Dominican, whether it's a male or a female.

They should have a job and bring food to the table as well. No money for their "needs" or "Have to haves". If you start getting requests for small amounts of money for "stuff", you have a big problem - they are with you for your money.

If you can't make it here with that 450k as seed money, throw in the towel. DON'T TOUCH THE OTHER 15K.

If you run out of money in a few months, you need to get away as fast as you can.

That is just WAY TOO LOGICAL... thats why it will never go down like that..

 

[chrisgy]

chodgy, seems you're in the 20's, no kids and no established career back home as yet. This is the perfect time to give it a shot. You'll find great info here, if you weed out the cynical comments. And no need to give too much of your personal background on DR1. The mob is itching to turn this into a sanky tale.

 

[Bronxboy]

The mob is itching to turn this into a sanky tale.

It won't..............................

 

[mountainannie]

You might be able to find work without residency as there is a certain percentage of jobs where this is allowed (e.g. 10-20%); but if I recall the company needs to be at least midsize (e.g. 20 or more employees). I would say that a lot of the comments while perhaps well intentioned are looking at the half empty glass. Your speaking Spanish is a plus, being young is a plus (age discrimination is very real). Bottom line is your experiences will be different then those of 60 year old retirees. Just keep at least a 5k cushion in case you have to go back.

I think that you are mistaken here. The 20% of jobs are available to non Dominicans - foreigners. But none of them are available LEGALLY to persons who do not have a cedula, or a work visa. Those jobs are simply illegal.

 

[Criss Colon]

Don't pay ANY ATTENTION to the negative posters!!!!!
They moved here and failed, so they assume that everyone else will too!!!!!
NOW is the perfect time to make the move!!!
I admire you for having saved $25,000, that shows you know how to handle money!!!!
ASSUMING YOUR DOMINICAN FRIEND IS ALSO HONEST AND HARD WORKING you are half way there!!!!
He can keep you from being taken advantage of by those who are not.
You can leave your money in the USA and just take out funds from a bank teller machine as you need it, it's safe that way.
I suggest "LAS TERRENAS",OR BETTER YET "PUNTA CANA".
Since you speak Spanish you can easily get work there in a big international hotel/resort, and your friend can too!!!
If you are happy here, I suggest you purchase a small 2 bedroom house near your work,for about $15,000 US dollars.
Better yet if your friend can help, because the bank financing/land title, will be easier to get in both your names
It won't be fancy, but comfortable for 2 people.
"YOU GO GIRL"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CRIS

 

[mountainannie]

ccccc - how can you recommend that the OP buy a house here when she (most likely) will not qualify for a visa?

 

[Bronxboy]

Cleaned up.

OK. Stop digging for info.

This is not the Mars/Venus forum.

More deletions will be followed by infractions.

 

[Criss Colon]

ccccc - how can you recommend that the OP buy a house here when she (most likely) will not qualify for a visa?

"MT" I'll get back to you when I get my "Tongue Out Of My Cheek"!!!!!!!!!
:cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky::cheeky:

I THOUGHT YOU KNEW ME BETTER!!!!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

 

[chodgy]

No sanky panky mess waiting to happen here, sorry to let you all down. Although, I wouldn't mind a new pasola for myself.

I am not interested in applying for residency quite yet if not necessary. I am looking to stay in DR for up to a year, however, time will tell. I do like the idea of renting up to three months. My question with that is, money aside, is it really as simple as crossing over the border and then coming back in to renew that tourist visa? Now problems I am having with internet research is that every one has something different to say. For instance, I read that if one is looking to rent, landlords will come to you (this is one scenario where my Dominican friend would look out for us). Is that insane or is there truth to that? If not, could someone point me in a good direction of finding long term rentals, whether that be online or in person when I visit? There would absolutely be two incomes in the household, however, I'd still like to budget. In a previous post, someone warned me of safety. I am concerned that the gated areas are going to be too expensive (not to say my safety is not worth it). I could not put myself in danger to save a buck. I suppose I will know more after looking around at some. I think finding work will not be easy and I may have to struggle with that on my own. That being said, I am going to browse the forum for more help on renting and continue to read your responses.

Chobby

 

[chodgy]

I lived in LT for about 6 years. It is a great place to live and work, however to work legally you would need to apply for residency. You need to contact the closest Dominican Consulate and find out the requirements for that. It is a quite involved process and expensive.

Ahh, I see. So without residency, I can not work legally. And with my lack of skills and education, it would be nearly impossible to land a work visa. Sigh after sigh...more research it is.