Hiring an 'Agent' or 'Representative'

Janny

New member
Aug 25, 2010
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I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to hire the help of an individual who is experienced in the process of 'moving' to the DR.

We plan to arrive, start the residency process, rent or buy a car (see? Need advice and help there), rent a residence in several parts of the country (consecutively, not concurrently!) while exploring our options, look at real estate, etc. We currently are expecting to spend at least 6 months 'exploring'.

Naturally we prefer to pay a fair price for it all, and are not interested in the full-on tourist shopping experience. As we intend to make this our home, I REALLY do not want to look back upon our first six months and realize that we were more naive that we needed to be.

Of course, anyone we entered into this relationship with would need to come with lots of recommendations, etc. I may be new to the DR but I'm not new to the planet.

Opinions? Advice? Recommendations?
 

Janny

New member
Aug 25, 2010
17
4
0
Agent.......

Thank you George!

It may wind up being two people - one to handle 'officialdom' and another to act as spanish teacher/interpreter, guide, negotiator, etc.

Thoughts?
 

DRob

Gold
Aug 15, 2007
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594
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Thank you George!

It may wind up being two people - one to handle 'officialdom' and another to act as spanish teacher/interpreter, guide, negotiator, etc.

Thoughts?

There is no better, no easier, no faster way of taking yourself out of the "stupid gringos" box and acclimating to life in the DR than learning the language. Period.

As in the first world, a rep is often useful for large, complex transactions, like purchasing/leasing property, vehicles and negotiating business agreements.

That's what we lawyers do quite well, and our services often save clients substantial sums of money.

For the piddly day-to-day stuff, you'll likely find that a negotiator's services often cost more than the saving you receive from not getting the gringo prices. What's worse, having someone doing the translating slows down your learning the language, which again is crucial if you intend to operate outside of the gated expat communities.

Good luck.
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
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63
You are right and I have often thought that there is a need here for someone reliable who can help people who are coming here. Who speaks fluent spanish, who knows the way that things work here, and who will not rob you blind. I do not think that lawyers are the answer, and I recently came into contact with a supposed relocation agency and they are definitely not the answer.

Good luck!!

matilda
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
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dr1.com
Don't waste your time with a lawyer on the re-location stuff, I don't care how highly recommend they come. Using one for the residency process, no problem, that makes sense.

You're better off booking a place for a couple weeks and then doing the apartment hunting, ground work, veting of help, lawyer stuff while you are actually here. Rent a car and drive around, met a few DR1 people, get to know what's what first.

I suggest you use DR1 to gather info and network, the rest do when you are here.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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The residency application is straightforward..... for a lawyer or a fluent Spanish speaker who is savvy about the "ins and outs" of the RD way of life.

Use a lawyer and it will flow smoothly.

Feel your way along with the other...... we have all done it... its not rocket science.
Nothing to fear but fear itself..... to quote an old Englishman:glasses:

WW
 

Adrian Bye

Bronze
Jul 7, 2002
2,077
138
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i wouldn't use the lawyer for this. you want a civillian.

look for forum posters who live in the DR and have a lot of posts behind them. hillbilly in santiago would be a good start; or he could recommend someone for you.
 
Jan 17, 2009
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There is no better, no easier, no faster way of taking yourself out of the "stupid gringos" box and acclimating to life in the DR than learning the language. Period. Good luck.

Couldn't agree more! Keep in mind that there are always three prices, the Dominican, the Gringo, and for those of us latinos who happen to live here but don't look nor sound Dominican.

I also agree wholeheartedly with others who said hiring an agent or a lawyer is a big waste of money. You are not going to learn from an agent or a lawyer in a few weeks. You'll learn slowly, like everyone else, how things are done here, and you'll continue learning for a very long time. (Same could be said for any foreign country you move to.)
 

Adrian Bye

Bronze
Jul 7, 2002
2,077
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most people on dr1 don't have a lot of experience hiring a lot of people, they try to do everything themselves.

the way i'd approach this -- i'd hire a couple of people (2-3) as advisors on an hourly rate, rather than having them act as your representative, because that can end in problems.

then reduce the people down to one, and continue working with the person who is most effective.

as they show they can be trusted, give them more responsibility. this is something i wish i had done when i moved to the DR in 2001, it would have saved a lot of time.
 

amparocorp

Bronze
Aug 11, 2002
900
86
0
agent is the way to go, especially if they have a large family that has connections, so i married her......................but could have done a better job on a lot of stuff myself!
 

Janny

New member
Aug 25, 2010
17
4
0
'Advisor'

Thanks Adrian -

Your suggested approach is exactly what I'm thinking of - someone who can be trusted to be 'on our side' while we go through the process of learning.

While I appreciate the comments advising us to just 'go through the process' (which of course we must do in any case, nothing is a substitute for experience and time invested), I think having a helping hand/spanish teacher/interpreter will eliminate some of the potentially negative concequences of being 'new and stupid' about the culture and the lay of the land.

We do intend to learn the language as quickly as possible (hence the spanish teacher part).
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
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dr1.com
You just can't step off the plane at find that "helping hand". If you do, you're be buying my next lotto ticket.

You either have to go through a ton of duds to find the diamond or you take someone on that comes highly recommended. Even the highly recommended needs to come from someone you have built up some trust with, which takes time.

Adrian makes a good suggestion and that's fine if you can speak Spanish, know people and can actually find those 2-3 candidates from your existing pool of friends and colleagues.

I have seen more people come and go than I care to remember and those that have been successful in assimilating quickly and that live pretty drame free lives, all "appear" to follow the same route.

- Do your due diligence, don't assume you know anything.
- Reach out in private to members of this board that have been on here a while, live in the DR and appear to know what's what.
- Make an effort to meet those people when you're here, have a coffee, take them to lunch, pick their brains, seek their advice.
- Put all that information and people recommendations together and formulate your plan.
- Rinse and repeat!

I'll kick off your list. We have many more, these are off the top of my head.

Hillbilly / Chip / AZB : Santiago
Cobraboy: Jarabacoa
Ken2 / jrhartley / BushBaby / tflea / J D Sauser: Sosua - Cabarete - Puerto Plata
Chirimoya / Pib / TJMurray: Punta Cana
Me / AZB / Juanita / JDJones: Santo Domingo
rubio_higuey: Higuey

This post has just saved you a ton of heart ache and even more $$$ :)

Don't thank me, thank the 1,000's of posters that provide information
on this board and the ones that live here that are willing to help if you make
and effort to reach out.
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
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64
well the only way I could help you is by telling you who helps me lol - I dont know much unless you want to know where to play tennis
 

aarhus

Long live King Frederik X
Jun 10, 2008
4,412
1,987
113
I can tell you where it is good to exercise swimming in Santo Domingo. And places where it is nice to hang out and drink a cup of coffee. And Presidente Beer.
 

georgemen

New member
Apr 1, 2002
31
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0
I understand what some of them are saying. However several friends of mine did not use a good Lawyer . 1 -1/2 yrs later paid and still waiting for residency.

Nearco and Guzman will be right up front with you on cost and will DELIVER. Costs you NOTHING to talk with him, As to Spanish ther are schools available and a lot of good Software and on line stuff
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
5,449
23
38
Moving to the Dr

Hi:

My wife and I bought a condo in Las Terrenas on the Samana Penninsula about 4-5 years ago. We had previously travelled around the country doing the tourist thing for about 20+ years. We are familiar with most of the locations that Americans or Europeans might be interested in checking out. Before jumping in to the residency process I would try to determine if your choice to live in the DR will work for you. You can start the residency process any time. If you stay for 6 months and you don't have temporary residency it will cost you about $30 per person tax when you leave. The residency process actually should start before you leave the US. You will need the following: copies of your passport, a criminal record report, including finger prints from the state that you live in, 4 ea passport photos, notorized birth certificates, 2 copies ea. You then have to bring or mail these to the Dominican embassy in New York City. They in turn will put their official stamp on these and have them translated into Spanish for you to bring to your attorney in the DR. This will cost you $350-500 US. You can find the info on the embassy on the net. Once you hire an attorney in the DR you then have to go to Santo Domingo to have your attorney have these forms processed and to the have the health examine, which is a chest xray, blood and urine samples. This process will cost you about $10-15,000 pesos plus attorney fee. Once all the necessary steps are taken your temporary residency will be processed. Again, you must get your paper work together before you leave the States. We will be back in Las Terrenas in late October. My wife and I would be happy to sit down with you over a Cuba Libre and give you the straight dope on island life. If you decide to rent for a month in Las Terrenas I would suggest Don Cesar Residencia. It is not the cheapest place but it does have 24 hr gated security, two swimming pools and is right across from the beach and the Pueblo de los Pescadores, which is a strip of good bar/restaurants on the ocean front. If you want to contact me I can furnish my e-mail address or phone number. Good Luck

S
 
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cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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The problem with helping folks is sometimes you some seriously thick-headed "we do things differently back home" boneheads who think they have all the answers already.

The problem with ignorance is the ignorant rarely know they are infected. They seek advice not on the reality of the country, but based on preconceived beliefs they hold near and dear, unable to let go of their former culture. And the advice they gravitate toward also comes from the ignorant.

Then they wonder where it all went wrong...