opinion on RE market: sea front condos.

Hello I'm new to this forum, but I want to share my opinion about buying a propriety in a gated comunity and condos.
first: sorry for my english!!

I'm considering to invest in a flat in caribbeans, my point of view is that investing in condos or gated community means to wait long time for resell it at a real business price, but it could be rented to tourists sometime for have an help on expenses for the maintainance and the flat can be used as retire for holidays too. I trust more in small size front sea proprieties that are easily resalable and rentable.
I visited many condos, renting flats and living in BC, Bayahibe, Cabarete during my 5 trips in the DR in the last 2 years, taking a look to who are other tenants/tourists and owners and asking them sometimes many questions...


here is just my opinion on places I considered and I visited in DR expecially looking at sea front condos:


Boca Chica:
I like BC but I think it is not quite and safe enough for tourists who are looking with their family for a "normal" relaxing holiday in the caribbean paradise, they will go back home more stressed, I guess.
anyway I like that town, it is a ghetto but any my trip in DR started from BC that never bored me as it is a small funny teathre, in BC I don't trust in Dominicans as in some Europeans at the same.. for a flat I'm considering only Boca Marina/Hamaka area, but just in case I'll find a very good offer, I don't trust in BC RE market for security, noisy and electric service problems that we all knows..


Juan Dolio: I never visited any flat, what do you think about condos sea front but on the reef? having sea view but far from the beach is a bad idea?
anyway I don't like how they are building in that paradise.. I see how Acapulco with it's towers, launched in the cinemas of 80's become a narco-farwest in few years, JD seems to me in the same risk, when someone builds too many towers so fast but at the same time dont provide the appropriates services in regions where ther's too corruption and criminality it seems just a fast money washing, not a trustly project for me..
we are in Latino America, not in Tokyo or NY, ok?

I like Playa Caribe, but I don't see any development of this small nice beach, in the coast from los bancos de arena to Guayacanes ther's some condos on the reef in gated comunity and lands for my pocket, any opinion? I never visited any flat there, but I would like to spend some my first days there next time, anyway i'm considering it as the only sea front lands for a private villa for cheap in the south, this places are very unsafe and abandoned, but with some potentiality.


Bayahibe Dominicus: In my opinion they are building more than the real demand of buyers, anyway it is in a very good position near LRM airport, closed to the East Park and Saona, sand and water colours in the area are wonderfull, the new autopista de Coral is perfect, this area may become more important in a few years...
..But.. all the beach is taken from resorts , the public beach is just a 50mts strip, I considered many condos in dominicus, actually just 3 are sea front: Cadaques Caribe (tha is the only one in the area beach front), the new "Dominicus Marina" closed to the Tracadero restaurant but it is on the reef where they are building a marina and ther's no playa closed, Rosa de Bayahibe village that is now propretry of WLH (the 1st company failed some years ago) and it seems they starting to sell soon flats with titles and private beach, other lands are availables for resorts/condos projects in the front sea area from the Canoa to the Cadaques.
all others condos in dominicus are from 200mts to 1km distant from the beach... and ther's not a flat, villa or actic or window with a sea view, incredible! and ther's 30% of condos built in 2009 that still not have titles... but a very important thing is that the electricity is private and provided 24/7 in all the area, and it is the most safe area I visited in DR, but is the most boring place for nightlife trust me!


In Bayahibe Pueblo as I see they are building many small condos, I still not visited any flat there.
I just can say that Restaurants are good, the baya is nice but ther's too much motorboats for excursions to the islands..


Cabarete: I lived in one of the most nice and quite condo villas of the town with private beach (house Nanny beach, wonderfull condo, over my budget). I like the area and nightlife in Cabarete, but I still not consider a good business for me because POP airport is still not working with Europe and as I read on newspapers it will not expand more in the next future, north is too far from Las Americas, I prefer to invest in the south because is the real caribbeans sea and not an ocean, different weather, different water temperature, wind, waves... Cabarete is small and I felt safe there night and day.


Sosua: many flats for sell, I don't believe in a good development for this area, like Boca it is hell or paradise it depend from your point of view, the Calisante seems just a softest version of the Duarte...

PC and Bavaro, I never been there but as I know the area is developing as well and PUJ is the 2nd airport of the island. I would like some opinion on the RE market and touristics rents demand of the area.

About LT/Samana, I've not enough experience to share but as I see ther's an high offer of proprietyes for sell, is it really developing? I will explore next January 2013 and try to visit some flat and condos during my trip.


I will appreciate any opinion on sea front condos or gated comunity, I'm interested in invest in the south area. i would like to read some experience of owners in renting business.


thank you
M.

as I wrote:
"I'm considering to invest in a flat in caribbeans, my point of view is that investing in condos or gated community means to wait long time for resell it at a real business price, but it could be rented to tourists sometime for have an help on expenses for the maintainance and the flat can be used as retire for holidays too. I trust more in small size front sea proprieties that are easily resalable and rentable."

sorry again for my english!
I mean that I'd like that maintenance fees could be paid by renting of the flat.

@drstock:
during my last trip in Cabarete I asked to some expats about POP activity, someone told me that they have recently read on newspapers that POP airport will not develop more for the next 8 years (it was June/May 2012).
That's what I heard, I'd like to have more info.

@Preston: I agree with you on: "Most of the year it is vacant", of course.
I don't agree with: "You will be competiting against other area hotels".

@donP:the customer of a small apartment is a different kind of customer than the customers of the hotels: I was observing Europeans pensioners who choose to have some month (BC and Sosua for example, where there are small comunities of expats), the demand in this case is for small flats in safe area walking distance to the beach and from the most part of services.
In the case of projects condos hotel sea front (example: Cadaques Caribe in dominicus) where I was observing how the hotel manages the flats of the owners, it could help to pay maintenence fees..? I would like to speak with owners sincere.. I guess that PC/Bavaro there are similar situations, and PUJ has a very good traffic.
In my case I like to get off from the airplane, renting a jeepeta, enjoy a condo near the beach for no more than a week per town and then visiting places, cooking by myself or free to choose a restaurant or piccapollo. I'm not that kind of cheap person who likes to be fed and served as a pork in a resort with a pizza or hot dogs beachfront for 37$ and don't want to meet local people and culture..
My 2 cents: I'm the owner of 3 charming small flats for rental business in a 12months touristic area, but this is the first time that I'm going to buy in caribbean a completly different situation, for the moment I'm just observing the RE market of the island, looking to a small flat that has more reselling chances (and more possibility of sealing the market in case of RE bubbles) than a more big or expensive propriety, but it must be charming and the best are the seafronts condos.

"BTW, during that time you will most likely visit other parts of the country and realize that the SC is not what one really wants..."
I agree that the most beautifull places on DR coast are not in the SC.Btw I'm considering developed areas, near to the airports (I mean less than 1 hr by car) and any services, that's the why I'm looking to the SC.
Investments of the government in the new carretera a Saman? and in the electricity of the area deserve attention.

@CaptnGlenn: Thank you for the answer, I completely agree with your point of view on rentals and on short term reselling, I would like any suggestion and opinion on condos managed by hotels or agency in PC and Cap Cana area, I would like to rent a flat there during my next trip.

every3monthpuntacana said:

Interesting subject...first of all, whether you want to buy for renting, personal use and possible re-sale at a later date, make sure you have the cash and do not finance your purchase (through banks or developer / owner).
Basically buy with the money you have in your piggy bank (and I don't mean the money you saved for a "rainy day").
We bought early last year a 1 bedroom in Cortecito which is fine for my wife and myself; however we are now thinking of possibly spending more time there and may have also relatives over for extended periods of time.
Therefore last month we bought a 3 bedroom in the new development next door for the extra space / bedrooms.
I just put the 1 bedroom up for sale, getting lots of hits on the lising but realistically may have also put it up for rent.
I figure if we rent it out and don't sell, it may take up to 15, maybe 20 years to pay for what we paid for the condo.
Still not a problem but if we had gone through financing it probably would have never paid for itself.

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I'm going to invest with my cash, I think generally to do not invest more than 30% of my portfolio far from my country.
Thank you for sharing your experience as the owner of 2 flats trying to re-sell or rent, it is the same situation you will find in any new developing community where there's a bigger offer of new propreties on sell than the real demand, in this case the only way is to sell at the lower price than the neighbours.

sanluisdavid said:

Menelik, what have been the typical HOA's you have seen? What size rental do you think would be the best investment for someone who wants to keep it occupied and maybe even make a few bucks? Are there more people renting studios, 1 BR's, or larger?

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I visited and rented usually condos of 1 or 2 bedrooms.
Considering Bayahibe dominicus that is a place with high demand for short term touristic rentals, I observed an high demand during the high season (in december I observed 70% of rented in a condo of 200 flats that is not the best or the most closed to the beach), the situation during the low season was different. I also visited and rented in the most advertised condos of the area, some of them is advertised from well-known European and Americans travelpartners as an alternative to AI resorts but at the same managed locally by agencies or trust persons of the owners.
In my opinion small flats are more easly rentable in areas where tourists are foreigners, however in places where there is an high demand during weekends from Dominicans, bigger flats are most easly rentable (for example in Juan Dolio).
Of course the higher demand in DR will be for the beachfronts proprieties with more amenities and most advertised that naturally have the higher maintenence fees.