Relaxed, retired, no problems.

easygoin

Bronze
Jan 2, 2005
746
0
0
So why would someone come to DR or any country, and try to open A
business and lose a lot of what they saved for to be in that position. :eek: :eek: I do not get it, other then first off, board, money hungry, or a silver spoon since childhood. Heck moving to another country in that situation... that's the last thing I would think.


I hear of so many businesses from ex pats going under, in such short time, and if they would've just relaxed and enjoyed what they accomplished and lived a simple life, stress free and better in long run.


So why do they take this chance?
 

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
4
0
easygoin said:
So why would someone come to DR or any country, and try to open A
business and lose a lot of what they saved for to be in that position. :eek: :eek: I do not get it, other then first off, board, money hungry, or a silver spoon since childhood. Heck moving to another country in that situation... that's the last thing I would think.


I hear of so many businesses from ex pats going under, in such short time, and if they would've just relaxed and enjoyed what they accomplished and lived a simple life, stress free and better in long run.


So why do they take this chance?

Because they don?t learn about the country and the culture before they rush in to businesses.
They don?t see it as taking a chance, as they don?t know anything about the real life here, they think of it as an opportunity and they are sure all their experience and knowledge from their native countries is way valid here, so therefor they are smarter than the locals..
:tired:
 

Escott

Gold
Jan 14, 2002
7,716
6
0
www.escottinsosua.blogspot.com
easygoin said:
So why would someone come to DR or any country, and try to open A
business and lose a lot of what they saved for to be in that position. :eek: :eek: I do not get it, other then first off, board, money hungry, or a silver spoon since childhood. Heck moving to another country in that situation... that's the last thing I would think.


I hear of so many businesses from ex pats going under, in such short time, and if they would've just relaxed and enjoyed what they accomplished and lived a simple life, stress free and better in long run.


So why do they take this chance?
When I came to the DR I swore I wouldnt even buy a home. I would rent and live off of income. I retired from the R.E. Business in the States and was real burned out from dealing with tenants and swore I would NEVER EVER do maintenence on a home again.

I got here and I saw opportunities that ran deep. I couldn't help myself, I got crazy, I bought a lot to build a home, I bought land to build Condos on, I bought land to build a shopping center on, I bought condos, I bought another building lot, I bought another building lot I bought a restaurant, I am building, I am out of my mind, maybe, maybe not.

Over the years I have been a loser in the Stock Market, my marraige of many years for all intent and purpose ended, I never lost my sense of humor nor my golden touch for real estate. So, it is all about Real Estate, that magical piece of dirt that for some reason keeps going up in value if you bought it right and more times than not even if you bought it wrong. Mistakes turn to gold in Real Estate all the time.

If you go back in my history of posts here I once did a spreadsheet explaining how many beers you would have every week if you rented and not bought with the money you would save.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it!

Escott
 

Jasper

Bronze
Jan 10, 2002
1,029
1
36
escott, i'm doing the same in las galeras though i trust my marriage will last. well, i guess we'll see this february - montreal february. anyway, hang in there buddy. my bug was "Duddy Kravitz" by mordechai rich(l)er. duddy's grandfather told him as the elder rolled some soil through the palms of his hands in the laurentians north of montreal, and i paraphrase, "buy land duddy..just land".

you been there lately? so trendy now that michael douglas and cz-jones just bought a huge tract of land there.

so i agree. people are going to get hurt along the way, especially us, but hang in there. dr is precious.
 

easygoin

Bronze
Jan 2, 2005
746
0
0
carina said:
Because they don?t learn about the country and the culture before they rush in to businesses.
They don?t see it as taking a chance, as they don?t know anything about the real life here, they think of it as an opportunity and they are sure all their experience and knowledge from their native countries is way valid here, so therefor they are smarter than the locals..
:tired:


just something that's hard to swallow. :cry: how can somebody be an adult... but yet so na?ve at the same time? I guess that's what makes the world go around?
 

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
4
0
easygoin said:
just something that's hard to swallow. :cry: how can somebody be an adult... but yet so na?ve at the same time? I guess that's what makes the world go around?

I agree with you, but ain?t this what we see over and over again?
 

easygoin

Bronze
Jan 2, 2005
746
0
0
Escott said:
When I came to the DR I swore I wouldnt even buy a home. I would rent and live off of income. I retired from the R.E. Business in the States and was real burned out from dealing with tenants and swore I would NEVER EVER do maintenence on a home again.

I got here and I saw opportunities that ran deep. I couldn't help myself, I got crazy, I bought a lot to build a home, I bought land to build Condos on, I bought land to build a shopping center on, I bought condos, I bought another building lot, I bought another building lot I bought a restaurant, I am building, I am out of my mind, maybe, maybe not.

Over the years I have been a loser in the Stock Market, my marraige of many years for all intent and purpose ended, I never lost my sense of humor nor my golden touch for real estate. So, it is all about Real Estate, that magical piece of dirt that for some reason keeps going up in value if you bought it right and more times than not even if you bought it wrong. Mistakes turn to gold in Real Estate all the time.

If you go back in my history of posts here I once did a spreadsheet explaining how many beers you would have every week if you rented and not bought with the money you would save.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it!

Escott



First off.... land is golden, and when you purchase location, location, location, and build on it....WELL enough said. I respect you highly for going out still being young, in a foreign country and still having a taste for easy pickings. I respect that a lot... no matter who wants to ride you for what you do. It's in your blood, just like a restaurant owner, bartender, or whatever, that is just you.



btw, since you have the smell,... do you think you can find me..10 acres of land in Arizona, on top of the lost Dutchman's mine? :nervous: I was out there last week... but I don't quite have the nose for it like you. ;) believe me you will get taken care of quite handsomely. ;) best of luck.
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
4,409
26
0
My experience

I find people coming here see this as the land of opportunity. Carina is very correct in what she says and.... they do not do their homework, don't know the language, assume what works at home will work here.. NOpe, now way, no how.... in most cases.

However, my experience extends beyond here. The reality is most businesses fail - period. That is because people everywhere fail to plan, to organize to do their research before hand!!! Then they are shocked by their own failure......

Do your homework. Assume you don't know anything... when necessary hire help!!!! There are a lot of gifted and knowledgeable people here! Just look at the info Escott offers on a regular basis...

NOw Escott you really should start charging for that...LOL
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
All the posters have a point.
The basic problem is this: people come here, fall in love with the land, or a male sankie, or a girl in the resort area etc and then think about living here. They lack the plan or resources to make the move but they blindly take a decision and make the move anyway.
Ex: I knew a guy who was a florist in italy but when he landed in DR he joined some folks and opened up a pizza parlor. This man can't even boil speghetti at home, yet he thought he could sell pizza that tasted horrible. He went under. Then he opened up another pizza restaurant in another poor location and lasted only 4 months.
many folks open up a bar or a restaurant in the beach area along with 100 more businesses selling the same things. They have no clue what to do to make money in DR. They have just not realized (before hand) how difficult it is to make money in this country.
Yes, there are success stories in this country and yes there are expats who are making more money here than in USA. Unfortunately for every expat who is making money in DR, there are dozens others who have lost everything.
Many guys simply come here to live and spend time with easy girls. They soon run out of money because their plan was only to have sex with easy women. Many girls move down here to have fun with cheap resort dominicans and also lose everything.
The folks who have come here with a solid plan and had done their homework right have had some level of success, but the rest are simply struggling.
Escott is one of the people who carries a solid head on his shoulder. he came to this country, all set, so he wouldn't have to work a minute. He is busy now in his projects but he sees his work as hobby. I have heard from some sources that he has his work all figured out in the head and there is a good chance, he will make milions in the future from his real estate investments alone. More power to my buddy.
I see folks every month who are willing to give up comfortable lives in USA, canada, europe and willing to move to this country without having any job prospects or business opportunities. They are doomed to begin with.
AZB
 

Escott

Gold
Jan 14, 2002
7,716
6
0
www.escottinsosua.blogspot.com
easygoin said:
First off.... land is golden, and when you purchase location, location, location, and build on it....WELL enough said. I respect you highly for going out still being young, in a foreign country and still having a taste for easy pickings. I respect that a lot... no matter who wants to ride you for what you do. It's in your blood, just like a restaurant owner, bartender, or whatever, that is just you.



btw, since you have the smell,... do you think you can find me..10 acres of land in Arizona, on top of the lost Dutchman's mine? :nervous: I was out there last week... but I don't quite have the nose for it like you. ;) believe me you will get taken care of quite handsomely. ;) best of luck.
I once was in Florida visiting a friend. He was renting a house because he couldnt afford the down payment. He had to Kennel 2 dogs because they wouldnt let him keep the dogs in the house he rented. The dogs rent was 500 a month and that was a bargain for German Shepherds.

I told him that we can get him a home tomorrow and he can take the dogs he loved out of the kennel and cost him less and own something eventually.

He bet me 20$ I couldn't get it done in 24 hours. By 10 am the next morning we had him a condo not only with no money down but 1000 US dollars in his pocket for closing costs courtesy of an owner who was motivated. This was 20 years ago btw and now resales in Florida have value where they didn't then.

I was never too darn good in love and marraige/Stock market etc., but R.E. been veddy veddy good to me.

Escott
 

Axelar

New member
Jul 28, 2004
19
0
0
Now You're Talkin'

Scott,

Now there's an opportunity for you... How about if we turn you into the Carleton Sheets of DR? ;-) Unquestionably the king of real estate infomercials. With all the dough you'll make, you'll have no trouble affording the best marriage counselors money (or no money) can find.

Axe

Escott said:
I told him that we can get him a home tomorrow and he can take the dogs he loved out of the kennel and cost him less and own something eventually.

He bet me 20$ I couldn't get it done in 24 hours. By 10 am the next morning we had him a condo not only with no money down but 1000 US dollars in his pocket for closing costs courtesy of an owner who was motivated. This was 20 years ago btw and now resales in Florida have value where they didn't then.

I was never too darn good in love and marraige/Stock market etc., but R.E. been veddy veddy good to me.

Escott
 

philbrick03

New member
Feb 10, 2004
15
0
0
Escott said:
When I came to the DR I swore I wouldnt even buy a home. I would rent and live off of income. I retired from the R.E. Business in the States and was real burned out from dealing with tenants and swore I would NEVER EVER do maintenence on a home again.

I got here and I saw opportunities that ran deep. I couldn't help myself, I got crazy, I bought a lot to build a home, I bought land to build Condos on, I bought land to build a shopping center on, I bought condos, I bought another building lot, I bought another building lot I bought a restaurant, I am building, I am out of my mind, maybe, maybe not.

Over the years I have been a loser in the Stock Market, my marraige of many years for all intent and purpose ended, I never lost my sense of humor nor my golden touch for real estate. So, it is all about Real Estate, that magical piece of dirt that for some reason keeps going up in value if you bought it right and more times than not even if you bought it wrong. Mistakes turn to gold in Real Estate all the time.

If you go back in my history of posts here I once did a spreadsheet explaining how many beers you would have every week if you rented and not bought with the money you would save.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it!

Escott


Escott,

Great post.

I agree that there is great opportunity in the DR. If anyone doubts it, just check out real estate prices in Florida, PR, and most other Caribbean islands.
(It's the same weather, the same ocean, the same sand...)

Could the DR be "rich" like these places? Why not! It is a beautiful place. The vast majority of its people are smart, hard working, cooperative, and desperate to get ahead. The one thing it needs is capital.

And the first wave of capital comes from speculators such as you. People who are willing to go with their gut rather than wait for Wall Street Journal advice.

Unfortunately, the DR seems to have more than its fair share of boneheads who think that speculators are vultures, preying on a weak economy. Wise up folks, it's these profit hungry speculators that provide the spark for most economic success stories.
 

Escott

Gold
Jan 14, 2002
7,716
6
0
www.escottinsosua.blogspot.com
Axelar said:
Scott,

Now there's an opportunity for you... How about if we turn you into the Carleton Sheets of DR? ;-) Unquestionably the king of real estate infomercials. With all the dough you'll make, you'll have no trouble affording the best marriage counselors money (or no money) can find.

Axe
Why would I need a marraige counselor amigo? I am happily married to my first and only wife. Life is great living in two countries and we get along like two peas in a pod! LOL

I think I will give her a call and see how she is doing...