i need your help people

smigg3011

New member
Feb 21, 2006
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i am planning to move out to the dominican republic in the next 3 months we have decided to come to santo domingo and would love some advice about rental properties in a nice safe area there are so many areas i have no idea which are good and which are bad . any help you guys can give is greatly appreciated thank you . i am english by the way so anyone with any advice about my relocation please post .
 

british bulldog

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Jan 21, 2006
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How long do you intend to stay,are you going to work here,you may need to life near where you work,many factors involved,please give more details of your intensions then we can help you!!!!!!
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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When someone says: "moving out there" we know they're Brits!!

Think this over.

HB :D:D:D
 

british bulldog

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Jan 21, 2006
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when someone says brits,we know there yanks,when someone says poms we know there ausies whats the deal;Think that over!!!!
 

smigg3011

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Feb 21, 2006
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i am moving out indefinately and yes i do plan to work out there . as for hillbilly thanks for the completely useless peice of info .
 

PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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smigg3011 said:
i am moving out indefinately and yes i do plan to work out there . as for hillbilly thanks for the completely useless peice of info .

Smigg3001,

Once you familiarize yourself with users of this forum you will note that Hillbilly's "useless" information is probably the best. He did take the moment to offer some help and you reply with vinegar. Not a way to win friends and friends are what you will need to survive in this location.

Now, Second Chance. .......I will offer some of my own "useless" information and hope you will not respond to me the same way as you did to HB. Where in Santo Domingo will you be working? The city is very large and you will want accomodation near to where you will be working. Getting from one end of the city to the other end can take up your time and patience. If you can nicely offer more information, the forum members may be able to help you find a relatively "nice safe area", provided you are nice to them.

Regards,
PJT
 

smigg3011

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Feb 21, 2006
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apologies to hillbilly and yourself new to this and it was out of character for me i appreciate any advice people may give wether i understand it or not lol i appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond to me as i need all the help i can get . in answer to your question pjt i do not have employment lined up yet so the area of the city is one of my questions i need to know what the affordable and safe areas of the city are as the things i have read on the web are conflicting .
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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Smiggs, be glad to lend you a helping hand, but as everyone has pointed out, we need details. I would say that much depends not only on what you will be doing,how long you will be staying, and where you will be working, but also on your tastes, which after all count for a lot. Many people will make sacrifices about where they live, if the residence meets other more personally important criteria. For example, many people like to live over in the western portions of the city, where there are more conveniences, stores that cater to their needs and so on, whereas I really feel that the charm of the capital (and there is little of it) is wholly found in the colonial zone and Gazcue -- but to live in these areas has its drawbacks too. First of all I would recommend that you read up as much as possible on the country and on the capital. Try Sean Harvey's Rough Guide, which is the best travel guide to the country. And if you want detailed info, just contact anyone here you like. YOu can email me or PM me to carry on the conversation in depth.
 

LynnCox

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Feb 18, 2002
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smigg3011 said:
apologies to hillbilly and yourself new to this and it was out of character for me i appreciate any advice people may give wether i understand it or not lol i appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond to me as i need all the help i can get . in answer to your question pjt i do not have employment lined up yet so the area of the city is one of my questions i need to know what the affordable and safe areas of the city are as the things i have read on the web are conflicting .

smigg3011...

It would be wise in my opinion to at the very least have a job lined up as work is not as easy to come by as most foreigners may think it is. Then find the housing, then you will know what you can afford, unless you have unlimited income already and can afford anything, and can take a couple of months to look around for a job. But the wages here are not as high as you may be used to where ever it is you are coming from. Housing in the city can be expensive depending on where you look. But decent apts. are a minimum of around US$500 in a good area and that is just for the apt. it doesn't include the maintenance fee that is always added on, then there is the electricity cost that is very high and of course you want to be in a building that has a generator, because we do have lots of electrical outtages here in this country. There are tons of things to think about when moving here. What are your motives? It's a beautiful country and the people make it even better. But a job is essential if you are to survive.

I wish you luck....try and find a job first...

Lynn
 

smigg3011

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Feb 21, 2006
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ok here we go i will give as many details as possible i will be coming with my girlfireind and have got money to bring with me so employment straight away isnt a must but it is something i will want to do within 3 months . i will need a 2/3 bedroom apartment or would even consider renting a house but safety is paramount . i will need internet access preferably . i would prefer to be near shops ect and if there is a safe bar area maybe near there . my motivation for coming to the D R is i love the country and have decided to have a life change i do understand that things wont be as luxurious as my home in england but the sunshine and beautiful island will make up for that .
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Good advice from Lynn.

The only thing I disagree with is:

LynnCox said:
of course you want to be in a building that has a generator, because we do have lots of electrical outtages here in this country.

Not necessarily - an inverter is almost always sufficient. I'd hate to live in a building with a generator. Not only do you have the noise and the fumes, but also the never-ending disputes with non-paying neighbours, not to mention the astronomical cost of fuelling it.
 

macocael

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Aug 3, 2004
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Very good point, Chiri, I agree. Also, if one is to move to a condominium, bear in mind that your life there will be affected by the decisions that are made (or left unmade) by your neighbors,. This can be a real pain sometimes. In my experience the apt complexes are not generally run very well here.
 

smigg3011

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Feb 21, 2006
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so what is the situation for houses in the area are they in safe areas and are there many to rent
 

drliving

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Dec 11, 2005
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I just moved here 11 months ago with my wife and 10 yr old daughter. we first moved to a house (in el Millon)with an inverter. Shortly after finding out that the electricity in this country is very unpredictable we bought another inverter and 8 batteries which was about $2,000.00 dollars. We needed more power for those long blackout periods.

The rental of the home was $1,500.00 per month. This was average price for the areas that we were looking at. The house was nice but did not like the fact that people were always knocking on our front gate wanting money, and the fact that when the power went out for hours upon hours during the day, that the AC didn't work. These things were very important because if you are not used to the weather here you will "die" from the summer heat if you don't have AC. In the Capital

So after six months we moved into a condo in Los Cacicazgo close to the Dominican Fiesta hotel. This has been the best move for us, we now live on the 7th floor and can keep all our windows open all day and night with a great breeze coming in 24/7. and the view of the city is beautiful. we never have any electricity problems and the landlord pays the maintenance fees. we pay $1,500.00. The area is very nice and the hotel has a club membership so you can join and use the pool gym basketball and tennis courts.

We never have any problems with power or the generator. the area is great we love that it is quite and if we want to go to a bar we just walk across the street and go the hotel that has a sports bar and casino.

I think the most important thing about this country is how do you want to live here. There are many levels of existence here, you just have to decide what level you want to live at, and what can you afford. And in this counrty you get what you pay for.
 
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LynnCox

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Feb 18, 2002
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Chirimoya said:
Good advice from Lynn.

The only thing I disagree with is:



Not necessarily - an inverter is almost always sufficient. I'd hate to live in a building with a generator. Not only do you have the noise and the fumes, but also the never-ending disputes with non-paying neighbours, not to mention the astronomical cost of fuelling it.

Oh yeah...I agree as well..luckily I have both, so I am never without power! If you live in an apt or condo there are always times that the generator runs and it doesn't and yes the noise is loud, especially if you are on the first floor as I am and it's so close to you. BUT I have learned to close my windows to drown out the noise as best as I can and have gotten used to it.

I think you are getting some good advise here in this column..hope it's helping!

Lynn
 

drliving

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Dec 11, 2005
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you can expect to pay around $1,000 to $3,000 depending on the location and size. these prices are for safe good areas. remember your electric bill with AC will probably run you about 200.00 a month or more.