Considering the move...

DogKeeper

New member
Apr 9, 2008
12
0
0
Hello,

We have been 'lurking' on this site for ages...great information. Feel like we already know all of you!

We have all of our ducks in a row and could make a move to D.R. this year.
Finances, we speak spanish (more or less) all the usual issues are non-issues.

Please answer these questions for us...
1) Do you feel isolated....As an American expat do you feel at home or like a foreigner in a foreign land?
2) We are looking at the North Coast...from your perspectives is it safe....do you feel comfortable out and about or do the exats stick to their own in their own 'communities'?

Our motivation for moving to the D.R. is for a better quality of life. More time off, slower paced lifestyle, more time to live. We don't desire to live a overly consumptive lifestyle any longer. More time to live in the present.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 

bebeto007

New member
Mar 22, 2008
44
4
0
North coast is a good location

Hello,

I live in Sosua and in first year everything has been just great. All neightbours are helpful and there has been absolutelly nothing we would have been scared of. So North Coast has felt completelly home with lots of activities around you.

I think what lead us to success was that we first interviewed people from the area where we decided to move. We mixed stories of several real estate agents together and formed our own view of their sayings. Then at the end picked one direction and used an agent we felt most secure with, and bought our dream villa. Everything in the buying proces went smoothly and straight forward.


- Bebeto
 

DR Mpe

Banned
Mar 31, 2003
1,191
36
48
Hello,

I live in Sosua and in first year everything has been just great. All neightbours are helpful and there has been absolutelly nothing we would have been scared of. So North Coast has felt completelly home with lots of activities around you.

I think what lead us to success was that we first interviewed people from the area where we decided to move. We mixed stories of several real estate agents together and formed our own view of their sayings. Then at the end picked one direction and used an agent we felt most secure with, and bought our dream villa. Everything in the buying proces went smoothly and straight forward.


- Bebeto


Good advices. Add renting a property in the area you are interested in. Maybe it is not your dream house, but you will find out if like to drive home there at night, water electricity problems?, roosters, dogs... etc. etc.
 

Lambada

Gold
Mar 4, 2004
9,478
410
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80
www.ginniebedggood.com
Please answer these questions for us...
1) Do you feel isolated....As an American expat do you feel at home or like a foreigner in a foreign land?

I only feel like a foreigner in a foreign land when I return to visit the UK, my country of origin. I don't feel isolated here - I feel involved with the local community, busy & active, but I have lived here 15+ years and it can take a while to gain that sense of involvement.

2) We are looking at the North Coast...from your perspectives is it safe....do you feel comfortable out and about or do the exats stick to their own in their own 'communities'?

By and large I stay away from many of the expats because I do not feel comfortable with some of the attitudes and while they may be going through a process and those attitudes will change over time, I tend to have a few good expat friends and many Dominican friends. I feel very comfortable out and about and I also feel safe, (perhaps because I stay away from expat areas?). There is a lot of good advice on this forum about security issues and it is certainly far more of a concern than it was when I first moved here.

The places to avoid are barrios at nightime and those expat hangouts where people overdramatise events to scare new people.............;)

Welcome to DR1 and to the DR if you decide to move here :) .
 

drloca

Silver
Oct 26, 2004
2,097
216
63
As an immigrant myself, I think something very to remember when relocating to a new country is the importance of integration. As Lambada pointed out, I think attitude plays a key role too. (and could be a reason why some never adapt).

While we feel very "comfortable" amongst our own, my experience was that I really only felt settled once I had acquired "local" friends and entered the workforce.

Although this didnt pertain to me, learning the language of your adopted country is important too.

Good luck.
 

DogKeeper

New member
Apr 9, 2008
12
0
0
Thanks for the responses...

We will rent first. That seems like great advice.

We woke up this am and asked each other...
"what would it be like if we were just waking up in the D.R?"
A rush of excitement and a sense of fulfillment overwhelmed us.

The idea of not living this 'keep up with the jonese', constantly rising taxes,
consumeristic culture is massively appealing.

We do speak Spanish...rusty but, some. Our business is over the net so place matters not.