Two Cents Worth
Just to add PJT's two cents.
I have found that the delay in two transactions I have been active in has been on the part of the DGII, the tax department. In order transfer a title, proof has to be obtained that taxes have been paid on the property before the existing title can be submitted to the land registry to make the changes to reflect the new and present owners.
Due to non-payment of taxes and corruption issues, the DGII has slowed the process of obtaining titles. The DGII researches all the paperwork submitted to them to prove all taxes have been paid for the property involved in a transaction. This can take up to a year in some cases. Once they have proved a property is clear of any taxes, then the paperwork can be retrieved by the lawyer(s) and submitted to the Land Registry along with titles to be transfered.
The initial process (tax issue) is usually done at the DGII at the provincial level. However, in some cases the paperwork is referred to the offices in Santo Domingo especially when it involves the partitioning of large property parcels into smaller units and/or may include tax breaks for developers of these large tracks of land. That process in turn, morphs into possible tax breaks for the purchasers. The down side of this process is when it is discovered the developer is found not to have paid taxes (if applicable) on the parcels sold, the DGII will not sign off on an approval until taxes are paid. Note: This is a case when the sellers of property are more concerned about obtaining your purchase cash rather than disclosing to you the taxes have not been paid, "buyer beware".
This above part is what most people don't hear or know about as the lawyers handling the situation are mum or not apprised of the reasons for delay; and they, the lawyers, are not proactive enough to follow through on their commitments, meaning they don't like to mix it up with the government. No big deal, manana, manana. You have to inquire of your lawyers as to where the paperwork is and what they are doing to push it along. Has it been submitted to the land registry or still hung up in the DGII. Ask of them proof (receipts) they have submitted documents to the government agencies. The receipts will tell you where the documents are and if your lawyer is working in your interest.
Best one can do, if they really want to find out what is happening, is to get involved with the process and investigate where the paperwork is. If you want to get something done, do it yourself.
Regards,
PJT
