Moving To DR In 90 Days

[Robert]

Let me first say. Be VERY wary of people sending you PM's offering you services like rentals or real estate. Feel free to email or PM me the info and I will either tell you if they are legit or remove them from the board.

Some posters have been around here for years, lived here for years and seen it all.
Their advice is golden and when combined, could save you a world of heart ache.

Fabio Guzman, Lambada, Rocky, Chirimoya, Hillbilly are a few that come to mind.

My advice is to rent first, get to know the lay of the land, who's who etc, then look at buying. If you're set on buying from day one, then I recommend you contact Fabio Guzman for the legal stuff and Curt Erickson for the real estate stuff.
Why am I recommending them? They have excellent track records, good name and above all, honest and trust worthy. Yes, they are both involved with DR1 at various levels, but if they didn't have such a good name, then DR1 wouldn't be involved with them

 

[LuvtheDR]

Oh, for the love of God! Why is it that people sign up here and ask a question, receive an answer (that is probably not the one they were WANTING to hear), then they go a crazy thinking that everyone is picking on them??

This is ridiculous! The answers you have received are excellent answers! You cannot "hear" the tone in which the replies are made because you are simply only reading words. YOU are choosing to hear those words in a sarcastic nature because they are not the words you wanted to hear!! If you already believe that you know the answer to your question....why bother asking it?? :tired:

 

[bob saunders]

It is funny people seem to be hush hush here? Why?????????

You have received much sage advice here. The business environment is different in the DR, the clientele are different, and the workers are different, so be adaptable. My wife is Dominican and runs a sucessful business(school) in the DR. Reliable and honest workers are hard to find. Dominicans work as hard as workers anywhere, but get to know the labour code, and have a good lawyer familiar expert in the code. Put everyone on probation, then sign a contract with them, very specific in what is expected of them(all within code of course)"Any issues like absent with notice- write it down and go to your local labour office for advice. Do NOT over pay by very much. The locals will think you are a mark and act accordingly . Watch the expats as close if not closer than the natives.

 

[sweetdbt]

I hope you are able to take a step back Belinda, and look at some of the advice given here in the spirit which it was given, and I can assure you that first and foremost, that was a desire to be helpful to you as you are planning and making this move. While it may seem less than helpful to point out the mistakes you may have already made, sometimes knowing these things is a necessary first step in getting on track to make wise choices going forward.

I know there is a tendancy for some to to say "why not just answer the question she asked?" It may be an extreme example, but if a man announced he was going to kill his ex-wife and asked where he could buy an unregistered weapon to do the job, would it be "helpful" to hook him up with Joey Bagadonuts who sells saturday night specials from the trunk of his car? Believe me, the advice to rent first before buying is very much the conventional wisdom, and is given with your best interests in mind. As many DR1 people can tell you, if you were to buy the wrong home in the DR, you might eventually want that gun for other reasons.

Perhaps it would be helpful to know how you came about deciding to buy a business in Cabarete and move there. Specifics on what you want in a home (size, close to the beach, etc.) would also help in determining the best areas to consider.

 

[Adrian Bye]

good luck with the move!

 

[mountainannie]

Actually, Adrian, you have absolutely no way of knowing how much money most of the posters here have. In fact, I would challenge your assumptions.

To live here comfortably we have all pretty much agreed that one needs between $1500 to $3000 a month.

Since a safe return on principal is now about 3%, one could just as easily assume that many, if not most, of the posters here have assets well over $1 million US.

I imagine that most of us actually have a success driven approach to life. Otherwise we would be working 60 hours a week,commuting 2 hours, and shoveling snow instead of going up to Samana to see the whales.

 

[La Mariposa]

Actually, Adrian, you have absolutely no way of knowing how much money most of the posters here have. In fact, I would challenge your assumptions.

To live here comfortably we have all pretty much agreed that one needs between $1500 to $3000 a month.
Since a safe return on principal is now about 3%, one could just as easily assume that many, if not most, of the posters here have assets well over $1 million US.

I imagine that most of us actually have a success driven approach to life. Otherwise we would be working 60 hours a week,commuting 2 hours, and shoveling snow instead of going up to Samana to see the whales.

Between 1500$ and 3000$ there is 1500$ difference. That is a huge difference and so is the comfort.

 

[Chirimoya]

The reason for the discrepancy is that it depends on which part of the country (living in the capital or an upscale tourist area as opposed to a provincial town or campo, for example) how many family members, specific needs like schooling, etc.

 

[london777]

Where in my post have you seen I know nothing about the Country? I have been coming here since I am 14yrs old. When I came here it was at resorts.
This comment does not inspire confidence. If you have only stayed in resorts then you know next to nothing about the DR. They are a totally artificial and misleading environment. It's like researching the USA by visiting Disneyworld.

 

[drloca]

The OP hasnt resurfaced today...perhaps she is busy packing?

 

[jrhartley]

good heavens Im glad you lot arent a welcoming committee at the airport- id be surprised if we ever hear from the poor woman again

 

[Lambada]

Oh, for the love of God! Why is it that people sign up here and ask a question, receive an answer (that is probably not the one they were WANTING to hear), then they go a crazy thinking that everyone is picking on them??

The OP in this case actually started out quite well - she was courteous and proffered thanks for the advice. Then she seemed to get progressively more argumentative over the course of a couple of hours. It could be that the stress of the move is affecting her more than she realises. Either way, when I sense that people are ignoring the practical advice I offer (the link to DR Rentals, contacting Curt, doing a search for reputable recommended RE agencies etc) & picking me up on a less tangible comment in a way which leads me to believe they are trying to get me to fight, that is when I back off. On the board and in real life. Much too busy for that sort of silliness!

To make a successful move one needs to know about the DR, yes, but perhaps above all, one needs to know about oneself. And if a dash of humility isn't there to start with, it needs to be developed. Particularly for this country.

But I would agree with LuvtheDR, we do seem to have had a few of late! :cheeky: Course, they're not aware about each other, so they probably don't know how it looks to us.

 

[SKing]

Honey, I had visited DR 6 times in one year before I moved (to Santiago) and of all of those trips, I spent half a day in the resort. The resort is NOTHING like the real DR, I am still learning here but you are in for a rude awakening.
SHALENA:ermm:

 

[DOMINCAN JOE]

I purchased a business in Cabarete and I am wanting a good area to purchase a house with land. I have no idea where to buy a home in a good location, I am planning on staying at a resort until I purchase a home. I just want to know where a good area is to start

Can you not build on the side or top of your business ?

I think Lomas Mironas (as it is 1/2 way between sosua and cabarete and a nice quiet gated community.... and pretty) is a good bet,

A friend of mine used to have a house in Lomas Miranos
Would this be the one near the Sea Horse ranch up a hillside !

had his house on the market with its own pool

He took a long time to sell it at a great loss

also it had a high MAINTENANCE CHARGE !

 

[MikeFisher]

not all people who settle down on the isle go to live with the dominican community, guys, like always you forget that.
if i count the huge number of expats here on the east coast with it's large number of russian home owners(many many many do not even speak english, and sure no word spanish), europeans from all over the western european continent and some hundreds of northamericans, i would count that 80% of them did not research more than the development where they bought their property and just the nearest surroundings which comes close to their wished lifestyle, due to my business i meet many here who really have no clue where they are, they know a grocery store or two, they know the way from the airport to their Villa or condo, the hard rock cafe, the Cine center and with that big knowledge they purchased properties for millions of US$$$ per Villa.
they don't care about the way people live around them.
they buy shares from businesses or whole businesses,
some go down with such and some do very good on their way.
none of them would ever explain you why or why not some business been purchased or not, they don't explain their resources, they just do it.
that may be a reason why the OP of this thread did not need to explain what kind of business she purchased in Cabarete or how much of knowledge she has about the Island, she did not ask about any advices about the way to purchase property or renting first or checking out such, she simply asked about names of upper scale residential areas in the area of Cabarete.
so i understand that after the posts following her simple Question she will most likely not come back on this thread, completely off theme/topic.
happy sunday
Mike

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Mike-

I think you are right on target, as usual.

 

[MikeFisher]

hey tha,
how's it going?
i met a nice couple last week down here on the beach,
we had some smalltalk, they live in their own house in CC, sure it's a Villa,
the chat started b/c they caught me hopping off the boat at the pier and they have a nice private Yacht(that kind i will dream of the next 100 years, lol) which is actually at the Bahamas, so they asked me Q's around the theme of rules/laws aso to bring their yacht over and base it for private use at their Villa in Cap Cana, they are here since last summer, been out twice for short times, so that's a lil while, and that big Q they asked me aside of a really nice smalltalk been:
"Mike, do you know a good place around here to buy good meat and such, what our housekeeper is bringing from the butcher is not what we expect on the plate???"
heck, they did not leave CC in all that time other than to visit the nearby 'Plaza Bolera", also named PC Village, right in front of the airport, they've been twice in santo domingo, by plane of course, and for next week they chartered a lil Chessna with pilot to bring them to Samana b/c the wifey wanna see our whales in pure nature.
heck, it's not my kinda lifestyle, but it's theirs, they are happy exactly that way, they don't care about dominican business behaviors, they had the money to purchase their villa, they seem to be easily able to maintain it including the 5-6 employees they have there to take care about house/garden/pool aso, they plan to spend over here the whole wintertimes til end spring with ocassional visits to friends at other caribbean destins, no need to open any business on the island, during summer they plan to leave their house to friends aso, no need for rent or such.
they are not unique here within the foreign property owners,
we just do not find many of them on the streets or beaches around the resort areas or PoP or Juan Dolio, maybe sometimes at some of the numerous fancy spots at the Capital City, but that i don't know b/c those are not my spots.
but would i start to rant on 'em to explain they first have to know about the country and lawyers and friendly hard working dominican people?
sure not, they would not be interested in such info.
so i just gave 'em some hints in case of their Yacht and i did not mention that some real estate lawyers are bad apples and just wanna take some expat's money.
i don't think they ever met any dominican lawyer in person, they pay their lifetime long own foreign lawyer to do so.
i assume(but i don't know anything, just my feeling by reading the post) the OP of this thread purchased some kind of business such way, so let's name the good 'hoods in that area on the north where she can buy a house.
s'y' around
Mike

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Thanks for the benediction, Mike. Amen!

 

[Chirimoya]

Mike, I can see how a foreigner can come and live in the bubble that is CC, buffered by a stack of cash, and not really have to know much about the country or have much to do with its day-to-day reality: I've met some people here in PC who've been coming here for years, know no Spanish and nothing about the country - it clearly works for them and they seem happy that way, however strange it may seem to most of us here.
On the other hand, the OP is planning to come and run a business in a country she knows very little about: it's not quite the same.

 

[DOMINCAN JOE]

BelindaCooperstone Has left the building LOL

The OP hasnt resurfaced today...perhaps she is busy packing?

:ermm:

Why can I post in many forums here no issues! but then I post on a questionable thread my reply needs to be looked at?

Our

blocking software was picking you up as you had less than 10 posts or you was posting into moderated forum, like the "Advertising & Marketing" forum.

Maybe this thread should be closed


http://www.dr1.com/forums/general-stuff/86950-can-i-ask.html

BelindaCooperstone Has left the building