You?ll know if the DR is for you in 3 months not 6

[Bob K]

Like Rocky and others have said the 6 month rule is really geared to "don't purchase a villa/condo before you have experienced the DR for 6 months". This gets you out of the vacation mode and also lets you explore not only this wonderful and sometimes fustrating country but some time for soul searching. You have to look at not only does the country fit, but do "I" fit with the country. We have been coming here for 3+years and living here full time for a year. YES we did break the 6 month rule and bought some property (land) on the first visit against the advise of many. Sorry Ginnie, Grahm, Rocky Hillbilly and others who told us we were breaking the rule. My wife was smart enough not to let us buy a villa/condo at the time.
Now after a year we are still learning something about living here every day. Some days are more challenging then others for sure. Have we looked back.... not for a second.
There is no rush. Take the time and see if there is a fit before commiting.

Bob K

 

[sweetdbt]

I think most people probably do know after about 3 months, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't wait longer before making far-reaching decisions.

You see....................... sometimes you think you know, but later you know that you didn't really know, but only thought you did. Then when you know that you know, you don't want to have to think about how if you knew then what you know now you think you would have waited and thought some more before doing something you thought was a good idea at the time, but now you know was stupid.

You know what I mean?

 

[Rocky]

I think most people probably do know after about 3 months, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't wait longer before making far-reaching decisions.

You see....................... sometimes you think you know, but later you know that you didn't really know, but only thought you did. Then when you know that you know, you don't want to have to think about how if you knew then what you know now you think you would have waited and thought some more before doing something you thought was a good idea at the time, but now you know was stupid.

You know what I mean?

And who's on first base????

 

[gamana]

For many, the 6 months rule is obviously an understandable notion if risk management is the first concern. But, what can really be achieved in 6 months? very little I believe. I have many times notice that expats buying real estate right away tend to be more motivated to "make it happen". They have mentally committed themselves to adapt while the "6 months testers" are more inclined to pack and go because of any little inconvenience that may happen one day. The DR culture is not a 6 month course, I believe.

 

[sweetdbt]

And who's on first base????

Who:devious:


What?


Third base!!!!!:bunny::bunny:

 

[Rocky]

For many, the 6 months rule is obviously an understandable notion if risk management is the first concern. But, what can really be achieved in 6 months? very little I believe. I have many times notice that expats buying real estate right away tend to be more motivated to "make it happen". They have mentally committed themselves to adapt while the "6 months testers" are more inclined to pack and go because of any little inconvenience that may happen one day. The DR culture is not a 6 month course, I believe.

Motivation and attitude are ultra important.

 

[sweetdbt]

I have many times notice that expats buying real estate right away tend to be more motivated to "make it happen". They have mentally committed themselves to adapt while the "6 months testers" are more inclined to pack and go because of any little inconvenience that may happen one day.

My professional background leads me to believe that if they haven't been mentally comitted they should be! Just kidding to everyone here who has broken the "rule" successfully.

I suspect the "motivation" of this group has more to do with the hard and cold reality of finances than any higher level of committment. When you have hastily invested a significant portion of your life savings to buy a piece of property, it is at best a motivation to adapt and at worst a millstone around your neck.

I think it is quite possible to come prepared to adapt and endure, but still be cautious about making major financial investments.

 

[Rocky]

I think it is quite possible to come prepared to adapt and endure, but still be cautious about making major financial investments.

Which brings us full circle to the beginning,

Give yourself 6 months of trial, before commiting major amounts of money into anything.

 

[J D Sauser]

For many, the 6 months rule is obviously an understandable notion if risk management is the first concern. But, what can really be achieved in 6 months? very little I believe. I have many times notice that expats buying real estate right away tend to be more motivated to "make it happen". They have mentally committed themselves to adapt while the "6 months testers" are more inclined to pack and go because of any little inconvenience that may happen one day. The DR culture is not a 6 month course, I believe.

There is most times two ways of apparently saying the same thing... but with a very different meaning:

I think a person can find out the DR is NOT it in a day or two... it does not necessarily need to take 180 days. But that's not the same as saying that one shouldn't go on lite and give it a little 6 months to find out if it indeed really is it.

Rite! Those who "invested" in real estate and other things are less likely to just pack an go, once they find out, the grass actually was greener where ever they came from... because they CAN'T. There are plenty who'd like to... just look at the many 4-sale signs popping up again and again on the same properties (and no, not every re-sale is related to people wanting to leave... just many may.). This is the very reason why it has become the general consensus to recommend not to hasten into becoming a prisoner of ones own initial enchantment with the country.

Falling in love is not to be confused with loving... J-D.

 

[MommC]

Land is always a good buy, especially on an island....

YES we did break the 6 month rule and bought some property (land) on the first visit against the advise of many. Sorry Ginnie, Grahm, Rocky Hillbilly and others who told us we were breaking the rule. My wife was smart enough not to let us buy a villa/condo at the time.
There is no rush. Take the time and see if there is a fit before commiting.

Bob K

Land is almost always 'saleable' or worth holding for later 'investment' (as long as you remember the location,location,location, mantra).

A house/condo/apartment/business is an entirely different matter.
Many a would be expat has bought here only to lose their nest egg when they realized they weren't cut out for 'Dominican' living and couldn't sell their property. Mnay others lost a good chunk of their investment by selling at 'fire slae' prices just to get out of a bad decision.

Those of us who have been here for many years have seen it over and over.

So if you're not 100% sure ( or have previous experience to rely on) the 6 month trial period is a good start.

 

[MrMike]

Within 3 months you will be able to tell if you can tolerate life in the DR, but it will take at least 6 untill you now whether life in the DR is going to tolerate you.

Many are called, but few are chosen.

 

[Matilda]

There are two different issues here. One is when you know the DR is right for you, and the second is when you should invest in property or a business. The two do not necessarily go together. I bought my house after 3 years (have been here 6), a car after two years and a business after 3 years too. I am convinced I could not have managed without a Dominican husband. Remember a house is different from an apartment - much more work re maintenance. A business also has many different issues too.

And as to whether the country is right for you...it changes all the time. You go through various phases - at first it is euphoria - the weather, the beach, the fun, the Brugal, the lack of stress and this can last from 6 months to 2 years. The more responsibilities you take on - such as house and business the more the stress levels mount!!! You could rent here for years and still be euphoric I think!! You may be laid back and not let things such as the lack of electricity, the corruption, the mosquitos etc get to you, or they may drive you mad! You may leave after your first robbery, your first shooting, your first attack of dengue, your first hurricane. No one knows how it will affect you. But it is the difference between being married and living together. Once you are married that piece of paper makes you try that bit harder to make it work, as if it doesn't it is much harder to get out of. But if you are just living together - especially if it is his house, you can just walk out. You invest in property or business here and it is harder to leave, as you may have to wait a long time for a willing buyer.

So when do you know the DR is right for you - maybe never, maybe one day it will all get too much and you will go, back to those places where the sun rarely shines, the traffic, fumes, hassle all exist, where you never wake up with a smile on your face, and where you rarely chuckle at what you see or hear during the day. All depends on you

matilda

 

[Ken]

Good post, Matilda.

 

[Robert]

Great thread, please don't destroy it with the sankie BS. Any more and that poster will be locked out of this forum. Yeah, even I get a little sick of it.

Maybe Zak will eventually reply and let us know if he's staying or going.
He made a bold move by building a house west of Barahona and moving lock stock and barrel here. Knowing what he's like, I'm sure he's having fun with the locals, maybe even buried a few by now

 

[dulce]

I agree with Robert that this is a good thread.
When I moved to the DR it took me 4 months to figure out that living in Santo Domingo was not for me. I liked the city but found myself always paying to go to the beach. Hence, I moved to Juan Dolio and was close enough to SD to visit whenever I wanted to. I still liked JD after 11 months but had to leave to the US for personal reasons. A couple of years later I moved back to JD and enjoyed the area once again. For financial reasons I moved back to the US. So, I have been back and forth. I do know that the DR IS for me a great place to live. I never did buy any real estate there and that is what makes it easy for me to come and go when I want to.I simply leave all my belongings in the US and rent a "fully furnished" apartment in the DR.
I also never had a committed relationship while living there. Being single makes it easier to come and go when I want to (or need to).
I am not retirement age nor am I wealthy enough to choose to live in the DR for several years at a time. IF it were possible I would be there now. I would look for a small beach town this time for a change. From my post you can see that although living in the DR IS for me, it is not feasable. I am sure there are others out there who have reasons, not excuses,why they can not make the permanent move.

 

[2LeftFeet]

You can figure it out at any point if it's right for you. My sister worked in SD for 2 months and hated it. She's been to various parts of the country and DOES not like the DR. Does not want to visit and certainly does not want to live there. It's not for her. She figured it out after 1 month.

I happen to like it. I'm trying to DRAG her back to Jarabacoa as I am writing this.

I don't know if I can live there permantly. At one point I seriously thought about it but after VISITING numerous times and NOT staying at AI but in an apartment and dealing with life and not fantasyland I realized LIFE is difficult in the DR. I still had it easier. I didn't have to pay bills, really deal with no electricity....or any of the other daily disasters.

If you can rent an apartment/house for an extended period of time to see if you can deal with it. It would be ashame to have someone buy a house and think that the DR is EXACTLY like Miami. They would be in for a RUDE awakening.

 

[Rocky]

You can figure it out at any point if it's right for you. My sister worked in SD for 2 months and hated it. She's been to various parts of the country and DOES not like the DR. Does not want to visit and certainly does not want to live there. It's not for her. She figured it out after 1 month.

I happen to like it. I'm trying to DRAG her back to Jarabacoa as I am writing this.

I don't know if I can live there permantly. At one point I seriously thought about it but after VISITING numerous times and NOT staying at AI but in an apartment and dealing with life and not fantasyland I realized LIFE is difficult in the DR. I still had it easier. I didn't have to pay bills, really deal with no electricity....or any of the other daily disasters.

If you can rent an apartment/house for an extended period of time to see if you can deal with it. It would be ashame to have someone buy a house and think that the DR is EXACTLY like Miami. They would be in for a RUDE awakening.

It's not for everybody, that's for sure.
I have met folks who wanted to go to the airport the day after they arrived, to see if they could get out of here.
Then there are those who came here on vacation and never left.
There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.
You either love it or hate it.

 

[Squat]

Just like Hern?n Cortes, I showed up one day, anchored the boat & felt this was the right place, but I didn't push as far as burning it (ok, I know... Hern?n Cortes was not a tropical bump...)

Every year I learned something, but I was quite committed to stay. However, I was already in the Carribean since 5 years full time... Spoke fluent Spanish... That helped...

Started to work after 7 days... Sold the boat after 3 years... Bought a small business. A little house was built. Enjoyed Luperon for 7 years, and then realized business was in the Saman? Peninsula for me... It's been more than 3 years in LT...

I am still happy just like the first day, but for different reasons...

10 years have passed... So it's been 15 years that I wear flip-flops full time

But I didn't have any golden rule back then, because there was no internet, no DR1... Nothing but a vague project to sail down towards an easy place... I was supposed to show up in Cap Haitien, but the weather was nice when I left Provo... That took me straight to Luperon...

And now I live & work in LT, and take my vacations on the Haitian north-coast...

But to go back to the topic, I would recommend the 6 month rule to any newcomer, because things are never as planned...

 

[whirleybird]

It's not for everybody, that's for sure.
I have met folks who wanted to go to the airport the day after they arrived, to see if they could get out of here.
Then there are those who came here on vacation and never left.
There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.
You either love it or hate it.

I have been very tempted to post on this thread since in started but felt I didn't really have the experience to do so. However Rocky's post has touched on just what I was feeling so here goes. I fell in love with DR and the place I wanted to live on my first visit.... it took over a year back in the UK to get it all in place and we were lucky to have our 'dream home' still available but fortunately previous owners were not anxious to move but knew they had to for medical reasons. Of course we have had "wrinkles" but so far nothing we have not been able to handle (often with a little help from our friends of all nationalities!!) and we learn daily how to cope with certain little challenges here which we may not have had in the UK. I think that as we were embarking on, not only on a new life in a different country but also a new life as a couple, possibly like Ginnie and Grahame a number of years ago it makes both of us focused and motivated to succeed. We have no regrets about moving to DR and, in short, we love it here and the people who surround us (well, most of them hehehe)

 

[naturelover]

isnt it just like meeting your ideal partner....it could work with love at first sight or you might need time to love...lets leave it at..... its different for everyone (there are no set time rules)