General Information Please

Welcome to Expat.com, Woodstock

I hope some members of the forum will be able to respond sson to your questions!

Have a nice day further!
Arlette

We "retired" to the area 5 years ago. Yes we failed retirement and now work for ReMax here in Sosua. We have not looked back for a second and are still enjoying the adventure. I will try to answer some of your questions.
As for insurance there is local insurance that covers everything in the DR and the cost is abotu $40 amonth for the two of us.  Car insurance is expensive (we are paying about
$1200 for each vehicle) and getting your car serviced is easy and cheap.  Buying a used car here can be an adventure as most left the US a few weeks before hitting the lots here with 100's of thousands of more miles on them and some bad (junk) titles in the US. All cars (used and new) are about 30% more here then in the US.  If buying a used car do check it out on Carfax before purchasing to find the car's history.
We figure our cost of living is about 40% lower here but used to be 50%. 
Feel free to ask away.

Bob K

Thanks for the reply, please bear with us as we have a million questions.  We are planning on moving to the DR around Sept 2012 and will be in the market to buy a home.  We are Canadian and want to keep our citizenship.  What did you do to become an expat and what was involved? How much did you bring over, did it cost you an arm and a leg? What should we plan on bringing and is it worth our while to bring over a container with your belongings, ie car, furniture etc. Do you know if our coverage (Manulife) is accepted there, it covers dental, eye and prescriptions?  We are planning on heading to the DR for a few weeks in January or February; perhaps we could meet for drinks or dinner where we could bend your ear a bit more.  That's it for now.  I look forward to your response.

I sent you a PM

Bob K

Hello, Just a quick question, where are you from?

We also visited the Dominican (Puerto Plato)and now my husband is hell bent on moving there!
We are both looking for a more laid back life style, and getting away from our winters.
I was hoping I could get the real low down scoop of what life is really like, what to expect for someone coming from Canada, moving to the Dominican.
So, I guess I have the same questions as "Woodstock" above does, so any input would be greatly appreciated!!!
I am thinking that maybe visiting for a month would be a good idea, to have a real good look around and maybe meet with others from Canada, the US or even Europe to help us make an informed decision!
I am looking for info on short term rental housing, info on the best areas to live, and a million more questions!
Looking forward to any and all info - Thanks!

Hello CoolinKW,
   We are presently living in Woodstock, Ontario and are planning our permanent retirement in Sosua DR in Sepetember of 2012. That sounds like a long time away, but time is literally flying by reseaching and preparing for the move. Thus far everything is going well and we will be in Sosua for two weeks in spring of 2011 and two monthes in spring of 2012 to make 100% sure that this relocation is truly right for us.
Cheers, Woodstock

Well ain't it a small world!!!!
My husband and I live in Woodstock, work in Waterloo, I also live in Kitchener part time!
We are also considering the move to the Dominican!

To travel from DR one needs to catch international flights from santiago or there are other airports in the North which provide international flights?

There are i believe 5 international airports here. However the major ones are
Puerto Plata seving the north coast with flights from the US and Eruope
Santiago which is in the middle of the country and 1.5 hours from the north coast and 2 hours from Santo Domingo. It is a larger airport with flights from all over.
Santo Domingo the largest airport and serving the south part of the island.
Punta Cana serving the Punta Cana area ( a very popular tourist destination but not near anything elss).

Bob K

Hi,

I am currently living in US near Boston. I am building a condo in San Juan de la Maguana 
I highly recommend this book. "How to retire overseas"  Kathleen Peddicord.  It was very helpful for me.
Take Care,

Marc

Thanks, how well would it apply to Canadians?
Claire

I am  a Canadian who has lived in  Puerto Plata for  over 7 years. To prepare financially to  make the move here see a good financial planner in Canada.They  can give you  the ins and outs of living here.

For the  poster with Manulife  insurance -no  it won't be accepted here. Most policies will reimburse for  medical expenses while out of the country -but there is a time limit!  At the very least take  a look at your policy and decide if it is worth keeping  for a few months while you  test drive the  DR. Getting  decent health insurance here is not that  expensive. Like  Bob says  car insurance is expensive and you don't want to be without it. You cannot get a DR drivers license without your residencia and insurance will not pay out in case of an accident without a DR license!

By test driving I mean  a good  6 months of living here and experiencing life. Rent where you think you want to live permanently before buying!  It may not be the area you want and renting is easy to  fix.....

We do  have  direct flights from many  areas of Canada to  Puerto  Plata  airport (airport code POP)

For those of you in  Ontario - I grew up in Windsor!

Good advice.  What are your thoughts on gated communities and how do you find reputable real estates people/agencies?

Thanks,
Claire

Gated  communities are fabulous for  some people. It depends what you want.  For me, I am here because I love the Dominican  culture and I  would remove myself somewhat from this by  being inside a gated community.  BUT others love it.I don't live inside a gated  community.  AND  some gated communities are better then  others.

Finding  a  good realtor or estate agent -  word of mouth!  Referral!  Read everything you can find online. Bob from this forum  is well recommended by many for the North  Coast!

What area are you  thinking about?

Darlene,

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Bob K

You are welcome  Bob!!!