Hi all, right now we're still in the planning/debating stages of selling our house and moving to PR with the inlaws. (We'd buy separate houses.) We're leaning towards the Cabo Rojo area. Basically we're trying to find somewhere safe, right on the edge of suburban and rural. We'd like to get at least 1/2 acre to have a little hobby farm on it, nothing too crazy, mostly gardening for me. More is better of course. It has to be budget friendly as well which pretty much rules out Rincon for our purposes. I'll also be homeschooling during my free time but I don't have any worries in that regard.
We're still not sure on whether or not it makes sense to buy a plot and build a house or just keep looking. We're a DIY family but we still need someone to build the house before we can work on it. Right now we have 11000 sq. ft. and that's enough for us.
Does anyone have any experience with the Cabo Rojo area and building vs. buying? Any tips to add?
Any experience with the Cabo Rojo area and building vs. buying?
Hi Crystalrose,
Welcome to Expat.com! 
This is your new thread titled "any experience with the Cabo Rojo area and building vs. buying? " that i created on the Puerto Rico forum. Members can now share their experiences exclusively on your subject here 
Typically it is cheaper to buy a modest home than to build one, specially in this market.
However there are negatives, like not knowing when the roof will need to be services, age of the pipes, etc. Also the house style may not be what you want, you may want a more modern open look.
Also old houses needed to meet one set of construction requirements, newer ones are require to meet more stringent requirements, which typically cost more. Also hard not to buy that fancy door or window, in a previously build house the windows and doors are already there and selected by the previous owner.
It is all up to you, building gives you what you want but it is more expensive
I don't know the area
We finished building a house in Sabana Grande this past year. We love the area and feel it's very safe. I found a great local builder that we could trust and he is still doing some more additional work for us. I can put you in contact with him. Let me know.
Repos and shortsales are at their peak..you'll be buying below construction prices.. unless you find an extraordinary piece of land which might be the case..let us know if you need a hand..
Also check Isabela and Rincon..they're awesome
I will suggest driving around the area, check the neighborhood before deciding to buy. Ask the locals, you will be surprised of the deals you can find that aren't posted thru a realtor. We found a 3/1 in cement for $65K close to ours. And saw several more around the area. So shop around before making a decision.
If you are new to PR I suggest use a reliable realtor..expertise and knowledge could be valuabletools
Hopefully you are bilingual if moving to Cabot rojo. We lived in joyuda .Most people don't speak English . if you are a social peer and don't speak Spanish Cabot rojo isn't the place to be
Rincon definitely has a large population of English speaking people and definitely suggest Rincon .
Isabela Rincon and Aguadilla are used to english speaking people..why?.. there was a military base in aguadilla..still there is an airport and some industries that require many people from the mainland..and also surfer all ages tend to gravitate to those areas..
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