New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourself here – 1st quarter of 2017

I will say you may want to go to the area. I was there in December, lots of land toward the "El Fuego" sector. Some have for sale signs but as mentioned before here, most have local contacts numbers. In the island you will find that for the most folks will advertise locally and word of mouth still the best option to find good deals.

Best way is to drive around and ask the locals, some people have land they don't use and will sell if approached, usually cheaper than they should.

They are not always marked as for sale. If you see a piece of land that interests you and seems not being used, talk to the locals or look it up on crim to find the owner, approach him and take it from there.

Lake Geneva wrote:

Thanks Rey.  I've been checking clasificados but there isn't much listed in this area.

I'm afraid that's been my experience of late as well.  You may also want to look for the listing of foreclosed properties (propiedades reposeidas) from the major banks on the island (Banco Popular, Santander, Oriental Bank).  Any others I'm missing?

Thank you!

The is a group in FB, clasificados fincas y casas a la venta en Puerto Rico. Check that group, they advertise lots of properties for sale all over the island. Another group is keller realty.
Chech out those groups.

That group is closed, maybe you have to be invited Adlin

Hello,  my name is Avalon. I moved to San Juan in late January with my boyfriend.

I am a digital illustrator and a DJ and I'm looking for design/illustration work and bars/clubs where I can DJ. I also like friends

Unicorn you should make an entry in the business section
Welcome to the forum and Puerto Rico.
Try https://www.expat.com/en/business/centr … erto-rico/

Welcome to the forum.

Hi,

We want to move to Puerto Rico within the next 2 years.  We are just worried about schools for our son. He is currently in 4th grade and receives extra help for his SPD. He also does not speak Spanish.  On the other hand I heard class sizes are small in Puerto Rico, which is a plus for him.  Swimming and being in nature also helps his SPD.

We really like the west coast of Puerto Rico, specifically Aguadilla, Rincon, and Aguada. We spent the most time in those 3 towns. I have been to Puerto Rico twice in the last few months and also spent Christmas and New Years there. Everything about it was wonderful.  We are from Chicago and we are getting fed up with the cold weather, parking tickets, traffic, 6 plus months of winter, and more.

Hi Nicole,
Welcome to the forum and hopefully Puerto Rico soon.
I will let the members in the west of the island speak to you about schools, but you also have the option of home schooling.
Your son is young enough to be able to learn Spanish more readily than an adult and that would be a wonderful gift to your child.
You mention 2 years timeframe, what about jobs? Concerned because of the high unemployment in PR, many come with a dream and then have a difficult time due to few if any jobs. I asume you have some other option for your finances.

Welcome Nicole,
Rey is right jobs are very hard to come by, with that being said we moved from NY to Anasco, I would not recommend the public schools most of them are taught in Spanish.  My kids go to Masis a private school and they love it, they teach in English but they learn Spanish and are doing very well they help me when we go to the store when I don't understand what the people are saying and the class sizes are small.  Most of the private schools have web sites so you can check them out.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Not sure if this is the right spot to introduce ourselves.  We are a recent retired couple that lives in sc. We are visiting Cabo Rojo in march to seek an apartment to rent. We will be there 1 week and need to look at a such of western puerto rico as possible.  We need as much help with the transition as possible. Looking to get alot of feedback as possible.  Thank you.  Ron and Bev

Hi Ron and Bev,
Welcome to the forum, yes this is the proper place to introduce yourself and provide a little background so we can help you better.
Now that the holidays are over some of the members living in the west of the island are becoming active again so I hope they will be able to guide you.
This is Puerto Rico and while there is about a third of the population that speaks some English, not everyone speaks it well enough to comunícate.

When renting, translate the contract!!!!! It will be in Spanish. The contract is the law, so make sure you understand everything before you sign or get a bad landlord. Forget legal protections, the judge will basically look at the contract and decide who is right based on that. There are protections but by the time you can enact them you may be in the street with a bad credit, so it is critical to know the contract and make changes if you need them before you sign or hand out your money.

Your first step should be to look at clasificados online, unfortunately it is mostly Spanish so you will need Google translate. Here is the link https://www.facebook.com/penelope.marou … 7523417393
The second option is to drive around the town in the areas you like and look for signs of Se Alquila, or Se Renta.  A lot of places are never advertised.
Third is realtors in the area that do handle rentals
Fourth would be members that may be available to help you with different part of the effort of finding a place. But they are not always available, that's why I listed them last.

Hope all goes well, let us know if you have questions.
Rey

Welcome Ron and Bev! I will suggest that you try AirB&B, find a place close by or at Cabo Rojo to start your search of the area. Another place will be clasificadosonline.com, in the vacation section you can find places in Cabo Rojo, Lajas, La Parguera. Those are close by each other. Staying in the area will give you an idea of the area, keep in mind, during the summer time the traffic will increase because it is a tourist area.

Good luck and welcome!!

Welcome, Ron & Bev!

Did I misunderstand?
You are coming for a week to find a place to rent long term or just for the week?
If for the week, like Adlin said, then Airbnb is the way to go.

Thank you all for the replies. We are looking forward to meeting everyone.  We are flying over in arch and staying in Cabo Rojo for the week at western bay. We are looking mainly for an area to reside and move there permanently in the winter this year or spring of next. We looked at several apartments on Craigslist but our Spanish is poor for now. We are stumbled at the street/address set up.

You will find better deals in person. Cabo Rojo area is big with tourists so you shouldn't have any problems with language. Keep in mind most places will come unfurnished and expect to pay a lot more for a furnished place since most are used as weekends rentals specially in that area. The closer to the beach the higher prices will be. But  the good part is that even thou they are higher than other parts of the island, it still be cheaper than in the states, specially in a tourist area.
Enjoy your time in the island!!!

Unfortunately google maps and maps on iPhone do not do well in PR because the same street name may appear multiple times in the same town, this is because different communities share street names, also a lot of country road addresses are based on the road name and kilometer marker and some country roads don't have names on those maps.

I have been considering starting a business related to bringing people to Puerto Rico and providing them guides and information with ties to realtors lawyers and bankers, but that is at least 2 years down the road if ever.
Being unable to comunícate is a big challenge in PR. It makes all the difference.

Thank you.  We are staying the week near the beach, but not interested in staying there once we make the full move.

bugbunkie wrote:

Thank you.  We are staying the week near the beach, but not interested in staying there once we make the full move.

You can find good rentals properties and much economic away from the beach and tourist areas. Around the area of Cabo Rojo, Lajas, la Parguera rentals will run around $400-$500 for a nice house in a good neighborhood.

Ron and Bev,
I'm  fairly new to this forum as well, but your inquiry caught my eye because my situation was/is similar. I spent a month here last winter looking at parts of the island I enjoy the most, returned to the states with goal of thoroughly researching all real estate listings for 10 months, then came back in Jan. with my strategy mapped out.  I booked a spot (airbnb ) in Boqueron  for my first 10 days and that was my home base for exploring west coast towns/areas that I esp like. Now I'm elsewhere doing same. If you'd like the name of the Boqueron house where I stayed I'd be glad to share that info. It was inexpensive, super clean, v friendly host, about 1 mile to the finest swim beach on the island. Swimming every day is important to me, so I pay a lot of attention to  beaches all over the Island.

Hi, Thank you for your reply. Your situation sounds similar to what we are getting ready to do. We fly out next month for a week of basically checking out towns and areas of wpr. I would love the info on the air bnb
Our only issue is that when weaker the move, we will have our dog with us so we have to be cautious about that.
We have done alot of research on wpr and are really anxious to move. The logistics of selling everything and the house, and getting there is a major issue we are trying to figure out.
Any help you can offer is deeply appreciated.
Ron and Bev

Thank you.  We are looking forward to our trip next month and check out the towns in the area.  We will definitely look at your suggestion.
Ron and Bev

Use Airbnb.com or get the app for the phone, enter your dates and town and make your reservations, read the opinions of those that stayed before.

Good evening. Will definitely take your advice on airbnb. Gonna spend the week looking at towns so we aren't blind sided.  I read one of your previopost about a firm that handles shipping of our dog ther. Can you get me that name again?
Ron and Bev

Yes, It is right in Boqueron, just off Rt.101. Great location for quickly fanning out on your scouting missions.  Air bnb is perfect for house hunting. His name is Juan Carlos Ramos. He speaks English fluently, is very outgoing and gracious. His house is on Tamarinde St ( not sure I've spelled that correctly). His house is only 1 mile from Boqueron Playa, and very reasonably priced.  Super clean house. If you end up booking there please tell him Susan recommended him !
It is so bafflingly difficult to deal with realtors and listings in PR, you will get super frustrated, but best to think of it as a very rich, bizarre cultural baptism by fire. I put over 1,200 miles on my rental car in just  my first 3 weeksof house hunting. The best way to find a house is simply to drive every nook and cranny, every little side road and then the next side road and then maybe the one after that looking for "se vende "on a gate or the front door or under a window.

Good luck! I've still got a month to go.
Susan

Probably "Calle Tamarindo", Tamarindo is a vary tart but delicious fruit. It is a bean like fruit with hard fragile / brittle skin and a pulp that covers a seed. mix with sugar and maybe some lemon juice for a very refreshing drink, also great in Piraguas (snow cones) and may want to use it as part of a barbecue sauce. http://www.bing.com/images/search?view= … edIndex=15

Susan,
Thank you for the info.  We will definitely look at it next month. Good luck in your search as well. Maybe get a swim in when we get there.
Ron and Bev

BBQ sauce?  I think you sent this reply to the wrong person. I asked about dog shipping.

Welcome to the forum LatinLady.

Hey everyone! My name is Jen and my family and I are ready to make the "big move". We live in Maine and have been looking at homes in South Carolina and Texas for about a year. A few weeks ago I realized that what we really wanted was a warm tropical climate where we could slow down and enjoy the outdoors. My assumption had always been that we would move somewhere warmer now and move somewhere tropical when my boys grew up.... but why not now? Why wait? So, here I am...looking for advice and reading some amazingly helpful blogs. Can I ask one question before I go back to looking for a work from home job? Why are there bars on every window and door? Makes me a bit nervous.

Hey guys.... I didn't realize my 1st post here was 2015 --- but I finally arrived this week. Better late than never. I've actually been setting up shop over the last year (housing, shipping 2 vehicles) but finally here to stay now (at least for the next 5 years). I've got a place in Ceiba that I like - but I am looking hard at Aibonito (I just can't leave well-enough alone - lol). Hope everyone is doing well and I hope to meet some of you soon.

Jen, I've just this week had my offer accepted on a fincacita (tiny farm). I haven't lived here as a home owner, yet...so my opinion may not seem credible. I have visited  and traveled all over the island over the last 30 yrs. Last year I had a visiting 24 yr old niece ask me  if the presence of gates meant that it's not safe...I answered  "I don't think so". I think It may be complex (meaning multiple reasons for gates) or even a little complicated, probably like most things when you/we experience things as outsiders/the "other".  Some of it may be a cultural way of marking one's space, maybe. Some of my native Rican friends say it's really about keeping other peoples critters off one's property. Could be. For some people it may be about perceived safety. For me personally, I looked at many lovely homes, many lovely abandoned homes too, but I did not look at one single piece of property in a gated community...and that was by choice. The world is basically a safe place. As a mom you get to model your level of trust and acceptance for your children. They take there cues from you, and it's a heavy (as well as exciting) responsibility. My Puerto Rico is incredibly generous, kind spirited, warm and friendly. I have a brother in law who has a polar opposite view. My guess is that he won't be visiting me here. Not sure I shed any real light on the subject, but I'd say if you can afford to home school your kids for a semester or even a quarter, come down, rent a house for 3 months or 6 months, live in a smaller town, see if it works for you. Your kids will become fluent in Spanish in a matter of weeks. it's a lovely island and your kids would thank you 20 yrs from now. If you do come down, let me know.

BABY J wrote:

Hey guys.... I didn't realize my 1st post here was 2015 --- but I finally arrived this week. Better late than never. I've actually been setting up shop over the last year (housing, shipping 2 vehicles) but finally here to stay now (at least for the next 5 years). I've got a place in Ceiba that I like - but I am looking hard at Aibonito (I just can't leave well-enough alone - lol). Hope everyone is doing well and I hope to meet some of you soon.

Where in Ceiba, I got a lot there in Chupacallos, but I am still in the states.
PS welcome to Puerto Rico.

Some put the bars for  security, some do it for the hurricanes.  I have been here 11yrs, and I'm not worried.

This is the best time if you're buying... and Aibonito is, Bonito!