Some of you may know when I first got here in December we moved to Dorado in some villas in Dorado Del Mar. The landlord totally ripped us off. The house leaks in several places, it needs appliances, it had rodents, mold, and he hid all of those things when I first saw it. His lease said that he was responsible for those things and he just denied they were even there (I have photos and documentation of the problems). I've lost over $6,000 with that and get this, HE'S THREATENING TO TAKE ME TO COURT, lol. I invite that threat and it saves me the time of having to sue him myself. We have been looking for another place to live for 3 months now.
We thought we found a place in January in Isabela but the landlord also did some shady stuff. The appliances that were in there, she removed when we went back to see the property, and the room that would've had our 2 year old in it had water marks all over 2 walls. When I asked her about it, she just said, "Here in PR, close the windows when it rains!" Well, we had the windows open all the time in Dorado and never seen a drop of water in the house from that. She also accidentally told us her husband takes forever to fix things. So yeah, pass!
Fast forward a bit, and a month ago we were looking for a car. Saw a Navigator in Aguada where the guy was only asking 4K for it OBO. He was from the states, and said he only had it 2 months and had to leave and he put all this money into it and that it only had 70K on it. I had seen two other cars, and 1 had been in a terrible accident where they patched it up, he said it was in excellent condition, liar. The other AT THE DEALERSHIP said it only had 73K on it and really it had 120K + on it. They rolled the odometer back and it too, had been in a terrible accident. This I could tell from my mechanical skills and the odometer, well Carfax told me that. So naturally I thought this guy was lying too so I passed before driving 2 hours away. But I saw parts of the house in his pics and I told my wife to ask if the house was going to be up for rent because I liked it! She didn't do it.
Well, funny thing, we went to see a house in Aguada two days ago. Rent was right, rooms were a bit small. So small I'm not even sure our bed can fit in the master. But I love the setup, and all the fruit trees in the huge yard. There are no HOA fees, not connected to another house, I can work on cars and have a gym and a studio there because it's 5 bedrooms though they're small. It's also hilly so I can get a good run in everyday. So looking at the driveway I think to myself, "this house sure looks familiar" I told my wife to text the guy with the navigator again and sure enough, IT WAS THE HOUSE HE STAYED IN! So the guy answered a ton of questions for us, said the landlord was very nice, which I could tell, and that he loved it there at the house. Utilities are half what it costs in Dorado. So we filled out the application and we'll see.
I'm a bit nervous about the house because it's also up for sale. they're asking way too much and it's been up for almost a year now. We'd have to move again if they sold it, but I don't think anyone is looking to pay over 300K for a house in Aguada. Especially one this small. It has potential but it would require a lot more money to close in the large covered terrace to make more living space.
Oh, and we found a car. Those old men lied to us too about it, but oh well, deal is done. So far it's nothing majorly wrong with the car. I'm just going to do normal maintenance on it so I know it's done.
I've been reading and heard that the West is touristy and loud and like a party place... That has not been my experience at all. It seems really rural, full of locals, and it doesn't seem like much of anything is there. That is my concern. My wife sends me to the grocery store every other day (I hate it!) and I'm used to living right beside one, and at this house, I don't know what is around. Surely no Walmart and in the states, Econo is NOT a place you go to for fresh produce. You usually find those in poor areas in the states so that scares me when I see one here.
Update on Our Adventure Here in PR
If it was not for bad luck, you would not have any. Sorry to hear of all the troubles, but it seems you are wiser now and paying attention to all the details. Sorry that learning cost you over 5 grands.
As to noise, people have different tolerance levels and sometimes it depends on the day and time of the day. Not all areas in a town are going to have the same noise level.
I make it a point to stay away from any form of protestant church and homes with young adults that have their music blasting and like to have late night home parties.
Econo is in almost every town, I am not sure what their prices versus quality is. In PR a lot of people may visit multiple supermarkets since each has their own list of specials. They also know when the supermarkets fill the aisles with produce and meats and get there early enough to take advantage of the freshers produce and the specials.
Speaking about supermarkets, It is quite obvious that some people don't work when you see a cart being pushed by the wife, and she is surrounded by her mother, the kids, husband and a few friends all surrounding the cart and not allowing you to pass them while they walk around like they own the place. You have to say "permiso" at least once per aisle if not more.
Hope this other rental works for you.
Congrats on finding a car and hopefully, a new rental. Is it is Isabella? When we stay for 4 weeks at a time, we go to the store pretty often looking for fresh veggies. We stop at stands and also shop Econo and Mr. Special. Sometimes they vary each in what is good or is priced right.
If the house is for sale and the price is high, it may take a while to be sold, you would also have a rental agreement that would have to be honored by the new owner. Also new potential owners are somewhat less likely to purchase a property that is currently rented because of the hoops they have to go thru to get the property free of the renters.
If this is still a concern, check with a lawyer about your right and have him check the rental agreement to ensure you are as protected as possible.
Rey
You can also use your time at the property to look for a place to purchase if you plan to stay in PR. This way you are in full control and have a permanent place to live.
You're right about being wiser! Chalk it to learning experience. I'll probably sue the dude though. Hopefully it deters him from doing it to someone else.
Ha! Thanks Rey! And you're so right about the grocery store! I just try to go early afternoon random days during the week to avoid crowds. But having to go to several places is what's turning me off to Luquillo. When I stayed there I had to go to 3 or 4 places just to get a short list of groceries. that was madness! In Dorado I can get everything between Walmart supercenter and the grocery store. That, I would miss if Aguada isn't the same. Which, I'm not thinking it is.
Thanks Schuttzie! It's in Aguada actually. The other place that had the water issue was in Isabela. The Walmart and grocery store we go to in Dorado is similar. Sometimes some fruits and veggies are just not there. It's been impossible to find spinach on a regular basis for instance. We can usually always find apples and grapes at least. Our toddlers love fruit so we try to make sure they have grapes at least everyday. I'm so happy that the grapes here are real. In the states you get those little shriveled things with no seeds in them and they have the nerve to cost around $6 for a bundle! Here we pay no more than $2.50 for a giant bundle of grapes.
Funny, grapes are not usually grown in PR. They must come from south America or somewhere close. WASH THEM WELL, they may have pesticides.
Supermarkets should have just about everything you want but specific brands may sometimes not be present and some stuff may not be as fresh from week to week.
Remember a lot comes in by boat and there are delays sometimes on some shipments.
I noticed that today when I got grapes. They come from Peru. Quite a ways but they're good! Wonder what a just picked grape tastes like? But yeah, we wash everything and sometimes peel the skin. Like apples for example.
You are very close to Rincon and check out their farmers market in the town square on Sunday mornings for more options of veggies and just have fun.
Well, scratch that property off the list. The owner is leaving the place partially furnished. If we don't want it furnished at all, we can't have the 5th bedroom on the first floor because she would store it all there. That defeats my entire purpose. She also wont' go for a 2 year lease. Only 6 months, so again, that's a no-go. Can't keep moving my kids around like that. Plus, who the heck wants to keep moving? So back to the drawing board. I'm starting to get impatient.
Just saw a house on clasificados in Humacao right beside Palmas Del Mar. Looks like it's near a church though.... we'll see.
chrishamrick103 wrote:Well, scratch that property off the list. The owner is leaving the place partially furnished. If we don't want it furnished at all, we can't have the 5th bedroom on the first floor because she would store it all there. That defeats my entire purpose. She also wont' go for a 2 year lease. Only 6 months, so again, that's a no-go. Can't keep moving my kids around like that. Plus, who the heck wants to keep moving? So back to the drawing board. I'm starting to get impatient.
Just saw a house on clasificados in Humacao right beside Palmas Del Mar. Looks like it's near a church though.... we'll see.
Fine if Catholic Church, stop by at night, see how quiet. 2 year lease may be hard to come by, 1 year is more common.
Is this a temporary move to PR or a permanent move? If so why not buy?
Not sure if Palmas has unit with 5 bedrooms or not but Palmas is a great place with many facilities.
It's permanent. I would buy, but I'd like to rent to see whether I like the particular city or not. I'm also not sure if I like the city or the country, so I'd like to try both. I know what Dorado is like.... meh.... So now I want to try a house not in an Urb to see if I like it better. I think I will.
Palmas is too expensive for me.
Take a trip to the country side, see how you like it, also popular area seem to be Las Marias is a little more country and we have at lest 3 members there, however I have not seen them online for over 3 months. Country is more quiet and relaxed but a lot more yard work, need to keep the jungle from overtaking your property.
Good lawd, 6k?! Sometimes I think I should start a "Navigating Puerto Rico" business on the side, I hate hearing stories like that. All kidding aside, sorry you are going through this mess.
Chris, seems like your wish list is pretty big, that is going to take some serious time and effort to find, especially a rental. I would follow Rey's advice and look into a place inland like Las Marias. Cabo Rojo and San German and are a couple of places (with lots of options) I would love to live if we didn't commute to the metro area.
Also, go to a towns plaza you like, get a couple of drinks, start talking to people, drive around looking for rental signs. I don't have hard percentages but a lot of ppl will never list their rentals online, it's all still done the old fashioned word-of-mouth way.
One Econo can be amazing while another you wonder how they stay in business. The former is kinda rare though. I like Pueblo the best by far, fewer locations but I only go once or twice a month anyway. Great coffee selection, organized, etc. I never used Costco until I moved here but I am easily saving hundreds a month compared to all the juggling I did before. The best produce you will find are at road side stands/weekend farmers markets. The latter can be expensive depending on what town you are in. I believe the closest ones to you are in San Sebastian and Rincon.
If you haven't already, I would seriously post on the Rincon Facebook page to get some more connections made for your rental search. I know you aren't looking at Rincon but trust me, there are people from all over the island on there. There is also Friends of Rincon's facebook page. Collectively you have almost 9k eyes on that page. As much as I love this group, it's just one of connections that is helpful.
Karen that has been some of the most helpful advice yet! Thank you! I'm going to go to Costco too. I was advised I should do that back in December and haven't yet. These kids are digging into my pockets deep! Sheesh! Food is like rent. Especially for the teenager who wastes everything... (rolling eyes).
Honestly I'd love to live in a place where I didn't have to go to more than 2 places to get all of my grocery needs, but I guess Costco would help a lot with that! I'm also getting used to ordering some things from Amazon and flat out cutting other pleasures out, like tea, coffee, and wine. They've all been ruining my sleep and making me fat anyway, lol. Can't beat how I feel without them, but man are they tasty!
I'm going to check out that FB page TODAY. I need to get settled. Is my list that long? LOL, I want a flat land with some fruit trees preferably. I love the open covered-terrace homes. Great place to work-out and I'd like 4 bedrooms.... I'm going to stop there, yeah, it's long. If it's too much to type then it's a lot.
But thanks again, I will keep you all posted!
Oh! Yeah, 6K. I'm going to sue him though, can't let that much money get away. I have time. He doesn't. I'm right with you on that idea too. Thing is, I'm done interacting with people business-wise. I have kids to raise and I can't divide my time for both because business would boom if I started that. On another note I thought about starting a website for renters. Apartments in the states have review sites, we should have the same thing for owner landlords as well. So people could cross-reference their potential new address or landlord name with something already in the system and get the details. I think that's the scariest part about finding a rental. THE LANDLORD!
Careful with ratings and comments on landlords. Some people have been taken to court over comments made about a restaurant.
Good idea but check with a lawyer first.
Chris, Glad I could help, I think you're going to get a lot of good leads. Here is the main Rincon FB page, good luck!
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