Hi everyone! My husband and I visited PR last April and absolutely fell in love with Vieques and are now considering buying our retirement home there. Since we still have some years to go before retirement, the house will serve as vacation rental for now. We have been searching numerous sites like Zillow, Clasificados, realtor.com for months, also working with a real estate agent but not finding anything that fits our needs or is within our $230k price range. We prefer the countryside with privacy, some ocean view and at least 1 acre land, enough room for gardening and possibly keeping 2 horses (my childhood dream). Some of the places we have seen require either major renovation, while others sit on a small lot (not big enough for horses). Another option would be to purchase just the land (untitled vs titled) and build (maybe the most expansive option). Not sure if this is a feasible option since we are unable to oversee the construction process.
I am wondering if anyone can help give any tips or personal experiences on buying/ renovating and/or building their retirement home on the island. Any information will be helpful.
Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions!
Need advice and information on buying property
Just make sure that the house you'll gonna buy has already a contract with chamber restoration companies. In that way, I can feel secured whenever there are water and fire damage in the house.
There are concerns with purchasing property in Culebra or Vieques, some of it is the lack of a tittle for some properties, second is it isolation, you have to come to the main island for lots of things including medical emergencies. Power, and internet depends on underwater cables. If you have a medical emergency, it could be your last. Lots of people complain of all sorts of health issues which they attribute to damage to the environment by the navy bombing and improper/incomplete clean up of the areas. Acording to articles I read in the past cancer is a big problem in at least Vieques.
See http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues … rRate.html
Thanks ReyP for the info. We try to have a realistic approach to living on a tiny island in the Caribbean and are aware that everything comes with a price. I am a health care professional (RN) and one of my major concern is of course the lack of health care and health issues related to the Navy's activities on the island.
For now, my husband and I are in pretty good health and we try to be as resourceful as possible and make things up as we go along.
We will be visiting Vieques again next week and looking for our future home. One property on our top 5 list is located in Monte Carmelo and of course has an unregistered title. Would appreciate any comments, concerns and recommendations?
Hmm... I think I'd consult a PR real estate lawyer on that one. What is an unregistered title anyway? Sounds like vapor ware.
How are deeds prepared, can you get title insurance, or even have the history for the title/land? 
The distinction between titled and untitled properties in a nut shell.
Titled property is subject to taxes. Untitled houses built on land that belongs to the municipality are not taxed and cannot be mortgaged, though the presence of a dwelling structure protects a buyer's rights.
Regardless if we buy titled or untitled property, we will consult a PR lawyer.
I wouldn't touch untitled property with a ten foot pole. ☠️
It would just be my luck to build a place and then have someone come along with an old land grant claim & take it.
In that case Untitled means a squater. Laws can changed and the property can be taken away.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Puerto Rico
Visiting the island many times over the years and getting to know the towns and different areas before making a ...
Six yeas ago we purchased our home in Naguabo Puerto Rico (PR) in the barrio of El Duce. Some of the lessons we ...
There are many reasons and probably more that I can list, but I will try to cover the most common ones. Remember ...
Paying Taxes in Puerto Rico
Playa del Condado, Puerto Rico
The day we decided to move we were a little worry about how expensive it would be. Now we know how affordable it ...
