New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Moving 5 miles away makes a big difference in price

Exactly

Hello!

I am visiting PR this weekend to see if I am going to take a job down there to help rebuild some houses that were destroyed by Maria. Assuming I do take the job I will be moving down in a month from Chattanooga, TN.

I will be mainly working in the Caguas area and have been looking for some places that are within a 45 minute drive. So far the front runner is Palmas Del Mar as I would like to live close to a beach. I will need to stay within a 3k a month budget after all costs related to housing.

I want somewhere that is safe, close to the beach, and close/walking distance to some bars/restaurants. Do you all have any suggestions that meet this criteria or any input on the Palmas Del Mar area??

Thanks in advance for the responses!

Palmas del Mar is a great place but not cheap. It has the sea but no beach (No swimming signs).
Palmas is fairly far from Caguas, the ride may end up getting to you.
When you say 3K, do you mean ALL Living expenses or just expenses related to housing like rent, water, electricity?

You should consider the towns of Ceiba and Fajardo, you can shave 10-15 minutes of the commute. Also saving of 300 in rent.
Outside of Palmas, the other coastal towns in the general area, you can save a lot in housing.

Rey,

To clarify I am getting a 3k a month living expense for housing to include rent, water, electricity, etc.

If you don't mind me asking, what makes you say that Fajardo and Ceiba are closer? When I look at it on google maps it shows it's a longer drive and has tolls..

You. can take PR 30 or 31 to Caguas if I remember correctly. Humacao is fairly south and getting out of Palmas takes several minutes, it is all 25 miles an hour inside so it takes a while to get to the highway.

3K housing expenses would be fine in Palmas, just ease up on the airconditioner

I suggest living close to where you are working and get an inexpensive place and rent a place near the beach on days your not working. This way you can explore different areas throughout the island

Hi Everyone,

I will be moving to Puerto Rico over the next month or two ( still waiting on exact details).  I wanted to reach out to the forum users to discuss housing options and car acquisition.  I  would like to find an apartment which has a generator.  I used to live in St. Martin and when I lived there finding an apartment with a generator was generally more expensive but it made a huge difference when power outages occurred on a weekly basis. 

I am looking for a place around San Juan.  Does anyone have an idea where to begin?

I have looked at classificado's online website, but most listings don't state whether they have a generator or not. 

Also, in terms of cars it seems that most cars on classificadosonline website are quite costly for older models.  Is it a better idea to buy from a dealership? 

Best regards,

Mohamed R

mynismo wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I will be moving to Puerto Rico over the next month or two ( still waiting on exact details).  I wanted to reach out to the forum users to discuss housing options and car acquisition.  I  would like to find an apartment which has a generator.  I used to live in St. Martin and when I lived there finding an apartment with a generator was generally more expensive but it made a huge difference when power outages occurred on a weekly basis. 

I am looking for a place around San Juan.  Does anyone have an idea where to begin?

I have looked at classificado's online website, but most listings don't state whether they have a generator or not. 

Also, in terms of cars it seems that most cars on classificadosonline website are quite costly for older models.  Is it a better idea to buy from a dealership? 
Best regards,

Mohamed R

Hi Mynismo,
We also have a facebook group called "Expats in Puerto Rico" that is very active and has several San Juan area Condo dwellers. You may want to place a similar question there.

*** Very important, when you apply you will receive a popup with 3 questions, you will need to answer ALL 3 questions, preferably  with a sentence before you will be considered for membership. Those that do not answer are rejected. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4546107 … on_generic

Cars in PR are more expensive than in the US regardless of where you buy them. If you do buy from a person they most come with you to transfer the car and pay any fines before you give them any money. Fines stick with the car and can be hefty. You do not want to get a bill and have to to pay 2,000 in fines after paying for the car. Make sure they have the tittle and that it matches their name in their driving license.

Thank you for your input regarding my question.  I really do appreciate it.  I was wondering,  What is the name of the office that I should go to in order to transfer the title to my name? 

Also, in terms of apartment complexes with generators.  Do those even exist?  There are apartments built in 2009 that I am considering, would these have a generator?  Or is it a hit or miss? 

Thanks

Most apartments dont have generators and if they do it usually for recreational/ shared areas
No for use throughout the apartments

mynismo wrote:

Thank you for your input regarding my question.  I really do appreciate it.  I was wondering,  What is the name of the office that I should go to in order to transfer the title to my name? 

Also, in terms of apartment complexes with generators.  Do those even exist?  There are apartments built in 2009 that I am considering, would these have a generator?  Or is it a hit or miss? 

Thanks

To transfer a car you go to the Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas (DTOP), the current owner will know where to go.

There are condos with generators for the whole building common areas like elevators, lighting, etc. There are some that can provide electricity to the actual apartments, but very few of those. The best way is to ask.But very few will give you electricity and likely the HOV fees will be high. I do not own a condo.

Greetings,
My husband and I are retired Army with 2 small children considering moving to Palmas del Mar, Humacao. We currently live in Georgia in the USA. I have questions mainly about the area and school there for the kids. Any insight you can provide would be great! Thanks.

mynismo wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I will be moving to Puerto Rico over the next month or two ( still waiting on exact details).  I wanted to reach out to the forum users to discuss housing options and car acquisition.  I  would like to find an apartment which has a generator.  I used to live in St. Martin and when I lived there finding an apartment with a generator was generally more expensive but it made a huge difference when power outages occurred on a weekly basis. 

I am looking for a place around San Juan.  Does anyone have an idea where to begin?

I have looked at classificado's online website, but most listings don't state whether they have a generator or not. 

Also, in terms of cars it seems that most cars on classificadosonline website are quite costly for older models.  Is it a better idea to buy from a dealership? 

Best regards,

Mohamed R

Hi!

For a place with a generator for the whole condo expect to pay $1000+. When they're listed they are not empty for long. Most listings will say something like “planta full”. I live in a condo with generator for common areas, elevator and whole condo in the metro area.

Best of luck!

Mslady345 wrote:

Greetings,
My husband and I are retired Army with 2 small children considering moving to Palmas del Mar, Humacao. We currently live in Georgia in the USA. I have questions mainly about the area and school there for the kids. Any insight you can provide would be great! Thanks.

Hi there,
We have several members that live in Palmas in our sister facebook group, they are fairly active and may have some answers for you. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4546107 … =bookmarks
You will need to answer 3 questions to be considered for membership.

Hi folks!

I first came to PR in December 2017 to volunteer after the hurricane. I've fallen in love with the island and decided to come back and live here more permanently for a while. I've developed a nice community here in the Gurabo area, and plan to stay near here for the time being. I'm currently in the throes of the buy/ship debate regarding my car and came upon this blog which has been very helpful, so thanks to all the contributors. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group!

-Lisa

Welcome Lisa.  How nice that you were able to help after the hurricane.  Much success with the move to PR.

isla-lisa wrote:

Hi folks!

I first came to PR in December 2017 to volunteer after the hurricane. I've fallen in love with the island and decided to come back and live here more permanently for a while. I've developed a nice community here in the Gurabo area, and plan to stay near here for the time being. I'm currently in the throes of the buy/ship debate regarding my car and came upon this blog which has been very helpful, so thanks to all the contributors. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group!

-Lisa

Hi Lisa, Welcome to the island, to Puerto Rico and thanks for your service to the island. It takes a good heart to come all the way and put the effort.

Let us know how can we help you, but you seem to have already become part of the community.

We also have a facebook group that may interest you, however to join you will need to answer 3 questions if you apply. https://www.facebook.com/groups/454610751563324/

Rey

Hello everyone!
   We are heading to PR to take a look, we have family that owns in Rincon, and are most likely going to move there as well.
  I am scared to death to send my daughter to public school in the states, a while back we lived very close to Parkland Fl (recent school shooting) and my kids might have attended that school.

Please give me your honest answers to a few questions from a scaredy cat mom.

If you have any children in middle - or High school, I'm curious about bullying, issues with social media, or if anyone has experienced any safety concerns with their children. Any recommendations? Although I am bilingual our daughter is not, however, as a teacher I know that immersion is an invaluable way to learn a language.

Also, we will be needing health insurance, my mom (a senior citizen) has medicare, but I was trying to find some information about the cost for a family of 4 in PR as it is a fortune in North Carolina. I have been unable to find some quotes, please provide the names to the health insurance companies that cover PR.

I really appreciate your feedback!
Thank you!!
Sandy

sandybythebeach7 wrote:

Hello everyone!
   We are heading to PR to take a look, we have family that owns in Rincon, and are most likely going to move there as well.
  I am scared to death to send my daughter to public school in the states, a while back we lived very close to Parkland Fl (recent school shooting) and my kids might have attended that school.

Please give me your honest answers to a few questions from a scaredy cat mom.

If you have any children in middle - or High school, I'm curious about bullying, issues with social media, or if anyone has experienced any safety concerns with their children. Any recommendations? Although I am bilingual our daughter is not, however, as a teacher I know that immersion is an invaluable way to learn a language.

Also, we will be needing health insurance, my mom (a senior citizen) has medicare, but I was trying to find some information about the cost for a family of 4 in PR as it is a fortune in North Carolina. I have been unable to find some quotes, please provide the names to the health insurance companies that cover PR.

I really appreciate your feedback!
Thank you!!
Sandy

Hi Sandy, Welcome to the group and hopefully PR.

Health insurance
Triple S https://www.ssspr.com/SSSPortal Tel. (787) 774-6060
1-877-357-9777 (Toll Free)

MCS health insurance
https://www.mcs.com.pr/es/Paginas/default.aspx

Triple S is the most popular insurance and most accepted in all of PR. There is also Humana but not sure how popular it is. For elderly there is the option of Medicare Advantage programs check on those when you contact the insurance companies above.

Younger expats a lot of times have no health insurance and prefer to pay out of pocket because they are less likely to get sick and because health costs are around 30-40% cheaper in PR. A lot of times your co-pay is the same as a regular doctor visit. I must also warn you that a lot of doctors, specially specialists have been living the island, they are being recruited out by hospitals in the states. So time to get appointments continues to stretch.

As to schools, most public schools have very bad academic ratings, probably you want a private school. I have no school children, they are all grown up, so others members can tell you more in this area.
Rey

Grácias Rey! You provided super Helpful information!

Hello,
Just moved to Puerto Rico Friday! My husband got a job here. I am a teacher from Massachusetts still looking for a job!  Also we both want to learn Spanish!

Hello!

I will be hopefully moving to Dorado in December for a job (coming from Boston). I'd love to hear from anyone who knows Dorado about good/bad places to live, tips on the town in general, and if there are any local running and/or triathlon clubs. Thanks in advance!

Hi Elle,
Welcome to the forum and Puerto Rico, unfortunately I am not familia with Dorado.

Hi Rey, thank you for the welcome. Maybe someone else will know about Dorado, fingers crossed...

I have heard Dorado is a very good and safe place to be! It was a town that the air traffic control guys recommend to live in. We just got here and decided it was just a bit to far to live there.

Great, thanks for the feedback!

Also Dorado has higher end homes, with good shopping and gated upper income communities. Depending on your budget you may love it.

Yeah, unfortunately I'm not at that price bracket yet....

Hello, I'm new to the site. Planning to move back to San Juan at the start of the new year, after a several-month stint there earlier this year. It wasn't too positive of an experience, tbh, but that's cause I had no car and no way to meet people. I'm planning to rectify both and give it a real go this time, cause I saw a lot of things I did like.

Hopefully with Maria a bit further behind us, personal transport and some new meetups that popped up over the summer, it'll help me better see what the island can really offer. And it helps that I know what I'm getting myself into in terms of not moving blind, like I did before. Even the small things like knowing to frequent one cafe over another, what's open 24/7, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to deal with DTOP and all that it entails (written & driving tests), but it's a necessary evil in order to finally be able to discover the island. If only I could find an "in" with the locals (very friendly but seem closed off to non-locals socially), most of my previous problems will be solved. I thought speaking Spanish would help with that, but alas...

Eventually, I'd like to build a little vacation home in the mountains, like in Maricao, for when I feel the need to escape SJ.

acpr wrote:

Hello, I'm new to the site. Planning to move back to San Juan at the start of the new year, after a several-month stint there earlier this year. It wasn't too positive of an experience, tbh, but that's cause I had no car and no way to meet people. I'm planning to rectify both and give it a real go this time, cause I saw a lot of things I did like.

Hopefully with Maria a bit further behind us, personal transport and some new meetups that popped up over the summer, it'll help me better see what the island can really offer. And it helps that I know what I'm getting myself into in terms of not moving blind, like I did before. Even the small things like knowing to frequent one cafe over another, what's open 24/7, etc.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to deal with DTOP and all that it entails (written & driving tests), but it's a necessary evil in order to finally be able to discover the island. If only I could find an "in" with the locals (very friendly but seem closed off to non-locals socially), most of my previous problems will be solved. I thought speaking Spanish would help with that, but alas...

Eventually, I'd like to build a little vacation home in the mountains, like in Maricao, for when I feel the need to escape SJ.

Welcome to the forum and hopefully Puerto Rico soon. If you can you should consider moving before the end of the year so a few days later you will be starting a full year (2019) in the island which may help with taxes and eliminate state taxes.

Not sure why you need to take the written test and driver test, PR accepts driver licenses from most states with zero testing.

Thx for the tip on the taxes. Re: my DL, mine is long expired so I think it requires taking both tests to get a brand new one.

acpr wrote:

Thx for the tip on the taxes. Re: my DL, mine is long expired so I think it requires taking both tests to get a brand new one.

Yes if expired for more than 30 days you will need to take written and driver test. Make sure you ask for the English version of the written test.

You may also want to consider joining our Facebook group "Expats in Puerto Rico" which I run with 2 others. We have over 800 members. However you will need to answer ALL 3 questions to be considered for membership.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4546107 … =bookmarks

Hello everyone! I'm currently living and working in Kansas City, USA. I'm considering a big scary move to Puerto Rico in January.

chelsigo wrote:

Hello everyone! I'm currently living and working in Kansas City, USA. I'm considering a big scary move to Puerto Rico in January.

Welcome to the forum and Puerto Rico. You may want to consider moving in December so you get full credit from IRS as the tax year and residence starts on Jan 1.

Wow! Great tip! Thank you

We will become property owners Friday! My husband is from Puerto Rico and we recently decided to retire there. We will start clearing land and building next year. All my ideas are on Pinterest and I hope I put them to work!