New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourselves here — June to December 2017

Hey Larry, you and me are newbies to this good site. I was there three months this spring compared to your three years. You're new to the site but not to PR.

Less then 10 people actually living in PR posting and about half infrequently, Many great informative posts from visitors like me, but always very good to hear from boots on the ground who've been there awhile, even if only part of the year.

I had a PM exchange with a woman whose older posts I read, like you had been there a few years, but she quit posting about a year ago. She said it was mainly spending her time giving info but not much getting  info, too few posters who live in PR.

That being said, I know your general area and have 2 listings there on my final cut.  I'd love to hear your stories about life up in  the hills.

Specifically, how reliable is your water? How do you do your solar? How far are you from the highway--so how much actual driving time to Arecibo? And issues of that nature. I know your working and stuff but when you have time, love to read it.

Hi, I just joined here...

Am looking for a place possibly to live in the Caribbean.

Have been to PR once, saw part of north side/San Juan and a few days in Vieques.

I have heard Rincon has an expat community and am curious about that.

Heard that Culebra is beautiful but perhaps impractical.

I'm 57, white single guy, not retired yet so need reliable internet and electricity.

I have visited other places in the Caribbean that were great beach vacation spots, but probably not suitable for living unless very wealthy!

Thanks in advance for info!

Hi BeachBum,Welcome to the forum and Puerto Rico.
The best advice I can give you is to come spend more time in the island and travel around. There are 78 towns each with its own flavor.
Rincon is also known as Gringoland, English is everywhere Rincon and the best surfing in PR if you are into that. Unfortunatly due to that it has become a little expensive.

Puerto Rico infractructure is not great, electricity, water and Internet are all somewhat unreliable. We recomend a generator, a cistern and a good data plan for your phone as a backup. Verizon does not work great in PR, stick with ATT, Tmobile or sprint.

Culebra and Viequez are fine, but the Ferry is not the greatest, and in a medical emergency you may have to be airlifted.

There are several English speaking hotspots in the main island. But you need to learn Spanish, English is not everywhere.

When you are ready for the jump, rent a place for 6-12 months, living in the island and coming in as a tourist are different experiences. Use the time to see if PR is for you, and nail down where you want to live and the style of living that makes you happy.

There is a lot of information in this forum that you can search for, it is faster than getting answers dynamically because the people that have the info you need may or may not take a a week or a month off, they are having fun and taking care of their needs.

You can however count on me, i am here every day.
Let me know if you need help
Rey

Thank you very much Rey for the welcome and quick, helpful response! All good to know. I will search here some more.

BeachBumUS

Hola, Beach Bum
I live in Humacao in a community called Palmas del Mar.  Before that, I had a place in Arroyo on the south coast in the middle of nowhere.  Where I live, there is good access to water, electricity, internet and a lively group of folks who used to live in the states.  Please make sure you visit. I am a former New Yorker. Been here full time for three years. No regrets.

If you love beaches more than anything else, I'd go for Vieques. More practical (yet still not easy) to live on than Culebra and with more beaches too.

BeachBum, try this link, and use the links with the towns that may interest you. You will find a little bit of info about all towns in PR, it is a good beginning and allows you to compare towns based on the same data collected by the same site.
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/exploring.shtml

Thanks NomadLawyer!

Thanks frogrock!

Beachbum:

One of the really great things about PR is that it is very diverse: beaches, mountains, scenic places, outdoor sports, museums, concerts, historic areas, night life, quiet and peace, city convenience, rural space.

My advice would be to sit down and make a priority list: put all your wants down in writing and rate them based on the most important to the least and then start searching for areas that match your priorities.

I knew exactly what I wanted and after two years of serious searching in my favorite area, I found it. I didn't rent first. I didn't need to.You might want to.

I've been just about everywhere in the Caribbean, and for US residents, PR (IMHO) is the best bet -- and believe me, I researched options on every island.

Oh, and if you DO decide that PR is your choice of residence, do yourself a favor and first GET YOUR LOAN in place, so you're positioned to hop on a property when you find the right one. You'll also find real estate professionals much more eager to work with you. Without a loan, many won't give you the time of day. Yes, they are like that in the States, too, but way more so in PR.

Good luck.

Thanks lgustaf...

I have been looking at older posts here, and saw a detailed one about someone who gave it 3 months.

The real estate issues give me great pause. I've seen part of Vieques and the mainland that were nice. But I'm looking for a place I can buy at some point, without hassles. Dealing with title problems and extra crooked  real estate agents is a non-starter for me.

BeachBum

BeachBum,

I wouldn't be too concerned. Your bank will require title insurance, and the companies are the same as in the states, like Chicago Title, American Title, etc. so you're safe.

As far as agents go: I've found them reputable (albeit lazy and unresponsive at times), especially if you work with a broker directly or an agent in a larger firm that has a reputation. Many of them have web sites and customer reviews. You can find a good many on Zillow.

In PR, agents do one thing: show you property. I relied more on my loan officer for information and guidance than anybody else.

Just be prepared to do a lot of the footwork yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions. If your agent doesn't have the answer (which is more often the case). the loan officer or attorney likely does.

The biggest problem with realtors is that most are seller agents. So they only show you properties that their firm has under contract. As such you have to deal with multple seller agents. There are a few buyer agents and if they agree to represent you (for a little more) they will contact the seller agents from multiple companies and arrange for showing the homes, in that case you deal with just the buyer agent and he does the rest. Dont expect a buyer agent to show you many properties under 80k, not worth it for them.

Beachbum, my husband and I had Carlos, a buyer's representative, who patiently acquainted us with different areas in the east and showed us a number of houses. We bought a fixer-upper with a gorgeous view on a mountain overlooking Humacao. We paid cash, hoping to avoid the hassles and have a quick closing. In fact, we were allowed to move in prior to closing in anticipation of its being quick. On  the day of our original close date, our great agent contacted us while we were at Banco Popular trying to get the necessary manager's checks, letting us know that he had misgivings about the seller's property tax situation. The seller's agent was not very well informed. Basically, he just showed houses that he had listed. Our agent had to tell him about the required paperwork, etc. Anyway, the seller was not current on his taxes, so closing was delayed for 4 or 5 weeks. The seller let us live in the house rent-free, fortunately, because we had already bought appliances and replaced a bathroom sink and two toilets. When we actually closed, it went very smoothly, thanks to the seller's attorney and our agent, who guided the seller's agent through the process. My best advice is to find a knowledgeable professional to advise you and protect your interests.

All good info, thank you everyone!

I guess I need to take a closer look at specific neighborhoods and see if I can rent for a few months.

I  know Vieques has good swimming, and Rincon has good surfing.

Can people suggest a few safe, nice areas for living on the main island with good swimming and decent housing? And friendly to Americanos?

The entire island is friendly to Americanos. I would suggest Fajardo and Luquillo in the east coast. Or Condado, Isla Verde, Miramar, Ocean Park near San Juan. Or the West Coast around Rincon (Gringoland) as places with the most English Speakers.

For swimming I think the East coast is the best and it is also the gateway to the Virgin Isles if you like boating, scuba, snorkling and island hopping.

You could go for Dorado also but the sea is a little rough and it is expensive, so it depends on your budget. North Coast and west coast tend to be rough seas with some swimmable beaches, but east coast in my opinion has the most dead calm beaches.

Palmas Del Mar in Humacao (East coast) is a large English speaking gated community with about 4 different communities inside (each one also gated), With Schools, with Bank, restaurants, Golf Course, Marina, and many swimming pools. People drive around in Golf carts instead of using a car within the community, most roads are safe to go jogging, walking and cycling inside. However I do not believe it has a beach (rocky, no sand, signs not to go swimming) but several beaches 10 minutes away. Less money than Condado and Dorado but more than Fajardo and Luquillo.

Thanks Rey, just saw this reply.

If you do end up wanting to seriously consider Vieques as an option  I can  put you in contact with an excellent realtor there as well an attorney that is extremely familiar with Vieques as well that can help you navigate how the process works.

Recently got my Green Card by marriage, my wife also has Green Card, and looking for jobs in US the only offer i got so far is for a consulting company in PR, I'm fully bilingual 58 yrs old my wife is somewhat bilingual 74 yrs old, the offer I got is for $ 52,500.00 /yr, for my Mexico earnings is a gain of about 20% of what I'm doing here, but this is about half of people in mainland is doing in my line of work, I wonder if this is average for a senior IT or low for PR.
What kind of living we could get for that income, this is before any tax I could get for income, the offer include some bonus from 3 to 20% depending on performance of my self and corporation performance.
For one side is been difficult for me to get a job in the short time I have to move to US, my wife has 2 sons and one daughter living in US, but we do not want to live with them in specific me living with any of them and me looking for a job  and not earning anything, so far I have a decent job here in Mexico, doing about $49,000.00 USD a year, but the opportunity left me puzzled.
Any input or advice I can get from this group?

Memo you are spaming now, in this forum everyone is seeing the same posted 3-4 times. Each post different and based on the thread subject please. We basically read all responces regardless of where they are posted. Thanks

Got it

Hi I'm Vernita.  I live in New Jersey.I am retired and I own Retired&Lovinit,LLC. I help the soon to be retired and the retired have a happy retirement. I am looking to relocate. I am thinking about Puerto Rico.

Hi Vernita,

I'm also from New Jersey the Garden State....Welcome to the group!!

Hi all! My husband and I are soon to be retired and are looking for somewhere warmer and a more casual pace than Chicago to live. Ideally, I'd like to move to Hawaii but that does not seem to be in the cards; however, PR seems an interesting alternative. Living in an ex-pat community doesn't seem our style but we don't speak Spanish. I think we might prefer a house on a hillside with a pool but not too far a drive from the beach. Other items of concern -- access to good medical facilities if needed, crime, food delivery (we are in Chicago! LOL). We have been to PR and Vieques for a few trips.  Any suggestions as to areas to look into? Other info of note.

Thanks!
Jerry

Hi Rard13,
Welcome to the forum and perhaps Puerto Rico soon. Since you been to Vieques I assume you took the Ferry there. If so you have been in Fajardo which is the gateway to many sand islands, mini island, Vieques, Culebra and the rest of the Virgin Islands. Towns around Fajardo such as Rio Grande, Luquillo, Fajardo, Ceiba, Naguabo and Humacao all offer mountain living that is 5-10 minutes to the beach. Humacao has the best hospital in the East coast and there are several others that are just fine.

As to English, Fajardo, and Luquillo has a significant English speaking population but it is not like Rincon which we jokingly call GringoLand. A lot of Puerto Ricans know some English and many are also well versed in it. By the way I am a native and purchased some land in the mountain area of Ceiba but only 5 minutes to the main highway (PR53). Very green in the east coast and depending where you decide to live you can look at other houses, at the coast or the mountains, your choice.

You should do several trips to PR and see what feels right, decide in a town or two then rent for about a year to finally decide where you want to live.

As to crime, Crime in PR comes mostly in 3 categories: A) Drug Related, mostly fighting for territory, B) Domestic Violence, C) Crimes of opportunity. PR is not like your home town (Chicago) no matter where you live in PR. The vast majority of the crimes are in the Metro areas, specially close to Public Housing. Stay away from Public Housing and be aware of your surroundings when you are in a metro area and you should be fine. Crime of opportunities can happen anywhere, you leave something interesting in the car and you may find a window broken and the item taken, You walk alone at night in a dark alley and somebody may want your wallet or phone. Most people are never the victim of a crime. But if it still feels funny you may want to live in a gated community, but that likely will eliminate living in the mountains.

Try to learn some basic Spanish and when you come try to use it, you will be surprised how many people around you come to help you deal with the language issue.

The more you interact with the locals the more they get to know and care for you, we are very friendly. PR is very family and friends oriented, so don't be surprised if you get hugged a lot.

There is a lot of material here in the forum, do some searches and you will likely find most of your questions have already been answered. We are here to help, so don't be shy about asking questions. Once you got your feet wet in this forum, you may want to also join our Facebook page "Expats in Puerto Rico", is more of a social thing but some questions are also answered there. You will find me here and in the Facebook group, I look out for both.
If you need anything let me know.
Rey

PS. I forgot to mention that Humacao has a few Communities where most of the people are Fluent in English (Expats and Locals), one in Particular is called Palmas Del Mar (Search for it in Google), it is gated and composed of 4 more internal communities, each of them also gated. There you will find English Speaking schools, Golf course, ponds, many swimming pools, community buildings, a Marina, a Yacht club, and most people ride bikes, jog or drive their personal golf cart to go anywhere inside the community. There are restaurant, bars,, a hotel and all sorts of things. But it is a little more expensive than the rest of the area since you get so much. We have at lest 4 members that live there and probably will show you around if you come visit.

Hello, rard. Crime is very high in PR. I lived in Chicago for a time and it is a great city. In my opinion, while Chicago has those high crime neighborhoods you hear about but never enter, PR's high levels of violent crime can happen anywhere. Of course, some places are worse than others in PR, but the general lawlessness can impact anyone, anywhere.

Welcome, rard. My husband and I have lived in PR since May. We bought a house in the mountains overlooking Humacao. We take the same precautions here as we did in Florida and have never felt in danger. All of our neighbors are Puerto Ricans. The ones we have met are very friendly and speak at least some English. I think a feeling of security depends on the neighborhood and your use of common sense. We are not in a gated community by choice. We want to be a part of the local community, not live in a "bubble," although we go to an English-speaking church inside Palmas del Mar. Even there, more than half of the members are Puerto Ricans who have lived in the U.S. If you find a barrio or neighborhood where people maintain their property, you'll probably feel safe and happy there. However, if you can afford a home inside Palmas del Mar, it's beautiful. It just depends on what you want. Take your time, and look around.

Hi all
My name is Amanda, I'm currently living in FL thinking of moving to Puerto Rico. My husband is from there  and has a mortgage free house, unlike in state where we are paying rent. but I'm a little hesitant because of the way things are right now on the island Economy wise, How has everyone been doing ? I would be going to school if i did Leave to PR. and my husband works in manufacturing. also I have three children one who has autism.

Hi Jasmine,
this is the right place to introduce yourself, members typically read all posts regardless of which thread you post into, so there is no need to repost under different threads.

creating your own threads however makes it very easy to get your questions answered, so if you want to know about education or medical, or driving, or whatever, you will find it easier to get answers when you organize it by subject otherwise some of the answers may be confusing since you may not be able to tell sometimes which questions they are answering.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and hopefully our answers lead to you moving to the island.
Rey

Well we live in Hatillo in a small community called Costa Norte  with access to the ocean,pool,basketball court,tennis court,children's play area.
We are 3 minutes from SAMs club, Home Depot,Walmart,and a mall,along with sardinera beach, which makes the location very convenient
There is also a small community of expats here also and growing every day
If you would like contact me and we'll talk
Ken

Jobs are hard to come by in PR, some expats have reported longer than a year to find a job. While the US has an average unemployment rate of 4.3%, PR unemployment is averaging around 15%.

A lot of people are moving to the states in order to find jobs.

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll take a look through the forum for more info as well. And best of luck with Hurricane Irma.

Jerry

Hi guys, new member here and I have some questions about areas to live, some questions on the best travel options back and forth to US and if anyone has any information on tax questions I would appreciate it. (What if I move full time to PR and my wife does not?) How would that affect the tax benefits we may receive?

Bitsandmore,
Welcome to the forum,
If you file jointly it would affect you since you are not both residents.
Ask your questions.

Hi Everyone -

Just wanted to introduce myself.  I am a new member of the forum, but a longtime lurker.  I'm another Act 22 migrant (just received my final approval a week or so ago).  Nothing too exciting about my background - I'm a recovering corporate lawyer, single, early 30's.  My favorite things are beaches, warm weather, and tax shelters, so needless to say, I'm pretty excited about my move to PR

Anyways, I plan on moving down to the island in a few weeks, or whenever power is restored to the area I will be living. I  am planning to hang my hat in the Palmas Del Mar community on the eastern side of the island, so looking forward to hopefully meeting some of you guys that live out that direction.

Thanks to all of you for the great information and resources on this forum - it has been tremendously helpful.

Welcome to the forum, however I would suggest you wait at least a couple of months until things start to stabilize in the island and Palmas.

Yes, most definitely.  I am just going to wait and see how things look in a few weeks.  As long as I am all moved down there by year-end (Dec. 31), I will be fine.  So no rush here, and definitely no reason to go down there now in the thick of the recovery efforts.  I can't even imagine what it's like there right now.