Considering a Move to PR

Here is a sample from fajardo area. Houses no more than 1000 http://www.clasificadosonline.com/m/Bie … h+Busqueda

In Spanish, sorry

Depending the are. For example, you can find a house in my town for $500/month. Something furnished will be harder to find but furniture is relatively inexpensive. Also, if you are looking at areas high in truism you will be paying more. So stay away from the metro area and most beach towns. Since you mentioned kids, you may want to check the western side of the island.

Read some of the treads here for information on car purchase and schools.

Good luck and welcome to the island.

Raul

One more thing in most places you are 10 minutes away from a supermarket or walmart. You can also stop by and have a beer and then complain that the traffic was bad to cover it up.

My recommendation would be for you to get in contact with a realtor, maybe two, BEFORE you leave. There are listings in Classificados with contact information. You can also find someone through ZIllow.  It has been my experience in buying a place, that a good many of the agents and brokers down there don't advertise their listings, so to see what's REALLY available you have to get in with a realtor or two who does a lot of business in the area of interest to you.

There are lots of family-oriented, gated communities, but I wouldn't be that worried about safety. And like has already been mentioned, don't worry about furniture. The biggest Macy's (outside of New York) is down there, plus Rooms to Go, Ikea, Sears, Home Goods, and others. I order stuff off Amazon and it gets delivered directly to the address in PR.

By the way, I live in Alpharetta and you'd be hard-pressed to find any rental here for $1000/mo. According to Zillow, my house would rent for about $2500/mo.

I think he is planing on renting and not yet ready to move to PR, just exploring. But yes a good realtor, preferably a buyer agent will be the best when buying. I have one I use and can provide the info when and if interested. Check the link ro clasificados I posted for a good idea of what you can get. It does not hurt to give some a call likely they speak English.

The realtor I worked with also does long-term, rental properties. I would imagine that's not unusual. Long-term rentals are at a premium down there, with more renters than properties available, so the sooner he gets himself with a couple agents, the better (IMHO).

In that list I posted there is a very nice place in Fajardo in what I believe is a gated community, very stylish house 4 br, 2 1/2 baths for 800 unfurnished plus utilities.
http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1191845
Corner lot, has phone number to call and check out. Large house, I been in similar properties.

Here is another 4 br with 2 baths, not as nice, not gated, not familiar with the neighborhood, but under 600. http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1192651
These are just samples so you can get an idea. Fajardo is a little more money due to marinas and the islands. But still reasonable. Other areas you may be able to get similar for less.

This site can show you a little about each of PR towns you may want to study it. http://welcome.topuertorico.org/exploring.shtml

This is great info! I also saw that house before on clasificados and spoke with the agent. They wanted $1,200 last month for it. But I had no clue what the area is like. When I asked the agent she said it was nice, which I expected her to say. But I have this one on my list for homes to check out. But I've seen nicer looking homes in other cities.

Another thing is most listings only have 1 picture. So that's really no help either. But again, I can live anywhere on the island. Fajardo isn't set in stone, what cities do you recommend? I hear a lot about Rincon. But also heard it's very slow there. I know you said everywhere is close to supermarkets or Wal-Mart, but what about Rincon?

Thanks again!

I lot of expats seem to really like Rincon. You should check it out.  It was not for me (because of several reasons) but from your specs, it might be a good option.

Since you only intend to rent, you have the opportunity to live wherever and really  check out the island, Should you intend to buy. (which I seriously recommend) remember. you can change the house, but you can't change the location nor the neiighborhood. So make those specs your priority. I knew exaxctly what I wanted and worked very hard to get it. I negotiated with the seller and made it happen.  I discovered in PR, your agent might intoduce you to a property you like, but if you want it, you have to take the initiative and negotiate. That goes for rentals as well as sales. And like sales, rentals ARE negotiable, so if you see something you like, sell yourself and make it work.

I agree 100% with lgustaf, the benefit of rental is that you can easily change your mind in a few months and try a different area.
There are a lot of members here that live in Rincon, the place seems to be tailored for mainlanders, restaurants are in english, most people speak english, people seem to be extra friendly. But I just visited for a few hours, talk to Sandrarduncan I think she is extra helpful and she lives there.

My family is in the east that is why I like the east side of the island, I like Luquillo, Rio Grande, fajardo, Ceiba, Humacao, but I am a native, so it is a little different and I like the marinas, the Culebra and Vieques islands close by and all the atols since I like Snorkeling and scuba.

unlike you I grew up around water and was always at a beach, pool, lake or a pond most of my childhood. I also grew part of my life in the metro area and in the country side (Campo) so I am comfortable in both.

Look, you need to make several trips or rent and live in different areas before you make a permanent choice.
This site can show you a little about each of PR towns you may want to study it. http://welcome.topuertorico.org/exploring.shtml

Hello I live in Rincon and love it here. Not sure if we have already spoken .We are a small community of people. Almost veryone here speaks English.  We have a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom with water a solar hot water heater and a cistern with ocean views from the front and back of the house with fruit trees everywhere and pay $500 a month.  We are in the mountains area of Rincon and are 10 mins to beaches, supermarkets town plaza( where they have an art walk every Thursday night and a farmers market every Sunday) Sam's club , Kmart is about 25 mins away in mayaguez .Mayaguez is the 3 largest city in Puerto Rico . You will find a large mall here .With sears ,jcpenny , Wal-Mart etc
As for furniture I highly recommend berrio outlet in isabel/ moca line .Great prices/ selection and very inexpensive delivery charges.
Lots of wonderful people here. We also have several private schools as well.
Please send me a private message and I can give you my texting #
Also I highly recommend renting over buying and my advice is to make sure you can get high speed internet in the place before signing any contracts
We have no contact .So I love it this way
As for a pool .There are some places not many places that aren't complexes that have pools
I have found several rentals with pools however the beaches are never far away and the cost to run the electric and fill the pool to me isn't worth it. Especially now that the electric company is increasingly their price. The price was $11.98 service charge on top of their rate. And now it's going up to $25.00 plus .3 a kw .Plus their regular rate

Buying a car is pretty easy.  The prices are slightly inflated compared to mainland, due to the taxes to bring cars to the island.  It was cheaper for us to sell our car in Arizona and pay cash for a used car here, than the time & hassle to ship a car. 
Before test drive, we looked up every car on Kelly Blue Book, the dealership prices were pretty darn close to estimated KBB.  We found many great used cars in the $10-12k range, and found a DEAL for $8k for a used Hyundai 4 door Elantra.  We seriously considered buying a Kia Soul, there were far more new models than used available.  We purchased from Berrios Hyundai dealership in Caguas.

I completely agree. But out of curiosity, why wasn't Rincon for you? I get the sentiment that it's more country than suburban. Where do you stay now?

That's funny, because all those places you named were places i was going to visit. I actually haven't planned on checking Rincon out at all, but I'm going to visit now. I'm also going to check out Canovanas as well.

We aren't thinking about buying anything at all for now. I already own a home in Atlanta and for me, it's an anchor. Even going to PR I have to be concerned with what's going on with my house here. From an investment standpoint it may be worth it, but we're just getting started seeing the world so I'm not interested in committing to any place.

That's great information, and good to hear that it's not as rural as I thought, and that rent... Right up my alley! My wife just told me she doesn't want a pool for the safety of the kids anyway, but would rather a subdivision with a gym and pool. But definitely want a decent sized yard for the kids to run around in.

Thanks for the info on the furniture as well! Since it's the US I also shouldn't have any problems ordering from Amazon I'd think.

Internet... what a great heads up! I wouldn't have thought about that until it was too late. Thanks for that! I sent you a PM a little while ago.

Thanks Jen! (Love the name for the blog by the way!) I hate having to buy cars. I usually keep all my cars for a really long time (8-10 years). We wont' be selling our car here in Atlanta, as we will just leave it in the garage more than likely. I'll weigh my options of buying there vs shipping. I know a couple of dealership owners here who usually only charge me a few hundred more than black book (what dealers pay). My neighbor here also does transport and just told me yesterday he ships cars to Cuba and Africa often so I'll see what he charges me plus the taxes. The taxes may be the nail in the coffin though.

Cell phone ..... It is good to be able to use a cell phone as a hot spot in case your internet access is interrupted or you are away from the house. Free wifi is not available at most locations.
Not sure what vendor you use but AT&T and Sprint are the main companies here plus T-Mobile. The first 2 seem to have the best coverage. Verizon does not exist in the island and roaming on the others is somewhat spotty.
So use att, sprint or t-mobile. Note that you can keep your old contract and phone number if that is advantageous to you.

I have T-mobile and it works great on the island. I just have the basic service and don't pay for hot spot so I can't use it as a Wi-Fi connection, but I can access the internet pretty easy with the browser app on the phone itself.

My husband has AT&T with the Hot Spot option, so when we come down he just turns on the hot spot and we have secure internet throughout the apartment. We set up the flat screen with ChromCast so we can watch tons of TV channels world-wide and do whatever on the internet. That being said, we'll likely get some sort of internet plan (Claro is supposed to be the best), since we do rent out the apartment to vacationers when we're not there and they seem to miss having WiFi in the apartment itself. 

BTW: We found these really cool side tables at CostCo that have a top that opens on one end to give access to an electrical outlet and USB connections. They are awesome. We bought three and have them scattered throughout the apartment.

Most people I have spoken to will only use Claro as a last resort, but your experience may be different. I believe is DSL and spotty service and worse customer service, but that may have changed.

Dorado sounds like a good match for you....quiet, safe, suburban town. Many urbanizations (gated communities) and good schools. Two Grocery stores, Walgreens, CVS, right in town. Walmart 10 min away. 25 min to the Metro Area with plenty of things to do and the best Shopping and Medical Care on the Island. 25 min. to Airport SJU.

Here is a listing in the same urbanization of one of the best schools in Dorado. Furnished with Pool. http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1192610 

In my opinion the most important consideration is what school your children will attend. If you plan to stay here that long. Public schools are in Spanish only and are not always up to Par. Also just because school is private does not make it a good school you have to do your research. Not everyone can home school. Dorado has excellent schools one is pretty expensive and the other reasonable at $400 a month. Well come and visit and see for yourself. You can pm me for more details.

http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … -+Busqueda

Thanks everyone for the great info! I have T-Mobile and Sprint so that should cover me I hope. I only have a hotspot on T-Mobile though, but hopefully I'll be in a good spot. I'll definitely need internet for work.

As for schools, I homeschool so I'm not worried about the school system.

I briefly checked Dorado and clicked out just as quick. Those prices are way more than I want to spend. That listing in Dorado wouldn't work for us because it's attached. We have a 1,600 sq ft. townhome now and it can be too noisy at times and it's too small.

The days are counting down so fast! Hopefully I can visit all the places I need to!

Thank you all again

Dorado is a bit expensive to rent and buy. You will be mainly working from home so away from metro will work for you and you can get much better prices that way. Don't be in a rush, do several trips to the island and then decide.

I agree with ReyP,  it's a buyers market, take your time and get a good deal on what you need. 

Make friends with local people, they are your best source of info!

Thanks again! I have a question about these listings. Some say maintenance included. What exactly does that mean? Cutting the grass? Or fixing something when it breaks? I also saw a listings say No AAA not AEE, what in the world is that?!

They are refering to no electricity and water not included, those are the agency abbreviations.
You have to ask them about the maintenance, but I assume trimming shrubs, cutting grass, power washing driveways and building, however you never know so good to ask. They should do repairs to stove, plumming, they may or may not do airconditioners.

Got it. I also noticed some pretty decent houses in Canovanas. How's that place? Looks awesome. More expensive I know, but the River Garden subdivision seems to have a lot of rentals available. That gives me some negotiating room.

Canovanas is part of the metropolitan area, higher crime rate, cost of living is more as well.

Nice to visit. But I wouldn't live there. Really nothing to do there as well

Well good luck on your search...the best you can do is what you are doing and go and see the areas with your own eyes. From what you said your wife wants Dorado still sounds like you would like it.  Just giving you an idea of a listing under $1000 like you mentioned...the listing I sent is also literally in front of the ocean and a beautiful area. It is more than possible to find a home to rent in Dorado under $1000. Here are two homes in an urbanization with pool. 

http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1196053
http://www.clasificadosonline.com/UDRen … ID=1194378

I would not recommend Canovanas. Some areas may have lower rent but not have much of a community to offer your family and children.  A lot of people on this forum have really cheap rent and live in the mountains or rural areas but they are retired and don't have small children. You might want to look for areas that have Homeschooling communities. I don't know where they all are but I think Rincon, Dorado, San Juan, probably Caguas? Being close to the Metro provides you with lots of activities for children. Dorado has an English Story time at the library every week for example. I have a child so I know how it is.  Either way you are just renting so if you don't like the area you can move easily.

This is why I strongly suggested Rincon area . For all the reasons above

There may be a reason if there are a lot of rentals in the area.
First find the type of living you are looking for. Then find towns where that type of living exist, then locate the house you dream. Drive around, not everything is listed in clasificados, some just have a sign outside. You need drive around the neighborhood you want to find the best place that meets your needs.

However this trip should be about becoming familiar, until you are ready to go, I would not be actually looking for a place unless you plan to rent now and live the place empty until you are ready to move. Anything you see now may not be available when you are ready to rent.

When you are ready to go, then do the real shopping in the town you want to live in. Sometimes it takes several trips to PR to locate the correct place for you.

Also you may want to revisit at night, 8 or 9 pm to see what that area is like when the sun comes down. It may be quiet during the day, but lots of teens in motorcycles or loud cars and parties at night.

I rent in Dorado. But I work in the metro area so it's a reasonable commute. I love the west coast areas and I spend a lot of time in Fajardo as well.  The islands over off the east coast are amazing. It all comes down to what you want personally. Dorado is great and has the feeling of a small suburban town in the US. Easy to get by with only English. Great communities and safe. And convenient to the metro area without as much traffic and congestion.  West coast is more laid back and Rincon has a lot of expats as well.  I keep my boat out near Fajardo and we have actually debated looking at places out there to buy. I would move there tomorrow as I could live on a boat there and be more than happy haha. My wife however loves dorado and getting her to move is a challenge. I say try to spend some time in different areas and see what you guys like the best. All depends on what you want. And consider a short term lease if possible that way you can move if you change your mind.

Thanks everybody! Sheesh! My first day was so rough here, but things have slowed down for me now. I only really have 1 day left, and it's funny because Caguas, literally just came up as an option.

So far I'm loving a lot about PR. What I'm not liking though are the realtors. Lies, and more lies. I was told there's no such thing as a lease less than 1 year (they're all over clasificados...) I was also told that no house comes furnished only apartments... again, I've seen them all over clasificados. I just get the overall feeling that they're trying to take advantage and get me to spend as much as possible for as long as possible. No other agent has even returned a call.

I'm going to look in Dorado though. Canovanas is no longer an option for me.

Another question, how often do little lizards and what-not get into your homes? There are lizard all around my house in Atlanta but they never come in the house. I was told that's a common thing, and my kids (namely my daughter) would eat them or at the very least, bite something off... I don't want that.

Sorry to hear. Don't deal with realtors .They are horrible
If your doors are closed you Wil seldomly see a geicko in your house

The "Lagartijos" or small lizards are very beneficial, they will eat most bugs in the house and they do no harm at all. If you do not have screen doors and tend to leave your doors open, they will come in. As kids we would aggravate them to open their mouth and hang them from our earlobes like earrings. They don't hurt.

Caguas has grown a lot into Rio Piedras and into Juncos it is fairly suburban now it used to be party Country (Campo).

A lot of houses for rent may not have furniture, but if you ask the owner, he likely has extra furniture that he can loan you. Some do.

Realtors for the most part get a month of rent for their trouble when they locate a place for you so on average they get 300 to 600, not every realtor handles rentals because the income is low. For sales they get 5% of the sale price which means that could be 10,000 depending on the house price.

A lot of realtors prefer dealing with locals and only show properties they have under contract, there are a few Buyer Realtors but not many. So a lot of time you have to contact a lot of realtors in order to see properties.

Why locals vs US?
Mostly because a lot of people waste their time, they may not qualify, they may qualify but don't want to be qualified, they are not sure what town they want to live in, or the type of living they want to do, they change their minds all the time. Buyer Realtors get 2.5 on average of the selling price since they have to negotiate with the seller agent for a split. They may do a lot of travelling and a lot of calling to try to find what you want and if you change your mind or return to the states without purchasing anything, they wasted their money, gas and time. Most people are not ready to buy until several trips to the island.

If a seller agent does not call you, he is probably at the beach, sipping a beer or does not want to deal with mainlanders for the above reasons. This is not always the case but often it is or they are only doing it part time and they are at their regular job.

Are you really ready to rent now?

For the reasons Rey already mentioned, realtors will only show houses in a higher sale price. Specially if you're mainlander. The rental prices are always negotiable don't be afraid to negotiate with the owner and ask the owner directly about lease terms. Usually the realtor want you lock for a year but the owner may be willing to negotiate with you.

Depending on the rental owner, he may raise the rent some if you want less than a year or 6 months depending on his original idea, but he may leave it at the same price. Hopefully he speaks English so you can negotiate lenght and price and maybe get some furniture on loan.
If I was in PR I would help you but I am not there yet.