The basic questions.

Sunseeker welcome to the forum.  What part of the country are you interested in and where have you visited before.
NO mater what it is important to visit for a while and not on the resorts or in hotels but renting a condo or villa for a month or two to see what living here on a day to day basis is like.
We are on the north coast between Sosua and Cabarete.  We have been here full time for almost 12 years.  There is a large Expat community in this area as well.

Best way to learn Spanish is to take a course before coming here then study more here as well as living in "Spanish" as much as you can when here.

Bob K

Thanks Bob, we are Calgary Alberta where it is presently -32 without the windchill and even more so running away is becoming a daily thought. We have been to La Romana and Punta Cana area so far. I actually met the Rescatame group there where I brought back our puppy Bella. Finding Rescatame because of finding puppies on the beach at the Hard Rock ( which we didn't care for cause so American but it was a free trip)  allowed us to get into the real area safely with the group escorting us and teaching us the history and culture.  We don't want to be the touristy areas but still in safe  and also possibly where having a small cafe etc would work ?

Also how do you buy property to live in ? I am sure it isn't like in Canada. Is there such things as mortgages or can a Canadian own property out right in Dominican ?  Thankyou for your help

Go to    [email protected]    it is the best & easiest method to learn Spanish, inexpensive too.  Forget condos & villas if you want to really get the feel of the island.  Reason: full of people like you.  Look for an apartment instead if immersion in the culture is your goal.  There will be many chances to meet & question ex-pats. Saftey anywhere usually amounts to common sense & awareness of your surroundings.  Come & be welcomed to the real  DR.

Buying property here is risky but worthwhile. Ask for referrals to a good Realtor. Make sure you have a good lawyer.

Buy what works for your lifestyle after test driving living here for several months.

It's almost impossible to get a mortgages and it will be at about 18 percent. Yikes.

Lots to read on that topic here...do lots of searches ...we bought in 2015 with owner financing for a year until we sold an investment property in US...worked out great.  But, definitely have a reputable lawyer...and oodles of patience.

All good advice above.  Good real estate agent and good lawyer are the bottom line.

Bob K

Sunseeker,
We have been back and forth to Sosua several times a year for 4 years. We started with a family reunion in Sosua and have wanted to retire there ever sense. My husband has family in Santiago and Santo Domingo but we prefer the sea. We looked at different housing areas every time we visited. We looked at a lot of properties on line. Last time we visited, this past November, we found a great realtor, stayed at a small 7 unit property,  looked at an additional 8 house/condo/apartments, found a vet, found a lawyer, walked our selves silly, and purchased an apartment in Sosua.

We are scared, happy, thrilled, nervous and committed to beginning our part time (for now) life in the RD. We wish you good fortune. There is a LOT of good info on these forums. Our realtor is very good. You can message me if you would like her name.

Christie sounds like you did it right.
Bob K

If you want to live close to the real Dominican life and you like the ocean, then the North Coast is a place for you to consider. The life is safe, simple and way cheaper than in La Romana and Punta Cana. There a lot of nice places (restaurants, cafes, beaches..) and cultural events organized in the area.

It's easy to purchase a small business but it's not as easy to run it successfully because of a big competition if we are talking about a restaurant or cafe.

I'd not agree that purchasing a property is risky. On the contrary, there are a lot of expats and tourists that invest in Cabarete and Sosua. Many of them buy the property, use it for few months and rent for the rest of the year to have a constant income. There are a lot of huge residential projects in the area. For example, there will be a huge development of over 1 million sq m built just next to the International airport of Puerto Plata.

Many big real estate projects offer direct (owner) financing which makes the whole process easier. For instance, many people start their moving process in advance, make the down payment, finance the rest, rent the property, pay the rest with rental money and move when they have paid everything or the biggest part.

If you take a mortgage in a bank, the interest rate can be around 10%. Besides, there are a lot of English speaking real estate agents in Sosua who will be happy to help you and negotiate better terms with the bank or with the property owner.

A foreigner can own a property without any problem. Moreover, there are a lot of incentives and government benefits.

It is risky due to scams and bull artists who likes to con trusting expats. It can be done but you need to do your homework and really understand what you are getting into.

Just be careful, take your time don't let anyone rush you into anything!

We are here to answer any questions you have along the way as well!

My husband and I have been coming to the DR for several years and finally decided to purchase in Sosua this year. We found real estate was more affordable here. It is a buyers market right now so deals are abound. Be sure to get referrals for real estate agent and lawyer. The big issue here is some properties don't have title so be sure yours does. Our biggest challenge is getting the money to seller. You would think it would easy since both buyer and seller are Canadians. Best of luck in your search!

Kboucher congrats on your new home.  Where did you buy?
Transferring money to the seller should be very easy and is usually handled by your lawyer who is doing the sale transaction.  When we sold our condo (rental unit) two years ago the transfer of money took about 1 minute.

Bob K

We purchased a 2-bdrm villa in phase 9 in Casa Linda.   Thanks for the information.  I will be speaking with our lawyer who is handling the sale.