Price of land in Sosua, Puerto Plata, Santiago

[ltsnyder]

You have a bargain, but I think who you bought from wanted to sell the land bad. The fact that you made the same offer for other lots and it was not accepted might indicate that what you bought the land for is not the going rate.

-Lee

[ltsnyder]

Originally posted by BushBaby
We Bought a plot of land in Bayardo (the 'Posh' area of Puerto Plata) at a rate of RD $675 per square meter back in July of 1998. Last month we bought a plot next to our existing house ( yes, we built a house on the first plot) & it cost RD $1,200 per sq. mtr!!

In the centre of town, right opposite the Amber Museum, we have a BIG 3 bedroom, 4 reception rooms house standing on 419 sq. mtrs which we put up for sale 4 years ago RD $1,600,000. Despite the falling of the Peso against the US $, we are still looking to sell at RD $1,600,000 IF we can find a buyer!!!??

As Chris says, You got the US $ ........ YOU got the clout to buy cheap & get the best deals!!!!! - Grahame.

Bushbaby, the prices you have stated are the prices I have also heard. The place near the amber museum sounds like it is priced right. As far as being able to purchase 12 acres for $4000, as everybody says, it all depends on location, I don't think those 12 acres were near the center of town, but that is a fantastic bargin.

-Lee

-Lee

[Escott]

Originally posted by ltsnyder
You have a bargain, but I think who you bought from wanted to sell the land bad. The fact that you made the same offer for other lots and it was not accepted might indicate that what you bought the land for is not the going rate.

-Lee

I felt the same way when I purchased it. Another guy here told me that I was going to lose as much as the guy that sold it to me or more which wasn't possible but he was definately down on Real Estate in the DR. You can't win the game if you aren't in it.

Good luck. Where are you looking for land?

PS> I bought 15 acres of land in NY for 5 thousand dollars.

I can tell you why but why should I?

[goatfarmnga]

Hey Lee, The 12 acres I spoke about are in Yamasa' north of Santo Domingo 40 minutes. I am looking for rural property and my brother in law just bought that land and told me "Do not worry about property..it is way cheaper than you see on the internet as most people sell without a realtor" Therefore when I go there he will take me shopping for an appropriate area to live. I have to have horses (have to have... ) Locals see your skin and the price goes WAY up...(per my Dominican Brother in law) I was worried I could not afford a decent place in the DR after seeing the Realtor listing of $500,000 homes (Sea Horse Ranch etc) Those places are the exception not the rule so to speak..(a nice american lady in the DR told me she paid $1600 for her horse in DR...I contacted a person who had horses for sale in a DR paper and she had 7 nice horses, 2 saddles, tack etc for $RD25,000 in the paper That is about $1000 for 7 horses..see my point? Americans have to pay the big $$$) Well anyway I talk too too much and this is another example! Sorry to bore you but just think it is important to do like "When in Rome do as the roman's do" Type thing! Good luck in your real estate endeavors and maybe run into you in Dr if you ever come to the far out countryside I will take you horseback riding! Pam PS...I am an outsider to these forums (as in I know no one here) I just like to ease drop and give my RD$2 worth once in awhile..U Know what I mean.. I am sooo excited to come to DR I can not quit reading this #$%&^* DR1..

[ltsnyder]

Maybe I'm lazy, or maybe crazy, but I think the easyest life would be to live in Puerto Plata proper. As you enter Puerto Plata from Sosua and turn up towards the hospital, near Jose Luis Super Mercardo and below barrio de los reyes is a very very nice residential area with huge mansions for houses. One that sticks out in my mind is a large recent mansion/house (about five years old) with huge collums in the front painted cream yellow. If you wandered around that section of POP at any time you'd know what I am talking about.

Seems like those places have guards in the evening at least.
While I can't buy the large 2500 m2 tracks that Escott or Jazzcom seem to have been able to buy, at RD$ 500/m2 I might be able to buy 1500 m2 and set up a nice house. I would not have a mansion, and chances are that I would go with the window reyes rather than a huge wall around the house property perimiter.

I might try to rent the place, my local DR lawyer say that as long as you rent with a contract, there is no problem throwing them out if they don't pay. Previous post I read on other topics seemed to indicate that a lot of times a lawyer acts as a proxy to collect rent from rentals.

The realestate guy I trying to deal with seems to want to talk up the prices since the value of the dollar against the peso is going up.

With a place in that area, I'll have little need for transportation, since everything will be nearby (a quick walk across and down the street to the super market, gas , codetel, tricom and banks all very close by.

I looked at a picture of what JazzCom bought but while he described it as a gated community, he was showing a picture from the road that looked like a collection of fairly rich houses near the beach, but I saw no gate or wall I kind of expected surrounding the community.

I guess I am hoping for a level of security in POP seeing I'll be near the police station and in a community of nice houses.

I don't want to buy a large lot of land (read acres) away from town, due to security issue stories I have heard, sure it would be cheap, but unless your part of a large group moving in there is no way to protect it.

I'm kind of making idle chatter, please give me advice if possible.
-Lee

[Ken]

Originally posted by goatfarmnga
Hey Lee, The 12 acres I spoke about are in Yamasa' north of Santo Domingo 40 minutes. I am looking for rural property and my brother in law just bought that land and told me "Do not worry about property..it is way cheaper than you see on the internet as most people sell without a realtor" Therefore when I go there he will take me shopping for an appropriate area to live. I have to have horses (have to have... ) Locals see your skin and the price goes WAY up...(per my Dominican Brother in law)

Rural land and land in Sea Horse Ranch or oceanfront or oceanview in a tourist area are entirely different things. Most of the land where you will be looking is owned by Dominicans who are land poor. You won't have any trouble getting all the land you want for a good price.

However, what you will very likely have trouble with is getting land that has a good title. By that I mean land in the name of the seller, not his long-dead grandfather, and which doesn't have any liens against it. Dominicans buy and sell land without a title and have no trouble until they try to sell it to a foreigner who wants one, but just as soon as a foreigner buys land without a good title he/she can expect other family members to come forward demanding payment because they, too, own the land. When you buy land that is registered in the name of someone other than the seller, than there is nearly a 100% chance that there are others heirs that can also claim ownership to that land.

I doubt that your brother in law worries about titles, if he lives there, but you would be well advised to do so.

It is hard to find rural land that has a good title because it has probably been in the family a long time and the family hasn't had the money to bring the title up to date.

Be sure to consult a good attorney regarding land purchase, contracts, etc., even though your brother in law and his neighbors don't think it is necessary.

[Criss Colon]

Lots of avocado and other fruit trees,place for a shady house,and I could grow yuca,and platanos on 90 tareas.I was going to buy 20 tareas that belonged to the son,and his mother was going to sell me her 80 tareas.Come to find out,just as Ken said,the "Title" was in the family for about 50 some years.never paid any of the taxes,or transfer fees.They said that nobody does that up there.I said that I wanted a "clear title".They thought that since I was the one that wanted the title,I should pay all the taxes and fees to get it! NOT!!!

Cris Colon

[kjdrga]

Originally posted by goatfarmnga
a nice american lady in the DR told me she paid $1600 for her horse in DR...I contacted a person who had horses for sale in a DR paper and she had 7 nice horses, 2 saddles, tack etc for $RD25,000 in the paper That is about $1000 for 7 horses..see my point? Americans have to pay the big $$$

I only paid $3600 pesos for a horse and saddle (a western saddle not like those used in the campo) and it was one of the bigger horses around about 4 years ago (peso was about 16= $1USD). I ended up selling it back to the owner when I left for $3000 including saddle. I also paid a 95 year old man $100 pesos a month for allowing my horse to graze and drink on his land, this included a boy to fetch my horse when I needed it.

Not a bad deal if you ask me. Of course I had confianca with these people as I was living amongst them and I had people on my side making sure I didn't get ripped off. I did get a lot of offers from people willing to sell me their horse, but they asked too much.

[goatfarmnga]

Hey, I think I can afford a horse or two for myself and my 3 yr old son who insists on bringing his saddle! So horses and tack are fairly easy to find? I currently sell new and used horse tack on EBay and have alot of nice new tack but do not want to fill up my luggage with horse stuff if I can get it there. Also Do they have horse feed like in 50 lb bags like in the states? Do you know the price? I just get the feeling the horses are kept on pasture as that is what my husband rants about with my current horses.."We never fed the horses in my country they have grass"...Thanks for any info! Pam
Oh I will be in the "Campos" area of Yamasa' most likely. Maybe I can find a person with pasture if I can not get land with a clear title as in the previous posts! That was good info Criss colon, Ken etc..I am going to make sure of the title.
Just today a Dominican from Brooklyn NY heard we are going to DR and offered us three lots that total 1.5 acres with an ocean view that he has. He was my husbands childhood friend. We will look into that also. DOES ANYONE HAVE TITLE INSURANCE LIKE IN THE US? I read somewhere that you can get that in the DR. I looked into Mexico and you can get it there so did not know if available in DR. Thanks! Pam

[Ken]

Regarding horses, your husband is right. Most are pretty much allowed to fend for themselves, and they look it. A good friend of mine, Kim Beddall, is an expert on caring for horses. She is in charge of the stable at Hotel Gran Bahia in Samana. I will send you and email or PM with her email address. She knows all about buying food, availability of horse tack, etc.

I understand you may be able to get title insurance, or at least jazzcom reported that you could in this thread I bought a piece of land this trip... however, I don't know the details. I also recall a post by arturo or someone saying he couldn't get title insurance that satisfied him.

I'll be very interested in your posts 6 months and a year after settling in Yamasa. That is going to be a very, very big adjustment, I expect, for you and the children. Especially with respect to their schooling.