Zona Oriental, SD and negotiations

DRNED · #1 10-31-2009, 01:36 PM

Could anyone tell me about this place, property rental seems to be cheaper in this area than anywhere else around Santo Domingo.

Also I am having trouble negotiating with these people. Some I have shown interested in have been empty for over a year (and more)and I still can't get them to budge, on rent or contract agreements.
My first thought is that they do not know how to negotiate and are unable to see how they are losing money all the time they are empty. I expected to beable to negotiate around the 10-15% mark at least but I am not getting much movement. Is this just how it is or do they not do negotiation in Santo Domingo, I'm stumped?

El Rey de Mangu · #2 10-31-2009, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRNED

Could anyone tell me about this place, property rental seems to be cheaper in this area than anywhere else around Santo Domingo.

Also I am having trouble negotiating with these people. Some I have shown interested in have been empty for over a year (and more)and I still can't get them to budge, on rent or contract agreements.
My first thought is that they do not know how to negotiate and are unable to see how they are losing money all the time they are empty. I expected to beable to negotiate around the 10-15% mark at least but I am not getting much movement. Is this just how it is or do they not do negotiation in Santo Domingo, I'm stumped?

The ZO (or Long Island, as noted by Dominican New Yorkers) is an exponentially less expensive living choice than the DN. That said, just like any high-yielding investment vehicle, the ZO comes with increased risk in terms of personal safety.

Better areas of the ZO that possess residential buildings with various safety components include: Alma Rosa, Alma Rosa II, San Isidro (parts of), Lucerna, Italia, Brisa del Este, to name a few. Poorer, less-safe neighborhoods include Invivienda, Villa Carmen, Villa Duarte, Huachupita, Cristo Rey, Capotillo to name a few (for the most part should be avoided at all costs).

Furthermore, in the ZO, you can also find better prices in the colmados and some grocery chains like Ole and Bravo. The ZO has a some nice features like the modernized Mega Centro and various larger chains like Plaza Lama, LaSirena and Jumbo.

In ZO, the roads and traffic are generally very bad, although there are parts where road construction is ongoing and many areas have improved conditions over the past 4 years.

There are not many dining choices, but the ZO has its supply of Pizza Hut, KFC, Dominos, Helodos Bon, and millions of fried chicken joints boasting fried rices composed of 3-5-day old rice. There are a variety of sports bars in the San Isidro and Av. Espana areas where you can catch Baseball, American and European Football, etc. As well as thousands of colmadons where sports, beer and bachata abound (oh and tough guys escorted by scantily clad, high-school drop out women seeking a Gucci bag or shoes).

If you are NOT fluent in Spanish, the ZO is no place for you although average rents between 7500-15,000/month for 3 bedroom, 2 bath are very attractive. If your significant other is Dominican, then this may be an option for you. If you are 2 foreigners, then ZO is a tough life. The Kansas City Shuffle is the #1 game in town and carry a pistol after dark in most neighborhoods. USE CAUTION, ZONA ORIENTAL FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS ONLY.

DRNED · #3 10-31-2009, 02:46 PM

Thanks for that, looks like we have found at least one place not to look at. Yes the rents are very cheap and attractive and some of the places look lovely, and new. I'm not sure either of us would like to feel we could justify carrying a pistol anywhere, is this the norm in many areas of the city?
Are there any other areas where carrying a pistol is normal? I think we should get these areas noted down so we can avoid making an expensive mistake, or are worried about going for a walk in the evening.

Robert · #4 10-31-2009, 05:44 PM

Get a Dominican to do the negotiating for you.
Lots of great areas in SD, but all depends on your budget and what you want and expect?

Chirimoya · #5 10-31-2009, 05:48 PM

El Rey is right. There are some OK pockets but on the whole it is not for the faint hearted. I knew a foreign couple who lived there but both were fluent Spanish speakers. They rented a very nice place for a fraction of the price of its equivalent in SD West, on a quiet street, but to get anywhere else you had to pass through "tierra apache".

Robert · #6 10-31-2009, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

"tierra apache".

Hehehe, very funny!

I would kind of like to live in ZO, but the thought of driving back and forth to Winston Churchill each day scares me to death. What I would save in rent I would end up spending in gas.

DRNED · #7 10-31-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert

Get a Dominican to do the negotiating for you.
Lots of great areas in SD, but all depends on your budget and what you want and expect?

Have no Domincans to negotiate for us. Our budget in a perfect worlds would be to keep the rent well under the US$650 p/m with bills inc on a short term contract so we can get out if we don't like it. To be in a safe working class neighbourhood, but then what we would consider a working class neighbourhood might not be the same as in SD, as far as other expectations go, we have no idea what to expect as we have never been.
We have read lots of negative experiences about the city, and very few about the good things in the city. I am putting that down to people feeling the need to vent negatives more than positives, and hope that is the case.
Thanks

Robert · #8 10-31-2009, 07:20 PM

Give me some more details. How many rooms? Location to any specific area of the city? We need details in order to help you.

US$650 including all bills. Do you need internet, cable, phone etc?

DRNED · #9 10-31-2009, 07:45 PM

We require Cable TV (channels in English), no phone needed (we will use mobiles), 2 bedrooms (nice to have a guest room, but this isn't vital, we would be fine with 1), close ish to some form of transport around the city and maybe to visit the beach (which I understand is quite a distance out of the city) if possible, fully furnished, somewhere to sit out in an evening and very secure is extremely important. As far as area goes, we will have to take peoples word for it as we will never beable to judge an area until we have lived in it for a while. We don't have the money to be sleeping in hotels until we research the city. This is why a short term contract would be perfect, we can move if we don't fit in or like it.

I can't think of anything else at the moment. We are not looking for luxury, only a comfortable place we can enjoy where we don't have to worry, can sleep well and we can trust the landlord to treat us fairly and is not looking to rip us off.

Any help would be more than we have at the moment, so appreciated greatly.

Thanks

Robert · #10 10-31-2009, 08:12 PM

Lets say US$140 (RD$5,000) for utilities, cable, phone, elec etc.

That leaves you US$500 to find a fully furnished 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in a secure area. RD$18,000 including maintenance.

Is it very doable, but with no Dominican friends and no Spanish, you might have a problem. Your going to need to network and also ask around to see what's what.

Nobody is going to give you a short term contract, unless they know you or your prepared to pay way over the going rate.

I recommend you try and negotiate with people that are offering short term rentals.

e.g Santo Domingo : Dominican Republic Rentals : Apartment For Rent

It doesn't hurt to ask.

Then spend the time to walk the streets and get to know the various areas, and at the same time, network, network, network.