禁漫天堂

As in everything here its buyer beware.聽 You absolutely must聽 visit the project to see for yourself.聽 The pictures may be modified, they may be聽 10 years old, they may only show the best side......聽 聽And yes lots of other issues, neighborhood,聽 access to services, never receive water etc etc.

100% agree with Planner - you have to come here and SEE for yourself.聽 For example, we just stayed in a very beautiful complex in Sosua, the place was gorgeous with a beautiful view of the ocean, but as soon as you step outside the complex, BEWARE!聽 Very sketchy neighborhood.聽 And that is very common here - they build beautiful complexes inside not-so-nice neighboorhoods because they are "trying" to make the area better.聽 We found a similar situation in Bavarro - beautiful complex inside very sketchy neighborhood.

The other thing you have to worry about is the builder.聽 My husband is in the industry and there are some very sketchy builders here.聽 You definitely have to do your research before purchasing anything.聽

All that said, you can find very nice places, in nice neighbors, with good builders, for a decent price.聽 I find the house pricing here is not as high as in the US.

@Stacy ST

Thank you! That鈥檚 exactly the kind of info I was looking for! And yes, for sure we will put boots on ground and rent before buying!

It's easy to buy and hard to sell! Rent for at least a year, through all seasons of weather and tourism, before deciding to buy.

Be very careful with pre-construction! Projects are notoriously late - some by years!

Those are good questions @ Combies and this is the right forum. I was in your shoes not too long ago and this forum was (and still is) extremely useful to me. Like you, I still reside in the US. However, I recently built a villa in the Sosua-Cabarete area (working on my exit strategy).

To your point, a property under $300K may seem affordable to a North American buyer, but could be quite expensive in the eyes of a regular local. So, perhaps you should consider asking yourself the following questions about the properties you see on line:

Is the property a condo, townhouse, or villa?

How many bedrooms and bathrooms?

What is the size of the lot?

Is there a private swimming/dipping pool (in the case of a villa/townhouse)?

Is it ocean view or beachfront or none?

Is the property located in a gated community?

Is it a pre-construction or a resale?

Does it have security guard (s)?聽 If yes, is it a 24H security or part time security?

Does it have an HOA? If so, what鈥檚 the monthly cost? What are the amenities (community pool, tennis court, restaurant鈥�)

Does it have a community backup generator(s)?

How long the developer has been in business in the area?

What had people said and are saying about the developer and/or the subdivision/project?

To put things into perspective, as of today Aug 4, 2025, you could find a 2-bedroom and 2.5-bathroom pre-construction villa for less than $250K in many gated communities in the area that target expats. That price usually includes the lot, a private pool, at least 1-car driveway, and the villa. You can also find a luxurious resale 4-bed, 4.5 bath villa聽 for over $900K. Of course, apple to apple, you will get more bang for your buck if you choose to buy/build outside of a gated community and outside the tourist/expat hotspot. But that is another story鈥�

Regardless of what you choose to buy if/when the time comes, I will echo what the other commenters said: buyer beware. Boots on the ground. Ask around. See for yourself. Do your due diligence.

Hopefully 鈥減roper planning鈥� will help to 鈥減revent poor performance鈥�.

Cheers