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First welcome to forum and the DR.
You are doing it correctly as the best way to find and apartment, condo, villa to rent is boots on the ground.  Depending on your budget you can find what you are looking for in either Sosua or Cabarete.  Being close to the ocean Cabarete may be an easier fit.

Good luck in your search.

Bob K

Welcome! I spent over 20 years in Victoria!

Your biggest struggle will be quiet. It can be tpugh to find especially near the beach. I lucked out and found a very very quiet location but not in the areas you want.

Bob is correct, boots on the ground is the only way to go!

Thank you for your feedback, planner and Bob! As long as it (2-bedroom apartment/condo) is away from the busy street, I will be fine. I use a headset with a microphone for my work so I need to have a relatively quiet environment while working.  As for the ocean, if it's even 10-20 minutes on foot from my place, I would be happy too.

My main concern is that the place should have a cable internet connection, not just wi-fi (a job requirement). Bob, will I be able to get a cable internet connection via Delancer for 4-6 months as a visitor? I want to rent a place for several months first to see  if it's the right place for me. If it is, I will start the paperwork to get residency in the DR. 

BTW, are there tennis courts in Sosua and Cabarete?

Thank you, again for your time and help!

Yes you can get the cable internet.  It is what we use and no contract but month to month.

Yes lots of tennis about and a brand new major complex being built (open in the next few weeks) in ocean village on the east side of Sosua.

Bob K

Thank you very much Bob! It's a good news because I was under impression that one needs to be a resident in order to get a cable internet connection. I guess I would need to find a condominium complex where Delancer provides its services to.

Do you know of any secure, nice and friendly condominium/residential complexes in Sosua/Cabarete area? I have lived in different countries and I do appreciate an "international vibe" so I would like to live in an international-oriented residential neighborhood. Do you know anything  of the Gardens of Lomas Mironas residential community?

I would greatly appreciate any your feedback and recommendations. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience and helping people to make the moving transition easier!
Marat

Good morning,   Lomas gardens is a community of mostly larger villas no condos there.  You might look at Infiniti Blu in Sosua, Blue Fish in Perla Marina (between Sosua and Cabarete), Neptune in Sosua, Ocean Dream or Ocean one in Cabarete,  The area of Pro Cab in Cabarete.  These are just a few to get you started

Bob K

That's great, thank you so much Bob! 
So if I live between Sosua and Cabarete, do I need a car to go to towns or people use a cab?
Marat

You can use a cab or on the main road catch a gua-gua (van used as a local bus and very crowded) for about 40 pesos to town or a moto (motorcycle taxi at about the same price and a bit dangerous).

Bob K

Thank you Bob! You've been very helpful.
Cheers, Marat

We also are looking for a place near Cabarete.   WE are from South Carolina and we don't have a clue what to look for... Whats safe?? Where the best place to stay is??  Please keep us informed as we will do the same for you also.  Thanks  Michael and Lori in SC

MLB welcome.  How long are you planning to visit for?  What are your requirements? Have you been to the DR before?

Bob K

Hi there Bob    Have heard a lot of good things about you!!!  Lots of very good advice!!  Nice to meet you    My wife Lori and I are thinking about retiring in the DR     I'm a hospital pharmacist here in the states and have been working at the same hospital for 33 years.  I can retire thru the state pension fund of South Carolina    We have been to DR twice    once to Punta Cana and then to Cap Cana this past May.      Not sure about the cost of living here in the DR    My pension I think would take care of us very well   I hope       Think we could get by on around 4K a month??    We are looking at a place near Cabarete      We are new to this site and we are wanting to gather all the info we can.   We trust your advice.  Have heard lots of good things about you   I'm  57 and my wife is 55  Michael and Lori from SC

You will do more than ok with that kind of budget.  Congrats on the retirement. You need to come spend a couple of weeks here on the north coast exploring the area before you plunk down any long term $$.
We have found that we live here for about 40%less than the same lifestyle would cost us back in the US if  you can live with out imported products for the most part.  We have been here full time for 11 years.

Bob K

Bob   How does this work as for as Social Security?  When I turn 62 I would be eligible for SS benefits that I have paid in from the US     Is that going to be a problem?  That's an extra 2k per month then

We still maintain US bank accounts and have our SS deposited directly there.  Others here have it deposited in their Dominican Bank accounts (Accounts are in USD).

Bob K

THanks for your advice Bob       I have another question..  I see that vehicle prices are pretty high on the DR.     We would need a car or truck I would think.    Would it be cheaper to import a vehicle and pay the taxes??  Thinking of a Toyota Tacoma or something like that.

NO, NO, NO do not import unless it is under the one time umbrella of your residency "free" shipment.  You will still get hit by taxes but not as bad. 
Easier and cheaper to buy here.  I did bring in my Avalanche with out the "free" shipment and it cost me 50% of the value of the truck to bring it in.
Find a good used vehicle here.

Bob K

I agree with  Bob!   Their are numerous restrictions as well to bringing one in as part of your one time exemption.  And it may be the wrong kind of vehicle for this country. SOoooooo not worth it.

ok thanks     But tell me more about this one time umbrella for free shipping??   What all would that cover??  or how would we benefit from that?? 
We are looking at a condo that is located on the beach south of Brisasa Doradas      Off of Highway 5     DO you live near this area?

Its when you file and get residencia. You can bring one container (can include vehicle) of your normal household goods.  You cannot buy a bunch of new appliances and load em in. They will check. So you want to be aware of what you bring, the value,  shipping costs, costs of a broker or customs agent here and decide what it is worth to you!

Most things are available here now!

so honestly   It doesn't appear there is any good reason to do that now.    It seems

Not any more as most of what you would bring you can now get here.  This was not the case when we were building our villa 11 years ago.  Then you could not get much of anything of any quality here.
If we were doing it today we would not ship  container.

Bob K

AS far as vehicle   we have a 2008 Hummer H2   not many miles on it  around 80k  As far as driving there does it hold true:    THe Larger  Vehicle has the right of Way!!   I know the transition to driving in DR will be very interesting and I would want a larger sized vehicle     Your thoughts??  Thinking about maybe buying there honestly  unless you can think of any benefit to having the Hummer

Your Hummer is too old to bring down.  Cars must be less than 5 years old and you have to owned it for 2 years.

Bob K

Bob is right.

You are right that bigger is better on the road. Buy it here.

lol  Okay    We will sell our vehicles here and buy there.    Any suggestions where to buy and who to trust

Once you are here, you start looking based on your needs. Many go to Bonao or Moca to buy. And keep your eyes open for expats selling their vehicles.

Always do carfax or similar and have mechanic check vehicle!

Yes  Thank you    If we are living  close to Caberete  is that close to you and also do you think that is a good location

is this a good area to be in??

Another question??  Whats best way to learn Spanish??  Rosetta Stone ??  or what?

I am not overly familiar with that area so will not give you an opinion on it.   

Immersion is the best way to learn.   Don't surround yourself with other expats,  make yourself  learn spanish. Find a good one on one teacher in the area by asking around once you are here.

For now learn everything you can before you get here.

Best way to learn in immersion as well as classes.  Lots of "Spanish " schools in the area.

Are you buying or renting at the location you posted above?  Not the safest of areas you could have picked.

Bob K

I know this apartment can complex I was going to buy a upstairs unit there. This area should be fine I am also moving to the area to sosua to a house.

Hi there, Julie here, we're from Toronto. I would recommend Hispaniola Beach if you want to be on the water, or Hispaniola Residencial if you don't mind a short walk, and there you have the tennis courts. Both in Sosua, walking distance to everything you need, not as loud as Cabarete.  We already own a unit at Hispaniola Beach. Our unit has high speed internet. We will be there until August 22nd, and the place is available after that.

Welcome to the forums!!!!

Hi & welcome to the Island.  You can live extremely well on 4K a month. Depending on your needs you can do quite well on 1/2 of that.  Your level of activity & interests will predicate the type of accomodations requiered.  IE.   condo for low maintaince,(sp), a villa for a garden etc.  Let us know more about your lifestyle so that we may ascertain the the most viable options for you.  Do you speak Spanish?  If not I can suggest an amazing, easy & free on=line lessons.  PM me for details. Smile, you are in for a great new ride in life.   Doth spake the Tinker.

Hey Everyone! you guys are awesome and provided some really helpful info.
I'm in a somewhat similar situation to Marat.  I currently live in Miami and work remotely. I'm interested in spending about 2 months or more in the Cabarete/Sosua area to see if it's somewhere we'd decide to commit to long term.
Like Marat, internet quality is very important to me, but i don't have to be in a completely quite area. I'll be joined by my wife, 8 month old son, and our 5 year old (well behaved, quite) Beagle. So my priorities are safety, transportation, and being somewhere that's family friendly. My wife and i are about 30 years old and love to meet and socialize with new people, so while we want somewhere "family friendly" we also don't want to be completely off the grid. Another issue is transportation. I've been well warned by all these forums to steer clear of bringing in our (1998) car. So with all that being said, here are my question:

.What area would you suggest for a 2br apt/house for a young family that's safe, family/pet friendly, but not too far from the more "happening" areas?
.What would you suggest in regards to transportation? I'm also a surfer, and while i plan to learn kitesurfing, i would still want to got to Encuentro pretty often for regular surf..
.Are there any pediatricians, or generally decent doctors in the area?
.Would it be easy to find a credible Nanny/babysitter in the area?

Any advice/suggestions is greatly appreciated!
-Israel

Israel welcome.  Lots of info here. depending on your budget  you should be looking in the Cabarete area

Bob K