Becoming a Snowbird!

zoramcintyre New member

Member since 01 April 2022

zoramcintyreNew member02 April 2022 13:51:10

Hi everyone!聽

My parents are looking to retire in the beautiful DR and I am in the process of sourcing / investigating building or buying them a home鈥� we鈥檙e from Toronto, canada and have had about enough of long cold winters!聽

My parents are already owners of some beautiful ocean view land in Sousa, and we haven鈥檛 decided if building there or buying something turn key is the way to go, but my real question comes down to the rental game in the DR. Since we are still Canadian Homeowners with family and life here, we would ideally like to rent the home out (via air bnb or Vrbo, or maybe rental program) and I鈥檓 wondering what the traffic is like for rentals? Is there any insight on how often we can expect to have renters/vacationers?聽

I read online is 20%-70% which seems like a very big range鈥� anyone have some personal experience to share?聽

罢丑补苍办蝉!听

dinosinc Active member

Member since 31 March 2016

dinosincActive member02 April 2022 14:49:13

I have to continue to market my rental property on multiple rental sites to maintain about a 50-60 % rental base.聽

planner Dominican Republic Expert

Member since 27 December 2010

Dominican Republic Expert

plannerDominican Republic Expert02 April 2022 16:44:31

17655

Welcome to the forums.聽 Everything starts with location!聽 Then everything follows from there!

RockyM Serial expat

Member since 22 May 2019

RockyMSerial expat02 April 2022 18:55:44

527

There are a number of recent discussions here about this subject....

ddmcghee Dominican Republic Expert

Member since 15 May 2017

ddmcgheeDominican Republic Expert02 April 2022 19:18:02

1919

Remember that if you snowbird here, you鈥檙e occupying the property during the high season! To achieve occupancy rates north of 50%, you need some month-long or season-long stays.

rfmaurone Serial expat

Member since 05 February 2022

rfmauroneSerial expat02 April 2022 20:07:00

222

@dinosinc聽thanks for sharing this helpful聽

zoramcintyre New member

Member since 01 April 2022

zoramcintyreNew member08 April 2022 03:03:46

@ddmcghee聽I guess I shouldn鈥檛 say 鈥渟nowbirds鈥�, more like visit and stay when it鈥檚 vacant鈥or the next year or two I think the focus will more be on rental until my parents are ready to relocate more permanently鈥� I guess understanding the potential with renting will help us understand what it is that we need.聽

zoramcintyre New member

Member since 01 April 2022

zoramcintyreNew member08 April 2022 03:07:18

@planner聽location is absolutely key - we鈥檙e open to different options but our property is Ocean facing in Sousa鈥� sounds like a beautiful place to start, but I鈥檓 still in research mode to find out more about the north shore towns鈥� anywhere you can suggest I look into?聽

We鈥檙e thinking buying and existing home might be the way to go and build the second over time - these forums have taught me the wait for a build is about a year.聽

planner Dominican Republic Expert

Member since 27 December 2010

Dominican Republic Expert

plannerDominican Republic Expert08 April 2022 10:17:04

17655

Start with a search of the threads here.聽 You say ocean facing in Sosua, then look at the details.聽 Right in Sosua?聽 Noisy area?聽 How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Walking distance to what?聽 Or is transportation mandatory?聽 Who will manage it? How will you rent it? How will you advertise it?聽 Will you be guest friendly? Pet friendly?聽 Kid friendly?

And building takes a year?聽 I will say that is a best case scenario!聽 Figure closer to 2! I am not an expert on building, this comment is based on what I see and hear!

ddmcghee Dominican Republic Expert

Member since 15 May 2017

ddmcgheeDominican Republic Expert08 April 2022 12:40:41

#10

1919

Definitely allow more than a year for a build! Our contract was for 10 months, but the construction of our house is going to take 15 months! And that was after 3.5 months of initial grading and obtaining permits. And before that, we spent about 6 months with the architect on design!

allenjohnston Member

Member since 02 October 2021

allenjohnstonMember18 April 2022 12:48:33

#11

We purchased last October in Seahorse Ranch in east Sosua. Not being exposed to noise was at the top of the list. Our home is across the street from oceanfront homes so we are less than a two minute walk to the beach but not paying oceanfront prices. We are also a long way away from the main highway. The only noise we hear is the crashing of the waves as we go to sleep at night. We love it. Seahorse is not inexpensive but in our opinion it is well worth it. If your parents can afford the monthly fees and have the money to purchase a home in this beautiful development, they won't be disappointed. Most homes are 30 years old. There are a number of homes here that need updating which can give your parents an opportunity to remodel to their liking while paying a lower upfront price.聽 Because the development is mature, the vegetation is studying with many tall trees that give it a park-like setting. By the way, we are true snowbirds, arriving in December and leaving in April. We do plan to rent but has already been said, we will be renting during off-season which is harder and brings in less money. But Seahorse management can handle the rental process and they have a large database of people who come back year after year.

zoramcintyre New member

Member since 01 April 2022

zoramcintyreNew member20 April 2022 03:07:29

#12

@allenjohnston thank you for such a great perspective - we have decided to purchase an existing home with all the advice here and will be visiting next month to shop available homes! With your recommendation, Seahorse will likely have our attention! Recommendations go a long way!