jillmedina
American expat in Puerto Rico
Forum posts
48
Contacts
2
About me
American
Registration: 27 July 2021
Issues with water set up in PR-need help by judyvillacis
Our house is almost done (New home build), but I鈥檓 having tons of issues with water set up. There seems to be a hole in the ground in front of the house that is supposed to be for the water meter. I hired someone to go in my place and set up ...
@judyvillacis i just went thru this but before they increased the rate to what they are telling you. you also have to get a special permit from the municipality to break the street. To get your meter even connected after its installed is also a ... Read More
DOT service dog form by Ladymcredfoot4
We are possibly moving to vieques for husbands job, the new problem we are encountering is we have a service dog, so obviously through the planning and researching I find out that we have to have a dot form for him to fly. Alright, awesome I'll fill ...
Who knows, are you traveling before or after the end of the year? im sure all that is doing is allowing rhe process to be re-evaluated or the requirements redefined annually 馃し鈥嶁檧锔�.If you have a true 鈥漵ervice dog鈥� ... Read More
DOT service dog form by Ladymcredfoot4
We are possibly moving to vieques for husbands job, the new problem we are encountering is we have a service dog, so obviously through the planning and researching I find out that we have to have a dot form for him to fly. Alright, awesome I'll fill ...
The form is given to the airline when you check in. Read More
Building permits by lenausa89
Hello everyone! Who applies for the building permits in PR? We were told the Ingeneer does and not the builder. Is it the case? thank you
@lenausa89 yes its the engineer. Read More
Taxes in PR
Is anyone able to provide a collective list of the different taxes and entities in which taxes need to be paid & filed with? If you want to give a brief overview of the purpose of the tax that would be great. I am finding that I am hearing all ... Read More
Prefab homes by judyvillacis
Has anyone checked out prefab homes? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I鈥檝e been looking into this to see if it鈥檚 worth building my home this way or is it best to find a contractor to build my home?Can anyone provide insight on which ...
@judyvillacis Can i get your survey contact? Did your price also include marking the points on your property? Read More
Prefab homes by judyvillacis
Has anyone checked out prefab homes? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I鈥檝e been looking into this to see if it鈥檚 worth building my home this way or is it best to find a contractor to build my home?Can anyone provide insight on which ...
@judyvillacis yea please do!!! Read More
Prefab homes by judyvillacis
Has anyone checked out prefab homes? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I鈥檝e been looking into this to see if it鈥檚 worth building my home this way or is it best to find a contractor to build my home?Can anyone provide insight on which ...
@PedroGarci casa bella is a pain to work with and they change prices without notice Read More
Prefab homes by judyvillacis
Has anyone checked out prefab homes? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I鈥檝e been looking into this to see if it鈥檚 worth building my home this way or is it best to find a contractor to build my home?Can anyone provide insight on which ...
Yea I鈥檇 be interested in how that process goes for you, I was looking into them but didn鈥檛 like that I had to hire the contractor. Does the company serve as the general contractor or what is their role? Please keep us posted Read More
surveyor needed in vieques by solgirl
HI Everyone, I need a surveyor for my vieques property to measure metes and bounds. It seems very difficult to find someone to do the surveying so I can build a fence around our lot. Any ideas anyone please ? Thank you :)
@LarryJohnsonPR can you share with me as well if you think he might do work in Rio Grande? I have the survey I just literally need my land marked. Read More
Lost iPhone...Service with AT&T
I lost my iphone and have service with AT&T from the states, anyone have any luck getting replacement iPhones with AT&T on the island? I am in Rio Grande and cannot seem to find a AT&T mobile store here (even though according to AT&T ... Read More
Building in Puerto Rico by GuestPoster59009
Good Day, Thank you in advance for your helpful information. My wife and I are wanting to build our forever retirement home. We have purchased a lot and looking to start the process with an architect/engineer. We interviewed the first engineer over ...
@diamonds27 can you share who your builder is? Read More
Construction loan to build house in Puerto Rico by NobodyCares
Hello, I'm a Veteran and I would like to build a house in Puerto Rico. Which bank did you use that offered a construction loan to build your house? Could you explain in detail what information does the bank need to be approved for the loan and ...
@lauriabarca where are you getting the building/construction loan thru? Also are you currently a resident on the island? We have been finding that to be the biggest barrier to getting anything done. Read More
Construction loan to build house in Puerto Rico by NobodyCares
Hello, I'm a Veteran and I would like to build a house in Puerto Rico. Which bank did you use that offered a construction loan to build your house? Could you explain in detail what information does the bank need to be approved for the loan and ...
@Ordep1957 I do not recommend casa Bella! We and aa number of the members here had a horrible experience with them. Read More
Updated building Costs by Acros5790
Hi all!聽Wondering what updated 2022 construction costs are on a per square foot basis. I am seeing people on here quoting $250-$300/SF. This seems ridiculously high and is basically the cost for building in California.聽Also my architect ...
@Acros5790聽what area are you planning to build in? Read More
Custom Home Building by tiradofam
We are contemplating buying several lots on the island. Can anyone advise on costs associated with home building?聽
@G1977 Where are you building and would you please share your builder contact details?聽 Read More
Building Permits and Construction in Puerto Rico (Earthbag) by LOLPuertoRico
I was hoping someone could provide some information on the building process in Puerto Rico. I expect to buy a piece of land in the campo and build an earthbag house (it's an alternative building process) on the property. Is it difficult to get a ...
@adlin20聽how recently did you build your wall for the leveling earth? We have apx the same but the length is almost double. How much did you pay and do you have the contractor details to share? We have land i. Rio grande聽 Read More
Home builders by Ana R. Knote
Buying a parcel of land in Naguabo. It's on a downward slope. Looking for builders or even prefab concrete home sellers.
We were in the same spot as you, making final plan changes to get to the contract signing and today Casa Bella just called to say they were not accepting new contracts for a year and on top of that increasing all model prices by 25%. For the model ... Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
Yes we are still waiting鈥asa Bella had off since December 17 or so and literally just returned to work. We are waiting for our plans to be approved to sign the contract. Have you had any progress? Read More
Building a concrete pool by CandVFrench
Hello! We鈥檙e hoping that someone will be able to guide us/help us obtaining a pool contractor or average cost in Puerto Rico for building a concrete pool. We would like it to include: *A beach entry (no steps) *Salt water *infinity pool ...
Boldconstructionpr - do you build in Rio Grande? We are on a mountain but no rocks that we are aware of. Cvandfrench - who did you end up going with and how much was the total project? I鈥檇 love to see pictures as we are looking to have this ... Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
Can I ask who at Casa Bella you are working with? The problem is not allowing to get a contract signed means I have to pay higher rates on the contract. Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
No we have not broken land yet, we haven鈥檛 even signed the contract yet! We had land preparations and then the next battle for time and money will be getting water and electricity so they can begin the build, once the contract is signed they ... Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
We have been working with them since may鈥�.very slow and was told they would honor their old prices for us then that was not held up. We have been on a bit of a rat race trying to get everything to be able to enter the contract with casa Bella ... Read More
Transitioning help needed
We are struggling trying to get anyone to answer any of the phone numbers we have been given and hoping to somewhat group all of the questions in one post here: 1) how did you ship your household good here from the mainland and what was the cost? ... Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
We are working with Casa Bella now and honestly the communication is a challenge with them as well, which even included being told old pricing would be honored then a week later not - this was a $10,000-$20,000 price hike and the delays with our rep ... Read More
All about taxes for expats in Puerto Rico by Diksha
Hi everyone, Taxation is an important subject, especially when you are an expatriate in Puerto Rico. We would like to know what you think about the tax system in your host country. This could be helpful to other people preparing for expatriation ...
I'd like to follow this specifically with taxes for PR to US (and visa versa). I am also interested if anyone has found a CPA they would recommend to handle this and if you are using any of the tax incentives offered by PR. Read More
Building Homes in PR by Live2sparkle
I have seen a few posts from people who have built a house or will build a house on the island. Rey, I know you have a beautiful lot that you posted a photo of. And a few others, whose names escape me at the moment, have mentioned building. I am ...
William - do you mind sharing what company you went with to install the solar and what it cost? I saw a recent post that someone was paying in the ballpark of $300/month for the solar system and it was financed for 20+ years...that just seems like a ... Read More
Looking for a bank account that can be set up from the states by jillmedina
I am trying to establish a bank account in PR that would allow us to have visa and most importantly ATH access. Has anyone been able to set up an account while being physically in the states? We will not be on the island for apx 2 more months.
I tried to set up the E account with Banco Poular and they have it locked because I am not a resident (or do not have water, electricity in my name or drivers license for PR). Read More
Looking for a bank account that can be set up from the states
I am trying to establish a bank account in PR that would allow us to have visa and most importantly ATH access. Has anyone been able to set up an account while being physically in the states? We will not be on the island for apx 2 more months. Read More
Doing business in an Act 60 LLC before the Grant is approved by William Cameron
I can鈥檛 seem to get an accountant to respond to me. It鈥檚 Puerto Rico, 馃榿馃榿 I have an LLC and it is in the process of being reviewed for the Act 60 grant. I would like to know if I can begin to do business in it while ...
William - did you use PR Advantage? If so, I thought they have CPAs to refer you to, are you saying that even their references are not responsive? You also mentioned the cost as $6K, I was just quoted $8K last week - can you tell me what ... Read More
Doing business in an Act 60 LLC before the Grant is approved by William Cameron
I can鈥檛 seem to get an accountant to respond to me. It鈥檚 Puerto Rico, 馃榿馃榿 I have an LLC and it is in the process of being reviewed for the Act 60 grant. I would like to know if I can begin to do business in it while ...
Would you be willing to share the steps you went thru to obtain your LLC in PR and apx how long it took? Read More
Best ways to safely transport pets to and fro Puerto Rico by DeborahMarchant
Hello What are some of the best ways to safely transport pets to and fro PR? Any great suggestions? Most commercial and major airlines won't fly animals when the temperature is above 85 degrees.This is because while their cargo hold is ...
We were told this same thing apx 3 yrs ago when we actually rescued a dog from PR and flew them to the states. Read More
Looking for some insight on home buying process in PR by acosta507
Hi everyone, I mentioned in another post my husband and I are in the process of buying a home in PR. We are actually just waiting on a closing date now. The realtor involved says we鈥檙e waiting on the title search to come back but its been ...
We鈥檝e done multiple title searches thru our attorney and they only took a few days. Read More
Home builders by Ana R. Knote
Buying a parcel of land in Naguabo. It's on a downward slope. Looking for builders or even prefab concrete home sellers.
We are just starting this process, but yes Casa Bella will pull all necessary permits but does require pre contract work that other builders do not. Read More
Home builders by Ana R. Knote
Buying a parcel of land in Naguabo. It's on a downward slope. Looking for builders or even prefab concrete home sellers.
Response time, a $10,000 price increase when we were told our contract would not be subject to the increase and just hoops to go thru to get things moving鈥 do like that they have existing models but to make changes is fairly costly. Read More
Home builders by Ana R. Knote
Buying a parcel of land in Naguabo. It's on a downward slope. Looking for builders or even prefab concrete home sellers.
Following we are in need of the same in a city not far鈥o far we have been working with Mi Casa Bella but I do have some issues/concerns with them. Read More
How to pick up our shipped car from San Juan Port? by liuyi9509
Hi I researched everywhere but I couldn't find answer for this. We are using https://www.puertoricocartransport.com to ship our car from states. It is door to port service that we need to drive it home ourselves from port when it arrives. However, ...
Who do you purchase insurance from for the vehicles? Is it like private companies in the states? Also does anyone know if the whole registration process is easier if purchasing a vehicle on the island from a dealer? We are traveling in 2 weeks and ... Read More
How can people buy a house in PR if they make less by NobodyCares
Hello Everyone, I ask this question for many reasons. We are buying a $250k house in Puerto Rico. I make over $3400/month and I'm being told I need to make more than that to afford a 2 family house in Puerto Rico. I'm the only one ...
In the US, without a substantial down payment and the income you stated, the US banks wouldn鈥檛 lend for a mortgage either. A good general rule of thumb to determine the amount of a home you can afford (granted this is in the US where cost of ... Read More
Looking to buy land near Rio Grande by jillmedina
My husband family lives in Rio Grande and we seem to be facing an uphill battle with land we thought we were going to purchase but due to the Probate process I think waiting to build for another 3-5 years is unreasonable. I am checking here to see ...
Hi Charlie - Yes what the prior response said is correct, except in our case we are dealing with the original owners who passed, then by law their heirs get the property, but those heirs passed and gave the property to family members who sold the ... Read More
Looking to buy land near Rio Grande
My husband family lives in Rio Grande and we seem to be facing an uphill battle with land we thought we were going to purchase but due to the Probate process I think waiting to build for another 3-5 years is unreasonable. I am checking here to see ... Read More
Construction loan to build house in Puerto Rico by NobodyCares
Hello, I'm a Veteran and I would like to build a house in Puerto Rico. Which bank did you use that offered a construction loan to build your house? Could you explain in detail what information does the bank need to be approved for the loan and ...
William - would you be willing to share the architect and the builders you are reaching out to? Read More
Construction loan to build house in Puerto Rico by NobodyCares
Hello, I'm a Veteran and I would like to build a house in Puerto Rico. Which bank did you use that offered a construction loan to build your house? Could you explain in detail what information does the bank need to be approved for the loan and ...
Nobody cares - It could be your preapproval is from a specific bank that is in PR, but I was told by my bank/mortgage company they will not mortgage a property in PR and as I did more research it seemed fairly consistent to need a lending ... Read More
Renovating a house in PR by taryna
Hi everyone! I am back on here. We went to PR in November and even though we got rained on just about every day we still loved it and are now considering buying our vacation home there. I've stalked Zillow and Points2Homes for weeks and have ...
We are looking to build on 2 empty lots (each is about 1 acre), however, we need a company to build a security wall/fence in the property. Any suggestions in the Rio Grande area? Any home builders with existing plans that anyone can recommend for ... Read More