Buying property in Puerto Rico

By foreigner, do you mean someone who is not a US citizen or someone who is not already a Puerto Rico resident? In either case, people from all over the world own property in Puerto Rico - especially condos in the resort areas. I don't think it's any more complicated here than in the US. As anywhere, it's important to have a title search done - inheritance laws in PR are not the same as in the continental US. Property taxes are very low in PR compared to the States; assessments are based on values from the 1950s - or something incredible like that. I would recommend researching water/sewer and electric accounts for the property before buying in case of any problems there. Notary fees required at closings are a lot more expensive in PR than in other places. (Here all notaries have to be lawyers, but not all lawyers are notaries.) Hope this helps as a start.

Hey Christine, great topic!

Because Puerto Rico is a common wealth of the United states, all of the same regulations and availabilities apply.

But, more importantly, not only can anyone on the globe, purchase properties in Puerto Rico ( You absolutely need a local Real Estate Broker-obv), but tax breaks, gov incentives and recent senate/ visa incentives, make puerto rico the most desirable place to purchase US property.

Number one on your check list when purchasing a property in Puerto Rico, as with anywhere else, is if you are a serious buyer
-Have representative counsel. If you have an attorney at home, have them recommend a local attorney for your documentation.
-Find a reputable Real Estate Broker. Do not make the assumption you can handle purchasing prop without one.

Hope this helps and continues a great forum topic

Thank you very much for your help!

Hi, my name is Vanessa, im looking to buy a house in Guanica. this house is not finish is a new construction. the house have walls and windows. doesnt have water and electricity connection. i need to know approx how much will i have to expend to do the electrical pedestal meter and to get water hook up in that house.im about to give an offer to the seller but i dnt want to buy a house with out be knowing the pricing of those products(water & electricity) thx

Last month we paid an electrian $1000 to REPAIR our meter. Seemed a little steep to me, especially considering that he did not find the two-inch hole in the pipe on the roofline that's letting water pour in.

It took a couple days, too, because he had to acquire authorization to open up the meter.