A DAY IN THE LIFE

Yes i had a blast this weekend.  I paid the price Monday for a whole weekend of fun. No worries, I was back to normal in no time, ready for the next round!!!! LOL

Now we will return to the continuing saga of CLOSET BOY,  soon to be joined by ROOF BOY......LOL  yes he is supposed to be here tomorrow about 10 am!!!! LOL  we shall see.

Roof boy - well before I moved in, they sealed the roof and it is supposedly guaranteed! We have filtration in the master bedroom,  the upstairs balcony roof,  the downstairs front patio roof and in one closet.  Yup time for them to honor their guarantee.  Are we taking bets on this one gentlemen??????

Tomorrow Closet Boy should be finishing his work and cleaning up his damn mess.  You see he used my upstairs balcony to spray paint white doors for the  linen closet!!!! There is white paint all over the floor tiles, the wall and my patio chairs. This aught to be interesting!!!!!

And one more note about electricity!  My neighbor did not pay her electricity bill, so...... Yup you got it...... they cut me off!!!!  A visit to their office yesterday and it was resolved! Right,  I had to wait until this morning to be reconnected! Unreal.  Thank goodness for the inverter and batteries!!!!

Are you still fooling around with the closets???????????????  You could build a new house in the same time

Getting the roof repaired under warrantee... about the same odds as the sun not coming up tomorrow.  Good luck.  I am still waiting for the guy to burry the internet cable that was replaced 4 weeks ago....manana.

Bob K

The Rockaway mall was actually built where my grade school used to be.  I lived about 10 minutes from there.

Bob K

Yes Bob closets are still not finished!!!  Here is one issue - the owner wants a shelf put in over the hanging rod.  Makes sense as that way you use ALL the space.  Well Closet Boy is smarter then everyone and decided he didn't want to do that. NOW IDIOT BOY needs to install them,  he isn't getting paid the balance until he does.  His issue -  how do you do that when everything else is built???? LOL  Not my problem except once again, I have to remove everything from  3 closets!!!!!!  I am NOT happy with this moron.

To state again, I did not hire this guy,  the sister of my landlady did!!!! I would never hire him, nor recommend him!!!!!

Update - huge surprise, closet boy did not show up.  He told Rosa (sister of the owner)  he doesn't have a drill!!!  Really woodworker with no drill. Hmmm what happened to the one he had? Well he likely had to pawn it for Christmas money.

But Rosa brought this really cute little old man.  He installed the new window in my bedroom before I  moved in. He measured my living room and office windows and we will have quotes this afternoon!  yay.......

and now...... this little old guy was hitting on me, wants to take me dancing. No work of a lie he must be 70!!!!

He's old enough to know a good thing when he sees it. 

HAHAHA  great first post Bruce!!!!  welcome to the forums.  Go to the "introduce yourself" thread and tell us about you!!! If you don't mind that is......

Thanks, ....Couldn't help myself.

Been reading this thread and others for some time now . I'm concidering purchasing a villa down there but have lots to learn so am just at the begining stages.
I get a more honest interpretation on how things really are down there by reading the threads here instead of listening to the people who are trying to sell them.Like realtors.

Enjoy your day and thanks for the welcome.

cheers

Sounds like you are doing things the right way! Feel free to ask any questions you have! What area are you looking at?

Primarily Sosua and Caberet but will look any and everywhere.
Like I said I'm learning about the island . Right now I don't know enough to say one area is better than the other.Are there areas to definately stay away from?
I see you have been there a while . I can tell one needs a lot of patience and being handy and able to do your own work is a plus. Can't believe the hassle you are having with the closet. I could have banged that out in a day or two.

Yes I've been here more then 10 years. I've learned patience. I've no say in the closets, whole thing can drive you crazy.

Each area will have places you should not go.

I suggest you rent for about 6 months near where you think you want to buy. That way you can get out of it if you don't like it.

Good  suggestion.
I've done that very thing once before for the exact reasons you stated. Then ended up buying and living there for three more years.
Have you rented the whole time you have been there?

Bruce welcome to the forum.
It sound like you are going about it the right way.  We have lived here in the Sosua/Cabarete area for the last 7.5 years and have not looked back for a second.  We did sell real estate (sorry) for the first 6  years so know the area well. We also have a condo in a beach front complex in Cabarete that we now use as a rental property  and built a villa here on the hill between Sosua and Cabarete and have lived in it for 6 years.

Please feel free to ask any questions on living, moving, coping here.  REmember manana does not mean tomorrow here it just means not today;

Bob K

Thanks Bob.
Nothing wrong with selling realestate. I have two members of the family that have been realtors their whole life and do very well.
I asked one of the Century 21 fellas there about the power outages there and he said they were a thing of the past (which I know by reading here is not true) so .... like any business or country or... for that matter there are good and bad people everywhere.

Bob , Were you a realtor before moving there or something you did once moved there?
Having a rental property is a smart move IMO and being there to handle it makes good sence.
I've seen some nice places on the hills with great views.
Did you buy land and build or have a home built in one of the communities where that is offered?

No never sold real estate before moving here, and now only work with private clients. That is correct there was and still is problems with electricity here and I would never recommend buying a place that did not have some sort of back up no matter where it was.

We actually bought a piece of property and then built our villa on it.  It was quite the experience, and now we are actually also monitoring/managing construction and home furnishing for private clients.

Bob K

Bruce I have rented since moving here.  My work and life have taken me to different parts of the island so I just don't want the hassle of owning.  The other issue is I am single and so do not really know what I might need "some day"......

Makes sence for you . I can understand that. I talked to my realtor today about listing my home and if/when it sells I will rent to so I'm not tied down anywhere and then make some decisions.
There are so many things to concider before moving there  and some things you don't think about and take for granted but you shouldn't so I'll start with some basics.
Water.
I see bottled everywhere so I guess that's ones drinking water.That's the only source?(bottled)
What about the other for showers ,lawns,pool etc? .Is everyone on well water with a pump system or city water or?
All homes have septic systems or?
Power. all homes need backup gen or batteries. Is one system preffered over the other?

Bob ,you say you are having work done on your roof .Most if not all are tiled. What are things to look for or look out for when looking at homes with tiled roofs?
Transportation.
planner. sounds like you don't own a vehicle. Bob do you? purchased there? prices ?

Banking.  Are they on the interac system there ?  if not how do you do your banking and in US or DOM currency?

Thanks guys and gals 

Here we go:  water -  we drink only   with water from the  big blue bottles - it is a US $1.25 more or less per big bottle.
Anything you are going to cook  less then 13 minutes - including coffee - use the bottled water!  Its better safe then sick!!!! And the water is cheap to buy.

Shower, dishes and all else we use the water provided by the city or area.  It is inexpensive. In renting, make sure you have both a cisterna (hole in the ground) and a tinaco (tank on the roof)  for water and know how often the water comes from the street.

Septic - hell no.  A few do but not that many.

When renting - look first at electricity,  you want to check out the water,  check you can get internet (go to the company and get it in writing if its important)  check you have cell phone service in all the important rooms - I once rented an apartment where the master bedroom was a dead zone.  (only for cell reception!)

You want to check out the neighborhood in various times of day and night,  during week and weekends. A nice quite area monday to friday can turn into a noise competition on weekends!  Don't believe the person trying to rent the place to you - they will tell you anything to get the place rented!!!!

Electricity - make sure you know what circuit you are on before renting. Look it up online or go to the  electrical distributor -  A circuits - have NO programmed outages. Doesn't mean the electricity doesn't go out though because it does! .  B - means 4 hours of programmed outages a day normally PLUS unscheduled outages.   C  and D circuits just get worse and you do not want to live on those circuits.

Backup -  the easiest seems to be inverter and batteries.  Size and number of batteries depend on what you need to keep running.  My system will keep my  light,  fan,  internet,  tv and cable going for 9 to 10 hours. I only have 2 batteries.  Some like back up generators,  overkill for me but useful to many.

Vehicle - they are about  20 to 25% more expensive here then in USA.  You need to file for residencia in order to get a Dominican drivers licence,  or make sure to leave the country every 3 months.  Your license is good here for 90 days.

If you buy a vehicle make sure to get  "seguro full"  full insurance and pay the little bit extra for "casa de conductor".  This is a security option for those who may need it.  Casa de conductor offers a safe haven and assistance after an accident!  Most insurance companies offer it with seguro full.   Remember as a "gringo" you are always at fault in an accident. 

Hope that helps!

Forgot -  when renting check out all ceilings and walls for wet spots or paint marks,  bubbling paint etc that are the remnants of water filtration from the roof!!!!  You don't want to deal with that!   IF it needs fixing - they need to get it done before you move in!!! make sure to check the work too!

To add to Planner's post
1.  She is over paying for water . Here on the north coast we are paying about 90 cents for a 5 gallon bottle (35 pesos).  Some places have wells. We have a well that has been tested but still use the tap water only for cooking, showers, wash etc. All water we drink directly comes from  a bottle.

2.  Lots of villas and condos have septic systems. Especially if not in one of the big cities.  We have septic and no problems.

3. Electricity will ALWAYs be a problem here, and wont change in my life time and I expect to be around for a long time.
YOu should have some sort of backup.  For large villas a generator for smaller places invertors but do note that with an invertor you will not be able to run the air, tvs, computers, frig, and lights all together when the power is out.

4.  WE had some roof tiles "slip" and getting them repaired was easy.  Look for water leakage in corners and along the floor area on the inside of the house.

5Transportation we own 2 vehicles and have full insurance on both.  Expect to pay up to 35% more here for the same vehicle (new or used) as in the states.

6.  Banking is easy here and you can transfer money in from your home bank but it can be expensive.  We tend to just bring cash in when we go back to the states and use ATMs here for most of our local cash.  We deal ONLY in pesos and infact other than the $20 bill I hide in my wallet for emergencies I have not had any US cash in my wallet for nearly 8 years.

hope this helps

Bob K

planner and Bob.
yes thanks it all helps.
I'll have more questions soon I'm sure

thanks again.
Bruce    at a balmy -6c

You are welcome....Ask away!

Bob K

Darn I included the tip in the cost of my water! Includes putting the full bottle on the dispenser. Bloody cheap if you ask me!!!

Yes if you are including tip for delivery and set up (putting the bottle in the dispenser) then 50 pesos is not a bad deal.

We have 10 bottles and once every two weeks I take them to town and replace them.  So the cost is only 35 pesos per bottle. 

Either way bottled water here is VERY cheap. 

Bob K

hi bob, I was just in the process of writing you and all of a sudden my message disappeared. ok, do it again. about the inverters, I am renting in costambar with inverters and 4 batteries in each apartment and we can run everthing, don't know about a/c since we don't need it but I would say no. there may be good news for you about the 24/7 electric. the electric company has already installed 24/7 electric in quite a lot of places, hasn't got to us yet but we're told next week, then next week, then next week, next whenever. my land lord is thinking if we get lucky, next month, have to wait and see. but as we are set up it doesn't present a problem anyway. my land lord is actually a good friend of mine, I stayed here last year with him for 4 months, this year for 5 months. I was in touch with him from the usa and he had no vacancies but was looking around for me with no success. I had not place to stay when I arrived but had a place in half an hour the next morning after staying at black beards whore house for one night, only place to stay in costambar. anyway one cancelation and I am back in el comadore apartment where I stayed last year, I like costambar, can walk the streets at night, 2 blocks from the beach and many places to eat and it's good food with reasonable prices. I've looked into central America and Ecuador and have decided this is where I will come every year, can't beat it

Quick note to NOT even think about putting your A/C on your battery back up system.  Won't work.  Glad you like Costambar!  I am headed there this weekend!

if your coming to costambar where can I meet you, would like to

I agree with planner you won't be able to run the air at all on that system.
As to24/7 electric going to be installed.  Don't hold your breath unless you like being a lovely shade of blue. Even if  you get it is really not 24/7. We have been on a 24/7 line for 5 years and still lose the electricity 3-5 times a week for a up to 4-5 hours.  Mostly though less than an hour.  Ede Norte (Electric company) has NO clue as to how to run a power grid.

Bob K

And now for the next installment of CLOSET BOY.................. set to arrive Wednesday " EARLY" .  right anyone want to start placing bets on his arrival time?????  Anyone......

You know I will be back tomorrow to update!

Michael  we can meet at El Carey on the water!  For sure I will be there Sunday afternoon and evening,  probably by about  3 or 4. I will keep you posted.

Bob when you coming back?

Planner I am coming back this Sunday afternoon.  It has been a very long 2.5 weeks.  Glad I am not trying to Newark tomorrow.

Bob K

As to closet boy (clown). Did he mention that it would be THIS Wednesday????

If so my bet is he will arrive at 2pm or so with no tools or materials he needs to complete the job.

Bob K

You are now in the pool Bob. If closet boy shows up at 2pm he will find my door closed and locked. This is his LAST chance.....

thanks planner I was just at el carey last night. they showed a movie called American hustler, wasn't good, I left at intermission. see you there on sunday

Sounds good!  Sorry you didn't like the movie.  Its been nominated for some oscars hasn't it?  I am not big on movies myself!

Update now 9:10 am an no Closet Boy......LOL  I think I would have a heart attack if he showed up now......LOL

That 2PM arrival is looking better as the day goes on.

Bob K

Oh Bob you lose today's pool. He showed up at 10:40 with his helper (new one every time) and they are finishing their work. RIGHT but he showed up with NO plywood to put the shelves above the hanging rods!  He claims they need to buy the wood, they claim he needs to buy the wood! OMG  they are morons.......

And someone showed up to do my front yard.  While I want to call him Yard Boy,  he is about 187 years old!!!! He is sooo cute!  Damn if only he could dance......LOL  He works for my neighbor so she sent him over to talk to me about my yard!!!!  YAY  my neighbors rock!

Wow not even noon and it is a 5* day already.  Or it will be if the closet gets done

Bob K

So  exciting!!!! Maybe he will actually finish this now 6 month project!!!!!

Closet Boy is gone again.  I finally have doors on the bathroom vanity.  He installed door pulls and then says he is done!  Really!!!!! He didn't clean up the white paint on my balcony floor,  didn't clean up his wood scraps........ I told him to get lost! I'll do it myself and be done with him. Once the landlady or whoever buys the wood, I will have MY person install it!!!!

He is NOT coming back into my house again!!!!  Bloody hell!