Vacation Condo rental long term

Welcome to the forums. Would be best to give us an idea of what city or area!  Thanks.

Hello Terryo.

Welcome to the forums.  I sent you a private message.

Cheers,

My observation is that the vast majority of listings on airbnb, vrbo, homeaway and similar websites, at least for the Dominican Republic, are quite negotiable. 

That was true before the pandemic, and seems even more so now.  The degree of negotiability, of course, varies considerably.   You need to sound out the particular owner/manager to evaluate the degree of flexibility possible.
>>  The greatest degree of flexibility in price will be found for nearer-term visits.  Basically, there's a SURPLUS of units, and as the high season approaches without a locked-in occupant, they become FAR more flexible. 
>> Visitors that seek longer-term rentals will have more buying power.  The airbnb crowd appreciates longer-term rentals -- it saves them on cleaning, turnover problems and the risk of empty units.
>> The traditional negotiating culture in the DR seems to bleed into property management, AS LONG AS YOU'RE WORKING WITH A DOMINICAN NATIVE!!! 
>>  Expat managers are not as prone to negotiating.   Even they don't want a unit to stay open for the winter high season, so will negotiate...but might not go as low in price.

The bad news:
>> Negotiating for next year's high season -- which definitely includes January, February and March -- is a bit tougher.  No one is feeling pressured to make a deal that far out.  The deals and improved negotiability tends to start showing up in mid-November, at least in my experience.  The HUGE deals will appear starting in mid- December.  The HUGEST deals from negotiation will happen starting in late December and then early January.
>>  The truly premium properties will rarely agree to discounted prices.  The biggest deals will (usually) be found in the mid-range and lower properties.   So, if you want a premium property, be prepared to pony up the necessary funds.

I can't personally speak to negotiating deals in person after you've arrived in the DR -- haven't really done that, except for 2-3 day stays, and that's a different strategy.
>>  However, I would be cautious in attempting that approach.
>> There will be a lot of pressure on You, living temporarily in a relatively expensive hotel (I presume), to find a place and get moved asap.  At least for myself, that likely would lead to LESS strength in my negotiating position.

Best wishes for your DR experiences,

Jim
expatrusher

expatrusher - Yes, I agree with most of your comments to some level but greatly depends upon location and desperation.  In my experience you get what you pay for.  There will always be good deals but you may still pay the price in the end.  I recently had an experience with a renter that decided to wait to the last minute to rent a car (in December).  They found that there were no rentals available.   Nothing at all.  I personally drove them around to every rental place I could find...nothing.  They were shocked to find that in a tourist area, with low tourism due to COVID that this could be possible.  It happens.  They were desperate for a car so finally ended up waiting a few days and paying much more money than normal.  I would guess that some of the car rental places didn't want to store a parking lot full of cars when there is no one to rent... (thanks again COVID) so they moved them to a place where they could.  Properties although different in that respect (can't be moved around) ,  they tend to just close down.  Owners take a break or move onto another business venture that is making money.  Then the same thing happens, there is nothing available.   My experience is when the price goes too low, then the renters generally destroy your property.  I tend to stay away from that.  It only takes once to learn your lesson.

I have known people that take a short term rental and then try to rent longer term when they get here.  That works too sometimes but can also be a hassle looking around a country where you may not speak the language or know the lay of the land.  It depends upon the people. 

Also keep in mind we have many gated communities in the Punta Cana area making access difficult or impossible.

Thank you so much for your perspective and information, we may come to D. R. In
advance and check things out, we are interested in the new project named Dream city
near Sosua , not sure if the construction has started yet . Thanks Again, Terry & Diane.

DominiCanadaMike:

I agree with all your points, and should have included most of them in my OP.

We've been (small-time) landlords for over 30 years, albeit long-term.  We know to be extremely selective in chooding tenants...but I'm not sure how you do that via airbnb. 

May I ask -- how might a potential snowbird make themselves more attractive to you, such that you would consider a lower asking price in return for a longet rental??

On the risks of last-minute bargain hunting -- we're on a trip now with four separate segments that needed short-term lodging: 
1. Panama City, Panama
2. Nueva Gorgona, PA
3  Santo Domingo, DR.
4. La Romna. DR.

Because of the pandemic, we delayed reservations until 1-3 weeks out.  Perfect exampke of waiting until last minute planning.

We found EXCELLENT LODGING DEALS in PC, Nueva Gorgona, and Santo Domingo.  Lots of availability and very low prices. 
>> Ah, but we got stung in La Romana.  Indeed, we still don't have a place there and we're about 10 days out.  Only lodging left is super-cheap or super-expensive. 
We may have to divert to LT or Punta Cana. 

Flights were similar.  We found last-minute bargains flying SLC to PTY and SFQ back to SLC.  But the direct Copa flight from PTY to SDQ had few seats and thus was expensive. 

Clearly, the last minute planner/negotiator must be willing to be flexible in locations and dates.  Or willing to cancel the trip.

Take care,

Jim
ExpatRusher

Jim - I think the amount of surplus depends on the location, size, and quality of the unit. Our apartment on Playa Bonita in LT has been rented almost continuously since we reopened for rentals in September. We have plenty of people (mostly Americans) asking for additional discounts thinking that there is a surplus. I don't do it! I know that if we have an open weekend, it will be booked by Thursday by folks from the capital coming to the beach.  I've also had a number of two-week and monthly rentals during that time.

Terry - normally I would suggest booking for a couple of weeks and then either extending or finding another place to rent the rest of the time, but since you are looking in high season, that could prove difficult! I've already had people inquiring about renting our place for the winter season.

Expat - I sent you a private message.

Some comments, I don't usually give discounts for last minute renters because it means I have to drop any plans I might have and go and take care of the rental.  I am always busy and if the rentals are down then I am busy doing something else.  That's just me, I like to plan.  The same goes for advance rentals.  If it's too far in advance, I may not have my prices set and end up renting too cheap.  People sometimes forget that renting is a business and it is up to the owner\property manager to make as much money as possible on every rental.  It has nothing to do with greed, it is a business.  It's about survival.  I hope that helps...

Cheers

Hi Jim,

If you are still looking for accommodation in La Romana, contact me privately with your details.....