New members of the Puerto Rico forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022

Hello! I posted on 12/31/21 on the 2021 newbie topic - so I'll leave my backstory there  . My family of 4 is seriously considering making the move to PR. My main question is where do you send your kids to college? I have a 16 and 14 yo.

Thanks,
Sarah

My daughter is 16 and she has been attending college since she was 14 years at Interamerican University in Ponce. She will be finishing her Associate Degree this year. Also our sin started college at 15 years old until he turned 18 that he decided to join the United States Marines

Hola!
Wanting to move to PR Aguadilla Isabela area
Currently in NY about 2 years away from retirement
The market for buying a home in PR seems  very tight
Thinking about buying a lot and building a 3 bedroom 2 bath pool garage  one story home
Looking for thoughts recommendations suggestions
Ezgo

That's exactly what I'm doing right now. Feel free to DM me if you have any specific questions.

I bought the land in 2019. It's in the beautiful Mar Chiquita beach area in Manati, Not as "hot" (in terms of real estate market) as Dorado, Palmas (Humacao), Isabela, etc. so it was cheap enough I could buy it cash.

Moved to PR in 2020. Looked at different options, and I'm ultimately working with an architect and using Eco-Precast modules.

Happy to answer any questions!

My name is Ruth..my family and I visited pr last December and loved it..we are returning in March to look around at different area's.   My husband and I are farming in New Hampshire and want to continue farming but we are tired of the snow and cold.   My children (in their 40's want to eventually move to.   Our big question right now is are there area's to look especially for land and farming?  thanks for any advice Ruth

Not sure about land, but here's an interesting article about farming initiatives in PR: https://www.theguardian.com/environment … gy-farmers

Hey everybody,

We are considering a move in the next 6 months, we're taking a trip with a friend (who is from PR) in early March.

We have two kids, a 1 year-old boy and 5 year-old girl, and it sounds like Saint Johns is the place for school???

We are coming from NYC -> LA -> PR. We love good food with great atmosphere and eat out most nights of the week. Looking forward to connecting with you all.

thanks great article!

My wife and I live in Miami and are purchasing land to build a home.
We just returned from the Rincon Area with two contracts in hand. Now, we research and learn more. I see a lot of folks doing the same thing. Thanks for having us here.

I'm so happy to have found this forum. It seems alive and active. I live in NY but I'm just beginning my search for property in PR that I can start out as a vacation home and eventually build into a retreat center. My family lives in Rincon so I only really know that area, but I'm looking to expand my search into other parts of beautiful PR.
Ideally I'm looking for about 1 acre or more with an existing property but open to just buying land.
Does anyone recommend any initial questions I should be asking the realtor when looking at properties...specifically land? 

Glad to be here. Thanks in advance.

Hello,
My name is Denise and I'm 62 years young. Myself  and my daughter, son and 2 grandkids just moved to Arecibo.
We moved to Arecibo from Seattle WA.
I would love to work part time however I speak no Spanish so if anyone knows of any part time work in my area please let me know.
Currently my grandkids are doing online school but we would like for them to go to school however they also only speak English. I worry about them not being around other kids so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
I look forward to any suggestions and meeting some new people.

deniseparkson wrote:

Hello,
My name is Denise and I'm 62 years young. Myself  and my daughter, son and 2 grandkids just moved to Arecibo.
We moved to Arecibo from Seattle WA.
I would love to work part time however I speak no Spanish so if anyone knows of any part time work in my area please let me know.
Currently my grandkids are doing online school but we would like for them to go to school however they also only speak English. I worry about them not being around other kids so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
I look forward to any suggestions and meeting some new people.

Hi Denise! Welcome!
I live in Barceloneta and would love to connect. I might be able to give you some suggestions for work/schools. I'll send you a message.

Hi, I just joined this forum and was inquiring about property taxes on the Island.
I plan to build a new home in Manati and trying to figure out the property taxes on a new home.
I read they plan on redoing the Crim tax 827 . Can anyone advise what the average tax is on a new home valued around 800K. Thanks, KF

Hi everyone,

My name is Marcel, my wife and I purchased a small piece of land South of Manati in Ciales last year. The plan is to build a home and eventually move there.

Hi! My name is Jen and I'm also building in Manatí (in the Mar Chiquita área)! Happy to share info!

Hi Jen! Thanks for replying! I was thinking about building with ICF. However I have looked at modulars such as CasaBella.

Hi, I as well in Linda Mar. I will build in ICF , are you currently building there now?
Any good reputable builders you are using or  interviewed. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks, Ken

I have not built yet. Considering at the moment. Mr. Fernando Martinez of CICFS (Carribean Insulated Concrete Form Solutions) is a prospect.

Hi Ken! I'm working with an architect right now - so no construction yet. We're looking at different options, one of them being using Eco-Precast modules for the build.

Great thanks, Let me know how things work out

Thanks for the info. Keep me posted if you find the right builder.

Hi Ken I should have specified that CICFS is not a contractor but materials provider and they advertise that they provide a ton of support. Here’s a link  https://caribbeanicfsolutions.com/ you can get a better idea of what they do.

I did speak with Fernando Martinez at CICFS which was referred by an employee of Quad Lock. We had a great conversation. He speaks both English and Spanish well.

Jen, just a suggestion, since you haven’t started building yet you may want to look into the ICF (insulated concrete forms) method. I am no pro. I kinda stumbled on this while researching. I am not 100% sold on it yet but I’m strongly considering it.

Excellent thanks for the info. I sent him an email, I will compare their system to GCT.

@Julien Hi, my name is John. I am over 55, retired living on very modest SS, with some savings. I am legally separated from my wife of many, many, many years. I recally my mother telling me as a child "you're gong to be a lonely old man." Her prophecy haunts me to this day. I am tired of staying in my AC house for months at a time during the summer. Also, i want a richer cultural and interpersonal environment. I speak a smattering of Spanish, but would be eager to take spanish classes, as well as dancing, photography, yoga and meditation. In california these classes are prohibitively expensive. I hope this is not the case in PR. I was raised in a hispanic family and value the culture and the people. I recall being in Guadalajara Mx several years ago and reveling in the cultural life of outdoor parks; the friendliness and community that i observed was wonderful. Very unlike my current residential area.  I am thinking of Cayey as a good place to live. I understand it's a college town, away from the heat and humidity of the coastal towns, (I am trying to preserve my skin).  My primary rational for PR is medicare and the supplemental insurance that is available. I understand that private medical insurance in foreign countries is wildly expensive and medicare if not available. Happenstance has blessed me with excellent health and vigor, but good luck falls short of a healthy retirement.  Please respond, I have more to share.

@deniseparkson take a spanish course, learn the language and study, study, study and speak spanish with the locals.

@Eric Ardito I've heard good things about Starlink, bit I have Liberty and I've had no issues.

@Julien Hello, my name is Rosa and both me and my husband just retired and want to move to move to Puerto Rico within a few month’s from Chicago.   I’m currently renting a house in Camuy for the entire month and we love the area. We’ve been checking out the various municipalities in the area and decided we want to live on this side of the island. Hatillo, Arecibo, Mayaquez, Isabella. We’re having a difficult time finding a realtor who wants to help us. They seem to want all the details sent to them just to tell you home is pending. I understand homes are selling quickly but Realtors here don’t seem to want to be bothered with helping you find a home, they just want to sell and move on to the next person. It’s very frustrating but I can’t give up. If you had a good experience with a realtor who wants to earn their commission pls send me the information. I found this group by accident and many have provided a wealth of information so thank you so much but we are at a lost and don’t know where to begin. Any suggestions or advise will be appreciated. Thank you

@jenmayodc Hi Jen, we just retired from Chicago and we are debating between buying or building. We are currently renting a home in Camuy so I prefer the west of the island. What has been your experience so far? Would you recommend your architect? Any advise, suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.