Property Taxes in the Dominican Republic Explained
A Morning Knock in Santo Domingo: My First Property Tax Bill It was a humid February morning in Santo Domingo when the knock on my apartment door jolted me awake. I’d spent the previous evening at a merengue bar in the Colonial Zone, celebrating a small win on a rental deal in Punta Cana. The […]
Common Scams in Dominican Real Estate Deals: How Expats Can Protect Their Pesos and Peace of Mind
The first time I almost bought a villa in Sosúa, a little beach town on the Dominican Republic’s North Coast, I was already picturing weekend snorkel trips and a side-hustle renting the place on Airbnb. The seller, a jovial man in linen pants, swore the título de propiedad—the title deed—was “as clean as the ocean.” […]
The Role of Real Estate Agents in Colombia: What to Expect
Medellín, a leaky roof, and the lesson that stuck Three years ago, I was standing in a leafy barrio called Laureles in Medellín, Colombia, wondering why water kept dripping from the light fixture of the apartment I had just rented. My agente inmobiliario—the real estate agent—arrived on his scooter, helmet under his arm, and shrugged […]
Squatter Laws in Brazil: What Expats Should Know Before Buying or Renting
A sunrise scare in São Paulo – my introduction to Brazilian property quirks I still remember the chill that ran down my spine the first time I heard someone banging on the metal security gate of the house I was renting in Vila Madalena, São Paulo. It was 6 a.m., the same pale dawn that […]
Rural vs. Urban Property in Colombia: What Every Expat Should Know Before Signing the Escritura
A Sunrise That Changed My Investment Philosophy I still remember the morning fog lifting off the emerald-green hills outside Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic. I had driven up from Santo Domingo the night before, chasing a cheap weekend cabin rental that a friend tipped me off to. As the sun cracked over the valley, the […]
Navigating Dominican Notary Fees When Closing on a Property
Sun-Bleached Contracts and the Surprise on the Malecón I still remember the salty breeze whipping across the Santo Domingo Malecón the afternoon I signed my first promise-of-sale contract. My real-estate agent, Roberto, had just tossed the folder onto the café table with the casual flair only a Caribbean broker can muster. “Tranquilo, James,” he said, […]
Understanding “Escritura Pública” in Colombian Real Estate: A Practical Guide for Expats
Why My Apartment Hunt in Medellín Turned into a Crash Course in Deeds I still remember the sticky August afternoon when I ducked into a tiny notary office off Calle 10 in Medellín’s El Poblado district. Fans creaked overhead, the smell of fresh tinto coffee floated through the air, and a solemn-looking clerk slid a […]
Inheriting Property as an Expat in Latin America: From Surprise Keys to Sound Strategy
An Unexpected Phone Call Above the Clouds in Medellín I was sipping thick Colombian tinto on the balcony of my eighth-floor apartment in El Poblado, watching the morning fog melt off the Aburrá Valley, when my Mexican lawyer called. “James, tu abuelo acaba de fallecer y te dejó un departamento en la Roma Norte,” he […]
How to Transfer Real Estate Funds Into Brazil Legally—A Street-Level Guide for Expats
Landing in Rio With a Suitcase Full of Dreams (and a Pending Wire Transfer) Two summers ago I flew from Bogotá to Rio de Janeiro with nothing more than a battered carry-on, a surfboard, and the promise of a pre-construction apartment overlooking Barra da Tijuca. My Colombian bank had already initiated the transferência internacional, but […]
Should Expats Use Local or International Lawyers When Buying Property?
That Afternoon in Santo Domingo When My Deal Almost Sank I still remember the salt-tinged breeze swirling through the streets of Ciudad Colonial in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I had just shaken hands on what I thought was the perfect beach condo investment—an irresistible slice of latin american real estate. My Spanish was passable, so […]