Please always consult professionals who can provide expert advise on real estate, law and taxes, before purchasing any property.

When buying/selling any type of real estate properties in the Dominican Republic, it is customary to have professional real estate agents advising each party involved. There are plenty of professional agents that are willing to offer their services for a fee or a commission, in order to ensure the satisfaction of all parties involved.

Before buying real estate, always make sure that the property has a verifiable title, clear of any encumbrances or imperfections. With that in mind, consider enlisting the professional opinion of title experts such as LandAmerica who can provide a guarantee over the title that will protect you from any fraud.

When buying property directly from a property developer, a resort or a development, whether it is during its pre-construction stage or after it is built, the price at which you may purchase with or without the participation of an external real estate agent is regularly the same. Given that not being represented by a professional agent will not get you a discount or affect the price, make sure you definitely are represented by a broker. Brokers services in such case are paid by the seller. In other words, these services will normally be of no cost to you if you are buying property directly from a project, as the developing company should pay for any commission derived from such business if the agent is a licensed professional. However, there are many buyers who still prefer to purchase property without the help of an external agent, an option that is perfectly feasible.

When selecting a property to purchase, make sure you balance the important aspects that professionals always consider, such as the experience and track record of the developers, the know-how of the firms that are involved in the architecture, design and construction, the existence of institutional guarantees over property titles (which are specially important in Dominican Republic), the price and the financials behind your purchase such as the down-payment and other deposits. Also consider other aspects such as the banking institutions that can provide financing for both domestic and foreign buyers with traditional credit instruments such as mortgages over the property. Some of these offer their services to international buyers in order to finance there property in foreign currency and other national institutions offer financing for domestic buyers in local currency.