3 People You MUST Know in Dominican Republic

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In this edition of the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter:

• Moving to DR? Hire These 3 People…Or Else!!

• Leaving NYC? 3 Reasons to Skip Florida for DR

• They Said ‘Don’t Take Your Kids There’ - I Didn’t Listen

I just learned a TON about supply vs. demand data for Dominican Real Estate after attending an event in Cap Cana. Wow! I even scheduled a call with the data company to get more insight and opened a dialogue. Today, I shared initial learnings with the DR Inner Circle and was able to get more questions from members for future conversations. I’ll always provide great content in this newsletter, YouTube, IG, TikTok for free - but for those of you that want more info, insight, access to me and connection with others investing, living in or moving to DR - consider the Inner Circle. It’s a $9/mo commitment and you can cancel any time!

Moving to DR? Hire These 3 People…Or Else!

If I’m accused of one thing most often, it’s being detached from life in the ‘real Dominican Republic’.

The truth is - life happens no matter where you live and my family and I have had to ‘test’ how life happens in our adopted homeland.

We live in a bubble .. it doesn’t mean we exist in it!

I’m 3 years in and in honor of that, I wanted to outline the 3 people you need to hire to ensure you have the right connection when you need it!

Meet them, know them, hire them .. you want these folks in your world

#1: A Doctor

Something I love about the medical system here is that I can text my doctors - any time!

In the US, I would need to go through a system to schedule a meeting to get an answer from my doctor.

It was a pain!

When our oldest got dengue fever 2 years ago, we didn’t know any doctors personally - but we knew people who did.

As a result, we were able to facilitate connection with a top pediatrician locally who understood how to treat dengue in kids.

Once at the hospital, we were greeted and immediately started the course of treatment.

I remember midnight on a Saturday having to find a dentist due to a dental apparatus in our of our kids mouths popping partially off.

Two messages and we were driving to El Cortecito where Dr. Diana took care of us.

When you arrive, find the clinic you want to use, meet the doctors, build relationships and trust me - one of those connections is a person away at least from helping you when needed.

#2: An Attorney

We recently had an accident and were thrust into the system. This is why I missed last week’s newsletter! I’m sorry about that.

The topic is a little too raw for me to share details publicly (I shared with the Inner Circle on our last Q&A) but I’ll still make the point.

One call to a competent, well connected lawyer locally COMPLETELY changed the direction of our situation.

There’s no ‘bar’ in DR - so you need to ensure you are working with someone that you know is reputable.

I was very confident with my attorney Gabriel before .. and now I’m EXTREMELY confident!

Find a good one - feel free to use Gabriel with this link whether it’s for real estate, immigration or anything else - and if you do, know that he’ll pay me a commission. Do your own due diligence and make sure he feels right for you.

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#3: A Good Insurance Person

I get ZERO from them to say this .. Humano has been IMPRESSIVE!

Both with medical and auto insurance.

My corporate life was in insurance claims for 21 years in the states .. I know a thing or two about claims handling and WOW! They’ve done a great job (at least so far!)

This is whether you’re in the US or here .. don’t cheap out on insurance. Even if you think you’re being sold for a higher commission, listen and consider it .

I’m a big fan of peace of mind and you just need to remember that you get what you pay for. Get a good plan!

If you need a connection for insurance, you can email me and I’ll reply.

Again, I’ll push the DR Inner Circle here unapologetically because we discuss these types of connections and they’re all in our Facebook group.

There are others like mechanics, plumbers, etc that you want to know - and even at a higher level, political or business connections are great to have.

But for you or me who just want a good comfortable life in DR - these are my top 3. I’ll let you know if that changes haha.

Leaving NYC? 3 Reasons to Skip Florida For DR

The democratic nominee for NY Mayor is controversial - or at least polarizing.

A recent poll I did showed 70% of Dominican New Yorkers (over 1 million people in the greater NYC area!) aren’t fond of the pick and policies .. and honestly, that tracks with how the voting broke down.

In short - white voters from higher income areas along with asian voters overwhelmingly chose Zohran Mamdani over Andrew Cuomo while black, latino and lower income voters across all races favored Cuomo.

Either way, there’s at least someone reading this who truly is considering leaving NYC sooner than they may have planned and are looking at options.

I don’t care about the politics - I’m not in NYC haha. It doesn’t impact me.

If you are inclined to skip town, here are 3 reasons Dominican Republic is a better choice for you or any New Yorker that’s looking at a place like Florida.

#1: You Won’t Pay Taxes

While in Florida you have zero state taxes, you’re still fully exposed to federal income tax.

If you chose the Dominican Republic, you could file for a few different exemptions that could have your taxes waived altogether!

An average New Yorker making around $125,000/year is paying a combined $45,000 in property and income tax (state, federal and city).

A move to Florida will reduce the state income tax burden, but not the others.

But what if you did this when you move to DR:

• Establish residency here and remain for 330 days in a rolling 12 month period

• Apply for the Foreign Earned Income Exemption to waive all federal taxes on up to $130,000(ish) in earned income (not passive!)

• Buy a home approved for CONFOTUR which will waive the 3% asset tax at purchase PLUS 15 years of property taxes!!

That $45,000 in taxes just went to ZERO!!! But in DR .. not Florida!

There’s also the Foreign Housing Credit (FHC) where you can write off up to $30,000 in housing expenses like electric, landscaping, rent, insurance, etc (first $7000 in expense is NOT tax deductible and if you’re under $130,000 in income, this won’t help you.

There’s also the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) which can give you a dollar for dollar reduction in your US taxes for every dollar you pay in taxes in DR (if you do).

But for the FEIE, you don’t have to pay ANY taxes in another country … and you don’t have to earn income in another country.

If your work is remote, you can apply - period.

Of COURSE talk to an accountant or attorney - don’t trust me - but consider this!

If you’re wondering who I would refer you to, it would be the same attorney above - Gabriel. 

#2: FOBS

Crime exists in every country.

Most would agree as well that if you stay away from the bad areas, you significantly reduce the risk of being impacted by crime.

That’s a general rule!

But in the US, the unfortunate mental health crisis there means you can be in the safest hamelt in the quietest town and still suffer from FOBS

Fear of Being Shot

With the sad story in Idaho involving firefighters, and the 4 killed/14 injured in a drive by in Chicago plus more - it’s become too common in the US to be faced with gun violence.

DR is just one place that can offer safe locations without that fear being real.

#3: Early Market Entry

Florida is developed - DR is developing.

That doesn’t mean you can’t miss in DR - for sure you can!

But there are more projects with more upside here than there are in Florida - which tends to be boom or bust historically.

Is there a correction coming in DR? Sure - always!

Markets correct - they HAVE to - but that doesn’t mean long term investments won’t pay off.

Punta Cana is far along for sure - as are markets like Santo Domingo and Santiago.

But within those markets there’s TONS of runway still - not to mention Samana, Cabarete, Cabrera, Barahona, Miches and more.

If you’re buying, you would be smart to at least consider the upward appreciation potential LONG TERM in Dominican Republic.

Those are my 3 - what say you?

They Said "Don't Take Your Kids There" - I Did Anyway

Is Sosua as seedy as they say?

I wanted to try it out. I took my kids, but I recorded only me.

And here’s what I found .. let me know what you think!

Happy 4th to you!! See you next week!