I Thought the 'American Way' Was the ONLY Way

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I used to think Dominican Republic real estate was complicated.

I also used to think American systems were just... how things worked.

Like there was a right way and a wrong way, and the US figured out the right way while everyone else was playing catch-up.

Four years in, I’m unwinding that.

A comment came across my Instagram recently. Someone said DR real estate isn’t as “straightforward” as the US.

And honestly?

I get it.

I really do.

I said the same thing. I thought the same thing.

I have friends who’ve lived here 20 years, and I remember asking them basic questions and watching them react with this calm, patient amusement. Like I was asking why the sky was blue.

I didn’t understand that reaction then.

I do now.

Because here’s what I’ve learned:

Straightforward according to who?

First, Let Me Say This Clearly

The United States is the greatest country in the world.

Largest economy. Most innovation. Most opportunity.

I’m a kid from Long Island who spent 20 years building a career there, buying real estate there, building wealth there.

That foundation is real.

And I’m not here to trash it.

This isn’t “US vs DR.”

That’s actually the wrong frame entirely.

This is about rewiring an “or” into an “and.”

Not:

• the US is right or DR is right

But:

• the US has systems that work for the US

• DR has systems that work for DR

• and the burden is on me — the person who chose to show up somewhere new — to learn those systems instead of judging them.

That shift sounds simple.

It took me four years.

And honestly, I’m still working on it.

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The Best Propaganda Machine in the World

The US does have the best propaganda machine in the world.

I know that sounds aggressive.

Stay with me.

Every blockbuster is made in Hollywood.

Every hero is American.

Every foreign government is bumbling until the US arrives to sort things out.

We grow up marinating in this.

It’s not malicious.

It’s just the water we swim in.

And it shapes more than politics.

It shapes how we define:

• “normal”

• “efficient”

• “safe”

• “straightforward”

My wife told me recently that we’ve become more Dominican every year we’ve lived here.

And that meant something to me.

She’s Dominican. Grew up here. Moved to the US at 12. Built her adult life there.

So when she says that, it’s not about losing something.

It’s about adding something.

That’s the “and.”

Back to Real Estate

When someone has a rough experience here — a delay, changing terms, a developer moving slower than promised — the word that comes up quickly is:

“Scam.”

And I want to be careful here because I am not saying:

That’s not this.

People absolutely get hurt in DR real estate.

Those stories are real.

But “scam” has a specific meaning.

It means someone intentionally set out to harm you financially.

And most of the difficult stories I hear weren’t that.

They were deals that went sideways because someone operated inside a Dominican system with American assumptions baked in.

No attorney upfront because contracts are fair, right?

Went directly to the developer to save the realtor fee because that’s savvy negotiating, right?

In the US?

Maybe.

There are federal agencies.

Title insurance.

A machine behind the machine.

Here?

You are the machine.

And that’s not a flaw.

It’s just different.

What Changed for Me

I purchased a home here.

And honestly?

It felt pretty straightforward.

But that’s because:

• I got a realtor who represented me, not the developer

• I hired an attorney before I needed one, not after

• I worked within the system as it actually exists

Three years ago I probably would’ve done it the “American way” and felt smart about it.

Now I realize I just didn’t understand the rules of the environment yet.

The Shift

My 20-year expat friends used to frustrate me.

I’d bring them something that felt urgent and they’d almost shrug.

I thought they were being dismissive.

Now I understand.

They were just on the other side of the learning curve I was still climbing.

I’m somewhere in the middle now.

Still learning.

Still getting surprised.

But starting to ask a different question.

Not:

But:

That shift changes everything.

It’s slow.

It’s uncomfortable sometimes.

And honestly?

It’s worth it.

Thinking about buying in DR and want to do it right from the start?

🇩🇴 Realtor, attorney, insurance, financing and relocation referrals:

👉 www.jamiegruber.com/referrals

Excited to talk more about this in the Inner Circle Q&A - if you’re not already there, I’d recommend you check us out!!

👉 www.jamiegruber.com

If this resonated with you, reply to this email.

What’s something you once thought was “wrong” abroad that you later realized was just... different?