Why Our Punta Cana Mortgage Felt LESS RISKY Than Paying Cash

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The Real Reason We Got a Mortgage in Punta Cana

When we bought our house in Punta Cana, we could have paid cash.

A lot of foreigners do.

And if I’m being honest, there’s something emotionally satisfying about saying, “It’s paid off.”

But that’s not what we did.

We chose to get a mortgage.

And it wasn’t because we had to.

It was because of risk.

Ironically, taking on debt felt less risky to us than paying cash in the wrong place.

Not All Neighborhoods Are Equal

Punta Cana is growing fast.

There are blue-chip communities.
There are speculative communities.
There are developments built on promises.
And there are ecosystems built on systems.

To us, the biggest risk wasn’t the interest rate.

It was choosing the wrong environment for our family.

We were willing to take on 9-12% debt to be in a community with:

• Construction standards that are enforced

• Predictable governance and HOA structure

• Walkability and real daily-life convenience

• Existing infrastructure (not just renderings)

• Airport ownership — which means a fire department

• Long-term investments like medical facilities and sports infrastructure

We weren’t just buying a house.

We were buying into a system.

And the financial risk of debt felt smaller than the experiential risk of choosing the wrong ecosystem.

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The Part Most People Miss: Relationships Matter

Here’s something I learned going through this process.

The first bank we approached offered us 9% — which at the time was one of the best USD mortgage rates in the country.

Then underwriting became… complicated.

So we went through a broker (which I always recommend), found another bank, and closed the loan smoothly.

A few weeks later, I went back to the original bank for a regular transaction.

The manager came out, shook my hand, and said:

That moment taught me something important.

In the Dominican Republic, relationships are currency.

Being a borrower builds a credit profile here.
It establishes banking history.
It opens future doors.

Mortgages aren’t just about interest rates.
They’re about positioning.

The Title Hedge Nobody Talks About

There’s another layer to this.

Many foreign buyers are afraid of title issues in the DR.

Here’s my honest take:

The Dominican Republic actually has strong title registry procedures — especially in well-surveyed, developed areas like Punta Cana.

The likelihood of a legitimate claim issue where we bought is extremely low.

But fear is real.

And when you take a mortgage, the bank becomes your ally.

The bank performs its own due diligence.
The bank verifies title.
The bank has skin in the game.
The bank won’t fund a loan if something smells off.

If there’s a flaw in title, the bank is more aggressive about protecting itself than you ever would be.

Would I incur the cost of a mortgage only for this reason if I had the cash? No.

If everything else lined up and I wanted simplicity, I’d pay cash.

But as part of the overall equation, it added another layer of institutional protection.

Once We Closed, We Doubled Down on Stability

Once we committed to this ecosystem, we didn’t cut corners.

We focused on removing friction.

We furnished quickly so the house felt functional — not temporary.

We installed a full-house water filtration system because water quality varies by area, and we didn’t want to think about that variable every day.

We secured proper insurance.
We planned utilities strategically.
We treated this as a long-term decision, not a short-term experiment.

Because buying in Punta Cana isn’t just about appreciation.

It’s about designing your daily life.

The Bigger Question

If you’re thinking about buying here, the real question isn’t:

“Cash or mortgage?”

It’s:

“Where am I allocating risk?”

For us, leverage in the right ecosystem felt safer than cash in the wrong one.

If you’re looking for vetted professionals — mortgage brokers, attorneys, water filtration providers, furniture companies, insurance contacts — I’ve put all of our referral connections in one place:

👉 jamiegruber.com/referrals

And if you want deeper conversations like this — including community breakdowns, cost structures, vendor feedback from members who’ve successfully closed, and strategic discussions around investing and living in the DR — that’s exactly what we do inside the Inner Circle:

👉 jamiegruber.com

We didn’t move here for a house.

We moved here for a life.

And the way you structure the purchase shapes how that life feels every single day.

— Jamie