Caribbean Homeowners!
So, in June 2011, we said goodbye to our new found friends and returned home to Pennsylvania, hoping to visit again someday soon. We were home a week, when we started to analyze our finances more seriously. Hunting down long forgotten piggy banks and identifying anything that would be worth anything. When the counting was done we were still significantly short of the money we would need to buy any of the homes we had seen with Judith. But we were now serious about trying to find a Dominican home. And we wanted to stay in touch with Judith. So we contacted her and explained exactly how much money we had and that we would be interested in any home she thinks could be purchased for that amount. During the discussion she said it would be worth making a formal offer on the home we most wanted, if only to express our interest to the owner. So that's what we did and the owner rejected the offer as expected. Although somewhat deflated, we were at least doing something about our dream. Weeks later, Estie was able to get a job as medical assistant with our own family doctor. After a month, or so, Estie found she liked the job and expected to continue there. So that presented us with the possibility of additional income to apply to the dream. In July, we contacted Judith again to indicate we could increase our offer based upon what we could now save over the next 6 months. We fully expected this offer to be rejected immediately, and again, saw it as a way to stay in the conversation over the next few months. And it allowed us to hope, unrealistically, that over time, if there were no other offers, and we found a money tree in the backyard, we could possibly work something out with the seller. Those expectations were clearly ridiculous ...... because the seller ACCEPTED our slightly increased offer! There was one condition, that we would settle on the property in 6 weeks. The dream could become a reality. Now we had to find out how to buy a home outside the U.S.!!
Since we never fully comprehended the one U.S. real estate transaction we were involved in - when we bought our only U.S. home in 1979 - we were clearly not confident. But that would change as our new English, Belgian, Swiss, and German friends would help us every step along the way. And we were totally unaware of the kindness we would yet receive, from Dominican friends who were unknown to us at this point. The first of those steps was being referred to Lisa Ewest, a lawyer in the town of Sosua, who could manage the transaction for us. Communicating via Skype and emails and scanned documents, Lisa took us through the required steps with clarity and professionalism. Part of the preparations included moving money from a bank in Pennsylvania to a bank in New York City, which was shared by the seller's bank in the Dominican Republic. Everything went smoothly and it was approaching time for settlement - Thanksgiving Weekend 2011 ... how appropriate. But now, what do we do? Do we both have to be at settlement? Can we save some time and expense if only one of us goes? Nothing is ever simple. As it turns out, there was another option. Grant Lisa the legal power to act in our place. How do we do that? Well, maybe a visit to a DR consulate would tell us. Where? In New York City, a one and a half hour bus ride form our home in Pennsylvania. Despite calling and calling and calling the consulate, to find out if, we could get whatever it was we needed, we could not reach anyone. Time was running out and we decided to visit the consulate ... in Time Square. We arrived in the middle of the day and took our place in line among more than a hundred other people with consulate business that day. We explained what we needed and were given a specific number for a specific line. We didn't even know if this was going to work. We waited patiently for hours, and as the end of the consulate day neared, we grew very anxious that we would have to give up and return another day. But this was just another lesson in "island time". When closing time came and went, we were assured that everything would be fine. It was. Some time later, after spending $150 we had an official document used specifically for real estate transactions that we could send to Lisa. We returned home ecstatic.
We sent the document to Lisa and waited anxiously for the big day. It came and went without fanfare and Lisa contacted us to say all went well and emailed us an image of the tentative deed. We could move in whenever we wanted!!! How did that all happen? We had a home in the Caribbean! It would take another 18 months to get the final "Deslinde" (final surveyed deed for the property), but again, just another case of "island time", and everything went smoothly.