Tag Archives: invest

What to Expect in Your Caribbean Home

March 15, 2016Caribbean Living, investmentaffordability, affordable homes, cabarete, continuous improvement, invest, quality, real estatewildefire

Casa Linda Quality Homes

“Quality is our absolute first priority. We offer an exceptionally well built home with all the comforts expected from our buyers.” CasaLinda

A few days ago Rich and I were taking pictures of the new homes in Palmera Village for our social media. Palmera Village is the most recent phase in Casa Linda. A concept of smaller sized homes with affordable pricing.

Soon I heard someone say “Hey are you the resident photographer”? Turning around I found one of the Casa Linda owners, Canadian Paul Mancini. Paul is responsible for the construction side of the development. It is quite common to see Paul driving around on a Saturday or Sunday in Casa Linda checking on all the progress.

During our conversation l mentioned how I love the bar foot rest on the new Palmera homes.

“We are always trying to improve on the quality of our homes” said Mr. Mancini. The bar foot rest has enough room to put your foot under in case you need to reach over as well as providing comfort for your feet while standing or sitting.

Although a bar foot rest may seem like a small improvement. It all adds up in the long run. Have you ever sat at a bar that doesn’t have one? It is uncomfortable. Mental note – need to have one installed on our outside bar.

Overall Continuous Improvement

We live in Casa Linda and over the past four years have seen continuous improvement both in the quality of the homes as well as the overall development.

From on-line systems for maintenance tickets with resolution, employee training – english lessons offered, pool department training and check list procedures, water bottle delivery (yes it is quick), new back-up generator system to internet improvement on both reliability and speed.

Another aspect of Casa Linda is the rental side of the business. Today many owners buy their villa and place it in Casa Linda’s rental program. The rental revenue generated helps pay for the cost of the home. This makes for an excellent real estate investment or opportunity to have a caribbean home paid for when you retire.

Hires International Hotelier

Casa Linda has recently hired an International Hotelier with vast experience in Corporate, Boutique, Airport and Resort properties. His goal is to help further improve the occupancy and overall rental program. “His 30 years of managerial experience, in prestigious companies such as InterContinental Hotel Group, Allegro Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts, AMSHA and Casa de Campo” .

Casa Linda Construction Specifications

Quality in Construction:

panel

Choice of standard concrete block construction or high isolation (Insulation value) modular panel building system
Terra cotta pathways and car parks
9,000 or 12,000 BTU high efficiency air conditioners (with remote controls) in all bedrooms
Quality tiles throughout villa and casitas
Gas water heater (propane)
Secured water supply with our own wells and external cisterns
Concrete square of molded framing around most doors and windows
Fixed Screens on all windows and sliding screens on all sliding doors
Ceiling fan with one light in all bedrooms, living room, dining room, and terrace

Pools & Landscaping:

9,400 – 18,000 gallon pool (depending on villa style), in the shape and style of your choice
Pool decks will be finished in 30cm x 30cm square coralina tile with coralina bullnose edge around the pool.
- What is Coralina? Coralina is a heat-resistant coral stone which is naturally non-slip. This eco-friendly tile made from coral stone is harvested from ocean coral that is no longer biologically active. Coral stone tile provides a naturally cool surface that resists heat absorption from the sun. Durable and non-slip, this is the perfect upgrade for your pool patio.
Covered terraces and palapa floors are laid with ‘coralina’
Listello tile border for steps in a darker color
All pools coated in Marmolina low maintenance pool coat
Outdoor pool shower (cold water only)
Fully landscaped yard

Kitchens & Baths:

Granite counter tops in kitchens and outdoor palapa, marble or similar counter tops in baths
Solid wood kitchen/bathroom cabinets
Chrome Bathroom accessories (paper dispenser, towel bar)
Ventilation fans for bathrooms that have no windows
Double drop-in stainless steel kitchen sink, oval undermount ceramic sinks in baths
Tempered Glass shower enclosures
Kitchen with an island or peninsula counter top will have a 6” overhang
Framed mirrors above vanities with built-in lights

Windows, Exterior/Interior Doors & Closets:

Doors made of Ejecutiva or similar wood
Square or arched windows
UV rated Glass windows and sliding doors
All outdoor bars with a natural stone face (also back wall for Villa Ultima)
Electronic lockers with key cards for villas in the rental program

If you have any questions or like more information on Casa Linda please feel free to contact Richard Regan at [email protected] Thank You!

Options to Help Buy Your Dominican Republic Dream Home in 2016

February 18, 2016investment, Retirementaffordability, buying second home, cabarete, canadian buyers, casa linda, Cruiseline, dominican republic real estate, financing, invest, rental income, residential, retirewildefire

Casa Linda Buying Options & Incentives

Did you know the Dominican Republic still offers the most affordable real estate in the Caribbean?

Today you can buy a new two bedroom villa starting in the low $100K US. This price includes your choice of lot, design of home, private pool, tropical landscaping and parking. The best part is living just minutes from world-class beach destinations in the towns of Cabarete and Sosua.

The North Coast, or “The Amber Coast” renown for its amazing deposits of amber, is starting to see a welcoming change with new luxury and boutique hotels. In October 2015, the 85 million dollar Amber Coast Carnival Cruise Port opened in Puerto Plata bringing new life blood to the area.

“With a stable government and a steady economy that grew by 7.1 percent in 2014, the Dominican Republic is ripe and ready for expats, retirees, and investors looking for a safe and affordable option in the Caribbean.” Huffington Post, 2015

It was also voted as one of the five best islands to start over for 2016 – Islands Magazine as well as being recognized as one of the best places in the world to invest in rental property, thanks to a growing demand and undervalued prices. – Live & Invest Overseas.

It is an exciting time to be living in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic and many of our developers are now offering fantastic incentives and financing to help buyers purchase their caribbean home.

Casa Linda Developer Options

One of those developers is Casa Linda . This residential gated community located between Sosua and Cabarete has over 20 years of experience in residential real estate and offers excellent options:

Mortgage Financing:

Casa Linda will provide vendor financing for your new villa with a minimum of 70% downpayment. You have the choice of making regular monthly mortgage payments yourself, or using rental income generated from your villa to make the payments. Casa Linda will provide vendor financing for your new villa with the following down payments and rates:
- 70% down 1.9%
- 80% down 0.9%
You can pay off your mortgage without penalty at any time.
Using Rental Income to Pay the Mortgage

This is a special program implemented by Casa Linda to assist buyers with the costs of purchasing. Casa Linda has a robust rental program with high occupancy rates. Income earned from your villa will be used to pay monthly mortgage costs as well as monthly expenses for the villa. You will have use of your villa as outlined above, and can certainly rent it back from Casa Linda should you want more time.

Fly & Buy

If you decide to purchase a new villa with Casa Linda, the developer will reimburse you $1,300 US to use toward the cost of your flight to the Dominican. If you have rented a Casa Linda holiday villa during your stay, the developer will also reimburse you the cost of the rent on the villa. You will only be responsible for the cost of any utilities used during your stay.

Free Stay During Construction

Your villa construction will take from three to six months. While it is being built, you can stay in one of the developers rental villas for free. The cost of the rent will be waived; you will only be responsible for the price of utilities.

Family & Friends

Buying your tropical home in Casa Linda with your family and friends makes it very affordable for everyone. This buying program is a great opportunity to own your new caribbean villa and begin to enjoy the caribbean life.
- lower purchase price (reduced capital outlay)
- lower monthly expenses

Special Financing for Canadian Buyers

With today’s weak Canadian dollar Casa Linda has implemented a new finance program for the Canadian market to help off-set the impact of the unfavourable exchange rate. This purchase strategy works by leveraging the financing offered by the developer so that you are only paying for 70% of the purchase price. While using your rental income earned in USD to pay all your monthly expenses and your financing payments (no further payments are required). More Information see our blog Developer Financing for Canadian Buyers.

For more information please feel free to reach me at [email protected]

Developer Financing for Canadian Buyers of Dominican Republic Real Estate

February 4, 2016investmentaffordable, buying second home, canadian buyers, casa linda, dominican republic real estate, financing, income, invest, occupancy, residential, vacation rentalswildefire

Developer Financing for Canadian Home Buyers – Dominican Republic

Casa Linda Casita, 2 bedroom with full kitchen

If you are a Canadian overseas property buyer I know you are concerned about the unfavourable exchange rate at this time. In the past year the Canadian dollar (CAD) has dropped against the US dollar (USD) to a 13-year low at one point. Not the ideal situation for purchasing your Caribbean home. But don’t hit the pause button yet.

During a recent meeting with one of our developers Eric Sandmael, President and CEO of Casa Linda Residential. Eric discussed a new finance program for the Canadian market to help off-set the impact of the unfavourable exchange rate. This purchase strategy works by leveraging the financing offered by the developer so that you are only paying for 70% of the purchase price. While using your rental income earned in USD to pay all your monthly expenses and your financing payments (no further payments are required).

Why Will This Financing Work?

This will work for several reasons.

Today the Dominican Republic has the largest tourism market in the Caribbean. “The number of international tourists visiting the Dominican Republic grew an impressive 8% between January – November 2015, compared to same period in 2014.” Also “according to Central Bank figures, more than four million international visitors traveled to the DR through the country’s various international airports” AccessDR

Another important reason is the DR has a strong economy with a GDP growing from January 2013 (2.9%) to January 2015 (6.6%). Refer to Wildefire’s Retire or “Unretire” Blog

Next is Casa Linda’s twenty successful years of experience in the vacation rental sector. They have an excellent on-line booking system as well as an international marketing program. They offer high rental occupancies at rental rates between $125 – $550 per night and are also well represented on sites like Expedia, Trip Advisor, Travelocity, etc.

Developer Canadian Financing Program:

70% Buyer pays only downpayment in USD
30% Balance financed by developer at 1.9% interest
Your monthly rental income in USD to pay for the balance of your purchase
Villa must be in Casa Linda’s rental program
No payout penalty
In case of disaster resulting in shortfall of rental revenue the buyer will have to pay a minimum pre-agreed amount per month in USD.

Here is the Scenario:

Villa Sunset, 2 bedroom (including lot, villa, pool, landscaping)

Purchase Price $ 126,900 US
Buyer Pays $ 88,830 US
Balance Owing $ 38,070 US **

** Remaining balance owing will be paid off by monthly USD rental revenues generated by your villa – no further out of pocket expense.

This special Canadian financing program applies to all villas offered by Casa Linda.

For more detailed information on rental revenue, expenses, net income or ROI email at [email protected]

How Can I Afford to Buy a Caribbean Home?

July 31, 2015investment, RetirementAfford, affordability, cabarete, canadian real estate investment magazine, Casa Linda Residencial, Casa Linda Residential, dominican republic, expats, gatedcommunity, guarantee, homes, invest, investment property, properties, rental income, retirement, Sosua, villaswildefire

How Can I Afford to Buy A Caribbean Home?

Does this sound familiar? “If I win the lottery I am going to buy a home somewhere in the caribbean.” Maybe for some, but not for all. It sure was a comment I made once or twice. Especially true while relaxing on a sunny beach in the Dominican Republic … “How can I afford to buy a home here – there must be a way?”

Let me tell you a short story

After several years vacationing in the resort destinations of Punta Cana and Samana; we decided to travel and spend some time in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. We understood Puerto Plata, in particular Cabarete and Sosua, had a large established expat community which meant amenities and services that you won’t necessarily find anywhere else in the Caribbean. Also the prices of properties in the Dominican were the least expensive compared to other islands which makes the perfect place for retirement.

Feeling a bit deflated

We spent several days looking at properties in our price range and soon began to feel a bit deflated. Either the location wasn’t right; or the size too small (had to be big enough for 3 large dogs); or it was a bit of a fixer upper, no thanks – been there done that! Finally we were introduced to Casa Linda Residencial, a gated community located between two popular beach destinations, Cabarete and Sosua. As we drove through the neighbourhood we immediately liked the “feel” of the development. The properties varied from small cute villas to beautiful larger size homes. The grounds were well manicured with mature trees, tropical flowers and a distinct “pride of ownership”. We were excited! Now the big question – can we afford to buy a home here?

Developer explains options

During our meeting with the developer he explained to us about their rental guarantee program. Casa Linda has been in business for 20 successful years and has an on-site rental management program. You can buy and own a new home today that could be placed in the rental program. The program will guarantee 6-10% of the purchase price in the annual rental income for the first two years. Also we could use the home as often as we like for our personal use – lock up and leave. We clearly liked the idea of this program. If we purchased a home today we could place it in the rental program and overtime have it pay for itself. This was good news. We also had options to choose from with Casa Linda. First, they offered low starting prices (Villa Verano $119,800 US), second was developer financing and third was the rental-guarantee program; guess what? We bought our caribbean home!

Solutions for everyone

After hearing about Casa Linda’s options, my sister purchased her dream caribbean home. A beautiful six-bedroom Villa Tranquila with room enough for the whole family to enjoy. The home has been in the rental-guarantee program close to one year and already paying for itself. It was the right solution at the right time. No need to worry about being a landlord, Casa Linda takes care of everything.

“He has made what could be a very difficult, frustrating experience very streamlined. He has the answers to all our questions before we even asked them” – from testimonials

Next, I met a couple at the Puerto Plata airport getting ready to leave the DR. It was actually someone I had worked with back in Toronto for many years and they had no idea I was now selling properties in the North Coast. Disappointingly they explained they were looking for a retirement home in the Sosua area however had no luck with their agent. I had the solution and explained about Casa Linda’s options. Guess what? It happened, they now have purchased their caribbean retirement home and are extremely happy!

“demoralized I bumped into Rich who I have known and trusted for many years. He guided us through every aspect of buying a home in the DR including lawyers, architects and developers and now we are building our retirement home on Casa Linda. Getting our piece of paradise was really easy thanks to Rich.” – from testimonials

Living in Casa Linda

Today you will find many North Americans living in Casa Linda. Some owners have purchased two homes. The first home as their residence while the second as a source for rental income – excellent investment opportunity. Whether retiring in a cute two-bedroom villa or buying a family vacation retreat, we have solutions.

Casa Linda has been our home for three years and we thoroughly enjoy living in the caribbean and all that is has to offer. I hope my story may help provide some insight or a solution to those thinking “How can I afford to buy a home in the caribbean?”

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Excellent ROI – Villa Verano

June 24, 2015investmentbuy, DominicanRepublic, gated community, invest, property, rental income, retirement, ROIwildefire

Excellent Investment

What makes this a great real estate investment?

Minimal capital investment with unique developer financing
No monthly payments – all expenses including financing paid for out of rental income
Fully managed rental program generating an excellent ROI
Well established reputable developer. Gated community has been in existence for 20 years
Excellent location, 10 minutes from airport, minutes from world class beaches and restaurants and large ex pat community
Full ownership. No rent to own and no time share.
Perfect solution for retirement home!

Residencial Casa Linda

Casa Linda Residencial is renown as one of the best villa developments on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. For 20 years it has successfully provided North Americans with beautiful villas (200 villas constructed to date), 24-hour gated security, onsite administration department and internationally marketed rental program. Also winner of the Caribbean Gold Coast Award 2014. Casa Linda offers financing up to 50% of purchase price of any new construction villa.

Villa Verano – New 2 bedroom design

Casa Linda’s new Villa Verano design is made to let in tropical views and sunshine, windows and patio doors make up the entire back wall of the villa. The open plan great room features a living room and kitchen that lead directly to the ample covered terrace. The DR is about outside living and letting the outside in – this villa is perfect. The bedrooms are on either side of the villa, providing nice separation and privacy. Each has its own full bath.

Villa Verano Features:

Sells for $119,800 USD
2 bedroom/2bathroom home – 915 sq. ft.
Includes 6,000 gallon swimming pool with technical building
Fully landscaped yard
Lot size 350 m2 – approx. 65 ft wide x 60 ft deep (Select from available lots)

Casa Linda Unique Financing – Excellent ROI

Casa Linda is now offering a unique financing program which has an excellent ROI and designed to protect Canadians from exchange rate fluctuations. This modest style villa is perfect for an investment property or your Caribbean retirement home.

Financing Program:

Minimum 60% down payment or $71,880 USD (Sells for $119,800 USD)
No credit check required
No further payments required (financing payments and monthly expenses will be taken from rental income)
Financed over 5 years or 10 years

Interest Rate:

60% down payment 4.50% – Use 2 wk. (1 wk. peek and 1 wk. non-peak)
70% down payment 2.95% – Use 3 wk. (1.5 wk. peek and 1.5 wk. non-peak)
80% down payment 2.50% – Use 4 wk. (2 wk. peek and 2 wk. non-peak)

For more information click on Villa Verano

Buying a home in Casa Linda Residencial makes for an excellent real estate investment today either for a vacation property, retirement or a wonderful community to live.