Why I Haven't Made Videos Outside Of The Dominican Republic?

A lot of people know me from my videos on Youtube about the Dominican Republic. I have made an extensive amount of top tier content about different cities in the DR such as Santo Domingo, Las Terrenas, Puerto Plata and especially Sosua. 

But a question I get often when I am doing a live video on Youtube or from my comments section is when I am going to do videos about another country. 

That makes sense because my channel is a travel channel, but I don't really travel outside of the Dominican Republic that much. (Even though I did make a video in Tijuana, Mexico not too long ago.) 

There are three main reasons why I haven't travelled outside of the DR to make content which are: still so much more to explore in the country, desire to invest in the DR, continue to create deeper relationships in the country. 

Dominican Republic Is So Much More Than Just Sosua  

A personal goal of mine is to show more than just Sosua or the popular places in the Dominican Republic. 

Even though the country is 202 times smaller than the United States as a whole and only 39.8% of the size of New York, there are enough beautiful places and intriguing cultural aspects of the DR that could last a lifetime of discovery. 

I'm not the type of videographer or Youtuber that hops from one country to the next making videos here there and everywhere. I really enjoy the DR as a place to live and also as a place to make content. 

Obviously the beautiful women of Sosua help draw views and subscribers to my channel, but I really want to show that there is beauty all over the country and not just in the northern province of Puerto Plata. 

Investing In The Dominican Republic  

If I could visit three countries in Latin America today it would probably be Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica. Even though I have been to Costa Rica before, but there are some people there I want to see again. 

However one of the main reasons why I haven't gone to some of those places yet is because I have a goal to buy real estate in the Dominican Republic. 

Being able to own property in a country that is the most visited nation in the Caribbean and has an extremely high ceiling for growth in regards to business is a great opportunity. 

Relationships In The DR  

Outside of the beautiful beaches and different fun activities there are to do in the Dominican Republic, one of the main reasons I enjoy going back is because I have begun to build different type of relationships. 

With my style of content being able to work with a core group of people is everything and even more importantly, being able to trust those people to a certain extent is even more crucial. 

When people think of a travel channel, most will think of exploring many different countries. But also a part of travel is exploring the culture and the people in that culture. 

Fortunately I have been blessed to have enough time to get to know locals in the Dominican Republic in a way that I am able to share a part of their story and opinions on topics that other wise people may not see or hear. 

 

Apartment Hunting In Sosua, Dominican Republic

Recently I got back from my two week trip to the Dominican Republic. I was really happy to be able to make videos again and get into that mode. 

But what I'm even happier about that I was able to get done on the trip was checking out some apartments that I had previously been looking at online. 

I visited three different physical properties in Sosua  and one realtor who had two projects that would be completed in 2025 in Puerto Plata. 

During those visits there are a couple of noteworthy things that I learned and observed. 

African Americans Run Sosua 

The first property I visited was called Carnival Apartments located right across from Hotel Europa.  

I was attracted to that place because the prices were very low. They had apartments between USD $25,000 - $45,000. 

But when I saw the apartments I realized why they were that low. They weren't really bad necessarily, but it lacked a certain quality. They almost seemed like man caves, which is fine, but something about it I just know I wouldn't want to invite any chicas back to that spot.  

Something that I did take away from that visit though was a conversation with the real estate agent and the owner of the property. 

For whatever reason we were talking about the diversity of Sosua and the real estate agent commented that some 20 or 30 years ago there were more Europeans pumping money into Sosua, but that now it's the black Americans who are really keeping Sosua afloat. 

Having lived in Sosua for 7 months in 2022 that statement didn't really surprise me, but was reassuring in the sense that as a black man it is a great time to invest in Sosua and Puerto Plata, because it is becoming more of a haven for African Americans everyday. 

25k - 40k For A Nice One Is A Wobbler 

The second property I visited was Hotel Plaza Europa. When I met the real estate agent she informed me  that the apartment that she was going to show me just had been sold that day. 

The place she was going to show me was basically like a room more than a studio or apartment, but the asking price was USD $45,000. 

However there was another studio available in the same building for $55,000. So I checked it out and it was way better than the first property mostly just because it was cleaner, put together better, and I'd definitely feel okay having a chica or two come over.  

Now the price of 55k in the Dominican Republic is high for a studio apartment. You can definitely find a two or three bedroom place for that price, but that's more of in the real local areas. 

Overall just from what I learned from the real estate agents I talked to the cheaper apartments for purchase in the Puerto Plata and Sosua area are going to be around the price range of 45 - 70k. 

 You can find some great places under that price range, but those properties will probably be in more local areas. 

Personally, if I was looking to buy a place because I want to live in that property for a long time it wouldn't really matter if it was in a local spot or near more foreigners. 

But right now I am looking for a spot that can eventually build some passive income so location is everything. 

Playa Dorada 

The last bit of noteworthy information that I gleamed from one of the real estate agents is that Playa Dorada is definitely the place to buy in Puerto Plata. 

She told me the market was kind of stagnant two or three years ago, but that right now properties are selling like hot cakes. 

I didn't exactly ask her why that was the case, but I imagine with other real estate markets around the world and particularly in the US not looking so great, there are more people looking to purchase quality property for a cheaper price abroad. 

Playa Dorada is a great spot, because it's its own great and gated community in one of the best cities to live in in the Dominican Republic.