Dominican Republic

Most Caribbean markets are small islands where every plot is priced against a finite coastline. The Dominican Republic is not. It has mountains, a capital city of real size, farmland, a north coast with a windsurfing history and a southeast coast built around resorts. Supply is deep and varied, and entry prices reflect an economy not driven by foreign buyers alone.

Who buys here

Two distinct groups. One wants a resort condo in a managed development on the southeast coast, flies in through Punta Cana, and treats it as a winter base. The other looks inland or along the north coast for a house at a price that buys far less elsewhere in the region. Villas, condos and apartments all trade in volume.

The trade-offs

The country sits in the hurricane corridor, and the south and east coasts take the exposure. Build quality varies far more than in the smaller territories — a developer’s track record matters more than the brochure. Spanish is the working language of every transaction, and outside the resort corridors English is not a given. Resale can be slow where a developer is still selling new units next door.