Originally Posted by
Rubicon
When the buyers informed me that they'd be happy to deposit the 3 million pesos into my account last Monday I thought it odd that they didn't ask for some type of Agreement or Contract to formalize the transfer of monies or to acknowledge what it was for but, hey, I'm not going to turn down almost 80k. Keeping in mind that this is the DR and most things never go smoothly, they called me Monday afternoon to say they needed a contract before transferring the money.
Tuesday morning I went to see an attorney (he's actually a pretty knowledgeable guy, who also spoke a fair amount of English) and by later that afternoon the contract was finished. Prior to hiring him I asked him what the cost of the contract would be and he told me 1% of the total amount. Hmm, ok, a quick calculation and we're talking roughly $800.00. So, after finalizing the contract and being told by the buyers they would transfer the money later that afternoon, I went back to the apartment with the attorney and Dominican buddy to get the money to pay the attorney, the attorney says he's going to make me a deal. (ANYTIME someone in the DR says they're going to make a deal with you, watch yourself.)
His offer to me was that I could pay him 62,900 pesos now for the whole deal (the whole deal including handling the final closing). I laughed. It's a habit I've developed when dealing with Dominicans. I asked him why in hell would I pay him for work that he had not yet done, and what would happen if I did pay him now and he died tomorrow? Then he started with, "well you can pay........" I said no, I'll pay you what I OWE you now for the work that you've done now, and no more. He backed off pretty quickly and said he would accept what is owed to him now.
In this country you will be tested on an almost daily basis, from the guy on the street to the doctors and attorneys at the higher levels of society. Damned near everyone is prepared to separate you from more money than you owe. Of course, you pretty much expect it from the so-called lower dregs of society, but not so much the professional class. BUT, when it comes to money, treat 'em all the same.
Anyhow, the 3 million pesos has been transferred and now sits safely in my bank account. The buyers have said they should be able to pay off the balance within the next 3 months. Assuming that all works out, that just gets the weight of the house off my shoulders and simplifies my time there, and away from there. Now, I just need to get rid of the moto, which will leave me with my pasola, Jeep, and my apartment, and I'm good. I'll start to feel like I can go back to being a bit more of a tourist and vacationing more when I'm there, than spending more time doing the homeowner shit..
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