How to Buy Property Safely in the Dominican Republic

• Use an attorney escrow account. Funds should sit in your own independent attorney's escrow account — not paid directly to the seller — and only released against completed, verified milestones (clear title, completed construction stage, final registration).
• Never pay more than roughly 10% before due diligence is complete. Large upfront payments before title verification are the single most common way buyers lose money outright.
• Use traceable payment methods only. Wire transfers through established banks — never cash, and never transfers to a personal account rather than a verified escrow or corporate account.
• Condition payments on clear title and construction progress. Your Promise of Sale should explicitly tie each payment to a verified milestone, not simply a calendar date.
• Hold back funds until the title is clear. A retention or hold-back clause — releasing final funds only once your new Certificate of Title is confirmed — is standard, reasonable protection, not an insult to the seller.

This means literally anyone can print business cards and call themselves an agent, regardless of training, experience, or ethics. Some "companies" are little more than a website. The single best protection is working with a professional who has an actual, verifiable, long-term track record here — not just a confident pitch.

• Verify a physical office — a legitimate agency operates from a real, visitable location, not just a phone number and a social media page.
• Request references from recent foreign buyers, not just testimonials curated for a website.
• Confirm their RNC (Dominican tax ID) and general standing — a real business is properly registered with the tax authority.
• Check how long they've actually operated in the specific area you're buying in — years of continuous local presence is one of the few reliable proxies for legitimacy in an unlicensed market.