Land Purchasing Lessons and First Project on CasaTierra
Since purchasing this land initially, I've gained extensive knowledge, almost feeling like an expert on essential considerations before buying land. Initially unfamiliar with the land acquisition process here in the Dominican Republic, I made several errors and relied on individuals whom I believed had my best interests at heart, only to realize they didn't. This led me through both a blessing and a nightmare. Thankfully, my ancestors removed those individuals from my life, prompting me to educate myself on rectifying the situation.
What situation am I referring to? The situation involves purchasing land with a mother title covering multiple parcels, with the deceased owner and subsequent buyer also deceased. The sellers, sons of the buyer, complicated matters. It took me two years to find a suitable lawyer due to the slow and suspicious actions of the other party.
One of the main issues in this country and in this town is that Land titling is uncommon here because people, especially our elders and ancestors, do not keep records of their lands/properties. This makes sense to me, given that paperwork and lawful processes are not our ancestral practices but something we have to do because of capitalism and white supremacy. People avoiding undergoing due diligence to have their paperwork straight often results in potential land loss, even if they have homes built on them.
Because of this pattern or practice, you can imagine I haven’t wanted to do much with the land I purchased in early 2022. While I have taken action and steps toward realizing my vision, I had not felt comfortable or safe to put any more material investment into the actual plot of land. Recently, I embarked on a personal and communal transformation journey where one of my intentions was to release fear rooted in systems of oppression. One of my traumas from being younger is dealing with men in power because of my history with them abusing their power through grooming and harassment. So whenever I have to deal with men in power, it takes me a long time to muster up the courage.
Through this three-week experience I signed up for, I was able to create practices in my life and have community accountability to face my fear and be brave enough to handle this important business. I leaned on my chosen family made up of strong Dominican women here in Cabarete and found myself a capable lawyer who gave me very defined and clear steps as to what I need to do to get my title for this land. I was also able to create an alliance with my next-door neighbor, who also bought land from the same family and is under a similar scenario as me. I say similar because he is a pastor of a church, and churches in this country don’t experience the same vigilance that private homes/properties do. And so, I have been able to take steps to navigate the challenges.
As I took this huge step and released fear, I also opened myself up to the possibility of bringing my vision to real life. I initiated actions on my vision, starting with fencing the lot, installing doors and solar panel charged cameras – a significant step for me! I was able to have more firsts in this rematriation and land ownership journey as I consulted with builders to get quotes, managed expenses of building material, and oversaw the job. I also had to act like I knew more than I did (HAHA), affirm my leadership among a crew of Dominican men, and continue mustering up bravery and faith. Behold, my first project: a real fence!
