December 2008 Ocean Star Estates Update

Dear Ocean Star Estates Property Owners,

I recently returned from a successful trip to our Ocean Star Estates development in the Dominican Republic. There is a lot of activity going on not only with the infrastructure, but with laying the groundwork for those of you who are planning on building soon. We would love to hear from you regarding your plans for your property, and would appreciate your response to the following short survey when you have the opportunity:

1. I intend to begin building on my property by ____________.
2. I don't intend to build on my property, but instead plan to offer it for resell by ____________.
3. I plan to build a ____________ single-family residence / ____________ duplex / ____________ multi-family unit or condo (phase II only).
4. I am currently in the planning phase of building (e.g., soil stability tests, architectural plans). ____________ yes / ____________ no

OSE Infrastructure Update

Initial roads were cut in Phase I in August 2008, and currently plans required for permitting have been submitted. The required permitting is currently being obtained to finish the roads to a hard gravel surface, and we have obtained a temporary work permit to enable us to continue to work until the final permit arrives. 

 

The roads in Phase I will be finalized as soon as the water and electricity is installed. We have received the water civil plans, and are currently reviewing the water quotes.  The water plans will be submitted to the electrical engineer so that electrical drawings can be made.  We will then request electrical quotes.  After receipt and acceptance of both a water and electrical quote, the water and electrical infrastructure will begin and will be installed simultaneously.  We will then begin final preparations for the road infrastructure in Phase I.  This will include cutting the roads to grade and then adding drainage ditches made of rock and concrete. Initially, the roads will have several layers of hard compacted gravel. 

 

The roads in Phase I will then be finalized.  Final paving will consist of asphalt.  The roads will be paved after the basic infrastructure is completed to avoid tearing them up with heavy equipment.

 

Please visit our site at http://www.oceanstarestates.com/construction-update.html for further information on the infrastructure.

 

Guide to Home Building

 

You've purchased your lot and now you are ready to begin building, but where do you start? The building process below will be your guide to getting you started on the construction of your new investment. 

 

1.  Contact our U.S. office at info@oceanstarestates.com to let her know of your desire to begin the building process.

 

2.  If necessary (e.g., your lot is situated on a steep incline) or desired, soil stability testing can be done to ensure proper building on your lot. We can arrange for a quote to be done, and the work subsequently performed. The cost for the testing is roughly US $500 for a 1000 square meter lot (the cost will vary by lot size, as that determines the number of drills to be done). The turnaround time from a request for a quote to test results is approximately 3 weeks. There is an additional fee to have the results translated into English, which will take approximately 2 to 3 additional weeks.

 

3. Review the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions Governing the Ocean Star Estates Development in Luperon, Dominican Republic on our website at http://www.oceanstarestates.com/covenant-restrictions.html to ensure that no building guidelines will be violated by your architectural plans.

4. Develop architectural plans for your building. Approved floorplans are available on the OSE website at http://www.oceanstarestates.com/architect-drawings.html. These floorplans can be customized or you may design your own. Architectural plans must be consistent with the exterior design theme of the Ocean Star Estates development, the Spanish-Mediterranean architectural style, and must be approved by the Architectural Control Committee (the ACC; i.e., Ocean Star Estates, LLC).

5.  All architectural plans for your building, including but not limited to civil, structural, electrical and water plans, must be drawn up and submitted to the ACC for approval. These plans must be notarized by a licensed engineer or licensed architect. 

 

6.  Once all of the required documents are submitted to the ACC and approved, they will be submitted to the appropriate Dominican Republic government offices for approval and for receipt of permits. The government offices are the following: (1) Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (CODIA); (2) City Hall in Luperon; and (3) Tourism office. This process will be taken care of by the construction company with a signed authorization by the client. The cost to obtain the permits is approximately 3% to 5% of the cost of the house.

 

You can find more information on our website at http://www.oceanstarestates.com/home_building.html.

 

Luperon Sales Office

 

Our Sales Manager Humberto Metz Sosa has been working very hard to get our new sales office in Luperon set up, and we anticipate that we will be open for business in January 2009.

 

Stay tuned for a new look on our website in January! We would welcome any testimonials related to your purchase of a lot at Ocean Star Estates, and/or your tour of the development and the Dominican Republic, for posting on our website.

P.S. These updates are archived on our website at http://www.oceanstarestates.com/newsletter.html.