There can be a wide range of prices for similar homes, because the location of a home is very important, Mr. Parekh said.

“The big thing in real estate here is we have a huge power problem in the country,” he said. “And the villas that are inside gated, properly-managed communities command premium prices, because there you have access to the backup generator system, and you don’t have to worry about water supply or the utilities. Everything is fully managed for you — though that comes at a price.”

In the Cabarete area, an oceanfront condominium in a central location would start at about $120,000, and the same condo in a hotel-style development with services and amenities would start at about $250,000, Mr. Parekh said. A 6,000-square-foot oceanfront home would typically range between $1,700 and $2,500 a square meter, or $158 to $232 a square foot, Mr. Holden said. (Though the Dominican Republic has its own currency, many real estate listings and transactions are in United States dollars.)

WHO BUYS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

A large portion of the foreign home buyers in the Dominican Republic are from the United States and Canada, but there are also a lot of buyers from Venezuela, and European buyers from countries like Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland, Mr. Holden said. Most recently there has been an influx of Russian home buyers, he said.

BUYING BASICS

There are no restrictions on foreign home buyers in the Dominican Republic, but they should hire a local lawyer to assist them in the transaction, brokers said. Lawyers typically charge about 1 percent of the home’s sale price, though that can be negotiated for more expensive homes, and will do a title search to make sure the property’s title is free and clear, said Alfredo A. Guzmán, a partner at the law firm Guzmán Ariza who works in the Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and La Romana offices.

Besides legal fees, home buyers typically pay about 3.1 percent in transfer tax and various fees, he said.

Mr. Guzmán said one thing potential buyers should be aware of is a tourism law offering the first buyers (those purchasing from the developer) in certain developments an exemption from paying the 3 percent transfer tax and 15 years of property taxes.