José Arias and Ana María Ramos
El Inmobiliario
Jordi Díaz is a young Catalan entrepreneur who has set his sights, his heart, and his business plan on the Dominican Republic. He came to Quisqueya La Bella because his dream was to live the Caribbean life. He landed on Dominican shores. “To experience tourism, to live with this sun, to live with the climate,” says the general manager of Desarrollos Mystiq.
At 17 years old he visited the country and became "afisao" (fazed) by the eternal sun, the coconut trees waving in the wind, the turquoise color of the Creole beaches and its people.
“I fell in love with the Dominican Republic. And from then on I started looking for information in encyclopedias, because at that time the internet was obviously scarce.”.
In 2008, with the financial crisis engulfing Spain and the world, he packed his bags and came to the land of merengue to try his luck, arriving in 2009. He says he started a boat tour company and stayed in business for seven years. “I did very well, but tourism is a very risky business. Because you depend on good weather.”.
Leveraging his skills and passion for sales, he joined Plusval, where he excelled as a top-tier salesperson. “I love sales, I’m passionate about sales. It’s my essence, I enjoy it. And at Plusval, I really did very well as a salesperson, and that helped me a lot to start investing.”.
Net builder
Jordi Díaz has the blood of a builder running through his veins. He had been working in Spain for an electrical equipment rebuilding company, and with his father and uncle also involved in the sector, he thought it was time to take the plunge.
“I’ve always wanted to build things. But it was like, at the precise moment, I got together with my partner and proposed, ‘Why don’t we build things ourselves? We sell to other construction companies, why don’t we go back to our roots?’ My partner’s father is an engineer in Santo Domingo, my partner is an engineer, and my other partner also comes from the construction industry. My whole family is involved in construction,” Díaz recounts, his voice filled with emotion.
This is how Desarrollos Mystiq was born, a company that is currently building the Mystic Bay project of 80 apartments within the White Sands complex, Bávaro, which is completely sold out, and they have already launched Mystic Wave, on the adjacent land, with 96 units.
His first project highlights that its main focus was on amenities, offering its buyers an oasis-type pool that connects with all the apartments on the first level.
“The Dominican Republic has a very positive appeal both nationally and internationally for investment. Besides building, I also buy and sell apartments. And it's really very attractive in terms of access to banks and the benefits that owning a home or apartment here offers,” explains the Catalan.
Jordi Díaz. (Fidel Pérez / El Inmobiliario).
He adds that the incentives offered by the country have boosted the Dominican Republic beyond its borders, "helping foreigners to be able to buy a property very affordably.".
“That is, at a financial level, at a fiscal level, at a documentation level. And that has meant that the Dominican Republic, apart from being a tourist destination, has also become a tourist destination for investors,” he explains.
His Dominican wife, Raquel Salas, joined him nine years ago on his Caribbean adventure, and he says she has become his support and pillar of strength. “She’s the first one to tell me, ‘Go for it, I’m here to help you with whatever you need.’ So she’s been a great support for my marriage and the investments I’m making.”.
This Catalan man is so fascinated with the Dominican Republic that he says when he goes to Spain he misses the warmth of the local culture and even "feels ill." "I love the Dominican Republic, I like it a lot, it has so many opportunities... it just has something that... it's captivating.".
And if you had to define the Dominican Republic, what would you say? “A wonderful country. I literally love the Dominican Republic. I’ve been here for 15 years and, as they say here, I’m not moving.”.
Article originally published in the 9th edition of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
