“Money is one of my languages, real estate is a dialect, and the islands are one of my tongues.”
Are you dreaming of waking up to the sound of the ocean, or perhaps you’re looking for a strategic investment that pays for itself while you’re back in the States? In this episode of Exit Strategies Radio Show, host Corwyn J. Melette sits down with Kathy Colon, the Founder and CEO of Nova Lux DR Properties.
Kathy bridges the gap between public health expertise and luxury Caribbean real estate. She shares how her boutique firm specializes in “wellness-focused” properties and why the Dominican Republic is currently the “crown jewel” of Caribbean investment. Whether you are planning for retirement, seeking a vacation home, or looking for high-yield short-term rental opportunities, this episode provides the roadmap to making the island life a reality.
Key Takeaways
- 03:26 The Nova Lux Difference: Kathy explains her unique approach to real estate, focusing on health, wellness, longevity, and “aging in place” criteria for every property she vets.
- 04:37 Geography 101: A quick breakdown of the Dominican Republic’s location in the Caribbean and why its size and proximity to Puerto Rico and Cuba make it a central hub.
- 07:45 The “Wellness Checklist”: Why Kathy uses a strict public health lens to select properties and how it protects investors looking for long-term value.
- 09:23 Navigating the Buying Process: From vetting communities to handling the “daunting” legal aspects, Kathy describes how her boutique firm curates a list tailored to your lifestyle (golf, beach, or mountains).
- 12:05 The Power of Pre-Construction: How international buyers can benefit from 15-year tax exemptions (CONFOTUR) and see immediate equity growth of 30-40% by the time a project is completed.
- 13:51 Stress-Free Transactions: Why you don’t have to worry about currency exchange (transactions are in USD) and how to navigate financing with international banks like Scotiabank.
- 16:11 Hands-Off Investing: A look at the “Rental Pool” model where major brands like Wyndham manage maintenance and cleaning while you collect a return on investment (ROI).
- 22:41 The Next “Big Thing” in the DR: Kathy reveals why Cap Cana is the best-kept secret and where celebrities like Alex Rodriguez are putting their money.
The Legacy Building Moment
In a powerful moment of reflection, Kathy shares that Nova Lux was born from a personal place of care. While caring for a loved one, she realized that real estate isn’t just about four walls; it’s about longevity and generational living. She discusses how to choose properties that allow families to “age in place,” ensuring that the home you buy today remains a functional sanctuary for your parents, yourself, and your children for decades to come.
Connect with Kathy:
- Website: www.novaluxdrproperties.com
- Instagram: @novaluxdrproperties
- Email: Kathy@novaluxdrproperties.com
- Phone: 917-419-9090
Connect with Corwyn:
- Contact Number: 843-619-3005
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmelette/
Shoutout to our Sponsor: Country Boy Homes
Do you remember your grandma’s front porch? You know that spot where stories were told, kisses were stolen, and sweet tea was always being sipped. Now imagine giving your family a place to make those same memories, but in a brand new, energy-efficient, and home that was built just for you. At Country Boy Homes, we help folks just like you find that forever feeling.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/corwyn-j-melette/support
CORWYN:
So I want you all to have a vision and a desire. I mean a hunk. I mean so much so in your gut that you have a desire for better I want y’all rights now to pay attention So we gonna be talking about real estate in the dominican republic I am like yes, let’s do it because you know that money is one of my languages Real estate is as a dialect and the islands is one of my tongues
Good morning, good morning and great morning to you guys. Welcome to another fabulous episode of Exit Strategies Radio Show. Hey, I am your host Corwyn J Melette, broker and owner of Exit Realty Lowcountry Group in beautiful North Charleston, South Carolina. Hey, if this is your first time listening to this show You sir or ma’am are in for a treat because our mission is very simple that is to empower our community through financial literacy and real estate education guys with legacy building. That’s what we do I always got to give a shout out to those who listen to us faithfully from hollywood What you know, no good all the way up through monkey’s corner. My mama live out there y’all Elder pastor van a bit of a senior got to give them a shout out love them dearly You know, I just got to put that senior on that thing because those who know me well and any of you that know him Know that he will jack you up if you don’t put that senior on that thing. I love that guy for that Very pressable guy got to give a shout out those listen to us in muddy mullins, mary county guys Thank y’all so much for tuning in and those who tune in no matter where you are around the globe You guys are always blowing my mind while giving me heart palpitations Just how much love that you guys have for the content and for what we’re putting out here Now i’m super excited about today’s show if I was a little bit my worries kind of you know Start jumbling and going together and all that stuff. I just want y’all to know and see i’m over here already in my mind Like processing and like okay. I got a thousand questions and all this stuff. So I want you all To have a vision and a desire. I mean a hunger. I mean so much so in your gut That you have a desire for better I’d vote y’all rights now to pay attention So I am very very humble very honored That miss Kathy Colon took out time in her busy schedule to be here with us Now, let me tell you who Kathy is my Kathy is the founder and ceo Ceo, that means chief something right chief executive officer. Uh, Nova Lux DR Properties And we gonna be talking about real estate in the dominican republic I am like, yes, let’s do it because you know that money is one of my languages Real estate is as a dialect and the islands is one of my tongues. So let’s get it Kathy. How you doing today?
KATHY:
We’re doing fine Corwyn. How are you?
CORWYN:
I am phenomenal. So Kathy look I may have put too much on that bread I may have butted it up too much, but hopefully people don’t slide off the loaf All right, so look and tell our listeners who you are and what do you do at high level?
KATHY:
Certainly. Well first and foremost, I love your enthusiasm. I cannot wait for the questions I am Kathy Colon the ceo and founder of Nova Lux. Nova Lux is a small boutique curated focusing on health and wellness With specific criteria to buying property and investing second home vacation homes if you want to move there in the dominican republic Yes All right.
CORWYN:
So look first by the dr. So let’s start with that. Let’s make it simple because I mean sometimes people like well I want to vacation somewhere and this and that and blah blah blah blah
KATHY:
But why the dr I have roots there i’ve been spent every single summer with my grandparents on a farm When my father decided to retire he bought a house in the city in santiago And we went to go live with him for I did a few years of high school there And so dr has been such a big piece of my life my family’s life.
CORWYN:
I vacationed there going to love the island And yeah, okay So the dominican republic is I mean, obviously it’s in the caribbean. So it’s a small island in the caribbean, right? So if you don’t mind geographically, so, you know So some people probably right now probably got their phones out and started looking And pulling up a map and trying to find exactly where it is But if you could give where is it located as it relates to that particular corridor?
KATHY:
It’s located in the island of espanola, which is the spanish island right next to the right we have cuba And eight and puerto rico that we border with And so those are the four islands and jamaica not so far that are around us It’s so dominican republic is the second largest country in the caribbean The first one obviously being cuba and it’s substantially much larger.
CORWYN:
I mean it’s in size in puerto rico and Uh-huh So what I just heard is y’all call like bab in the middle of it all is what I just heard I love it. I love it. So You focus again. You guys are a boutique firm and so for those who may not be overly familiar with them and all those things Understand that boutique firm is when we’re specialized We we’re niched in this particular category or corridor and we’re not a massive company that serves everybody and everything But we focus on this particular this lifestyle like as you mentioned a little earlier now you guys focus on like a wellness piece So let’s turn over a little bit of dirt right there What do you mean by that when you speak about wellness as far as homes that you sell on that? Let’s take a short break.
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KATHY:
So Sure, so I think I should backtrack a little bit more just so the audience knows a little bit more about me So I am a public health professional i’ve been in health care for over 20 years And so I have an executive and masters of public health also an mba all specifically focused business in health care So I look at the world from a health care lens and so Why wellness because I was caring for a loved one and I was going between the dr and new york to care for this Loved one and so we started staying in a lot of different villas and we fell in love with the villas And so we were trying to figure out where to buy how to buy what to do but then I wanted to integrate the component of care of generational living as well as What are some of the things that you want beat someone’s life? So looking at it from a longevity perspective And an aging in place So that’s why the Nova Lux was created to solve these problems. How do you age in place? What are the criteria? What do I look for? And so I developed this checklist And I don’t take on any specific properties that don’t match the checklist
CORWYN:
interesting so Someone looking you know over my years i’ve bumped into people or ran into or know people that have this desire To when I retire i’m going to move to the dominica republic i’ll move to Caribbean wherever it may be i’ll move here or what have you so I mean how often are you servicing people? That are just completely relocating. They’re like, okay. Look my i’ve retired from work I don’t want to live in the states anymore. I want to live in a different environment I don’t want to live in the city Whatever it may be that may decide that dominica republic is where they’re going to be as far as a home base How often do you run into that and then what does that look like like as far as a process of purchasing a property in the dominican republic Sure, so I have many different scenarios.
KATHY:
I have people that are already retired, but their spouse is still working So they start to look I have people that are planning to kind of do it hybrid i’m retiring in five years. I want to build my booth now I’m gonna go down there and visit the other part of the time. I want to rent it out I also have like a million. Okay, i’m tired in 20 years and I want to buy this property and in the interim I’m gonna go there once a year for maybe two weeks at the top, but I want to have it rented out So there’s all different types of the spectrum I’m also finding that a lot of people are like sick of taxes And they want to find a better way that doesn’t like eat up all their cash And there’s so many different scenarios in between what’s the process like? The process when you haven’t been to vr or even if you have been like someone like myself It can be very daunting. Where do I go? Do I look you know, is this place trustworthy? Am I gonna find the right community? That’s right for me So what I do is I vet all of that out for you So by the time you come to me, I kind of want to gauge what you like what your interests are Do you like golf you’re at the beach? You’re at the mountains like civic living how often are you traveling like how important is community for you? Or do you not care just want to be a future? Do you want to like a more sustainable living? I gauge like timeline budget size all those different things and then I kind of narrow that’s why we’re boutique You have a curated selection I narrow it down and identify which projects will best fit this person and then I present them to the person Kind of a curated list and they’ll go through it and i’ll tell them all the reasons why I like this one for this reason and so They then do their own due diligence and research and Digest the information that I give them and they kind of come back to me with like I like these two Projects let’s dive deeper into this And so once they identify which one they want to go with if it’s already built we connect to the deposit connect with the lawyer And they need to do financing we get the bank involved and so that’s all available to you And a lot of people don’t know this
CORWYN:
So, let me start with one of the things that you just put on the back end of this Because that’s something that oftentimes we don’t think about Like how do you transact and do the transaction there? Meaning is it finance, etc? So I want to put this kind of throw this out Let’s assume and just so you know Kathy i’m talking for me if I want a property down there close to the beach I mean beach ocean views Maybe there’s mountains or what? I don’t care but let’s say something either on the ocean or with very nice views Around about what should I expect? Let’s just pick a product condo Detached whatever but what is that going to look like financially as far as in u.s And then the second thing is how do you do a transaction there because i’m assuming the currency differs So how are you doing the transaction there to acquire properties such as that?
KATHY:
Okay, so I can walk you through an example of a condo I’m gonna do different scenarios because different parts of the country depends where you buy too So if you go to punta cana, you’re going to pay premium price. It has the most developed infrastructure Everyone super high end. So that’s going to be a different price point than if we go to a different part of the country Okay, just as beautiful So a condo in punta cana right now. I have an amazing like ocean view fifth floor two beds two baths fully furnished You don’t have to pay taxes for 15 years with comfort toward tax exemption law for international buyers that buy over 200k And they you don’t have to pay the three percent transfer tax You don’t have to pay the one percent ep and then after the 15 year passes All you do pay one percent over anything that’s over 174 000. So it’s still minimal Your hoa fees will be two dollars per square meter which like on an 80 meter square Apartment unit will probably 160 While your apartment comes furnished end to end if you want it managed you have it managed something like that. It’s about 393 000 and by the time so this is a pre-construction example by the time it usually takes two to three years to build out This is pre-construction by the time it builds out. It is now increasing value between 30 to 40 percent although the Ocean view tends to do better like 50 but i’m conservative. So I’d rather say 35 So you have substantial equity. You could also rent it out. You have like a wingdom that manages it If you want to go visit and hang out and stay there for a month and a half You’re still going to do very well. So anywhere the roi will be anywhere between 60 12 Collectively from a pool of other people that are also buying and investing a villa Let’s just say just go to another part of the island go to the north coast A little there can make four beds four bathrooms 2500 square feet You’re looking at like 700 000 in an ocean in a gated community with everything like end to end that you can just walk with These like have your breakfast and coffee on the beach. You smell the ocean And the each oa sees they’re like three four hundred dollars and you ask about the transactions What is the transaction like all the currency is in dollars, but you take usb So there’s no exchange of money so they’re asking 300k it’s 300k and so the transactions are pretty I think you’re so funny. The transactions are pretty straightforward as I mentioned earlier You walk on your unit. There is a law firm Will be your contract due diligence make sure everything’s okay. They’ll do a title third you go through the bank the bank Usually takes there four to five months. It’s a super lengthy like our newest process. I like to work with scotia bank But you know that everything is going to be like 100% immaculate and same thing rates they fluctuate here. They fluctuate there They don’t do anything more than a five year Locked in interest rate after five years. They re-evaluate but the choice is entirely yours like for the condo The way that it works 5k to reserve 20% initially down then the 40% Like 259 000 will be paid out throughout the 36 months that your condo is being built and so The last 40 of them you owe can be financed or you can pay out of pocket so Let’s put this scenario in place.
CORWYN:
So let’s say that You want a property there that you can rent? Obviously short-term rent for let’s say you want to be there maybe let’s say three to four months less than six months a year Is that I mean from where you guys are or dr weather is is good all year long, right? I mean if I recall correctly, so is people go travel there throughout the entire year So I see a demand my assumption is it’s probably a greater demand in this peak seasons Maybe summer parts of summer then also maybe certain holidays, etc So my question is along that vein of in that situation a scenario. How easy is it to maintain? That property as a short-term rental. Are you able to get great rates and you know all that because that actually can help Or either pay for it for somebody where technically you’re living for free when you go. Does that sound about right?
KATHY:
100 yes, it all depends again what part of the country you buy in what your needs are what you like I’m going to use the condo example that we’ve been talking about so that one You don’t have to do anything like windom will handle it for you. You want to go there? Spend a month two months three months perfectly fine So what they essentially do is they put your apartment in a pool? So collectively however, the pool does Is your profit they also have a restaurant and a bar that if you’re a property owner you also make a profit from it’s like $285 a night they take care of everything from the cleaning if your furniture’s something happens to it So it essentially pays for itself as an example the windom roi for occupancy rate of like 45 Will guarantee like 23 000 for an occupancy of 65 will guarantee 9.2 Two percent roi which is like 36 000 and if they’re doing exceptionally well like 85 occupancy You can make like 50 000 over 12 percent roi
CORWYN:
So and we’re talking I mean the numbers that you’re giving on an annual basis, correct? But I mean and granted obviously we like to see the greatest return So if we assume on the higher end on a unit, I mean and you said profit out of the pool So that means that windom is basically taking care of everything the maintenance the upkeep and all of that and that’s the return that you’re getting Yes, so it’s a no-brainer Exactly.
KATHY:
So when investors call me they’re like I want to be Investing money. I don’t want to be involved. I have properties all over the world And i’m interested in the dr. I said I have the perfect Opportunity for you and this is what I present.
CORWYN:
This one is a no-brainer That is like okay look at man, look at my i’m over in my mind about blown like for real Because i’m in my mind thinking about it My imagination says there’s a few banks that really specialize in this type of properties. So I mean are they Us based are they based in the dr? What does that look like? And who typically? Is the lender or lender type? That sees this and does well with these types of transactions
KATHY:
So I mainly work with one bank And one bank only it’s scotia bank and they’re canadian based and they’re super strict Okay so now If you’re dominican citizen, or if you have like your social security number over there you can use any bank you fancy, but since I deal with a lot of United states buyers canadian buyers and like other parts of the world. This is the only bank that I use Makes sense because you fall in a relationship with them and it just works and can complete And I know it’s gonna go although they like want everything I’m doing this super due diligence. And so that makes me feel comfortable So someone who’s considering this right?
CORWYN:
Obviously, there’s always the pitfalls and there’s also great opportunities What are the things that someone who’s looking at either relocating? Or again, we have part in the states or just investing at all What do people need to know about buying a property in the dominican republic in general?
KATHY:
Kind of have to know what you like. Do you want to be close to an airport 12 minutes away? Do you not mind? Taking more of a drive like an hour and a half, but you’re going to be in someone that’s like completely it’s like Tulum or bali so knowing exactly what you like what your budget is and That can help me facilitate what to identify for you Just on what you love I had dad wants to relocate to the dominican republic and she’s moving by herself with her dog And she says I want nature. I want front row. I want our first floor I want to smell and hear the ocean when I wake up. I want to go to sleep because that’s what I have here So she’s very specific. So that will help me position like which property for her So knowing what you want what you like I can help gauge if like i’m a city person And I like nightlife and restaurants and I want to party. I know exactly where to put you to have that if you’re like I am like a ultra like executive and I want to be able to host and fly people in and have meetings here and have Retreats here exactly where to place you.
CORWYN:
I love that I love the element that you just added in there because we sometimes we don’t think about That particular piece of it as you said someone who may own a corporation or whatever and this is a place they like to visit or otherwise to vacation to And to have a residence there that they can then bring Their team into and hey, we’re gonna do this and we’re gonna all blah blah blah That is so cool. So neat. I love that concept so What else and just from you’ve been doing this for a while you have really focused and dialed in Somebody wants a particular thing. Obviously, you know where to put them but let’s talk about Like your favorite place like what part of the country is like your favorite place For that kind of brings in everything that culture everything else that you are like, that’s my jam So what part of the country is that?
KATHY:
Oh, that’s so hard. Oh, it’s so unfair. You can’t do that to me Okay.
CORWYN:
Well, hold on. So here’s my disclaimer. My disclaimer is we won’t hold you to it Because sometimes you got a favorite today and sometimes tomorrow. I want to be somewhere different So give us the favorites about them.
KATHY:
Okay You know, the beauty of dr is that it’s so different each town has like a different charm a different flair Like the food the people it has like a different magic. So I love santiago. I go to santiago I feel like I am home. However, since i’m a kid, I always go to the beach in the north coast so when I go to the beach in the north coast for me, it’s like A connection that’s very familiar and I love and it’s serene. It’s peaceful and each beach is so different So the north coast is absolutely stunningly gorgeous with white sand and the food is delicious I had not been to for Since it’s like six hours away from santiago five hours away from north coast But I started going more as I created noble locks because I needed to see the project feel the project beyond the ground Know what I was getting into meeting the developers I had a lot of time in punta cana and cap cana and to be completely honest with you steve. I am blown away I feel like the dr in cap cana It is like the best kept secret because if you see and you’re on the ground and you see what’s going on there You’re going to be like wow You have the most coveted names from europe That all are flocking down there. They want to build towers buildings And in the next five it’s growing so aggressively In the next five years the crown jewel of punta cana is cap cana It’s going to have 150 000 new units My inventory goes up every single month and i’m like, oh my god, not another price increase i’m negotiating something Here and my client’s gonna be like well tell them and so that puts me a little bit of a bind But what’s going on there growth beauty like the ioc the international olympics committee We hosted in punta cana for the first time ever So what’s nice is the united states has a good relationship with the dr Dr has a good relationship with the us. So that’s very helpful for the americans that want to feel comfortable going there I feel like it’s an extension punta cana and cap cana’s extension of like florida Right of what’s going on there? I mean not economically but I mean from a building perspective miami as such and then the other thing is Another best-kept secret is like last time that’s where I was talking about the 70 year old lady That’s is where alex rodriguez is investing a billion dollars And you have the saint regis the four seasons that just announced that they’re opening up So anyone that’s smart would buy in silver beach That is seven minutes away from where these things are being built and it’s an hour and a half from the airport So are you comfortable doing that some people like I don’t care simple like no way I would say those are my top four picks
CORWYN:
So Kathy, we’re quickly getting to the end of today’s show So how can people get in contact with you and thank you for that nugget? So look, I don’t know if y’all caught that listeners But look here wherever the ritz and the four seasons is those places to help help you not only change your address But they’ll change your bank account So y’all want to get close to that? So you try to get to the full season looking you can get to the fifth season of quote-unquote financial wellness right then But Kathy, how can people get in contact with?
KATHY:
Sure, so I could be reached on if you want to take a look at the properties online www.novaluxdrproperties.com. I’m also very active on social media particularly on Instagram again. It my handle is novaluxdrproperties.com If you want to reach me directly 917-419-9090 if you want to email me Kathy at novaluxdrproperties.com.
CORWYN:
I’m happy to connect So y’all need to hit the website because when she started talking about these houses, I went to her website So I was checking this stuff out and i’m over here like all right, look here. That’s what i’m talking about There’s some beautiful properties there with some Marvelous views. So look here. I’m over here with a strategy. Look here pinkie in the brain I’m trying to figure out we’re going to take over the world. So that’s what you know, and I love it I love it. So Kathy you’ve been doing this for a while So I want to ask you what I refer to is that mic drop question, which is you got into this This is something that you didn’t start doing day one. You got to this knowing what you know now What if anything would you have done differently in this process?
KATHY:
I feel like I started late. I should have done it sooner I have fear and scared and I was doubtful that I can execute this and how would I be able to manage it? I wish I would have like had more courage to start sooner.
CORWYN:
That’s real. That’s very real. So Kathy Thank you so much for that. Thank you for taking time out to be on with us today And most importantly, thank you for what you’re doing because you are connector and more importantly You are an amazing resource and in connecting people to that part of our world And i’m excited for the opportunities that guys y’all want to do some investing. Let’s start talking Let’s make some stuff happen. All right So guys look thank y’all so much for Kathy again Thank you so much for taking time out of being on with us today.
KATHY:
It’s my pleasure Thank you so much for having me and this was a wonderful time. Thank you. Awesome.
CORWYN:
So for our listeners guys, look at y’all got it. Y’all want to do something with it Y’all better holler at your boy. We’re gonna make some things happen because i’m loving this space that we’re in right now guys I really and truly am so for our listeners y’all know how I feel You know what I say, you know, I always put the two of those things together and I give it to you this way Which is I tell you that I love you, I love you and we’re gonna see you guys out there in those streets
