Software developer for the Dominican Republic: tourism, pre-construction and retail

If you're looking for a software developer for a business in the Dominican Republic, here's how I work: I build websites, custom software, apps and 3D tools remotely from Buenos Aires, just one hour ahead of Santo Domingo. I work on my own, in English or Spanish, with video calls and progress you can open from a link.

The country runs on three engines where custom software really pays off: tourism (from Punta Cana and Bávaro to Las Terrenas and Puerto Plata), condo projects sold off the plan to buyers who live abroad, and everyday retail in Santo Domingo and Santiago. Each one needs something different.

Tourism: villas, tours and rentals that depend on someone else

A lot of villa owners, vacation rental hosts, tour operators and beach restaurants get almost all their business through booking platforms and travel agents. It works, but the guest belongs to someone else, and every repeat guest has to come back through the same middleman.

A bilingual website of your own changes that. The guest who already stayed with you, or who found you on Instagram, can see the photos, the location, what's included and message you directly on WhatsApp. For a tour operator in Bávaro or Samaná, that might mean a calendar of departures with open spots and a request form that arrives organized, instead of scattered messages at all hours. I go deeper in website for small hotels and cabins and bilingual website for small business.

The detail that matters most in tourism: the site has to load fast on a phone, on airport or hotel Wi-Fi, and keep the answers guests always ask for (how to get there, what's included, how to pay) right where they can see them.

Real estate: selling off the plan to buyers abroad

Punta Cana, Cap Cana, Santo Domingo and the north coast have plenty of condos sold off the plan, before the building exists. The buyer is often a Dominican living in New York, Miami or Madrid, or a foreigner looking for a second home or an investment. They can't drop by the site, and a brochure full of renderings isn't enough to make a decision.

That's why I built Recorrido 3D: the buyer walks through the unit on their phone, moves from room to room, checks the view and gets a real sense of the size before reserving. Its blog has a piece on 3D renderings and walkthroughs in the Dominican Republic. And if your problem is keeping units, leads and follow-ups organized, that's real estate agency software.

Stores, colmados and distributors

In Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, retail runs on WhatsApp: the customer orders, the store puts it together and someone delivers it. It happens at the neighborhood colmado (the local corner store), the hardware store, the beverage distributor and the wholesaler that supplies other shops. Once it grows, orders get lost in chats and nobody knows what's actually in the warehouse.

An online catalog with stock and a WhatsApp button is usually step one. If you sell to other businesses, a wholesale ordering portal lets your customers order on their own, and an inventory system for distributors tells you what you have before you promise it.

Builders and structure manufacturers

With so much construction going on, there are also shops that sell metal buildings, steel carports, prefab homes and pergolas. They get inquiries with no dimensions and lose time going back and forth. A 3D configurator lets the customer design what they want and send you the full order. The Estructuras 3D blog has a piece on 3D configurators for builders in the Dominican Republic.

What each type of business usually needs

Working with me remotely

I'm in Buenos Aires, one hour ahead of the Dominican Republic: when it's 11 a.m. in Santo Domingo, it's noon here. Our business hours overlap almost entirely, all year round.

The process is simple. A first video call to understand your business, a written proposal, then progress you open from a link on your phone. You sign off on each stage before we move on, and day-to-day contact runs on WhatsApp or email. You send photos, copy, your product or unit list and how you sell today; I hand over the website or system up and running, with a dashboard so you can manage it yourself. More on that in working with a remote developer.

For invoicing, customer data or rules specific to your industry, check with a local professional. I build the software to fit whatever they tell you.

Frequently asked questions