Vacation Travelers Group Blog

I recently had an enlightening conversation with one of our clients and I asked him: “How did you decide on Costa Rica?” and his response was very analytical and logical, and eye-opening for somebody that lives full-time in Costa Rica.

As a background and to contextualize his response, keep in mind that he is from Central Europe.  His response below:

“I started thinking first about Italy, there are several beautiful places in Italy and areas that are very beautiful but only during certain times of the year.  A home there would become usable only part of the year, since the rest of the year the climate and conditions would be almost the same as where I am from, therefore it would not become a full-year vacation home.  I wanted somewhere that I know I could come and enjoy at ANY time of the year.  Therefore, I decided to get an old-style earth globe, and draw an imaginary stripe of 10 degrees north and south of the Equator, to find a place that would have warm climates year-round…

The north and central africa and the middle east are out of the question for obvious reasons.  I found myself looking at gorgeous places like Bali, but they are too far away, travel is not the best around to those places, and there would be significant language barriers also.  Hawaii was an obvious choice, but it is too expensive, too american and too developed, I wanted somewhere more natural.  Then it’s ocean all around, and then you hit central and south america.  Colombia and Venezuela are also out for political reasons and travel is also quite long, the north of Brazil has almost no available locations to think about, their developed areas are more to the center of the country.

Then that leaves you with Central America.  Easy plane rides to any location from different travel hubs in the USA, so getting there is a positive.

Guatemala has security problems, and their beach locations are not that famous.  Honduras also not known for their beach locations and they are too close to Guatemala.  El Salvador has gang problems, and also too close to Guatemala.  Then you come to Nicaragua, there are places that are supposed to be beautiful, but you have Ortega, the Sandinistas and a whole array of problems there.  Not the place where I want to own a home.

Then this leaves you with Panama and Costa Rica.  Both have certain pros and cons, but evidently the pros steered me towards Costa Rica.  Political stability, long-term democracy, clear laws for owning land by foreigners, beautiful places to visit, and an array of options to choose from when selecting a piece of land, from independent locations, to developed resorts.  The people are friendly, communication is easier since a lot of them speak at least some english, and there are gorgeous places to own a home.  This was definitely the choice”

This was overall a very interesting and thorough explanation, and heart-warming for a native Costa Rican to hear.

Chances are… you’ve probably heard about, or you know someone that has moved to Costa Rica to retire. It’s not that unusual anymore, as thousands of Canadians and Americans are now living in Costa Rica full time. This amazing country is a mecca for nature lovers and people just wanting to have a better life. ‘Pura Vida’ the country’s motto simply translated, means “Pure Life” and the people living here are surely enjoying the freedom, beauty and celebration of life that living ‘Pura Vida’ describes.

This is a story of a couple that did just that, they moved to Costa Rica six years ago and are enjoying a dream lifestyle that would have taken many more years to achieve, if they had stayed in Canada. They both had busy demanding careers that were taking their toll, they wanted more freedom, more time for each other and just more… fun!They decided to search for a tranquil, rural area in a safe and affordable country with a great climate and after searching in a few different countries, they chose Costa Rica. Their names are Brian McLane and Mariel Castenada and they are now enjoying the comfort of their home and community in the mountains of Costa Rica and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

The name of their community is Altos de Antigua, it is located near the town of Santiago de Puriscal located 50 kilometers SW of the capital city of San José in the heart of the Central Valley. The Central Pacific beaches are 70 kilometers away, with three of Costa Rica’s National Parks (Manuel Antonio, Carara and La Cangreja) all close enough to visit on day trips. This central location is very convenient, as you can travel to the city for a day of shopping and trips to the airport — or take a scenic drive to the coast for a fun day at the beach.

Over the last 5 years, many of the lots here have sold, mostly through word of mouth and now there are only a few lots left. Because it was so successful, they decided to buy into another development, called Altos los Cafetales that is located in the same general area. This community was once a generations old coffee plantation and features wide open views of the valley, mature trees and small to medium sized lots at very affordable prices.

Both communities are mountain properties, where spring-like temperatures stay constant (in the mid 70′s), year-round. Spectacular views are everywhere, it’s safe, peaceful and comfortable, but most of all – it’s very affordable to live here long term. Living ‘like a local’ is the best way to experience the real Costa Rica. By living where the locals live, eating where the locals eat and shopping where they shop, you can live a very good lifestyle, for a lot less than what it would cost in Canada or in the US. The Costa Rican people are happy, beautiful people and though we are ‘foreigners’ in their country, they have welcomed us with open arms and continue to show us how to live a simpler, happier more fulfilling life.

So if the idea of living nestled in a lush, green valley or on a coffee plantation in the mountains of Costa Rica sounds good to you too, we invite you to join us and share the dream of living Pura Vida in beautiful, amazing, spectacular Costa Rica!

We are offering guided tours of both of these properties starting in January 2012, visit our website for more details.

Contact: Connie Dye
Phone: 1-888-835-0108
Website: www.casa-sapo.com
Email: connie@casa-sapo.com

Three luxurious residences in Costa Rica’s Pacific coast were awarded by the prestigious international competition, America Property Awards, a global contest that rewards the best professional design and construction.

Two of them were designed by Costa Rican architect Andrés Morales. One was the home of Pin Residence, located in Playa Hermosa, Guancaste, and built in 2010. It received the award in the category Detached House Property Division (and architectural field).

The other house was Pura Vista, located in Manuel Antonio, Quepos, built in 2009 and awarded in the category of Single Family Housing in Architecture.

The third is the home home to award-winning South House, a project designed by Costa Rican architect Jaime Rouillon, in the forest and the sea, located in Nosara, Guanacaste. It won first place in category “Unusual Houses”.

The Americas Property Awards are open to residential and commercial property professionals from North America, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

There are 19 categories to choose from – up to two of the most outstanding entries will be given a Highly Commended Award, the best overall entry will be given a five star award.

All five star winners will be rejudged to be shortlisted for the Best International Property Award for each category. Up to five nominations from the shortlist will be selected. Only one company will win the top prize.

In today’s market many Costa Rican sellers want to know the secret to selling their homes in record time. Sellers want to know ways to salvage the equity they’ve accrued over the past years.

Unfortunately, there is no magical formula to determine the perfect sale. Selling quickly is no “sure thing” in the Costa Rican housing market of today, there are certain factors that affect how quickly and for how much your home will demand in price.

Here are Emerald Forest Properties top ten factors. Consider how these apply to your home, how they affect our marketing, as well as what focal points of your home you should “play up” to appeal to prospective buyers.

1. Price: Number one common misconception that location is the leading factor of whether or not a home sells. It is, instead, pricing. Consider this scenario, your home is located in a prestigious neighborhood, say Villa Real, yet your list price is tens of thousands of dollars over the comps for the area. No one will be interested. However, your property priced just below the competition should move in a timely fashion to the wise consumers entering Costa Rica. Money never grew on trees and now not even in the banks, so the savvy buyer are the ones looking into Costa Rica for more affordable living.

2. Location: Granted, location is important, it is secondary to price. A home that sits next to a factory, crime-ridden neighborhood, or busy street is less desirable than one that backs up to green space, golf course, national forest. If your home is in a desirable location, then by all means Emerald Forest Properties will talk it up in their marketing plan designed for you.

3. Livability: This is fast becoming the new buzz word in real estate, especially in Costa Rica. Buyers today are looking for neighborhoods that deliver amenities such as parks, restaurants, theaters. They want good schools, safe neighborhoods, and plenty of things to keep their families entertained. If you have but a few of these qualities then we will be able to assist you in moving your home in a timely fashion.

4. Condition: There is a certain percentage of the market that is made up of renovators, flippers, and investors. You will not find as many people these days as eager to buy a run-down property even if it is in a good location. They simply can’t sell the property fast enough before monthly mortgage payments start eating up their profits. If your home is well-maintained, or is in a move-in ready condition it will appeal to a broader range of buyers. Even simple attention, such as new paint, landscaping, or power-washed walks, can have a dramatic effect on the way our buyers perceive your home.

5. Competitive Advantage: Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you are all alone in this race to sell, you are not. Current desperate sellers willing to take a huge loss and foreclosures are your direct competition. You must take these facts into consideration when deciding on a list price for your home. What amenities and upgrades do these homes have? Are the homes in your neighborhood updated, with modern baths, kitchens, are the yards landscaped? These all play a key factor in what you will get for your home; you must be in line with your competition that boasts these same upgrades. The wise buyer always goes for his or her best options in values, now more than ever.

6. Curb Appeal: Curb appeal is our buyer’s first impression. You must keep the yard cut, trimmed, orderly and maintained when your home is on the market. First impressions set the mood for the rest of the viewing.

7. Staging: Once our potential buyers enter your home, they must be wowed, their senses intoxicated, light scented candles, put in a pan of brownies, make it… read more

From our friends at Welovecostarica.com

I’d like to introduce you to my wonderful new friend in Costa Rica – originally from New Jersey, USA – Nadine Hays Pisani.

You may have read about Nadine’s new book: “Happier Than a Billionaire: Quitting My Job, Moving to Costa Rica & Living the Zero Hour Work Week” which was featured on CNN last week..

“She and her husband, Rob, both chiropractors, had a comfortable life in York, Pennsylvania, but they were miserable. Both were working long hours, hated their jobs and felt burned-out. So they came up with a bold plan: Sell everything and find a country with a warm climate where they could live for about $1,000 a month. They would stop working and live off their savings and interest. They settled on Costa Rica.” read more…

With the impact of the economic recession gradually receding, Canadians looking for a second home have rediscovered Costa Rica, says the developer of a private residence club.

There have been more international visitors through the recently completed, 32-villa The Palms project, says Bob Spence of Spence Enterprises LLC.

“Canadians represent the second largest national tourism group traveling to Costa Rica -after Americans -and represent significant buyers of Costa Rican real estate,” he says. “The strength of the Canadian economy and the dollar provide Canadians with strong purchasing power and a tremendous opportunity to purchase Costa Rican real estate at very attractive prices.”

The Palms is in the heart of the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica’s northern Pacific Coast -The Gold Coast -on Playa Flamingo beach.

Renowned for its clear, warm waters and white sand, Playa Flamingo is one of the most popular beach areas in the Gold Coast area of Guanacaste and Costa Rica.

The Palms is only a 45-minute drive from Liberia International Airport.

The villas -which measure more than 2,300 square feet with two bedrooms, three baths, dining room, large kitchen and living room -are available under either whole ownership or private residence club purchase plans.

Whole ownership starts at $1.2 million US, while private residence club ownership offers a one-eighth share for $149,000 and an annual club fee of $7,058, or one-tenth at $129,000 and a fee of $5,646.

Amenities on the property include an outdoor infinityedge pool, spa, poolside bar, private dining facilities and a fitness centre.

There’s also daily housekeeping, secured clothing and equipment storage. a business centre and airport transfers.

Spence says Canadians are “very important” to the success of the Palms.

“First and foremost, Costa Rica is a tropical paradise and is an attractive alternative to long, cold winters,” he says, adding that other Central American countries have lost some of their attractiveness because of crime and unstable governments. “Costa Rica has attributes like the weather, stability and prices that are important to Canadians,” he says.

Activities in the area include hiking, rain forest trekking, scuba diving, golf, sport fishing and surfing.

Spence Enterprises purchased five properties in Costa Rica, and of the five, he considers The Palms to be the “crown jewel.”

Ownership at The Palms brings with it a host of services, such as a concierge service and pre-arrival shopping.

Spence says The Palms offers all the amenities of a first class resort but in a vacation home atmosphere.

“The private residence club appeals to those seeking access to beachfront real estate in an eco-sensitive country that offers value without sacrificing quality or luxury,” he adds.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

PROJECT: The Palms Private Residence Club. The 32 villas in the development measure more than 2,300 square feet with two bedrooms, three baths, large kitchen, living room and dining room. Property amenities include an infinity-edge pool, spa, private dining, fitness and business centers, poolside bar, and secure storage facilities. DEVELOPER: Spence Enterprises of California.

LOCATION: Guanacaste, Costa Rica about a 45-minute drive from Liberia International Airport.

PRICE: Whole ownership begins at $1.2 million US. A one-eighth share is priced from $149,000 plus an annual fee of $7,058, and a one-tenth share is priced from $129,000 plus a $5,646 annual fee.

INFORMATION: For information on the private residence club visit www.palms costarica.com, or call 1-800867-5762.

Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida” is well known. Celebrities have caught on and spend millions of dollars on beach and jungle retreats. Thing is: There’s more to this wonderful country than the north Pacific-Coast resorts with sticker shock akin to Aspen or New York’s upper east side.

My Costa Rica is nicer…and you can buy for as little as one-tenth what you would pay where the jet-set shop.

Little Costa Rica has it all. Towering cone shaped volcanoes that rise from rich pasture land and stare down on glass flat lakes. Caribbean beaches that are so picture-perfect you want to pinch yourself to see if it’s real.

And a Pacific coast with crashing waves, silent coves and rich green vegetation…nature at her most opulent.

If you think Costa Rica has been discovered—that the opportunity has past—you are wrong…and also right. Let me explain.

Costa Rica’s north Pacific Coast saw a tourism and real estate boom in the 90s and first half of the last decade as accessibility improved with new roads and the Liberia airport. It’s nice up there. I really like the Peninsula Papagayo. But quality condos here start from $850,000.

Costa Rica’s southern zone is nicer.

It’s much greener down there. The hills are steeper, clad with richer jungle and the beaches have better sand and bluer water.

In villages like Ojochal you can eat a gourmet meal from a European chef who came here to visit and never left. You can buy a lot for as little as $40,000. Prices stayed low because this area was difficult to get to. That’s changed with the opening of a new road.

Here it feels authentic and honest. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about the pampering I get in the Four Seasons up north. It’s a different thing. Also, a costlier thing—with ocean view lots in excess of $1 million in the Four Seasons Resort and the Peninsula Papagayo.

Costa Rica’s area of glowing towering volcanoes and lake that is the floor for rich elevated pastureland is surprisingly close to this $1 million lot. Arenal is less than a two-hour drive away. Her bubbling hot springs have been discovered by tourists and has a thriving expat community. It has great hiking, fishing, sailing, windsurfing and eating out. This is a fun and vibrant place to be.

You can buy a lot here overlooking the lake…with a view toward the towering volcano…for as little as $475 per month.

Finally, drive east from the capital San Jose and you might be surprised…very surprised. You wind your way around mountains and through a mythical cloud forest. There are no sprawling suburbs. It’s one big nature preserve. White foamy water falls from the mountainsides and crashes with a roar.

When you come out of the cloud forest 90 minutes from San Jose…the Caribbean’s blue waters stretch north and south along the horizon. With the elevation, the breezes are fresh and comforting. Farms with views to the ocean and jungle run around 20 – 50 acres in size…and go for $3,000 an acre. Here, you could have a retreat the jet set would envy. They just haven’t caught on…yet.

Editor’s note: This is the Costa Rica you will hear about at the Live and Invest in Costa Rica Conference in August. Ronan will be there, along with all our Costa Rica experts. And you’ll learn more about the types of real estate mentioned in this article, too…including that lot overlooking Lake Arenal for $475 per month. We haven’t officially launched registration for the Costa Rica event yet, but you can get advance information here (including how to be one of the first to sign up).

vacation rentals in Costa Rica

Homes for sale Costa Rica

Medical tourism companies, doctors, hotel managers and tour operators piled into the Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura for two days, touting Latin America’s medical tourism benefits from the industry’s most popular site, San José.

But on Wednesday, the last day of Costa Rica’s second-annual Medical Travel Summit, organizers opted for a change of scenery. Carloads of attendees headed to the northwestern province of Guanacaste on Tuesday night. There they received a four-hour tour of the Papagayo Peninsula, including Marina Papagayo, an elegant Four Seasons Resort and also a newly constructed CIMA hospital.

“This is an opportunity to involve different areas of Costa Rica in medical tourism,” said Massimo Manzi, executive director of PROMED, a company that promotes medical procedures in Costa Rica. “Until now, the [Central Valley] is just having the benefits of medical tourism because this is where the hospitals are.”

The excursion was an opportunity to promote a growing Guanacaste, which has new medical facilities, an expanding airport and a sprawling 900-hectare retirement community under development, called Sun Ranch. Even as the tour took place, a new luxury hotel, Sol Meliá Paradisus Resort, announced plans to open in Guanacaste in 2013.

The trip helped flaunt Guanacaste’s glossy future to medical tourism leaders. It also showed potential tourists what Guanacaste is not – San José.

Costa Rica’s grubby capital remains the leader for medical tourism in Central America, with its state-of-the-art hospitals and U.S.-trained doctors. But Guanacaste hopes for a share of that market. And for an obvious reason, industry insiders think it’s possible.

“Let’s face it,” said Jerad Portner, marketing director for Sun Ranch. “If you have the choice to go to San José or the choice to do the same exact work by the same top professionals and you’re a 15-minute drive the from the beach, I think it’s a pretty easy decision to make.”

Guanacaste’s medical tourism push highlighted the three-day Medical Travel Summit. The congress hosted more than 40 international speakers, 150 companies and nine countries from North and South America and Thailand.

Dental clinics outnumbered the rest of the booths at the conference. Medical suppliers, plastic surgeons and bariatric doctors also promoted why those looking for cheap, quality medical service should head to Latin America.

In 2009, 30,000 medical tourists visited Costa Rica. Almost all of them received their treatment in San José, and patients recovered through vacation packages that took them around the country. The medical tourism industry brings in $60 million annually to Costa Rica, and the projected figure for 2011 is a hefty $100 million, according to PROMED.

If Guanacaste can become the next medical tourism hotspot, the number will continue to rise. The key to the region’s growth will be a cutting-edge $125 million CIMA hospital opening in the fourth quarter of 2011 (TT, Jan. 29, 2010).

CIMA hospitals are international medical facilities built in underserved parts of the world. Both locals and foreigners are treated at these hospitals. Approximately, 5,000 medical tourists were treated at the San José branch in 2009, Manzi said.

Joseph Barcie, president of CIMA Centralized Services, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, in the U.S., emphasized that a contemporary hospital can help develop a city. He pointed to the current CIMA building in San José, for example.

“When CIMA San José was built, around that entire hospital was nothing but fields and grass,” Barcie said. “Now, 12 years later, Escazú is a hub and they’re still building.”

He imagines the same type of growth in Guanacaste in the next decade. Nearby, in the province’s capital city of Liberia, the Daniel Oduber Airport is adding a new terminal. The airport continues to add direct flights to the United States, making it easier to fly in and arrive at a hospital that’s less than an hour from the beach. Other hospitals also have tentative plans to build in Guanacaste.

One hospital already settled in Liberia is adding a new…Read more

Costa Rica Accommodations

Thomas Dodson can’t chill out in an air-conditioned office when days get hot or pressure at his new job marketing treehouses in the Costa Rica rainforest heats up.

His bosses tell him to go jump in the river. And they’re likely to join him.

One of the perks at Finca Bellavista, which is billed as the world’s first treehouse community, is living and working in a remote, pristine mountain setting fed by the Rio Bellavista. They can use “sky trails,” a zipline network, to get around and cool off in the river anytime it gets too hot, Dodson said.

“We’ve got a great waterhole just down the hill,” he said Monday via Skype.

The 37-year-old was working in marketing for the architecture firm Lionakis when a coworker sent him a link to Finca Bellavista. Impressed, he contacted the owners, Erica and Matt Hogan. The contact turned into a short-term job offer to handle marketing for the community. Dodson is the main point of contact for the media.

Dodson said he’s using all the skills he’s developed throughout his career to help publicize the new community, which is in the beginning building stages.

After attending Coastal Carolina University, Dodson started his career in TV news. He worked for 10 years as a photojournalist and producer at stations in South Carolina, Boise and Seattle before he and his then-wife moved to Sacramento in 2004 to be near her family.

Dodson worked at Fox40 news and then transitioned into print by working as an associate editor at Comstock’s magazine for a year and a half. He then became the public relations manager for the residential architecture firm, BSB Design.

Dodson did marketing for Lionakis and another Sacramento architecture firm, ANOVA Architects. He worked on projects to promote the use of energy-efficient design, sustainable architecture and LEED certification for buildings. He also did social media work at ANOVA, where he set up and managed the firm’s Facebook page.

At his new job, he may also put to use some modeling skills he’s picked up in the last year or so.

In 2010, while working at ANOVA, Dodson was discovered by Chandra Bourne, the owner of Cast Images Talent Agency in Sacramento. He was actually attending a fashion show at the Mix Downtown at the time.

“Chandra walked up to me and asked me if I’d ever done any modeling before. I said, ‘No.’ I thought she was drunk,” he said.

Dodson worked as a model in photo shoots for magazines, websites and catalogs. He was featured in a Kindle ad on Amazon.com. Sacramentans can still see him in TV ads currently running for Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.

Modeling has been just a side job. But Dodson appreciated the work because he said the construction industry has suffered in Northern California for several years.

“It’s been an industry in transition because of the economy. A lot of ups and downs,” he said.

Dodson traveled to Costa Rica about two weeks ago with East Sacramentans Cheri Davis and Ted Frink. They’d already bought a lot at Finca Bellavista and had traveled back and forth between the two countries five times.

Dodson described the 300-acre community as a “magical place” where treehouses are built as high as 90 feet in the air. There’s no electricity, but there is running water. People buy lots and then build treehouses to match their needs.

One of the ideas behind Finca Bellavista was to simplify lifestyles that have grown far too complicated, Erica Hogan said.

“I think somewhere along the line, we’ve overcomplicated everything, from our drinking water to our electricity to our lifestyle choices,” she said.

The community is centered around a basecamp built at an old rock quarry in Costa Rica’s south Pacific coastal region. The basecamp now has an office, community center and other support buildings. Waterfalls and two whitewater rivers run through an area teeming with birds and other wildlife.

“Imagine the Ewok Village from ‘Return of the Jedi.’ It’s sort of like that,” Dodson wrote in an email.

Davis and Frink, who live near McKinley Park, had been planning to build a home “off the ground” in another sustainable tropical community in Costa Rica. But they were captivated by Finca Bellavista’s treehouse community concept when they read about it in Outside magazine three years ago.

“If nothing else, we thought, we should go check out the competition!” Davis emailed late Monday afternoon. “I stepped out of the car, I took one look at the fern-lined river canyon, and told my husband ‘I want to be a part of this!’ ”

Now they plan to build on a lot measuring about 1.25 acres.

“Lot size really isn’t a big deal here, because it’s all about the trees – and there are more than you can count on each lot!” Davis wrote.

She and her husband hope to build in phases as money permits. They’ll start on a compact 600- to 700-square-foot central house with a large deck in the next few years. They’ll then add bedrooms as satellites off the main house, she said.

“Until then, we will continue to come here every year to see the progress (and) enjoy the peaceful setting,” she said.

Challenges involved with building and… READ MORE HERE

Costa Rica Realtor Scott Cutter in Manuel Antonio

I recently read Ten Reasons To Rent Before You Buy Real Estate in Costa Rica which encouraged all investors to rent prior to purchasing here in paradise.

As a real estate company dedicated to a cautious process, integrity in our transactions and a patient approach to helping our clients find the right investments here, there are certainly many situations and many clients for whom renting prior to purchasing is absolutely a great idea.

That said, opportunity abounds in todays market and a diligent and professional real estate firm can and should help you make educated and insightful decisions that allow you to take advantage of the opportunities, without exposing yourself to blind risk.

Like most decisions in life, there is no black and white rule in regards to renting or not renting before purchasing… that said, I think it is important for buyers to understand that renting for an extended period of time before buying might not always be the best decision..

Here are 10 reasons why buying quality real estate can be smarter than renting:

1. Recklessly purchasing is never a good idea, but in this market an experienced and professional Realtor (this is a very important factor) can and will show you purchase opportunities unlike anything we’ve seen in the last ten years, and many are being sold at a solid pace. While I am not of the opinion that the market recovery is so strong that all deals will be gone overnight, it is clear that in the current buyer’s market, now is the time to achieve the best strategic pricing both for personal use, and of course, long term appreciation.
2. With rental contracts by law in Costa Rica stipulating a 3 year term, you are committing yourself to 3 years in a rental home or apartment, therefore, setting yourself up to buy in a much different market. While many rentals are done on shorter terms, in many cases, if you leave prior to a year time, you could stand to lose your deposit, which while not necessarily big money is a consideration.
3. Lost equity: Buyers looking in the luxury or premier markets (for example in Escazu, Manuel Antonio, and some areas of Jaco) will likely pay between $4,000 – $5,000 per month for a luxury rental, thus dropping somewhere in the range of $180,000 during the course of their three year lease term in the home. While trial runs and being careful are important, the cost of higher end rentals leaves huge equity losses for the client which, with more aggressive purchase strategies could translate directly into returns on the total investment.
4. Inventory cycles: With most of the bleeding inventory already off the market, and fewer and fewer REAL DEALS on the market place, the inventory to be found in a few years is likely not only to be more expensive, but also adjusted both with inflationary inclusions, as well as less motivated sellers.
5. By renting, you don’t experience the ‘pride of ownership’ and it’s difficult to really take hold of the experience, to belong and to feel a real part of the area. This makes it more difficult to fully immerse yourself in the experience, cultivate your property, garden, relationship with neighbors, etc. It is also important that as a renter you will most likely be here on a tourist visa, requiring that you leave the country every 90 days. With a purchase, you can oftentimes start the residency process as an investor which can be an added plus.
6. Renting a nice, furnished home is relatively expensive. I think a lot of folks make the mistake of trying to ‘rent first’ with a reduced rental budget, inevitably get locked into a property or neighborhood that does sit well with them and hence walk away thinking “Costa Rica is not for me” when they were simply in wrong micro area due to rental options available at their desired rental budget. Just like finding the right place to buy is of incredible importance and is a part of any good realtors dialogue with their clients, where you rent can greatly affect the experience and outlook on the country. Take it from someone who has lived in both cheap dives and luxury homes, that your experience and future vision of Costa Rica can be heavily impacted by your rental budget.
7. On the other hand, if you’re landlord, a relatively high rent is good and one of the advantages you enjoy in owning real estate. Every month you pay rent is a month you could be collecting a return on your investment.
8. Everyone, including our experienced team of long time residents here goes through an adaptation curve. Culture shock, linguistic challenges, local customs, etc are learned over time and nobody learns to speak enough Spanish to communicate effectively overnight. Working through this makes your experience in Costa Rica more rich and rewarding, but as a renter it’s often too easy to ‘pull the rip cord’ and not give yourself the chance fully enjoy your new experience in a foreign country and everything it has to offer. I have been an exchange student and lived in many countries and often times those first 3-6 months are challenging as you adapt… while blindly committing is irresponsible, like most things in life, the full richness and rewards are usually harvested over time and far too many renters confuse adaptation and adjustment to dislike.
9. Many investors, if not the majority of purchasers in Costa Rica are not necessary looking for full time retirement or living. While purchasing a full time residence or retirement home can and should require a much more diligent experiential study of lifestyles, culture, etc. there are large numbers of clients who are purchasing here to diversify their investment portfolio, enjoy a second vacation home, corporate incentive, etc. For these clients… Read More and Video

Costa Rica property