Sorry I've been away

Sorry I've been away everyone. It's been a busy 09. I have lots to report about Costa Rica. The first thing is that they have confirmed that the coastal highway will be completed this year. It's been a long time coming (especially if you've ever driven on it) This update is great news for current owners and potential investors because getting to the southern zone will be so so so much easier.

Once the coastal highway is done, we will wait with baited breath for them to begin the Caldonera project, which will connect San Jose (the capital) to Jaco and the coastal highway, which will substantially reduce travel time into the south.

More soon.

Ross

Is all the good land gone?

Absolutely not! There are still tons of great properties available. The trick is determining what you are looking for first. In other words; just flying down with the intention of window shopping for property will drive you crazy. I recommend making a list of what you want in a property, for example;

 Do I want an ocean or mountain view?
 How big of property do I want? ¼ acre? ½ acre? 1 acre?
 What is my budget?
 What is my intention for this investment? Vacation home? Permanent residence? Rental property?
 Accessibility? Are there roads to the property? Are they private or public? Don’t assume.
 Is there infrastructure in the area? Water? Electricity? Phone? Internet?

What should I look for in a development/real estate company?

The first thing I look for in a developer is a long term track record in the area. Many, many developers come into Costa Rica from another country, buy some land, develop it, sell it and then move on. Never to be heard from again.

Generally they will have a record of doing this which can easily be found out with a bit of due diligence. Look for phrases something like; World wide developer, International developer or look at our previous developments.

As far as real estate brokers, definitely go with a well known name and stay away from free agents who work for themselves. They don’t have anyone looking over their shoulder, while larger firms at least have general guidelines for their agents.

Personally, I like dealing with developers directly. They are easier to deal with and there are fewer levels of approvals to go through. In other words; they’re more willing to wheel and deal with you because there are no commissioned agents in the middle.

How long does it take to find property in Costa Rica?

As long as you want. Personally the number one problem I find in searching for real estate in Costa Rica is that everyone is a real estate agent. Why? Because the country lacks a structured real estate licensing program. This means that just about anyone can sell property. Not only that, if you want $300,000 for your property and they can get $350,000, you get $300,000 and the agent can keep the remaining $50,000. Pretty cool huh?

Not really, because this becomes an incredible incentive to say just about anything to make a sale. Not good for most buyers.

On top of this, most sellers have 5-10 agents representing the same property. First one to sell wins! Again, another incentive to make a sale no matter what.

Why should I pick Costa Rica instead of Belize or Brazil (or any other place)?

This goes hand in hand with the previous question. As the surrounding countries took the lead in property sales for awhile, Costa Rica wasn’t deterred. They continued to build new roads and bridges, lay down fiber-optic lines, increase communication networks, develop new airports and continue to create a better place to live and visit.

Now, the Latin America boom continues to boom, but now investors are seeing that acre for acre property prices are relatively the same. Thus means they need to compare the dollar for dollar value of their investment.

This is where Costa Rica again leads the pack. Investors see a better value for the dollar due to the increased infra-structure within the country. Not to mention the stable government, high caliber health care system and high ranking education programs.

Why should I consider Costa Rican real estate as an investment?

About 12 years ago, Costa Rican real estate was the hottest market in the planet. During that time, the neighboring countries kinda looked over the fence to se what all the fuss was about. Realizing that this was a pretty good idea, they decided to get in on the action and started selling properties in their areas as well.

Since then, over the last 8 years, Costa Rican properties have continued to appreciate on an average of 20-30% annually. This has always made property in the country a good investment for international investors

Costa Rica’s Third International Airport to Deliver “Accessibility

Costa Rica Wire: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Market News
New Airport Set to Open the Osa.
By, “The Tico Reviewer”
” Costa Rica’s Third International Airport to Deliver “Accessibility”.



The Southern Zone of Costa Rica from Manuel Antonio park to Dominical, Uvita, Drake Bay and Gulfito consists of soaring, rain forest covered mountains, cascading down to pristine beaches. Tucans, Scarlet McCaws, Sea turtles, white faced monkeys and some very happy real estate investors call this place home (or their home away from home).

Many say, this is the most beautiful area the country has to offer and the government seems to agree. The buzz word is “Eco Tourism”. People from around the world who want to see the area known to be the most bio diverse place on the planet. The government wants this area to be far more accessible than it is; which they believe will open wide the swelling gates of eco tourism and bring still more dollars and appreciation to the local economy.


Existing Region Airport

Tico Times Feature
For nearly three years the Costa Rican government has been saying they wanted to build a third international airport somewhere in the county and for three years, they have been looking at the southern zone.
In 2007 they stopped looking and they made a decision. The Palmar Sur / Sierpe valley was the spot. More than that, according to Vivian Martin, Costa Rica’s President of the Counsel on Technical Civil Aviation they said they want this international airport opened and operational by 2010.

However, for those happy real estate investors and developers in the area, the story gets better. It has now been said that this airport, will eventually have the longest runway in the country capable of accommodating even the world's largest passenger plane from Europe, the Airbus A-380. a feat even the main San Jose airport can not do as there is no room to extend the runways.

Ed Mercer and Sylvaine Pilault, founders of 20 year old Ventana Del Pacifico, (www.CostaRicasBestProperty.Com) the largest builder and developer in the southern region, had the following to say “We couldn’t be more thrilled to hear of the government’s plans for the airport. They’ve been talking about it for quite some time but to see them now moving forward is exciting to everyone here and is certainly a big thing for property appreciation and tourism.”

Ed and Sylvaine are certainly not only ones in the area enthusiastic about growth and the emergence of a major increase in access to the region. As the government is said to allow only development that is done in an environmentally friendly manner to preserve the environment and promote ecotourism, it seems everyone is enthusiastic.

Market News. The Tico Reviewer.

=======================================================
Looking for the Best Property in Costa Rica? A place where soaring mountains covered in lush, unspoiled rain forest cascade down to beautiful picturesque beaches. A place where Toucans’, Scarlet Macaws’ and White Faced Monkey’s are your neighbors?!


Search No Further.
www.Costa RicasBestProperty.Com

Costa Rica's Best Property Blogs
http://costaricasbestproperty.blogspot.com
http://ventanadelpacifico.blog.com
http://www.xanga.com/costaricanews
http://costaricanews.wordpress.com