Updated - The property in this story is up for inclusion on our Costa Rica IRA investment properties.

Only $80,000 for a 6000 meter lot looking at Volcanoes in the distance, beautiful lake Arenal an right next to a private reserve area.

A killer deal was had by Christine and ,,,,, her daughter this week.

It was a great experience for me putting together one of our Lifestyle Property Tours for this couple. It all began as an inquiry seeking a large lot in a very special location that gave them safety, seclusion and beauty.
Designing this tour wasn’t easy for this particular as we had to create a balance between vegetation, water, view, proximity to amenities, good price. We spent a tremendous amount of time planning in the planning stage. We utilized all of our resources and finally when our client arrived everything was ready with a good itinerary and all the appointments confirmed with key properties matching their objectives.

This client wanted a big lot next to a river and near to a protected area. We decided to include the Lake Arenal area for this tour and she found exactly what she always dreamed of, a 1.5 acre lot, next a beautiful river, surrounded by a protected forest with a killer lake view and the great part of this story is that we found a property at a true 50% discount and now our client is happy and ready to build her dream home.

We have two more deals like this one avilable plus some homes at 40% off the advertised prices and then it is over.

If you fit the profile of this client above, this area is definitely should be a prime consideration. Our 6 Pack Arenal Tour covers this area very well and we also have a central valley version (San Jose area 6 pack Tour) that has many nice choices as well.

At Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties we design a different tour for each one of our clients because every person is different and something that we clearly understand. With us you are miles ahead before you arrive and you cannot possibly see more for the time you allocate.

I am Steve Matinez and am at your service for identifying the best Costa Rica Real Estate for your objectives. Always remember, VALUE is key to being comfortable in buying property in this market.  I can be reached toll free at 1 888 581 1786

Special note: When buying Costa Rica Real Estate at deeply discounted pricing, it is important to know what you are getting into.  Often deeply discounted land can be with problems, so one must be in good hands to identify them. In this case the one Christine finally bought was part of a very good development and the developer had put a large amount of his own money into the project. His objective was to fire sale some lots to help the cash situation after the central Bank stopped construction loans in December.

These are properties that fit very well with our “Get you IRA back on the fast track” program.  See our Blog about IRA here. I can be reached toll free at 1 888 581 1786 ask for Steve or Robert.

GETTING  THE MONKEY OFF YOUR BACK

One of the common problems in Costa Rica Real Estate is when a buyer is making a decision to buy a lot or a turn-key home.  People are hesitant to take on a construction project in a different country where Spanish is the predominant language.  They fear not being around to oversee the progress or lack of.  On the other hand, they don’t want to inherit someone else’s problems or accept their design.

Speaking personally, in 1999 when I bought my home in Playa Tortuga de Ojochal, I was living and working in San Jose with no intentions of overseeing a construction project.  So, I bought a turn-key home with 2 other building areas located on the property where I could have the option to build something later. Now, I am under more pressure to complete a home for my parents as they grow older.

Over the last 10 years, I have met many contractors, recommended many developers and viewed many prefabricated structures.  I wanted someone who was modern,  offered high quality craftsmanship, yet was ecological, incorporating alternate energy sources if desired.

Finally, I found the solution to who will build for me on my other 2 lots and I got the monkey off my back!

While at the weekly softball game, I noticed a stunning 2 story structure, Japanese style being assembled inside of a warehouse next to our field.   When I spoke to the project foreman, I discovered that the structures were designed and resurrected inside the warehouse, presented to the owner for approval and then moved to the lot.  I was even more surprised to find out that a friend is the representative of the new project, Nature Home.

Here in Dominical and Uvita he is the exclusive representative of Nature Home, which is a design and build firm based out of New York and Dominical, Costa Rica. Natura builds luxurious yet simple homes that are sustainable and thoughtful. The influences are primarily Japanese timber frame and Balinese, and you can see a combination of elements throughout the homes.

Every effort has been made to source the most sustainable materials and build the homes in about 1/2 the time of traditional construction (6 months estimated total time after materials arrive). Pricing is for seamless, turnkey construction, including basic foundation/site work, in house design, permitting and construction. Basic fixtures are included but upgraded fixtures, furniture and appliances are not, although we have sourced great furniture and low-energy appliances and can help with a package for you if you’d like.

They have a number of basic designs we are working with, but the system is modular, so you can help design a home that makes sense for you based on your individual desires.

You can design the basic size and layout you have planned for your home and when you plan on beginning construction they can send you current pricing and some floor plans.

For southern zone of Costa Rica Real Estate, this is a major consideration for someone contemplating relocating here.

Additional Options
Custom ?oor plans available.
We partner with several sustainability pioneers—John Todd Ecological Design and Bill Reed, among others—to provide sustainable systems and services appropriate to your location. These include:
• Solar photovoltaic or micro-hydro turbines for energy generation
• Solar hot-water systems
• Constructed wetlands for wastewater management
• Organic polyculture farming for food production
Items NOT included in Natura Home package include:
• Shipping and handling for all components, including wood, appliances, plumbing, and lighting
• Feasibility studies
• Soil studies
• Permitting
• Site work, including but not limited to: foundations, septic tanks, pools, Jacuzzis™, etc.
• Additional workers and labor insurance
• HVAC
Interior and exterior paints, stains, waterproofing, sealers, oil finishes, etc.

All wood species have been chosen for strength, beauty, and natural durability to rot, fungus, and termites. Designed for durability and adaptability.
Engineered to meet Zone 4 seismic loads(as found in California) and 155-m.p.h. wind
loads (as found off the coast of Florida).

Our Lifestyle Property Tours include a tour of some of these structures and meeting the developer.

For more on this or southern zone Costa Rica living, please contact me at any time.

Costa Rica’s Intel plant will begin to make part of the products manufactured at three plants in Asia that were closed by the crisis in early 2009.
The product line is to be moved are  microprocessors for servers, central processing units for desktop machines (CPU) and chipsets, which are the “nervous system” of computers.

Management of Intel Costa Rica, said that the transfer of each product will be made gradually. “Each product has its own timetable for development. We can not leave a gap in production to deliver to our customers. In some cases, we must have a backing to support the start of production here in Costa Rica.
Lower demand for computer chips, forced  Intel  to close two assembly and proof plants in the Philippines and Malaysia.  They also merged one in China. Intel claims that despite the lower sales, the business of micro tends to stabilize.

This was stated after participating with John Davies, Intel vice president of sales, in an activity about technology development in times of recession organized by the Central America  Academy.

They are seeing improvements, but not return to the same levels as before the recession and  even predicted a rebound in exports from here in the second half.
Sales of products manufactured in the country that includes parts of Intel dropped 18% in the first quarter over the same period of 2008.

Please click HERE

According to an today’s edition of La República, Costa Rica will be one of the countries in Latin America whose economy bounces back starting in 2010. These predictions were made by Miguel Savastano, Assistant Director of the International Monetary Funds (IMF) for the Western  Hemisphere. This information is based on Costa Rica’s financial system being in sound shape and the government’s financial policy which includes protection of the most vulnerable sectors of the populations. The IMF also firmly endorses the fiscal policies of Costa Rica’s Central Bank.

In addition, “Latin America in general, will experience a quicker recovery that the larger economies” according Nicolás Eyzaguirre Director of International Monetary Funds (IMF) for the Western  Hemisphere. He goes on to say that “Latin American and the Caribbean are not confronting a bank crisis like the United States and a large part of Europe.” He goes on to state, “Many countries in the region have responded to the crisis with policies which boost production and employment. The outstanding feature being that six months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, NO Latin American financial system has experienced a banking  crisis. Liquidity is good and Latin American banks have little dependence on foreign financing.”

While the Costa Rica Real Estate market has softened due to the loss of the American and European clients, we feel this is only temporary. People are beginning to understand the ramifications of letting other people totally manage their IRA’s and that they need a hedge for the falling US dollar.
The very diversified industries of Costa Rica that support the fine educational system and infrastructure speaks to good balance and the ability to weather these kinds of storms.

Costa Rica land is becoming an obvious hedge with the great Brand that Costa Rica is today.

Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties has identified some excellent opportunity properties for investors to sit on, medium and large tract developers to build out.

One such central Pacific property is a 375 hectar (935 acre) tract near to the new Quepos Marina, Manuel Antonio, five beaches and much more and is offered at $1.58 per meter. This is and Eco developer’s dream as you can use only 30% and have a build out that will net $1,000,000,000 profit.

If you missed it before, you can have it now if you understand the paths of growth and where to find the versatile properties to achieve this.

For a complete sampling of our private data base of development land and opportunity properties, call Robert at 1 888 581 1786.

It appears that not all are viewing these times as the cup half empty.

A group of businesses called Grupo Manuel Antonio, has joined efforts to improve infrastructure in Quepos/Manuel Antonio are and organize development programs. This is Costa Rica’s very popular Central Pacific destination Manuel Antonio National Park is going to get a face lift and, which will benefit from $120 million for improving facilities there and offer better services to the many tourists who visit the coastal preserve.

The second most visited protected area in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio has been without proper maintenance for years and some studies claim the lagoon inside the park has become contaminated.

There also some ambitious plans for the Quepos Municipal Airport. They plan to invest between $4 million and $5 million, with the local municipality declaring the project of ‘‘cantonal interest’’ and providing the first 200 million colones ($365,000) to begin improvements to the airport, which is expected to become the new gateway to the Central Pacific region.

It is currently the second busiest national airport, behind Tobias Bolaños in San Jose, according to Civil Aviation officials.  When completed, it will handle planes carrying up to 46 passengers to land there, from destinations such as the international airports of Juan Santamaria and Liberia and other destinations inside and outside Costa Rica.

Funds will be provided by private sources as well to make Quepos the first mixed-capital airport project managed by the Civil Aviation General Office (DGAC).

Aguirre Mayor Oscar Monge said that his municipality has already approved $200,000 for the next budget cycle to begin expanding the airport under a mixed-capital agreement. In other efforts to strengthen the tourism industry in the region, officials announced the organization of travel fair, A travel fair called EXPOMA 2009, will be held next Sept. 24-27 under the concept of ‘‘zero carbon emissions.’’ This will be the first Pacific regional fair and will also include a ‘‘Green Expo’’ spearheaded by the Corcovado Foundation and a regional employment fair with participation from the

An agreement was signed  by The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) with the Municipality of Aguirre (where Quepos is located) for training of personnel, as part of the Tourist Municipalities Program. It will include developing a lifeguard program for the Espadilla Norte beach, one of the most popular in the region; the program will entail hiring trained personnel and building a lifeguard station on the beach, with support from the municipality and local tourism companies.

Tourism companies in the Central Pacific are also offering discounts of 15 percent up to 40 percent are being offered by Tourism companies in an effort to increase visitors to the region.

Also, the Hotel Parador has just unveiled a new tower with 30 luxury suites and two master suites. Wyndham Resorts just announced construction of the five-star Hotel Jade in Manuel Antonio, which will offer more than 200 units. Hats off to this group of businesses that have shown the initiative to move forward in a very positive fashion.

We at are please to represent some of the fine properties of the central Pacific. Take a peek to see a fine project for ocean view homes $139,999 coming soon.

Costa Rica has many small areas that are not among the most recognizable names you hear. To really get the feel for Costa Rica, you need to know some of these places. One such area is Tinamastes.  It is a beautiful area located about thirty minutes from the center of Perez Zeledon, booming growth area where Costa Rica Real Estate growth is just beginning.

The of Perez Zeledon is characterized as the resting-place of many tourists and travelers who go to the beaches of the south of our country, a cool climate, majestic views over the ocean, the greenery all around, the birds singing in the mornings and breathtaking sunsets where the sun and sky are lost deep in the ocean and this carries you to a state of peace and tranquility.

The  humble and helpful people have  made this small town a boom in southern Costa Rica Real Estate. The value of the properties is growing daily. The town of Perez Zeledon boasts a  number hotels, restaurants, small supermarkets, everything needed to enjoy life.

Nearby Tinamastes make the perfect spot for those who want to be near the beach and nature while being near the city and its amenities.  view an It is an excellent location to develop a project for retiring north Americans and Europeans alike. Southern Costa Rica is experiencing a number of positive changes such as the new road from Quepos to Dominical, the upcoming new international airport at Palmar Sur and the new Golf course at San Buenas.

The next time you head to one of the finest beaches in the south take a minute to stop and contemplate the beautiful scenery and the feeling of freedom of how we live in this small town called Tinamastes.

For more information on the whole area, please contact me at 1 888 581 1786, Gustavo Odio.

With the completion of two new highways, one linking San Jose to the Pacific coast and the second linking linking Quepos to the southern zone, growth is on the way for certain for the south of Costa Rica. Adding significantly to this will be the new hydroelectric project Diquis
 
After 39 years of waiting and rigorous environmental and social impact studies, it is finally cleared the deigning of the hydroelectric project Diquis. A large piece of engineering, the largest in Central America with an approximate cost of $ 1,850 million, for many an ambitious project for a small country such as ours, but rich in natural resources. The project will provide clean, renewable energy sufficient to supply 1,050,000 families each year, even in the dry season, is the only hydroelectric plant in the country with this feature. This project will help meet the needs and the constant demand for electricity for the next several years because Costa Rica lives in increase of a 6 %   per annum in electricity consumption. Decreasing the use of heat sources for power production, thereby helping to reduce pollution levels.

All this will bring great stability and quality of service to the area, which is important for the development of new Costa Rica Real Estate projects and tourism. It not only provides quality service for the development of these but they also bring with it new opportunities for the inhabitants of the region and to the south in general.

This will be a great tourist attraction for the region   This will also fuel growth and development of southern Pacific Real Estate in Costa Rica.

In the coming years as well as making the south area  of our country in a good area for investment in real estate as they see all this growth in the economy of the south and the country in general. For this and more the South will be your next invest.

For more on southern Costa Rica growth and opportunity properties in this new frontier, please contact me at 1 888 581 1786 toll free.  Ask for Gustavo Odio

Only $80,000 for a 15,500 meter lot looking at Volcanoes in the distance, beautiful lake Arenal an right next to a private reserve area.

A killer deal was had by Christine and her daughter this week.

It all began as an inquiry seeking a large lot in a very special location that gave them safety, seclusion and beauty. It was a great experience for me putting together one of our Lifestyle Property Tours this couple.

Designing the tour  for this particular couple took special attention to their objectives so as to clearly understand the lifestyle they were seeking. A balance between vegetation, water, view, proximity to amenities, good price had to be created. A tremendous amount of time in the planning stage was necessary with this Tour. We utilized all of our resources and finally when our client arrived everything was ready with a good itinerary and all the appointments confirmed with key properties matching their objectives.

This client wanted a big lot next to a river and near to a protected area. We decided to include the Lake Arenal area for this tour and she found exactly what she always dreamed of, a 3.8 acre lot, next a beautiful river, surrounded by a protected forest with a killer lake view and the great part of this story is that we found a property at a true 50% discount and now our client is happy and ready to build her dream home.

We have two more deals like this one available plus two homes at 40% off the advertised prices and then it is over.

If you fit the profile of this client above, this area is definitely should be a prime consideration. Our 6 Pack Arenal Tour covers this area very well and we also have a central valley version (San Jose area 6 pack Tour) that has many nice choices as well.

At Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties we design a different tour for each one of our clients because every person is different and something that we clearly understand. With us you are miles ahead before you arrive and you cannot possibly see more for the time you allocate.

Steve Martinez

I am Steve Martinez and am at your service for identifying the best Costa Rica Real Estate for your objectives.
You can reach me at 1888 581 1786 toll free.

Special note: When buying Costa Rica Real Estate at deeply discounted pricing, it is important to know what you are getting into. Often deeply discounted land can be with problems, so one must be in good hands to identify them. In this case the one Christine finally bought was part of a very good developer that had put a large amount of his own money into the project. His objective was to fire sale some lots to help the cash situation after the central Bank stopped construction loans in December. Remember, VALUE is key to being comfortable in buying property in this market.

We are finding are still a great number of investors looking to plant money in safe places to ride out this storm.  The logical  approach is to buy very low and be prepared to hold for as long as 2 years. This accomplishes a lot. First you capital is safe in Costa Rica Land.  Second, the Costa Rica Real Estate market will definitely show signs of recovery within a year if not before.  The Baby Boomer market is going to define a lot of Costa Rica’s future and as you are aware they are beginning to come already. Some, because they don’t want to go back to work, others because they want a better lifestyle for their income that has been reduced and other just plain like what they hear about Costa Rica Lifestyles.

The days of ever escalating land prices are gone. A new and healthier attitude by local owners has arrived. This is providing a great opportunity for developers to buy and hold.

With a lot of projects temporarily closing or gearing down until the storm passes, we are going to be suffering a loss of inventory when the Baby Boomer market hits in full force. A good strategy here is to pickup some of these properties that are being offered at pre 2005 prices and sit on it for a year.

Also, Costa Rica land is a very solid, stable investment and a good hedge against the unknown.

Here is a classic example of deal that is smack in path of progress and growth and priced right

Located just 40 minutes from San Isidro Del General downtown (also known as Perez Zeledon). San Isidro is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. The pacific Coast is just 45 minutes away and 3 hours southeast of San Jose along the Pan American Highway.

Here is a resume of the reasons why this property is such a good deal:

-      Priced below the market and price has been recently reduced from $650,000 to %575,000.

-      Owner financing available: owner would accept $200K down payment and one year to pay the balance at 6% interest.

-      Beautiful ocean and valley views – an excellent location in San Isidro, close to all the amenities.

-      There is abundant water – 7 creeks, one major river, numerous springs and a large waterfall. Also, the main public water supply runs along the property

-      All taxes up to date. No legal issues.