President Laura Chinchilla has taken the speculation out of Costa Rica’s southern zone Airport project .  The following is a reprint from the Tico Times

Southern zone airport gets key public interest designation
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The project to build an international airport in the southern zone got a boost over the weekend when President Laura Chinchilla declared the concept to be in the public interest.

That technical designation put a high priority on the 35 million project, which will start in 2012 to put in the bare bones of an international airport. Until then there are more studies and surveys.

Significant planning and environmental work already has been done. For example, officials can say with certainty that the land proposed for the airport does not contain any of the famous pre-Columbian stone spheres of other important sites. An archaeological survey already has been completed. 

According to plans reviewed Saturday, the airport will have a runway from 2,000 to 2,600 meters, some 6,560 to 8,530 feet. The site already has been selected. It is fincas 9 and 10 in the Valle de Diquis in Sierpe de Osa. Officials also plan on getting two adjacent fincas for eventual expansion.
Finca 9 is the property of the Instituto Nacional de Fomento Cooperativo, a public agency. It contains 233 hectares (about 576 acres). Finca 10 contains 261 hectares (645 acres). This is enough land for the runway, ramps, taxiways, a passenger terminal, parking and space for a fixed base operator to handle private aviation. Also needed will be a fire station, a control tower, navigation and landing systems and space for customs and immigration.

The money for this project will come from the Dirección General de Aviación Civil, the national budget and an allocation the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes received from the International Civil Aviation Organization, officials said.

Ms. Chinchilla said that the airport is important to generate employment and combat poverty. Real estate operators and tourism agencies are solidly in favor of the project.

Ms. Chinchilla made a tour of the southern zone over the weekend and attended a meeting of the Golfito municipal council. There central government officials agreed to help the city with its tourism promotion.  (End of Tico Times report)

This addition, combined with the new road from Quepos to Dominical changes the dynamics of travel, tourism and southern zone Real Estate.  From this destination, travellers can visit the far south and the central Pacific with ease.

The Airport project will certainly help the economocs of the area, but the revitalizing of the development industry will be most refreshing to those who have gone through the slow down of the past two years.

The current world economy has finally forced pricing to what it was 5 years ago in a lot of the southern zone Real Estate. It appears that this is the standard for some time and that bodes well for new southern zone development opportunities.

For a complete rundown on prime development land for sale, contact Robert or Alonso at 1 888 581 1786.

Many people are looking to early retirement these days based on finding offshore locations with lower cost of living. If your income is not geared to growth (and very likely is not in this climate) that can be a serious problem in the future

Semi retirement is a good alternative to your present situation.  Living with growing concerns over shrinking dollar, unemployment political concern and the state of affairs world wide is a strain on everyone these days.  One needs to give some consideration to alternatives available such as buying into, or outright a business that has potential and can be operated by yourself and an assistant with less hours than you work at present.

This article is prompted by the large number of Hotel inquiries we have had lately and our experience in coordinating between buyer and seller. In one instance the seller was committed to leave the Country and his time away was not helping the business. Many people came for rooms and no one was there to register  them.  This Hotel historically had a following and began losing clients.

The buyer recognized this and had the background to make this niche hotel a winner in short order.  He bought it a very good discount with excellent terms.  Both buyer and seller were content with the deal.  The buyer was astute and considered all factors including the history, the niche market  and what he himself could bring to this operation.  He made an offer relative to what he  could live with, and bought it.  The seller knew he was offering good value because of the past years business when he was present and working it.  The age and quality of the structures were important as well.  He finally accepted the terms because it all made sense.  

Many Costa Rica Hotel sellers today are too intimate with their properties and need to go through the exercise to see it from the buyers perspective.  Once a property has a willing buyer today, they need to listen and work together especially if you really need to sell.

Let me give you a simple menu of things that one should use as a guideline when looking at Hotels for sale.

Price relative to net profit
Condition of the property
Opportunity for expansion
History of income and occupancy
Source of bookings
Willing seller

Things that can influence the outcome
You are associated with the travel business 
You have marketing experience
You are a highly organize and efficient
Low rate for financing

Here is a classic example of a semi retirement opportunity buying a Costa Rica Hotel.

The Playa Hermosa Hotel Playa Hermosa Hotel is a very popular niche market Surf Hotel. It is beachfront, well known, and priced right. More, it is an older Hotel but rustic in nature because of the market. Therefore, maintenance and refurbishing are not  major factors now or in the future.. 
Price: $786,000
Financing: 33% down
It has – Location, reputation, history

This can be a good deal for semi retirement, and… on the beach   This resort property is located on the beach at Playa Hermosa, one Costa Rica’s best surfing destinations. Only 10 minutes away from Jaco and 1 hour drive from Manuel Antonio/Quepos National Park.  It has it all: restaurant, surf shop, ample parking, manager’s apartment, 9 spacious suites and an owners direct ocean front residence. It is a well established business with high occupancy rates, good cash flow and a marketing system in place.It has – Location, reputation, history
 
This can be a good deal for semi retirement, and… on the beach   This resort property is located on the beach at Playa Hermosa, one Costa Rica’s best surfing destinations. 10 minutes away from Jaco and 1 1/2 hour drive from Manuel Antonio/Quepos National Park.  It  has it all: restaurant, surf shop, ample parking, manager’s apartment, beach front with 9 spacious suites and more.

 For more information on Niche market Hotels, contact Carol Odonnell at 1888 581 1786 or 506 2293 2446

Watch for more on semi retirement with Costa Rica small Hotels

Many people seeking retirement today have been forced to rethink the timing due to severely hurt IRA’s and investments in general.  Some have to work longer, others seek lower cost living and other simply accept a much lower standard due to health reason etc.

Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties has a number of opportunities in Costa Rica for those who wish to get involved in something they can control and improve their income while keeping active.  Here is one that is perfect if you want to enjoy the lifestyle and lower cost of living in a beautiful country.  This is a small investment with a big return and good working hours, and a fun business as well. to enjoy the lifestyle and lower cost of living in a beautiful country.  This is a small investment with a big return and good working hours, and a fun business as well.

$99,000 investment that pays $4000 MONTHLY NET NET and is solid.

This is an exceptional small Restaurant in a high traffic area with a very special menu
A DYNAMITE RETURN FOR A SMALL INVESTMENT
BE OUT IN TWO YEARS
REGULAR WORKING HOURS

This unique and interesting location takes advantage of the large number of north American workers that populate the many large buildings all around.

Located in the heart of a major business area of San Jose, where most of the north Americans work and yearn for a good old American Burger as well as the other specially planned menu items.

There are a number of large Sport Books, Embassies and much more All have a large number of employees that flock to this Restaurant for the north American style burgers, chili dogs and more.

It is crowded almost every day. Clients never get tired of this menu.

The English speaking newspaper, Tico Times touted this as ”The Best Burger in Town”

Turnkey, fully equipped, stainless steel and nicely planned, this is an operation where you can see the numbers, the formulas and all costs related to making the product.  All this is detailed impeccably and accurately.

Parking, Secure 24/7 and comfortable working hours.

If you are looking to invest in something that can assist boost your lifestyle and income immediately, THIS IS IT.   If you have an Entrepreneurial spirit, the documentations for menus, cost of producing each item and even the exact ingredient count, makes this a real potential franchise opportunity as well.

Make an appointment to see this and get all financial data showing the profitability.
Contact:  toll free 1 888 581 1786 – ask for Robert, Steve or Patricia.

NOW YOU CAN…….. and even in Tamarindo  and only $30,000 down

This is the first time in 20 years that prices have reversed in Costa Rica Real Estate.  For those who missed the boat. it is docking again.

It took some time but we are finally seeing the market drop to where it belongs relative to the current buyers of offshore Real Estate.   We have seen a large number of sales at discounts of 25 to 50%.   For Costa Rica Real Estate, this is Blood in the streets.

One example is a condo that was just sold by owner in a major central Pacific development.  The developer is marketing the product at $495,000 with a program that will include a furniture package.  The Unit I am speaking of was sold for $345,000.  Another case was a unit that was sold 18 months ago for $485,000 sold for $395,000.  We have a number of cases like this through Costa Rica that many of our offices have reported.

What this does for the buyer of today is that it makes his unit a more viable rental opportunity.  It also locks in a profit for the future when the market begins to incline again.

Current examples

Here is a nice investment unit in Tamarindo a very hot rental area.  Imagine, one block to the beach fully furnished for $99,000.  This is what investors need to be looking for.  Finally, some affordable condos near the beach!  It used to be that the luxury of owning a vacation home or condo in a tropical beach paradise was only for those rich folks who happened to have a half a million dollars extra in spending cash.  But now, there are several condos on the market near the beach in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, for just $99,000!  That’s a price more people can view as a reasonable investment.  Plus, financing is available too!  For as little as $30,000 down, you can finance the condo purchase and afford this luxury vacation home in the tropics for just $900 a month, including the HOA fees and the home mortgage!  Plus, if you put a little marketing effort into using it as a vacation rental, you could have your yearly expenses nearly covered for this property!  It’s a sweet deal.

These condos are not just junkie little boxes either, they’re actually really nice.  They all come with air conditioning, full modern kitchen appliances, laundry facilities, stylish lighting, and ceramic tile floors throughout.  Common areas include a fantastic swimming pool, and BBQ rancho party area.  These condos even come fully furnished!  And when I say close to the beach, I mean a 5 to 10 min walk, and also just a short walk to town’s shops, restaurants, and night life.  How can you go wrong with this?

Here is another example of a very well received project in Santa Ana.  A two bedroom 2.5 baths one floor beautifully decorated, furnished, main floor unit with gorgeous grounds and pools.

This is an investor’s dream as you can buy it right, rent it out with a good return (historical net in this development has been 6% year over year), then sell it later at a profit or retire in it.  This is a versatile unit and beautifully appointed and furnished in one of the best Developments in San Jose Costa Rica area.

The list goes on and many have similar benefits as the two above.  If you are interested in good investment properties that make sense, ask us to put you on our hot list to notify you as they become available.
Call us now for details on these and more toll free 1 888 581 1786 ask for
Steve, Patricia, Nova or Robert.

Farming today can be very profitable if you have the right land.  Usually farm land is committed to Agriculture, cattle or timber.  If you find one directly in the path of growth that has a lot for features, you can add Development to the mix and now you have a whole new perspective.

Here is an an example of an amazing property featuring 178 acres plus a tropical year round lagoon, a 300 square meter (3,100 square feet) house, a 1,000 square meters barn, a 30 square meters worker’s house, and another 100 square meter house. Recent valuation of more than $1.5 million.  It is now on the market for $897,000

Location plays large role in determining if you can add the extra dimension of Development.  This property is located in between Tamarindo and Santa Cruz, on the main road on the way to Avellanas Beach and the Hacienda Pinilla Resort.  This is a prime area of development for the Gold Coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

A real plus is that it has all public services including water, power, Internet, phone, satellite T.V and a water well with a modern electric pump, a 2,500 liters (660 gallon) holding tank and plenty of water.

Developing
The land boundaries touch public road on two sides of the property which adding value because it has good access on two different roads, making it legal to be subdivided in the future, and legally zoned for any kind of agricultural, commercial or residential development in the future.

If  a person is interested in a very solid, secure investment with future and a  method of hedging against falling currency, this can solve it all as this farm is very diversified in nature and can be used for may things.

It is not often a quality Costa Rica farms become available at this kind of price.  See details of this Costa Rica Farm for Sale.  For more on this, call Heinz at 1 888 581 1786.

If you happens to be a person that has been scouring the listings for a good low priced Farm, I can assure you, you won’t do better than this one.

Some of the choice locations for Condos include Flamingo, Playa Grande, Tamarindo and Playa Langosta.  While there are more areas for sure, a serious Vacation Home buyer could not go far wrong in choosing one of these locations.

Looking for Guanacaste Condos can be a very extensive long and  tiring experience especially if you are combining it with vacation time. It needn’t be like that.  Enter Nova Noelia…

I recently added Nova Noelia to  our Costa Rica Alliance of Real Estate offices.  During our interviews and discussions in general, I became acutely interested in her concept of doing business.  Simply put, she has made it  her business to know most of the Condos for sale along the Gold Coast.  Some time ago she decided that she was going to know each and every project intimately so she could truly advertise herself as  the specialist for this market.   More, she is fluent in English and Spanish, very familiar with taking tile to property in Costa Rica  and a most proactive person.  When everything else checked out, it became obvious we had another perfect fit and we immediately joined forces to market Gold Coast Condos together.

With prices depressed for the first time in 20 years and IRA’s suffering, it is a great opportunity to look into vacation homes in Guanacaste.  Give us a call and let Nova put a package of Condos together for you that will be efficient and give you more time to enjoy your vacation portion of your trip.
For a very thorough tour of Prime Guanacaste Condos, call Nova at 1888 581 1786.  Also, look in on our Webinars on self directed IRA’s. 

Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties

Invest In Green Gold
In my opinion, there is no better asset to own during any kind of financial crisis than good agricultural or undeveloped farmland.

Good Undeveloped land -
As long as it is in the path of growth and development, undeveloped land is an excellent choice for various reasons. 

First –  and key to successful investing in undeveloped land today is timing.  Buying land with market conditions of today represents a hold for a couple of years in a lot of cases.  If you buy in the path of growth, buy the land  right, and proceed with all necessary studies up to master plan and permits, this will take 2 years. You would have to build this time frame into the project in any event.  The net result is that you can buy at today’s reduced prices and be ready to go when the market appears again and with the right product.

Second, – A most important  aspect is the assessment of the change in product required for today’s economy and Baby Boomer profile.  One must design to build according to what is now going to sell easily.

Third -  With undeveloped land you are not paying for the pre studies and plans to make a master plan ready for approvals that may or not be what you wish to develop.  When you make your own it will be timed and designed exactly to the market.

Agriculture
In some ways, land is even better than gold or silver.  At least farmland is an intrinsically useful.  A tangible yield is provided in the form of good things from the earth. We all have to eat. As consumers trim their budgets, they‘ll give up a lot before they give up their calorie intake. Worldwide, the per capita calorie intake is likely to rise, as quality soil  becomes a scarce commodity. Altogether, I see many big reasons why agriculture investments are as good as gold…   Here is a sample of an Agriculture farm in Costa Rica that is ripe as it has been deeply discounted already and probably will go for less than asking.   It has water, a year round lake, home, barns and more.  This farm was valued by a Bank at $1,500,000 not long ago.  You have to look to find this quality in a deal like this but with patience you can find them.

GRAIN  It is a fact that Grain inventories are falling to their lowest levels in more than 40 years It is impossible to continue dipping into inventories. The natural response you would expect to see is rising prices for grains and for the farmland that produces them. Global grain inventories, drought pending, are expected to rise this year, but will still remain well below historical level.

 Mark McLornan made this comparison of the current agricultural opportunity in the May issue of Marc Faber’s Gloom Boom & Doom Report:  “Investing in agriculture today will be like investing in the oil sector in 2001-2002.”  (If you’ll remember, that’s when oil raced up to $143 a barrel from its $30 low.) 
 
Does this translate to Costa Rica land opportunities?
“If the United States sneezes, Costa Rica get a cold.” is never more prevalent here.  Here is some background.  According to Javier Flores Galarza, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the resources aim to increase the local rice production by almost 50%. Currently, Costa Rica produces only 48% of the rice consumed by its population. The plan aims to produce 80% of the rice needed locally within the next two years. Furthermore, the local bean and white corn production will go from meeting 25% of the local needs to 70% within the next three years. As we know, a high percentage of Costa Rica food is made with one of these three basic grains (rice, beans and white corn for tortillas

With recent increases in food prices Costa Rican officials and the general public has become concerned about the cost and availability of our food imports.  Costa Rica is mainly self-sufficient in vegetable and fruits, meat and fish, and dairy products. This is far from the case with the basic staples of the population’s diet, rice and beans. Domestic production accounts for less than half national consumption of these staples. Corn and other grains are almost entirely imported. There is ample land for mechanized cultivation of these crops, especially in Costa Rica’s Northern Zone. For more information contact Heinz at 1 888 581 1786.

Bio Diesel
Costa Ric’s objective is to produce ethanol and biodiesel on a large enough scale to eventually reduce or even replace petroleum fuel.  Recope, the nations Refinery, is constructing a large processing plant. The government is about to release a plan for the  development of the industry. The Institute for Agrarian Development, is engaged in research projects for certain products to convert to biofuels. At present, ethanol is produced from sugar cane and to a lesser extent from yuca (cassava), a root crop. There is some production of bio-diesel from African Palm oil.

The next in this series of  Green Gold will be published shortly. 

If you have a specific requirement in Costa Rica Land, contact us at 1 888 581 1786 and ask for Robert or Heinz.