Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties

Much has been said recently as to how the USA economy is impacting on the  Costa Rica Real Estate market.  One cannot ignore what is happening and how it will eventually affect us in certain quarters.  REMEMBER THIS…. Costa Rica is not part of the problem but is the solution for many. This applies to retirement in Costa Rica  as well as development land in Costa Rica.

For the person seeking retirement in Costa Rica, there are are still some very obvious benefits such as cost of living, climate, friendly nation, quality health care and much more. There are a host of projects ideally suited for retirement in Costa Rica all over the country.  Baby Boomers are prepared and most of them not depending on the sale of a home in the USA to make the move.  Costa Rica is still the number one offshore destination for Americans retiring in Costa Rica with approximately 60,000 here now.

Developer opportunities and why
USA developers are hard pressed to find places to invest these days with all the turmoil they face at present in their markets. Many have extensive experience in Retirement Communities.

Costa Rica Development is very viable.  Development land is still inexpensive. Costa Rica Retirement seekers are not about to stop considering Costa Rica retirement.  There is a very obvious need for full amenity Retirement Communities in Costa Rica both on the coast and inland.

Timing could not be better.  If a development property were to be purchased right now, the time line for getting to sales would be approximately 2 years. That provides ample time to put together a great product, well researched  and a massive high end marketing program.

By then a great number of Baby Boomers will be anxiously seeking locations offshore to retire and the USA problems will certainly be subsiding substantially.

I am seeing a lot of developer inquiry activity at the moment and suspect we are going to see some things very revolutionary happening here in the area of retirement.

One project I met with recently is one of the most polished and well planned full service concepts we have seen in the area of Costa Rica Retirement facilities.   Their timing couldn’t be better in my opinion.

Costa Rica Retirement 

When people retire to Costa Rica they often eat out more not only because of the fine foods but the lower cost as well.

There are any number of levels of and types of restaurants both on the coast and the central valley.  Pricing for the typical restaurants is very inexpensive, the food is good and lots of it.

Many people like to go for cocktails and often the restaurants have nice Boca plates  that are often satisfy many people as if it were a dinner.

On our PROPERTY SCOUTING TOUR, we try to acquaint you with a sampling of these, or at least  point you to them.

There is such a variety of places, one never seems to get tired of the routine if you are a frequent diner. Often you can find nice restaurants in the mountains with gorgeous valley views and others right on the ocean.

If you want to investigate this, come on our tour and find out all about these wonderful spots.

My wife and I dine out 4 times a week and last night we went to one of our favorites in the San Jose area. It is an Italian Restaurant, first class complete with all male waiters, reservations required, usually always full,  best quality food and service and priced very reasonably.  Two main courses and and anti pasta plate with 2 Manhattans and 2 glasses of wine was $55.00. This place ranks with any USA Italian restaurant. It is frequented often by the very wealthy families of Costa Rica.

If you are a frequent out diner and are coming on our tours, be certain to have this place pointed out. There is more to Costa Rica than a good Real Estate selection.

Our Property Scouting Tours are individual and free.  See a sample 3 day itinerary and check i tout.

Best advice to follow whether you are buying a development property, investment property or a retirement home.

Whether you are buying a large development tract of land or a condo for your residence, the very best advice you can receive is “No shortcuts”

Almost every horror story I hear is often traced to this. 

People arrive new to the Country, anxious to make friends and blend in.

When people come to Costa Rica they are greeted by warm, friendly people, beautiful country and a nice climate. It is like arriving in paradise.

Among us there are a few that unscrupulously await your arrival. These are the ones that have a brother or friend who is an attorney who was the former President’s private legal counsel and is very highly connected.  Then there are those who have all the inside connections to the Costa Ricans to buy land.  These people are always the most friendly won’t let you pay them anything for help in most cases and ready to serve you in your search for Real Estate in Costa Rica.

The net result in the bad experiences is everything ranging from buying land not properly titled, different size than described, not usable for development, long distance to services with the promise that government is going to bring services (LOL) you end up a partner with someone you don’t know and never agreed to. These are a few of the things that happen when one takes the shortcut.

By shortcuts, I mean not following what you would normally do in your country.  There are a number of horror stories all over the world as a result of shortcuts as described.

There are a great number of fine attorneys, Real Estate professionals in Costa Rica and the many other services required to accomplish buying Real Estate in Costa Rica.

Our own company, Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties offers a Property Scouting Tour that if used to the fullest extent, covers all aspects of buying your home and getting here to live.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country with a lot to offer, especially in these times. In many ways it is the solution. don’t compromise the opportunities here by taking shortcuts.

We posted a previous article on this location due to the new road to the coast opening soon.  I had some correspondence with the owner to get an update on things so we may comfortably market this one to our clients.  This project is in Puriscal which is now 45 minutes from San Jose and soon to be 20 minutes as the first toll gate of the new road will be 5 minutes from this project. Pricing is unbelievably low for the 1 plus acre gorgeous mountain view lots. 
This is a very high recommendation to investigate either for retirement home or investment.

Here is the owner’s response which was very encouraging and a plus to what he is already offering.

I will share it with you here.

This location, pricing and amenity package is one of the best I know of makes for a prime  Costa Rica retirement location.  Once the locals uncover the secret, it will move fast as everyone wants to avoid the hustle bustle of San Jose but still need close proximity.

If you are looking for a lot that is at least one acre, gorgeous views and will soon be 20 minutes from the Capital, this is it.  I am encouraging my investment clients to buy a package of these for resale in two years as well.

As you can see I am very high on this one. One of the reasons is that we have sold almost all the good lots we could find in Atenas in the last short period of time. This project is across the valley form Atenas, has the same views and now going to share the same new access road to San Jose area.

This one is an a classic “right time right place opportunity”.  If interested in more information on this property , call me toll free at 1 888 581 1786 -  ask for Robert or Rudy.

When Baby Boomers come to Costa Rica seeking locations to retire or invest, the main choices are Escazu, Cariari and Santa Ana for good reason as they include, location, quality, services and that English is spoken widely.

With the growth in the central valley and the fact that the new highway to the coast has begun the surfacing portion, it has opened up a number of serious options for residing that are between 15 and 25 minutes to the Capital.

Puriscal is directly in the path of growth and development and is finding it’s way into the choices of marketing people not just for it’s beautiful scenery and mountains but it’s relative ease to travel to many destinations quickly. When the road portion is completed in one year and a half, a trip from Puriscal to San Jose will be approximately 40 minutes to the coast about 35 minutes and many other areas of interest in just minutes as well.

One of the new communities in the area is a very well laid out project with only 28 home sites of a minimum of 1.2 acres and gorgeous views all over. The great part is the lots are between $79,000 and $120,000.

There is a fine development well underway in anticipation of this growth and is offering large home sites of 1 acre at $79,000 with outstanding mountain and valley views. This is soon to be 20 minutes from the Capital and everything.

If you want the inside on this one, drop me a note HERE  and I will get back to you quickly  and answer all your questions. You can also call me at 1 888 581 1786.

As we speak, the whole area is preparing to capitalize on this growth that is destined to occur. One of our leading newspapers did a full story on Puriscal and the growth pattern. The following is a synopsis of the article.

La República
Costa Rica’s financial newspaper
Puriscal Awakens in the Face of Tourism

Due to the area’s abundance of natural beauty a huge effort is being made to create interest in the Puriscal area. Small businessmen want to increase tourism to this region southwest of San Jose. The Puriscal Chamber of Tourism and The Costa Rican Institute of Tourism are the main agencies involved in the promotion of the area. “The region is just beginning to grow in the field of tourism, however we want people to discover its real potential”, explained Ricardo Gutiérrez president of the Puriscal Chamber of Commerce. It was also pointed out the need for more lodging in the area as it popularity grows. Currently tours offered in the area are the Indian Reserve of Zapatón, Santiago de Puriscal, Turrubares, Mora and Acosta. There are also tours offered to La Cangreja national park.

It must be pointed out that this area is also becoming extremely popular with foreigners as a place to live because of the spectacular scenery, views and so much more.

We are very high on this beautiful part of Costa Rica as well and have begun to include it in our very popular Property Scouting Tours and recommendations as a location of choice for both investment and retirement.