Last weekend, Rhonda and I , the kids, and Steve and Marzena took a much needed vacation to Tamarindo, in Guanacaste….all inclusive…walks on the beach and no phone calls…and of course, all you can eat.   The drive up the PanAmerican highway and then through Liberia was a definite eye opener.    The flooding in many areas is extremely severe and entire bridges were washed out and there is a huge amount of standing water in many lowlying areas…and we still have two more months of what are normally our rainiest months.   The other eye opener for all of us is the insane prices being charged for land near Tamarindo.   A half acre lot (actually 1800 meters) near our hotel was for sale for $2,000,000.   And the streets of Tamarindo are not paved and completely overbuilt.  
Maybe we have been here too long, but we all hate to see the beauty of the beaches and the land completely overbuilt.    And really, there is an awful lot of land which is NOT overbuilt and still undeveloped and pristine.

Costa Rica’s Independence Day was two weeks ago….parades and of course, local and national celebrations.    As with many holidays here, children are at the forefront and virtually all of Grecia’s school age children marched in the morning (and into the afternoon) parade.   Rides and food were available at the center of town and fireworks lasted the entire weekend.  

Many of you who read this newsletter and follow our website have a pretty good idea of how the real estate market functions here…and the pitfalls involved.   And never has it been more apparent than by illustration of a transaction which has occurred in the past month:  a buyer fell in love with a gorgeous “view property” here in Grecia.  She wanted the property for the purpose of building a small boutique hotel or bed and breakfast…however, the price was well over $100,000 per each manzana ( almost two acres ).   She trusted the people showing her the property, however she simply could not swallow the steep prices (although by comparison, Florida real estate was sky high).   Two weeks later she stumbled onto our site…she called…she emailed…and flew down again.   And within another two weeks she bought a relatively large amount of land for about a quarter of the price she was quoted previously (same view even and maybe a bit better!) and even received financing from the seller.    The moral here?   (no, it is not to toot our own horn because we cover only a small part of the country) …The moral is DO YOUR HOMEWORK  and remember that there is no MLS here and there are absolutely no rules and regulations and there are no laws protecting real estate buyers here.   Simply use the same good judgment and common sense that you would in your own home country.

We have decided NOT to use our marketing company (for our developments) as the exclusive means to market our projects…in otherwords, we will be marketing jointly with them.  They are great but do not have the knowledge and emotional ties to the property as we do.   We put our hearts into these projects and we want to ensure that EVERYONE gets a chance to see these properties.

And we think that each is totally unique and each represents a part of Costa Rica which captures its beauty and is not a caricature of what the country “used to be”.   And it is not the Costa Rica that is only seen by the tourists…Our developments represent the real Costa Rica, without any hype and cover-ups.  We are still a small, family run firm and want to keep it that way.   I think that we were losing something and now it is back. 

So…Las Brisas del Cielo is back on the market with us…we believe that it is the most perfect climate in all of the country AND we believe that the location is perfect as well (after all, all of us live here…in Grecia !)  www.lasbrisascostarica.net (back up within a day or two!)

Ventanas del Pacifico…our ocean view lots, complete with an annuity of teak ownership and surroundings of jungle, forest and huge views…will be complete and ready for sale within two weeks.   Seven more properties, each averaging a little over one acre…will be for sale…one is already reserved.    These properties are one of a kind. And each lot has all infrastructure and access to a one of two pools and ranchos!  The teak will ultimately pay for the property!  

Pueblo Escondido…our beach development…we anticipate that we will begin building in November and will start presales at that point.   Not only will these homes be the best of their kind for the money but they are set in a locale which is virtually unknown by tourists and populated with huge amounts of wildlife…Central pacific locale and only 300 meters from gorgeous pacific beaches. Call or write for details as we expect these to sell very very quickly.

Other new Properties:

One manzana…Grecia…building pad and landscaping already in…private with river at the bottom of the property…great valley view…                                       only $45,000

Four manzanas…Grecia…fantastic view of the Central Valley…surrounded by other “gringo” style homes, yet still private…river at bottom of the property …planted in coffee with trees and jungle at the river…good access…superb for development…      $45,000 per manzana

Five hectares (also advertised in our last newsletter…12 ½ acres) reserve property at about the 5500 foot level in altitude…unbelievable vistas                                  $45,000

Poas…3+ manzanas…Poas River ( large, fast flowing)  with trees, coffee and jungle…last time a property like this appeared, a bidding war erupted.                          $65,000

Esparza…almost two acres of panoramic ocean view property…stunning views…jungle and river with a smaller Tico home.
$87,500

WATERFALL! ..................  Almost 100 meters of pristine waterfall , private, undiscovered.   In Bajos del Toro.  Private access  This is an unbelievable find!   If you ever wanted your own waterfall, this is it.       With 2-3 hectares ( 5-8 acres )         Cheap at only  $75,000

Other items of note:   Our house is almost finished and we will probably be moved in by the time this newsletter is sent.   Steve and Marzena’s home is progressing well and construction of the first level is complete and they are into their second full month. 

Only in Costa Rica:   the secretary we are interviewing for a job ( yes, she is bilingual ) is the wife of our present attorney’s assistant and served as personal secretary for Costa Rica’s last three presidents. ( her salary?   $300 per month )….Mamfreed, who takes care of our lawn, plants and trees was formerly employed by Donald Trump on his New Jersey estate ( not that we care about Sr. Trump, but it does make for interesting conversation…he also has only one arm which makes his work even more remarkable.)  

Until next time….
Rhonda and Randy, Steve and Marzena, Rodrigo and Char, Dolan and Logan,  Liffer and Yolanda and their two little ones…and of course, the Woodpecker and his many.

Oh,  one last item:  many of you had written us when we decided to switch to an outside sales firm complaining that you would not be able to market the properties.  
Please click here for further details….  We hope that you will continue to have patience with us as we do not have extensive marketing experience and realize ( albeit belatedly) that our subscribers and writers are our best advocates.    And please…if any of you have suggestions or ideas on how we should be marketing these beauties, please call or email. We are the first to admit when we need help.