Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Peligroso! Very Dangerous! The Most Dangerous Snake in Costa Rica
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
German airline will land first in Guanacaste
Air Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Toucans for Lunch!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
You NEVER know who you are going to meet in Costa Rica!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
We fix tires and snakes - yikes!
Holy cow look at the size of this baby! We went to the town of Guayabo Costa Rica
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Effects from Hurricane Jova!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Great comments on Costa Rica real estate!
From the Desk of Michael Simons
Broker/Owner RE/MAX Prestige Ocean Properties Playa Panama
Broker/Owner RE/MAX Tres Amigos Playa Hermosa
Number One International RE/MAX Agent 2005, 2006
Carribean and Central America RE/MAX Broker of the Year 2010
Broker/Owner RE/MAX Prestige Ocean Properties Playa Panama
Broker/Owner RE/MAX Tres Amigos Playa Hermosa
Number One International RE/MAX Agent 2005, 2006
Carribean and Central America RE/MAX Broker of the Year 2010
People always ask me how our market is doing, is it stable, did we see a big fall out like the USA? I believe Costa Rica has one of the most stable markets in the world for a couple of reasons.
1. 99% of our clients paid cash
2. There is no formal MLS in Costa Rica
People can blame whoever they want for the crash of the real estate market in the USA. You can say it was greedy real estate agents, pushy mortgage brokers, banks looking the other way. You can blame it on one President or another or the law that was passed to allow easier access to housing which opened the door to non-qualifying loans. And all of these might be true. But the real reason for the decline of the housing market, were individuals buying homes, who should NEVER have been buying those homes.
How come nobody blames the buyers? How come nobody takes responsibility any more? When you sign a contract it is your responsibility to make sure you can live up to that contract. Not the mortgage broker’s. He didn’t put a gun to your head. So when those mortgage payments came due, and people couldn’t pay them, they just walked away. Of course they would they only had 5% in the game. But when you have 100% skin in the game, you don’t walk away. You are going to be much more reluctant to unload that property. Since almost all of our clients paid cash for their properties here in Costa Rica, they were going to be much more resilient in finding a way to keep it. Since carrying costs are so low here, about 20% of what it is in the USA, people are able to ride the storm out much easier than they would if they owned the same priced property in Florida for example. For that reason we didn’t see a huge drop in prices and we didn’t have near as many foreclosures to drive the values down.
I have always said that the biggest problem in the United States of America is the formal MLS system. Who says that the purchase price of homes should be common knowledge and that 20 years from now someone will still be able to know what a person bought their home for today? This is killing the real estate market! Let me explain. Let’s take a community of track homes in a suburb of a city. There are 40 homes in the community. Every home is exactly the same; same size, same floor plan, same design. They were all worth $400,000 a few years ago. But when the recession hit, 10 of those homes went into foreclosure and the banks took them back. The banks don’t want them obviously, so they dump those homes for 50 cents on the dollar. Thanks to the formal MLS, and the system of appraisals and comparative analyses, now every other home in the neighborhood is worth $200,000. Even though 30 of the people made intelligent decisions, they get screwed. They bought a house they could afford. They put 30% down. They took out a mortgage they could afford and busted their butts every month to pay the payment on time. In other words, they played by the rules.
But because 25% of the people tried to cheat the system and buy a house they couldn’t afford, with no money down, the rest of home owners have to pay the price. And for the rest of history, the next buyer will always be able to know that the home could have been bought today for $200,000. Ten years from now a buyer is going to have a hard time paying $300,000 knowing he could have bought it today for $100k less. I have a client who is worth about a half a billion dollars. I asked him how he became so successful. He told me two reasons. The first is that he listens and follows successful people. That is why he bought land in Costa Rica, because he said “Anywhere that’s good enough for the Four Seasons is good enough for me”. The second reason he said is that too many people concern themselves with what the seller is making. They get too hung up on what they COULD have bought something for a few years ago. The greed factor will kick in and they just won’t want to pay more for something knowing what it was selling for previously.
So why does this make Costa Rica such a good investment you ask? It’s quite simple. Almost all of our buyers paid cash. People, who buy their retirement home, or a second home as a vacation property or investment property, tend to be more stable than the average buyer of a home in the USA. They only buy a home they can afford. They plan it out. They have done their due diligence and decided that Costa Rica is where they want to own. They are not in any hurry to sell. This is their PIECE OF PARADISE.
Let’s take that same scenario I used previously. Let’s say we have a Condominium building with 10 units in it. They are all exactly the same. Same size; same floor plan; same view and they sold for $400k. First off, 7 of those people won’t sell their condo. This is their baby. This is what they have worked so hard to buy. But 3 units are for sale at the moment. Two of those units don’t need to sell. Maybe they would like to sell, but are really in no hurry. Maybe they want to move up to a house instead of a condo or they are ready for a change and want to move somewhere else. Whatever the scenario, they won’t sell their condo for less than $400,000. But one person really needs to sell. For reasons beyond his control, he has to move his unit. Maybe he is really hurting thanks to the turn in the economy back home. Maybe his plan to retire has been put on hold, thanks to the financial disaster in the USA. Maybe he lost his job. Maybe he really needs the cash to put his children through college. Whatever the reason, he is highly motivated to sell. And unfortunately, this is NOT a good time to be a seller. Every buyer that gets in my car tells me the same thing. “We want to see the fire sales. We want to see the seller who is 24 hours from bankruptcy. We want to steal a deal.” So in order to move this unit, in today’s market, the seller must have a compelling price to move this unit. So he lists it at $300,000.
That of course is the unit I will be showing my buyers today. The best deals in the area. And the buyer can see, that this is a fantastic deal, because there are only 2 other units for sale and they wont budge much below the $400k price point. So when that unit sells, EVERYBODY is happy. The buyers are very excited as they can see immediately that they have equity in their unit. They know in their hearts that they just made $100,000 on the condo. I am not saying they can sell it tomorrow for $400k, but they know that they have made a fantastic purchase. The seller is happy, as he now has the cash he needs to help his unfortunate situation back home. But most important, the other 9 condo owners are happy too. Why? Because there is no MLS! No one will ever know that this unit sold for $300,000.
There is nowhere that a future buyer can go to see the sale prices of today. The other owners surely aren’t going to tell anyone. So the future sale price will be whatever the seller is willing to sell it for and the buyer is willing to pay. The rest of the real estate owners are not affected because one person is in a bad situation. Why should we all suffer in our investments because of other persons bad decisions? This is also the reason that it is imperative you work with a knowledgeable, experienced real estate company, who has been involved in the market for a long time. They will be able to tell you what the best deals are, as they know the history of every property. A new company, just starting out, is going to have a tough time as there won’t be the MLS to make it easy for them.
Now keep in mind, most of our property owners don’t need to sell. So there is a limited about of inventory that is on the market at a really good price. I believe we have maybe 9 to 15 months left, where a buyer can really steal a property, and then they will just be gone. And you will be dealing with sellers who don’t need to sell. This is not the optimum situation for a buyer. We have sold more property in the last 9 months than we did in the 3 years before combined. So these great deals are disappearing fast. We are chipping away at the bottom and the prices are slowly climbing back to where we all want them to be. On top of that, more and more people are coming to Costa Rica everyday to look at making this their home.
We all talk of the Baby Boomers who are retiring in the next 10 years, and of course this makes up a lot of our buyers. But it isn’t just retirees. We are seeing many younger people, in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are moving here to start businesses, put their children into bi lingual schools and just have a new adventure in life, as they are tired of the rat race back home. Also, we are seeing record numbers of investors putting their money in to properties outside the USA, especially with the uncertainty of the market back home. Think about it. If you have some cash, where are you going to put it? Banks pay 1%. The stock market is very volatile; it goes up and down 5 times a week. Scary!
The real estate market in the United States is going to take a very very long time to see equity again. There was an article a few months back that said West Palm Beach Florida has 15 years of inventory right now! FIFTEEN YEARS! So if they are half right that is 7 years just to sell what is on the market right now. That is not including any new foreclosures or old people who die. It will be at least a decade before you will see any equity growth in that market. How can you buy something and believe in your heart it will go up in value? You can’t! Investors are looking at this and that is what is driving them to Costa Rica. Maybe this is why at least 20% of our clients come from Florida, many of them real estate agents themselves. And it’s not that warm any more in Florida, unfortunately. But it’s always 88 degrees in Guanacaste, 365 days a year.
Guanacaste Costa Rica is on fire again, especially in the Papagayo region. There is an $18 million expansion of the Liberia airport. Two new state of the art hospitals catering to medical tourism; Dozens of high end resorts and marinas; New piers and boardwalks; Improvements in infrastructure; Upgrades in telecommunications; All this to continue to bring tourists and foreign investment to this beautiful country. But there is a limited amount of residential inventory and it gets harder and harder to get these projects approved, as Costa Rica wants to stay an Eco Destination and not become a Cancun Mexico. So you are going to have more and more buyers, with less and less inventory and sellers who don’t need to sell. You do the math.
Hope to see you down here soon. Don’t be one of those people who ten years from now looks back and realizes they missed out on the greatest opportunity of their lifetime. To top it off, this is truly one of the greatest places you could ever live, it is pure paradise!
Pura Vida!
Michael Simons
1. 99% of our clients paid cash
2. There is no formal MLS in Costa Rica
People can blame whoever they want for the crash of the real estate market in the USA. You can say it was greedy real estate agents, pushy mortgage brokers, banks looking the other way. You can blame it on one President or another or the law that was passed to allow easier access to housing which opened the door to non-qualifying loans. And all of these might be true. But the real reason for the decline of the housing market, were individuals buying homes, who should NEVER have been buying those homes.
How come nobody blames the buyers? How come nobody takes responsibility any more? When you sign a contract it is your responsibility to make sure you can live up to that contract. Not the mortgage broker’s. He didn’t put a gun to your head. So when those mortgage payments came due, and people couldn’t pay them, they just walked away. Of course they would they only had 5% in the game. But when you have 100% skin in the game, you don’t walk away. You are going to be much more reluctant to unload that property. Since almost all of our clients paid cash for their properties here in Costa Rica, they were going to be much more resilient in finding a way to keep it. Since carrying costs are so low here, about 20% of what it is in the USA, people are able to ride the storm out much easier than they would if they owned the same priced property in Florida for example. For that reason we didn’t see a huge drop in prices and we didn’t have near as many foreclosures to drive the values down.
I have always said that the biggest problem in the United States of America is the formal MLS system. Who says that the purchase price of homes should be common knowledge and that 20 years from now someone will still be able to know what a person bought their home for today? This is killing the real estate market! Let me explain. Let’s take a community of track homes in a suburb of a city. There are 40 homes in the community. Every home is exactly the same; same size, same floor plan, same design. They were all worth $400,000 a few years ago. But when the recession hit, 10 of those homes went into foreclosure and the banks took them back. The banks don’t want them obviously, so they dump those homes for 50 cents on the dollar. Thanks to the formal MLS, and the system of appraisals and comparative analyses, now every other home in the neighborhood is worth $200,000. Even though 30 of the people made intelligent decisions, they get screwed. They bought a house they could afford. They put 30% down. They took out a mortgage they could afford and busted their butts every month to pay the payment on time. In other words, they played by the rules.
But because 25% of the people tried to cheat the system and buy a house they couldn’t afford, with no money down, the rest of home owners have to pay the price. And for the rest of history, the next buyer will always be able to know that the home could have been bought today for $200,000. Ten years from now a buyer is going to have a hard time paying $300,000 knowing he could have bought it today for $100k less. I have a client who is worth about a half a billion dollars. I asked him how he became so successful. He told me two reasons. The first is that he listens and follows successful people. That is why he bought land in Costa Rica, because he said “Anywhere that’s good enough for the Four Seasons is good enough for me”. The second reason he said is that too many people concern themselves with what the seller is making. They get too hung up on what they COULD have bought something for a few years ago. The greed factor will kick in and they just won’t want to pay more for something knowing what it was selling for previously.
So why does this make Costa Rica such a good investment you ask? It’s quite simple. Almost all of our buyers paid cash. People, who buy their retirement home, or a second home as a vacation property or investment property, tend to be more stable than the average buyer of a home in the USA. They only buy a home they can afford. They plan it out. They have done their due diligence and decided that Costa Rica is where they want to own. They are not in any hurry to sell. This is their PIECE OF PARADISE.
Let’s take that same scenario I used previously. Let’s say we have a Condominium building with 10 units in it. They are all exactly the same. Same size; same floor plan; same view and they sold for $400k. First off, 7 of those people won’t sell their condo. This is their baby. This is what they have worked so hard to buy. But 3 units are for sale at the moment. Two of those units don’t need to sell. Maybe they would like to sell, but are really in no hurry. Maybe they want to move up to a house instead of a condo or they are ready for a change and want to move somewhere else. Whatever the scenario, they won’t sell their condo for less than $400,000. But one person really needs to sell. For reasons beyond his control, he has to move his unit. Maybe he is really hurting thanks to the turn in the economy back home. Maybe his plan to retire has been put on hold, thanks to the financial disaster in the USA. Maybe he lost his job. Maybe he really needs the cash to put his children through college. Whatever the reason, he is highly motivated to sell. And unfortunately, this is NOT a good time to be a seller. Every buyer that gets in my car tells me the same thing. “We want to see the fire sales. We want to see the seller who is 24 hours from bankruptcy. We want to steal a deal.” So in order to move this unit, in today’s market, the seller must have a compelling price to move this unit. So he lists it at $300,000.
That of course is the unit I will be showing my buyers today. The best deals in the area. And the buyer can see, that this is a fantastic deal, because there are only 2 other units for sale and they wont budge much below the $400k price point. So when that unit sells, EVERYBODY is happy. The buyers are very excited as they can see immediately that they have equity in their unit. They know in their hearts that they just made $100,000 on the condo. I am not saying they can sell it tomorrow for $400k, but they know that they have made a fantastic purchase. The seller is happy, as he now has the cash he needs to help his unfortunate situation back home. But most important, the other 9 condo owners are happy too. Why? Because there is no MLS! No one will ever know that this unit sold for $300,000.
There is nowhere that a future buyer can go to see the sale prices of today. The other owners surely aren’t going to tell anyone. So the future sale price will be whatever the seller is willing to sell it for and the buyer is willing to pay. The rest of the real estate owners are not affected because one person is in a bad situation. Why should we all suffer in our investments because of other persons bad decisions? This is also the reason that it is imperative you work with a knowledgeable, experienced real estate company, who has been involved in the market for a long time. They will be able to tell you what the best deals are, as they know the history of every property. A new company, just starting out, is going to have a tough time as there won’t be the MLS to make it easy for them.
Now keep in mind, most of our property owners don’t need to sell. So there is a limited about of inventory that is on the market at a really good price. I believe we have maybe 9 to 15 months left, where a buyer can really steal a property, and then they will just be gone. And you will be dealing with sellers who don’t need to sell. This is not the optimum situation for a buyer. We have sold more property in the last 9 months than we did in the 3 years before combined. So these great deals are disappearing fast. We are chipping away at the bottom and the prices are slowly climbing back to where we all want them to be. On top of that, more and more people are coming to Costa Rica everyday to look at making this their home.
We all talk of the Baby Boomers who are retiring in the next 10 years, and of course this makes up a lot of our buyers. But it isn’t just retirees. We are seeing many younger people, in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are moving here to start businesses, put their children into bi lingual schools and just have a new adventure in life, as they are tired of the rat race back home. Also, we are seeing record numbers of investors putting their money in to properties outside the USA, especially with the uncertainty of the market back home. Think about it. If you have some cash, where are you going to put it? Banks pay 1%. The stock market is very volatile; it goes up and down 5 times a week. Scary!
The real estate market in the United States is going to take a very very long time to see equity again. There was an article a few months back that said West Palm Beach Florida has 15 years of inventory right now! FIFTEEN YEARS! So if they are half right that is 7 years just to sell what is on the market right now. That is not including any new foreclosures or old people who die. It will be at least a decade before you will see any equity growth in that market. How can you buy something and believe in your heart it will go up in value? You can’t! Investors are looking at this and that is what is driving them to Costa Rica. Maybe this is why at least 20% of our clients come from Florida, many of them real estate agents themselves. And it’s not that warm any more in Florida, unfortunately. But it’s always 88 degrees in Guanacaste, 365 days a year.
Guanacaste Costa Rica is on fire again, especially in the Papagayo region. There is an $18 million expansion of the Liberia airport. Two new state of the art hospitals catering to medical tourism; Dozens of high end resorts and marinas; New piers and boardwalks; Improvements in infrastructure; Upgrades in telecommunications; All this to continue to bring tourists and foreign investment to this beautiful country. But there is a limited amount of residential inventory and it gets harder and harder to get these projects approved, as Costa Rica wants to stay an Eco Destination and not become a Cancun Mexico. So you are going to have more and more buyers, with less and less inventory and sellers who don’t need to sell. You do the math.
Hope to see you down here soon. Don’t be one of those people who ten years from now looks back and realizes they missed out on the greatest opportunity of their lifetime. To top it off, this is truly one of the greatest places you could ever live, it is pure paradise!
Pura Vida!
Michael Simons
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Quading in Paradise
What a great day - beautiful scenery, warm weather, good friends and quads! Don't miss out on an opportunity to tour Costa Rica by quad!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
August 2011 Costa Rica Discovered Newsletter
For lots of good information on living in Costa Rica visit this link to our Newsletter.
http//www.costaricadiscovered.com/Newsletter_2011_August.html
http//www.costaricadiscovered.com/Newsletter_2011_August.html
Tapir in Rincon de La Vieja National Park
This is a video of a wild tapir taken by our friend Dani - a local Costa Rican neighbour. I spend a lot of time with Dani riding horses in the mountains. He is a real "Jungle Jim" and knows the area very well. He found this tapir near our home a few kilometers into the park. He took the video with his phone. The noises are real from the tapir who is somewhat agitated. The tapir weighs about 400 kilos according to Dani. They can be quite dangerous if they have young or are cornered. Dani said this was a big male and fortunately did not charge. Pretty exciting stuff! This is the real thing just like National Geographic!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Costa Rica Newsletter March 2011
Costa Rica Newsletter
March 2011
Hola everyone from the sun and surf of Costa Rica!
Change of Venue!
In case you had not heard, we have moved from Century 21 At the Beach to RE/MAX Los Tres Amigos, just up the street about 2 blocks from the Century 21 Office. RE/MAX Los Tres Amigos is the #1 Real Estate office in Costa Rica so their office opens up the real estate market tremendously for our clients. We are partners with offices in Tamarindo so we are able to promote properties from this area to our customers as well. We look forward to a long relationship with RE/MAX.
Spring Vacation!
Wow – what a contrast! Winter in North America has been abnormally miserable this year. In paradise we are in the midst of summer with almost perfect weather highs of +32 and lows in the low 20s at night – just about perfect.
Tired of winter – head south in April and thaw out! Now is the hottest time of the year in our area of paradise, but not really busy, so you could have the beach to yourself for most of the day. No crowds like you see in Hawaii or some of the Mexican resorts. Most mornings Playa Hermosa looks like the picture below, no beach umbrellas stacked side by side and no throngs of people in the water – just Pura Vida!
If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica you should consider spreading your time between the mountains and the beaches. Our daughter, her husband and little Nicholas came down for two weeks and really enjoyed the changes in climate. After 4 or 5 days at the beach, it was delightful to head back to the mountains where you can “drink the air” as our neighbour from Paris, France describes the cool clean air of Rincon de la Vieja. It is only little more than one hour from the beach to the mountains but what a change, especially this time of year. Seriously consider this type of holiday. We can recommend some great areas to visit. Below are a few photos and check out this website (www.rinconcitolodge.com) for a great lodge in the mountains just 10 minutes from our house. We highly recommend this lodge and all it has to offer. Another recommended bed and breakfast in the same vicinity as Rinconcito Lodge is Rincon de Gaetano (www.rincondegaetano.com). This lodge is a little more basic but is new construction and very clean and comfortable.
Real Estate News
The market is improving but continues to be a Buyer’s market. There are lots of great opportunities for you to buy when prices are low. Mountains or beach - the choice is yours. Here are a few examples of what is available:
Ocean Breeze Condo
reduced to $164,000
- 2 bedroom 2 bathroom; 1157 sq ft
- just a 5 minute walk to the beach
- three pools; excellent construction
- needs a little TLC
Villa in Playa Hermosa
$119,000
- 3 bedroom 2 bathroom
- needs TLC but in an excellent location
- one block to the Supermarket; one block to the Sports Bar; 10 minute walk to the beach
- featured property on our website
Playa Panama Villa
was $500,000 now $380,000
- 3 bedroom/3.5 baths with ocean peaks
- tremendous common area pool and BBQ area with incredible ocean views only a 5 minute walk away
- built by one of best builders in the area
Playa Ocotal Condo
$249,000
- 2 bedroom/1 bath condo in this 12 unit condo development
- incredible views of Pacific Ocean & Gulf of Papagayo
- development has infinity pool, gym and garage
- larger units also for sale in this complex
Please visit our newly revamped website for more information on these and other great properties located in Paradise www.costaricadiscovered.com. Be sure to click on our Facebook button and check out new listings, current area information and other interesting tidbits about Costa Rica.
Area News
Ø Construction is rapidly proceeding on the new CIMA Hospital to be located just 15 minutes from our beaches.
Ø As well construction is really moving along at the airport with the new terminals.
Ø Here is a great article on the Medical Tourisim Industry here in Costa Rica. If you are on the wait list in Canada or the US you may want to consider Costa Rica as an option. Costs are considerably lower than private medical care in the US or Canada. Top quality services and a great place for recovering. Why shiver in the snow when you can enjoy paradise?
www.CostaRicaHospital.com/public/Why_Choose_Costa_Rica_for_Medical_Tourism.cfm
Stay warm in the North. Spring is not far off.
We look forward to seeing you in Paradise.
Hasta luego!
Herb & Donna
Internet Phone: 1-406-235-8121
Cell Phone: 011-506-8-359-2513
Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-808-4530
Email: hgdemars@gmail.com
Website: www.costaricadiscovered.com
PS: If you do not want to receive our updates please send us a quick email and we will take you off our email list! Conversely, let us know if anyone wants to be added to our list or just forward to friends or relatives. We will try to send these updates every month or two.
March 2011
Hola everyone from the sun and surf of Costa Rica!
Change of Venue!
In case you had not heard, we have moved from Century 21 At the Beach to RE/MAX Los Tres Amigos, just up the street about 2 blocks from the Century 21 Office. RE/MAX Los Tres Amigos is the #1 Real Estate office in Costa Rica so their office opens up the real estate market tremendously for our clients. We are partners with offices in Tamarindo so we are able to promote properties from this area to our customers as well. We look forward to a long relationship with RE/MAX.
Spring Vacation!
Wow – what a contrast! Winter in North America has been abnormally miserable this year. In paradise we are in the midst of summer with almost perfect weather highs of +32 and lows in the low 20s at night – just about perfect.
Tired of winter – head south in April and thaw out! Now is the hottest time of the year in our area of paradise, but not really busy, so you could have the beach to yourself for most of the day. No crowds like you see in Hawaii or some of the Mexican resorts. Most mornings Playa Hermosa looks like the picture below, no beach umbrellas stacked side by side and no throngs of people in the water – just Pura Vida!
If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica you should consider spreading your time between the mountains and the beaches. Our daughter, her husband and little Nicholas came down for two weeks and really enjoyed the changes in climate. After 4 or 5 days at the beach, it was delightful to head back to the mountains where you can “drink the air” as our neighbour from Paris, France describes the cool clean air of Rincon de la Vieja. It is only little more than one hour from the beach to the mountains but what a change, especially this time of year. Seriously consider this type of holiday. We can recommend some great areas to visit. Below are a few photos and check out this website (www.rinconcitolodge.com) for a great lodge in the mountains just 10 minutes from our house. We highly recommend this lodge and all it has to offer. Another recommended bed and breakfast in the same vicinity as Rinconcito Lodge is Rincon de Gaetano (www.rincondegaetano.com). This lodge is a little more basic but is new construction and very clean and comfortable.
Real Estate News
The market is improving but continues to be a Buyer’s market. There are lots of great opportunities for you to buy when prices are low. Mountains or beach - the choice is yours. Here are a few examples of what is available:
Ocean Breeze Condo
reduced to $164,000
- 2 bedroom 2 bathroom; 1157 sq ft
- just a 5 minute walk to the beach
- three pools; excellent construction
- needs a little TLC
Villa in Playa Hermosa
$119,000
- 3 bedroom 2 bathroom
- needs TLC but in an excellent location
- one block to the Supermarket; one block to the Sports Bar; 10 minute walk to the beach
- featured property on our website
Playa Panama Villa
was $500,000 now $380,000
- 3 bedroom/3.5 baths with ocean peaks
- tremendous common area pool and BBQ area with incredible ocean views only a 5 minute walk away
- built by one of best builders in the area
Playa Ocotal Condo
$249,000
- 2 bedroom/1 bath condo in this 12 unit condo development
- incredible views of Pacific Ocean & Gulf of Papagayo
- development has infinity pool, gym and garage
- larger units also for sale in this complex
Please visit our newly revamped website for more information on these and other great properties located in Paradise www.costaricadiscovered.com. Be sure to click on our Facebook button and check out new listings, current area information and other interesting tidbits about Costa Rica.
Area News
Ø Construction is rapidly proceeding on the new CIMA Hospital to be located just 15 minutes from our beaches.
Ø As well construction is really moving along at the airport with the new terminals.
Ø Here is a great article on the Medical Tourisim Industry here in Costa Rica. If you are on the wait list in Canada or the US you may want to consider Costa Rica as an option. Costs are considerably lower than private medical care in the US or Canada. Top quality services and a great place for recovering. Why shiver in the snow when you can enjoy paradise?
www.CostaRicaHospital.com/public/Why_Choose_Costa_Rica_for_Medical_Tourism.cfm
Stay warm in the North. Spring is not far off.
We look forward to seeing you in Paradise.
Hasta luego!
Herb & Donna
Internet Phone: 1-406-235-8121
Cell Phone: 011-506-8-359-2513
Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-808-4530
Email: hgdemars@gmail.com
Website: www.costaricadiscovered.com
PS: If you do not want to receive our updates please send us a quick email and we will take you off our email list! Conversely, let us know if anyone wants to be added to our list or just forward to friends or relatives. We will try to send these updates every month or two.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sulfur Hot and Cold Springs
What a find? We went for a hike today in Rincon de La Vieja National Park near our home. We drove our quads to Hacienda Santa Maria which at one time in the sixties was the hunting lodge of US President Lyndon Johnson - lots of history. The lodge is now a museum with lots of interesting stuff. We left the Lodge and hiked for about 1 hour. We followed a beautiful hiking trail through the giant rainforest trees and found this little gem. Medicinal sulfur hots springs seeping from the ground heated by the volcano, right beside the hot water a beautiful fresh water creek with clean cool water. We had a great time going from one to the other. Little Nicholas of course preferred the hot water of the sulfur spring. Not sure of the medicinal effect as we spread the mud around. Seemed to really clean the skin according to Donna and Jessica. Another great little gem we found in this wonderful little country!
Costa Rica Canopy Tour
Wow ! What a great day! Today we took the Canopy Tour at Rinconcito Lodge just about 10 minutes from our house. This is a great little canopy tour with 7 lines, one over 1,500 meters through the gigantic trees of San Jorge. Great vistas of the Pacific from the hilltops and tree tops. Some of the platforms are located in gigantic trees over 75 feet above ground. Lots of swaying in the breeze. Includes a 20 minute horse ride each way - all for $30.00 per person! Rinconcito is a great little lodge and we would recommend it to anyone wanting to experience all that Rincon del La Vieja National Park has to offer! Very good tours with very reasonable room rates and excellent Costa Rican food. Pura Vida!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Rio Negro Hotsprings
Incredible, super natural hotsprings near Rincon de La Vieja National Park. These hot springs are just 15 minutes by quad from our house. We just discovered them recently. Beautiful clean hot water bubbling to the surface with wonderful pools handbuilt from concrete and rock. Pura Vida! Jump in the cool Rio Negro and choose your hot pool from real hot to just right! If you plan to visit Rincon de La Vieja which should be on your to do list, shoot us an email and we can describe how to find these hotsprings. Price of admission is $5.00 cheap at twice the price. Pack the picnic basket, cold beer and make it a day! The above picture is the source of hot water! No sulfur smell to these hot springs and probably some great medicinal effects!
SWINGING BRIDGE ACCESS!
HOT POOLS WITH THE COOLER RIO NEGRO!
Playa Hermosa Villa
What a great deal! Needs some TLC but this villa is located in a great development just a 10 minute walk from beautiful Playa Hermosa Guanacaste Costa Rica! Three bedroom two bathrooms on a 330 sq meter lot. The price is right at $119,000. Call or email for more information.
Costa Rica Discovered - December 2010 Newsletter
Hola everyone from the sun and surf of Costa Rica!
The rains have subsided and the sun is out – finally! That was a long wet “green season” with over 160 inches (over 13 feet) of rain at the mountains of Rincon de La Vieja and over 80 inches at the beaches of Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco. After a beautiful first two weeks in October, Mother Nature gave us a final send off as hurricane Tomas let loose some serious rain throughout the country during the first week of November. Major rains in the Central Valley around San Jose triggered several mudslides that resulted in the death of 25 people, several injured, and many people left homeless, plus numerous road closures and bridges washed out. The year 2010 will go down as one of the wettest years in a long time! No more talking about the weather as summer will soon be here for six months of sunshine!The following is a very informative article that will give you an excellent insight into visiting or retiring to Costa Rica. Given the problems in Mexico, Honduras and other countries, Costa Rica offers a refuge of tranquility in this sometimes crazy world. This article has been reprinted from one of our local magazines, Utopia (www.revistautopia.com).
We are not going to badmouth the rest of America nor are we going to sell you a picture-perfect image about the country. We promise that we are not going to exaggerate reality in an effort to convince you, because that would not be fair nor is it necessary.
We are simply going to tell you about a country that has many attractions and is very tourist friendly; a country that embodies special and unique qualities all of which provide for a remarkable experience.
Those who don’t come are really missing out…
Before we go over the attractions of this country let us review the basic conditions that a visitor will find.
1) No health risks: You don’t need any vaccinations to visit Costa Rica. There is potable water in 98% of the country. The food, though not the most varied cuisine in the continent, is tasty, nutritious and safe. The country has excellent medical services, which cost 1/3 of the price one would pay in the U.S. For this reason medical tourism has been fervently growing in recent years.
| 2) Peace and security: Costa Rica is without a doubt the safest country in Central America. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the region and the crime that does occur rarely involves tourists. Remember though, when traveling, it’s always wise to exercise caution. Ticos are peaceful and friendly people. This is a society that generally resolves conflict through dialogue, and as a result it is rare to see a street fights or screaming arguments among its citizens. |
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3) Communications: Costa Rica has a good communication platform with land lines and cellular telephone coverage throughout the entire country. While the cell phone signal is often weak when far from an urban center, there is access to broadband Internet is almost everywhere.
4) A complete and bilingual service platform: While there is still room for improvement in terms of customer service, the country has an ample service platform and offers everything that a tourist requires. You will find bilingual personnel in 95% of the businesses and stores, thanks to the many foreign residents and the fact that many Costa Ricans speak English.
| 5) Pleasant climate: Some areas of the country offer over 200 days of guaranteed sunshine, with tempera-tures ranging between 64º and 86ºF. September and October are the 2 rainiest months (except in the Caribbean area) and the months when one can typically find the best rates for flights, hotels and tours. Costa Rica is rarely affected by the hurricane seasons that can plague other Latin American countries. Rarely, small problems will occur on the Caribbean side, but the Pacific Coast is never affected. |
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6) Proximity and accessibility: By virtue of being located in the bellybutton of America, Costa Rica is easily accessible by air, land and water. It has 2 international airports and a good frequency of flights from Europe and America. The arrival of cruise ships and modern marinas on both coasts enable access from the ocean and comfortable busses connect Costa Rica with the rest of Central America and Mexico. The internal bus service within the country is not very efficient so it’s better to opt for shuttle services or renting a 4x4 vehicle.
7) Acceptable and improving road network: On a scale of 1 to 10, the highways of the country rank about a 6.5. This is in large part due to the lack of proper signs and signals as well as the numerous curves and potholes. However, in general they provide good access and connectivity throughout the country and are in a lot better condition than the roads found in most other parts of Central America. As well, the country has recently set aside close to a billion dollars to aide in the modernization of its road network.
| 8) Short distances: Because this is a small and very diverse country one can enjoy several different and varied activities and landscapes in the same day without having to travel very far. |
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9) A stay in very good hands: People who visit Costa Rica are received by an enthusiastic and efficient tourist industry that has many years of experience and green vision. Since many years, before than anybody, the tourism industry in Costa Rica have been committed to sustainability, positive and stress-free experiences and a high level of customer satisfaction. Costa Rican’s take pride in knowing that those who visit will return to their home country with fond memories and experiences that they will share with friends and families.
| 10) Clean energy: Costa Rica generates most of its energy from renewable sources (hydroelectric, geothermal or wind energy). This means that the energy that a tourist will use during their trip is clean energy. Whoever chooses Costa Rica as their destination is also choosing to embark on an environmentally friendly trip |
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11) Sustainability and conservation: Despite its strong ecological convictions Costa Rica faces the constant dilemma between environmental care and economic development for its citizens. By choosing Costa Rica as a destination you also support the most environmentally friendly industry in the country, tourism. In addition to contributing to the economic development, you will be supporting the protection of the environment.
Now let’s check the attractions and activities….
| 12) Plenty of life in its natural state: The high level of biodiversity in the country coupled with Costa Rica’s historical respect for all forms of life, are so famous that I will not elaborate too much on them. However, this abundance of life translates into being able to see more tropical flora and fauna in its natural state, with no need to travel long distances to interact with various ecosystems and species. |
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13) Broad range of tourist activities: The quality of diving, sport fishing and surfing in Costa Rica are world-renowned. As well, the scenery at the National Parks is unforgettable. Plus, one can partake in canopy tours, rafting and horseback riding tours or four wheeler and quad adventures. The thermal water centers, bird watching, turtle nesting, rural tourism and caves are all incredible tourist attractions. What else? Aromatic coffee tours, yacht rides, visits to botanical gardens, butterfly, frog and snake farms, or orchid gardens always add a good seasoning to any trip.
For more adventurous souls there is kayaking, parasailing, mountain biking, and bungee jumping, aerial tours in ultra-light aircrafts or rappelling next to a waterfall, among many others. Rain and sun, soft sands, close contact with life in the wilderness and grandiose sunsets are always included (doesn’t it sound like a postcard?)
14) Diversity of landscapes: Coastal area on two oceans with hundreds of beautiful beaches, rain forests, dry tropical and cloud forests, mountain chains with active volcanoes, extensive savannahs, ample mangroves and wetlands, lots of rivers, waterfalls, coral and rocky reefs and many islands and small isles make up the rich geography of the country offering sceneries for all tastes. (Unless you like just deserts...)
15) Cultural Diversity: Even though Costa Rica is a small country it offers a variety of ethnic and cultural experiences resulting from the fusion of Europeans, mestizos and indigenous races. The Atlantic Zone however, has an Afro-Caribbean predominance, which makes it ethnically and culturally different from the rest of the country. The indigenous influence in present day society is limited, although there is an extensive pre-Columbian legacy.
In San Jose, the inheritance of this richness can be appreciated in the various museums. Two that stand out among the favorites are the Jade Museum and the Museum of Gold.
A nation with plenty of added value….
| 16) The happiest country on earth: As revealed in a 2009 worldwide study of the World’s Happiness Index (which awarded first place to Costa Rica), the citizens of this country consider themselves highly satisfied with their lives. When you visit here, you will be able to get to experience for yourself the spirit of Pura Vida and take back with you some of the Tico recipe for happiness. |
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17) An example of peace and democracy: Costa Rica enjoys one of the longest and most stable democracies in Latin America. 61 years ago, the country permanently dissolved its army. Its pacifist nature is also observable in its people and in their constant striving to evade conflict. This social peace is something you will be able to feel and enjoy during your visit.
| 18) A country of long lives: The Nicoya Peninsula on the Costa Rican Pacific coast is one of the 4 Blue Zones detected in the world (A Blue Zone is defined as an area where there are an unusual number of people who live over 100 years). Apparently the Tico lifestyle not only produces people who are happier but also results in longer life spans. Wouldn’t you like to learn some of the secrets to achieve a longer and more satisfactory life? |
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19) Full-on Hospitality: Costa Ricans are courteous and hospitable people without any type of animosity toward tourists. The great majority of Ticos are well educated, supportive, friendly, warm and genuinely enjoy taking care of and helping tourists at every possible opportunity.
What else can one want?
Well, there’s more, but this is all that we are going to tell you today.
The rest… you’ll have to discover by yourself.
Real Estate News
Not mentioned in the reasons above are the great laws in Costa Rica for property ownership. Property ownership is entrenched in the Constitution and applies equally to native Costa Ricans or foreigners. Foreigners have the same rights as citizens, which is a big plus over other countries. The only exception to this is the “Concession Zone” which is within 200 meters of the beach. In this area one cannot own land but one can have rights to the land much the same as a lease. For those wanting property on the beach we can help you ensure that this ownership is put together correctly and your interests are protected.
Here are a few listings that may be of interest to you for a vacation home or retirement home:
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| Ocean Breeze Condo reduced to $164,000
- 2 bedroom 2 bathroom - 1157 sq feet - just 5 minute walk to the beach
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| Ocean View Home $389,000
- 2 bedroom 2 bathroom - complete with pool and fully furnished |
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| Ocean View Villa was $1,300,000 now $695,000
- new construction 4 bedrooms with apartment - incredible views of the Papagayo Peninsula and the Bahia Culebra - the lot alone sold for $400,000 just a few years ago Make an offer! |
Costa Rica does not have a MLS system so it is very important in searching for a property that you use a Realtor that will show you all properties that meet your requirements, not just the properties listed by their Brokerage. We do our best to keep up to date on all properties in our area. We have good working relationships with all the major Real Estate Offices in the area and we freely exchange information with them. This is the next best thing to an MLS.
Condo Rentals
Don’t forget to check out our website www.costaricadiscovered.com for great rental properties if you are planning a vacation to Costa Rica. If you are not finding what you are looking for in our listings, just let us know your preferences and we will be happy to assist in finding something more suitable to your needs.
Great News for Guanacaste!
In recent weeks, construction has begun on the new state-of-the-art CIMA Hospital for locals as well as foreigners here on medical vacations. The project will include a building with medical practice offices, a commercial section with restaurants and an apartment hotel building. The hospital will be about 20,000 square meters in size and would have an emergency room open 24 hours a day. It would also include surgery and recovery rooms, an X-ray facility, diagnosis and specialties rooms as well. This private hospital not only would serve the local residents of Guanacaste but the growing foreign clientele seeking high-quality care. Medical tourism is a fast-growing trend in which people travel to another country to obtain cosmetic and dental surgeries, among some procedures, at a much lower price.
The hospital, as well as the other buildings, would be located next to the Do-it Center in the canton of Carrillo, on the road between Liberia International Airport and the region’s seaside resort areas.
CIMA hospitals are part of International Hospital Corp., a Dutch company that currently has numerous high-end medical centers throughout Latin America, including Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica.
Also, just recently, construction has begun on the expansion of the Daniel Oduber International Airport near Liberia that serves the Guanacaste region. Watch for more details on what these expansions will entail.
Charity Organization
We would just like to put in a little plug for a great little charity organization here in Costa Rica, should you be looking for a charity to which you would like to make a donation, especially during this Christmas season. Zeidy, the secretary in our Century 21 office, has generously donated her time for several Christmases, collecting food, clothing, staples, gifts, etc. to distribute at Christmas to genuinely needy Costa Rican people in the Papagayo region of Guanacaste. Please check out her website www.zeidyshelpinghandsfoundation.webs.com for more information about her work and how to make a donation.
We will soon be launching our new revamped website which will show a lot of the properties in our area plus it contains a lot of information about Costa Rica. Donna as webmaster has put a lot of time and effort into the website. Your comments, criticisms, praises are welcomed!
Hasta luego!
Herb & Donna
Internet Phone: 1-406-235-8121
Cell Phone: 011-506-8-359-2513
Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-808-4530
Email: herb@discovercostarica.com
Website: www.costaricadiscovered.com
PS: If you do not want to receive our updates please send us a quick email and we will take you off our email list! Conversely, let us know if anyone wants to be added to our list or just forward to friends or relatives. We will try to send these updates every month or two.
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