Many of you who read these newsletters know that I try to present a balanced pictures of Costa Rica…the good, bad and ugly.    But seeing as Rhonda and I intend to stay in Costa Rica for the foreseeable future I do tend , most of the time, to see the “glass as half full” rather than half empty.  

OK, recent frustrations:

…car mechanics…I have been trying to get a new transmission installed in my car for the past two months…after purchase a part was missing and it has been at least a month before the new part was installed…then it was the wrong part…then another week to pick up the new part…then another two weeks to get the transmission reassembled…then another week to get the first mechanic to reinstall the transmission for the second time…well, you get the idea…AND this problem with the transmission took place AFTER a third mechanic gave the car a thumbs up inspection…a good mechanic in Costa Rica is like finding gold…and when you have five cars it is five times as important!

…real estate transactions…this diatribe does not necessarily affect most buyers…we have had two sellers raise their prices less than a week AFTER confirming the sales prices…and if you are wondering why we do not get a signed paper confirming details…it is simply not done here, even on a non exclusive basis.

Most of the negatives  that everyone reads about are nowhere near as bad as represented in the press or on the internet.   The roads in Costa Rica are
represented nearly everywhere as being absolutely horrible and yet, one of the very first things that almost all visitors comment on is how great the roads are.    Huge strides are being taken with the infrastructure here.    Maybe they aren’t fast enough for everyone but those who live here see changes daily.  

We now have high speed internet in our house and office , both of which would not have been available even a year ago.   The water and electric
and local infrastructure is as good as anywhere in the States or Canada… maybe even better.   Local bureaucracies can still be maddening and often totally illogical…and that is really one area which will probably never see change…despite the fact that everyone complains about entities such as ICE, Immigration, banks,  and virtually all governmental departments.  

Little things that we see everyday but most visitors don’t know…

1.  No street signs and no addresses…”but how do you get mail?”… answer:  “you don’t”… there is no mail delivery in Costa Rica.   You learn how to ask directions.

2.  If you eat in a soda or restaurant and you are waiting for the bill to come…you will be there a long time before it is a sign of rudeness for the owner or waiter to bring you a check… you have to ask for it.

3.  Cyclists in Costa Rica think they own the roads.  They take up 10% of the space and the same amount of room as a car.   Honk at them and you will receive the dirtiest look have you ever gotten.

4.  Do not offer your cleaning woman or any woman for that matter, a ride.  If a neighbor sees a woman riding with a gringo her reputation will be worthless. Old fashioned?  Sure, but that is the way it is in the country.
 
5.  Our culture and the Tico culture are very very different.  If you ask a Tico for a “status” report you will get a blank stare.   If you ask a Tico for an
ETA on a project, you will get an answer but it will most likely be what he or she thinks you want to hear. You will likely never get the “correct” answer when asking when a project will be completed…the answer you get will be what you want to hear.   Illogical?   Of course, but it is reality here.  This is definitely one of the hardest things for me ( as a business owner )  to adjust to.  Hard to plan a daily or weekly schedule when accurate estimates are not part of the culture.

6.  “gringos” are still regarded as money trees here. In the past it would irritate me to no end that there was a two tier pricing structure…one for Ticos and one for Gringos.   Now?   I understand it and regard the whole thing as simply “the way things are”.    My attitude is simple:   we want to find and offer properties at “tico” prices rather than “gringo” prices.  

Enough of the negatives… because there will always be pros and cons about life anywhere.   For Rhonda and I , the positives about life in Costa Rica far outweigh any negatives.   And if Costa Rica ever “streamlines” their bureaucracies and we see signs of Costa Rica becoming “Americanized”  we feel that Costa Rica will be losing the very qualities that made us move here in the first place…the simplicity, the importance of family, the closeness to nature and the land, and the obvious beauty and diversity of the country itself…all overcome negatives by a country mile.

Onto properties and investments…

We are just beginning to make headway in San Ramon and Naranjo .    Keep watching for additional properties on the listings section of our website.

1.  7000 sq. meters or 1 ¾ acres of manicured land with a rancho and river at the bottom and a small house near the top.     The property has gorgeous
valley views toward Grecia.   Very private and yet still only less than 10 minutes from downtown Grecia.


$45,000

2. Eight manzanas total ( a manzana equals 1 ¾ acres ) of gorgeous property about 15 minutes from downtown San Ramon.   Pasture and trees.   Gorgeous building spots and electric and water almost on the property.  Owner has indicated he will subdivide…so if you have an interest in a smaller piece of property with a HUGE ocean view…let us know quickly.                      
Each manzana  at  $27,500

3. This is one of the last view properties we have and the owner is willing to negotiate… 2 or 2 ½ manzanas of HUGE view property with excellent access.   Great location with other “gringos” nearby.   About 4 superb building spots here.   With the “eucalyptus Property” now gone ( those of you watching properties know which one this is) this property will go VERY quickly.  
Priced around $47,000 per manzana.    Hurry…almost every view property is selling within a week of list.

4.  We have two larger development properties for sale…both are ideally located and contain superb building area for maximum profitability.    If any of you want to invest in such a property or wish to talk to us about eveloping and building…let us know.  
One is located in Poas, the other in Atenas.   Both are priced in the $400,000 range with huge potential profits.    Call for details.

5.  This property is just hitting the listing sheets…best value in Grecia we have seen in a long time.    Seven hectares or nearly 18 acres…gorgeous,
gently rolling land, planted in coffee with huge trees, both hardwood, cypress and eucalyptus throughout. (fruit trees too!)   River at the bottom
( 3-6 meters across ) . Two smaller tico houses on the property with rancho.   This property is private and absolutely stunning.    And the price is the second best thing about it ….only   ….  $115,000

6.  One or two manzanas with a river running the entire border of the property .   Gently sloping, currently being used as pasture but huge trees along the river….very picturesque and private.            
Less than $30,000 per

We expect to have our new investment division going full bore within the next two weeks or so, if not before….

Current investment offerings:

1.  A property overlooking San Jose of 6000 s. meters ( one and a half acres )…this property is currently information processoria and scheduled to be registered and fully titled by the time this offering reaches the market place.   It is presently being offered at only 60% of comparable offerings less than 100 meters away.

Currently being offered at only $30,000 with comps above $50,000 and more. 

2.  This is an example of an offering which didn’t even reach the listings but was sold to the second person who saw it….a home just off a main road…”cute” is the only word which really describes it.   Two BR, one bath and over 1000 sf.    Good shape.  Absolutely stupendous view of the Central Valley.   Small lot but perfect for a single person or someone who is not here full time.  Was bought for only $20,000 and is easily worth  50% more.   Watch for these offerings in coming newsletters.

3. A gorgeous oceanview property of 2000 sq. meters has become available at a substantial discount.   The property is 300 meters from two secluded beaches .   The area itself is stunning and populated with virtually no homes except weekend retreats for upper class families from San Jose.   The property has a huge panoramic view of the pacific ocean and all utilities are right at the property line.

Many of you have written and asked if the housing problems in the States have hit Costa Rica yet…and occasionally we see gringos that are forced to
liquidate properties.   The liquidation prices in our opinions are still not phenomenal and we still look for prices to fall in the more popular and trendy areas…such as Samara, Tamarindo, Jaco , Dominical and areas of Guanacaste.    We think that the overbuilding in these areas will ultimately be reflected in market pricing as much of the money fueling the building was borrowed against real estate in the States and has already been called.    We are seeing specific offerings from other realtors which they heavily advertise as “liquidation pricing” .   In our minds, most of these offerings were overpriced in the first place.  

In the areas we specialize in…Grecia, Sarchi, Naranjo and San Ramon…and into the Central Pacific…prices continue to rise slowly and the number of buyers has increased substantially here.   So…Economics 101...more buyers than sellers equals higher prices. 

We look for prices to continue to rise…and hopefully the rise will slow.   Supply at this point is the problem as it seems that nearly every buyer wants the same type of property.   The view properties…the good ones… sell almost immediately.

We are seeing a tremendous response to our investment offerings.   As most of you know, we have been extremely selective to date, and almost every offering has been “snapped up” and oversubscribed within a day… if not less.  

The stock and real estate markets are in disarray in many places and we truly feel that specific types of investments in Costa Rica are far superior to the more traditional .   And please remember, we do not make recommendations just to “jump on the bandwagon”.  Each recommendation is unique and carries a rationalization of ROI and risk.   We will on occasion take higher than normal risk but be assured that the risk factors will be spelled out as well.   Watch for additional offerings in the very near future.

Meanderings:
Many of you may know that I placed an ad ( or rather, a series of ads ) in www.amcostarica.com   , an online newspaper about life in Costa Rica 
( those not familiar with it…you will definitely find it interesting ) .  The ads were a little controversial and basically headlined the ad as “the worst realtor
in Costa Rica?” and my picture.    The ads basically have featured positives and negatives about Costa Rica and pointed out many “things to look for” when purchasing real estate or even renting in Costa Rica. The ad was attention getting and I was chastised by friends for negative advertising.  
The ad worked…and I got responses…but the most important thing that happened is illustrated by the following letter:

Dear Randy,
Thank you immensly for your revealing observations about Costa Rica, Tocos, and opportunities therein.
My wife and a couple of partners have been to Costa Rica three times and thought idillicaly in love with the place during the "romance" at first glance. First impressions are sometimes, as you indirectly point out, not necessarily the correct ones.
We were about to purchase land in Guanacaste, near the Four Seasons, and a couple of condos
(or a villa - we were not sure) in Los Suenos Marina.
We noticed that there was something about the place which seemed too right, as when a lion is waiting to pounce on you... We backed out and decided to visit from time to time and enjoy our beautiful homes in La Jolla, California.
My goodness, you are so right about the utilities! We had not thought to ask, but did so after finding your website. Not what we were expecting, to be sure. I am CEO of a company with 100 employees, and would feel a need for very quick, stable and reliable internet and phone access; other issues you point out would be uppermost in my list as well such as security. A disaster was averted.
Please feel free to use my email as a testimonial.
Many thanks for your insight, honesty, and overall thorough knowledge of Costa Rica.
Yours,
Bernd Sattler

This letter illustrates better than I could ever say…why CR Home exists and what it stands for.

Pura vida,
Rhonda and Randy; Steve and Marzena;  Char and Rodrigo, Dolan and Logan; Liffer, Yolanda and their two little ones; ;Johnny, Felix; Albert and of course, Alvaro…the Woodpecker. 

Come and see us…the coffee is always on and directions are always free…plus we have a huge supply of paperback  books as many that vacation here need to feed their addiction ( hey, how do you think that this library got started?)