Those of you that have been following CR Home for the past months ( ..or years as the case may be ) know that we started slowly and primarily as a vehicle to help other "gringos" avoid the mistakes that we made.
We, very quickly, grew tired of seeing friends and acquaintances get taken advantage of in a country which we had grown to love...but which has no rules or regulations to govern real estate. The publicity which has come , has been unsolicited and has resulted in new meaning to the phrase "be careful what you wish for".
During the past year we have begun a very few investment vehicles for interested parties. And they have resulted in a great deal of interest. After all, there are 77,000,000 million baby boomers, the majority of which will have a very difficult time adjusting to retirement ( both monetarily and otherwise ). Our investments have , and will continue to pay off handsomely.
This month's newsletter starts with an introduction note from Jeff Fischer, a best-selling investment book author and founder of a popular investment site (www.completegrowth.com) that will be featured in Forbes magazine in September.
Jeff and his family also happen to be moving to Costa Rica in September, and we're happy to share that he'll be working with us at CR-Home… Moving to, and Investing in, Costa Rica By Jeff Fischer Costa Rica's environmental diversity and strong record of protecting it, its beauty, the reports of friendly people, an ideal climate, and low costs all drew me to the country.
Initially, I didn't view Costa Rica as an investment, but as a special place to visit and possibly live. The last two years, my wife Melissa and I visited the country four times, meeting with Randy and Rhonda in the Central Valley on every visit, as well as exploring both coasts. Even our 5-month old son seemed to enjoy the country -- and he slept really well in that cool mountain air! It turns out, one of the largest draws to Costa Rica for us quickly became Randy and Rhonda and the work they were doing with CR-Home, including investing in a country – and helping others do so -- that they love. I've been investing for nearly 20 years, with most of it focused on the stock market, and only lately moving to real estate as well. The U.S. housing market, however, holds few opportunities today (and a lot of risk), while Costa Rica – aside from being a beautiful place to live – offers opportunities almost everywhere.
Last November, my wife and I purchased land in Grecia via CR-Home (Randy handled everything with the 9 – count 'em! -- brothers selling the land, taking months of due diligence), and we're excited to move to Costa Rica in September. Moving from Washington D.C., where we've lived for 10 years, was a big decision, but aside from loving the adventure of Costa Rica, on all of the important measures, the country appears to be the "Blue Chip" investment opportunity of Central America – and the timing is as good as ever.
The country's long history as a stable democracy open to foreign investors, its excellent health care and schooling, ideal climate and scenery, along with friendly people, restaurants of nearly every type in San Jose, and a low cost of living (without poverty all around you), all serve to make Costa Rica one of the most attractive options around. It isn't perfect, and it definitely isn't right for everyone – as CR-Home points out – but it's about as close as you might find, especially for the prices.
Nobody has a crystal ball, but I believe that investments made in Costa Rica today will only become increasingly attractive as more and more Baby Boomers discover the country. We look forward to investing and working with CR-Home, and we look forward to meeting many of you! Jeff and Melissa Jeff is officially joining us this fall… He was one of the earliest employees at the investing and personal finance company, Motley Fool (fool.com), where he successfully managed investment portfolios in public view for eight years, along with writing and editing several best-selling investment books.
In 2004, Jeff co-founded his own stock investment site, Complete Growth Investor (www.completegrowth.com). Jeff will work with CR-Home on various investment projects in the country. We foresee the following types of investments becoming available in the coming weeks: 1. construction of homes for resale...many "gringos" do not wish to go through the hassle of building and would rather pay a premium for an already built home .
We have the contacts and the crews available as well as the marketing apparatus in place to take advantage of specific situations. The land and the home must obviously go together well and be priced well...both from the buyer and the seller's standpoint.
See our Dos Vistas home on the front page of http://www.cr-home.com...left hand side, index, under CURRENT PROJECT. 2. purchase of larger property for division, addition of some infrastructure and then resale...with or without construction. Many gringos prefer a community or gated area rather than being totally on their own. this is a growing market.
We will NOT build gated areas because of the complexity of municipal regulations but will rather work within them in a limited manner. Excellent potential, both on the coast and inland. 3. our cabinas...see the first page of our website: http://www.cr-home.combottom of the page. We have already sold four of these and we are not even finished with the first.
The price is right and there is nothing, save shoddy construction, which can equal the pricing of these homes. We foresee this being a huge market. Available for construction on specific parcels of land OR larger tracts for resale. We will be running an article in www.amcostarica.com in the coming weeks. Look for it. We will not even consider an investment unless potential return exceeds 25-50%...and if that sounds incredible...come on down and see for yourselves.
Investor monies are collateralized and CR Home takes no fees until the project is completed and profits are realized. We put our money where our mouth is. So...if any of you out there wish specifics on upcoming investments please let us know. We attempt to tailormake investments to each investor's goals. It has been a busy rainy season thus far, and while the number of visitors has tapered off...we have been just as busy as in the summer months. Below are two new offerings: Bajamar beach: this is one of Costa Rica's rarest offerings...a beach property which is TITLED.
The last property like this we have seen is featured on Ebay for well over $600,000 and we have seen others offered at the ridiculous price of $1000 per sq.meter. ( absurd but true...and someone will probably buy it ). This property is comprised of 1500 sq. meters, contains one newer ( one year old ) home of approximately 1100 sq. feet with 3 BR, two baths , great living area and kitchen. The property also contains a duplex of two separate casitas, each containing two BR, bath and living area and kitchen.
Ideal for rental or guests. The structures were built by the present owner who is a contractor. Everything is done in extremely good taste and has been built to last. The views are superb and the water is less than 75 meters away. The beach stretches for miles and the mountains and gulf of Nicoya is directly in view. The area is quiet and is one of the few nearly undiscovered in Costa Rica. There is also room near the ocean to add a pool if desired and permitting has already been obtained. Landscaping has been done and has been well attended to. $275,000 with the seller paying commission.
Grecia: 5 Hectares or 12 1/2 acres of heavily forested land overlooking the Central Valley. this property borders the national park and forest reserve and , while it is quiet and almost unpopulated, it is only 15 minutes to Grecia. Only a recent ruling by the municipality of Grecia has opened this land up for building and then only on properties with a minimum of 5 HA. This property not only has panoramic views of the Central Valley and surrounding mountains and volcanoes but is also located on a flyway for parrots and literally hundreds of species of birds and butterflies. A property this size with NO view toward the Central Valley sold for over $80,000 recently. This is being offered for $40,000 and very few parcels are available. Rivers, trees, waterfalls, mountains, wildlife, tranquility, volcanoes... this is Costa Rica at its finest. If you want mountains and you want land...this is it. it doesnt get any better.
We are also pleased to announce that Steve and Marzena , from Toronto, will be joining us . They are younger, retired and have grown to love Costa Rica as well. We will be sending more information about their contact numbers and specifics as well. Canadiens may feel more comfortable dealing with other Canadiens rather than "those" people "south of the border" who talk strangely.
Lastly, those of you who know Rhonda and I know that our business has grown into something which has threatened at times to consume us ( or at least me, a "former " Type A and still probably on the cusp ) . We are delighted to be joined by people who not only have outstanding credentials and who love Costa Rica, but who all have wonderful senses of humor. We look forward to working with them.
We are also adding additional scouts to our business so that our property offerings will increase. We may not be able to please everyone nor offer everyone the exact price they wish...but we think we can come pretty close. And remember, if you want the more trendy areas of Guanacaste or Escazu or Santa Ana we can refer you to someone who handles whose areas. And if you want to explore what Costa Rica really has to offer...without the fluff , the overhead, the markups and the hype...call us...read our site...ask questions.
hasta luego
Randy, Rhonda, and all of us at CR Home Realty.
NOTE: please be aware that investments should be undertaken with care. We will always answer all questions and try to ensure that all facets of the investment are understood thoroughly. We know our markets but we are also extremely careful and probably take more time with each one than our own. We take our fiduciary responsibilities VERY seriously. Consequently, time between investments may be longer than investors wish...but we are willing to wait for the right time and right opportunity
To be kept apprised of CR Home investment opportunities please fill out the following form : click here.
Office/Home: 011(506)444-1695
Cell: 011-506-841-5782
Toll-free: 1 (877) 247-3014