Guys In The Zone: Costa Rica Real Estate

I’ve never had a year quite like 2010.  Amazing, life altering, wonderful, scary and perplexing would be just a few of the descriptors that would sum this year up for me.
The Weather
At the start of the new year, we here in Costa Rica are still drying out from what has proved to be the rainiest [...]

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The three-year Costa Rica real estate trend has reflected a significant drop in value, including property in the luxury home category. Although there are some very nice luxury homes in the area, this young market enables another popular strategy…

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The Guys are doing quite well, thank you very much.  We are currently made up of 4 official Guys, as well as a smattering of several honorary “Guys”.
My name is Ben Vaughn and I am no longer the oldest Guy, since Chan has made his business acumen available to the Guys on a consultant basis, [...]

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As recent as 2006, this area was considered the new frontier in Costa Rica. Access was difficult and more exhaustive than it is now. Developments were few and far between. Then, the real estate boom hit. This boom affected all aspects of real estate—raw land, developing, construction, rentals and associated services. All of the key elements for million dollar homes…

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“I need to sell my property.  What should I price it at?” is the common question heard in our real estate office in Uvita, Costa Rica.
“Whatever someone is willing to pay” is the universal response that drives the free market evaluation system the world over. However, is a price that is determined by this method [...]

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Over the past decade, the dramatic increase in tourism and investment has sparked a bit of a power-struggle between proponents of economic growth and socio-environmental protection groups. In this case, the “power” is the proposed billion dollar hydroelectric project called “El Diquis”…

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Light winds aside, we do experience heavy rain and flooding from time to time in Costa Rica. In some cases, the spiraling arms of a hurricane can reach over 300 miles from the eye of the storm. When there’s a storm over Nicaragua, we feel the effects of it. We know a few clients and residents who have lost portions of their property to landslides and flooding. The question is…

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It would be easy to label the decline of the Costa Rica real estate market (since the peak in 2007) in a negative light. In truth, there is no such thing as “negative light” only the opportunity for change, and if our market has seen anything over the past three years, it is change. The shift from bank loans to seller financing is one of the primary changes that has (pardon the pun) opened the door to prospective home buyers…

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The ability to identify “bottom” is the hallmark of a successful investor. It is extremely difficult to do, which explains why so many of us speak in terms of “would’a, should’a ,could’a” when talking about our investment history.

So how can we identify the bottom in the market now?

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The list of rumors regarding the southern zone Airport is long and varied— operational for international flights by 2010, moving to a new site in Sierpe, moving south closer to the border in a joint venture with the Panamanian Government… to name a few. The reason I am sharing this news story released by La Nacion a few days ago and forwarded by a reputable broker in the area is it actually sounds like the government has a (more) realistic plan.

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