Guys In The Zone: Costa Rica Real Estate

The inspiration for this post came from a recent article fed from LinkedIn.  The title was “38% of Homes Purchased in 2011 Bought with Cash.”  I thought to myself, 38%?!  That number seemed high, so I did I little more research.  According to another article in USA Today, that number was as low as 12% just three years ago thus confirming a significant jump in cash purchases. According to the article, investors in the U.S. are keenly tuned into yield or ROI.  That return on investment is realized through improving and flipping properties or some variation of a rental/income strategy.  The latter has become increasingly popular for those foreign retirees and families who are looking to relocate here.

Got Financing?

All of that got me thinking about our Costa Rica real estate market.  Land purchases financed through a Costa Rican bank (at least in The Zone) was virtually unheard of when I started back in 2006. For a variety of reasons, most buyers had cash before the downturn.  Four+ years later, the picture is very clear.  Property values around the world decreased (dramatically in some areas), and buyers couldn’t use the equity in their homes, not to mention the banks tight grip in their purse strings.

Recently (think- the past two years), we’ve seen an increase in the number of buyers who only have a portion of the purchase price.  These new buyers, typically foreign investors, need the seller to carry paper.  For those new to real estate investing, carry paper means the seller is willing to finance part of the purchase price and receive payment (often with interest) over time.  This legal arrangement is completed by a lawyer in the form of a trust or a mortgage here in Costa Rica. If the buyer defaults on the terms of deal (e.g., misses payments), a legal process can be initiated by the seller… just like a bank in a foreclosure process, although quicker. For more information on this topic, check out our article on Seller Financing Opens The Door To Home Buyers.

I don’t have a number, but I’d bet the number of non-Tico bank-financed purchases in the area is less than 1%.  Interest rates on Costa Rican bank loans, when you can get them, are more than double what you currently find in the States.  There are various reasons for it, but I’ll leave that for another article.

The good news is… buyers need financing and some sellers need to sell, so seller financing continues to increase in The Zone.  Some deals don’t even include interest, simple an extended term to complete the sale.  When there is interest and an extended term involved, the number of years almost always tops out at 5 years.  There are real estate transactions taking place in The Zone primarily because (1) land values are now around half of peak values and (2) both parties are getting creative, as described above.

There are a select few (and I mean few) who are flipping houses here in The Zone, however, many investors are looking for income generating properties, both hotels and vacation rentals.  The yield varies greatly, but there is opportunity to make a nice living in the hospitality here in The Zone.

But, What Does All Cash Mean For Buyers?

It means you need to think of Costa Rica, at least for the time being, as a place to land bank or move your cash. There are economies and currency (think- Europe and the Euro) with a cloudy future.  The current wave of concern is so real, we have recently seen an uptick in European investors and relocators contact our office.  Without getting metaphysical, I also wonder how much 2012 is playing into people’s decisions. We call this group “End Of The World Buyers.”  Good and abundant water sources, good environments for growing crops, and pleasant temperatures throughout the year draw these type of buyers to Costa Rica and our area in particular.

Whether this trend continues or declines remains to be seen.  Simple put, Costa Rica, especially the Costa Ballena, is a wonderful place to relocate for both economic and lifestyle reasons.  There are many, happy foreigners living either full time or part time in Costa Rica.  If you are interested in why so many expats are buying and relocating to The Zone, this article Why Buy Property In The Zone offers a few of the top reasons.

We'll see what the year 2012 brings to Costa Rica's southern pacific zone.

November 28^th, 2011 marks the start of the high season, speaking from the perspective of the Guys In The Zone here. However, in the few inquiries that I have made, it is apparent that there was a definite up-tick in sheer numbers of people in The Zone starting on that day, just a little over a week ago. Here’s what we’re seeing around the Guys office.

Lots of Sellers

We were focused on getting our property data based fleshed out over the last couple months of the rainy season.  Rod & I thought we were doing pretty well, taking advantage of the rains, and the quiet time in Uvita and Dominical to get all of our properties in order.  We have come to discover that there is no room for being smug on this front. We are nowhere near caught up with our sellers. We have quite a number of sellers that come down to Costa Rica every six months or so to visit, play, unwind and take care of property matters. This influx of sellers coming by our office, and working with them in various matters pertaining to selling their property has clearly indicated to us that we are in a Buyer’s Market here in Costa Rica. We have LOTS of excellent properties for sale at great prices.

Lots of buyers

The problem with all of these sellers coming in, is that we also are experiencing lots of buying activity. This is great for the coffers of the Guys In The Zone, but it makes for the need for Rod & I to get ourselves cloned, which we are not inclined to do, so we are simply running as fast as we can to be able to accommodate.

Buyers Profiles

Profile 1The global economic crisis seems to have inured to our benefit.  People are saying “I’ve had it” with wherever they may live (lots of Europeans in the mix, as well as Canadians and US’ians) and making the move to Costa Rica. A rather new buyer’s profile for us are the younger families that are not in the financial condition to move to Costa Rica, at least in the old “retiree” manner. These younger folks are coming here as a direct result of unpleasant conditions “back home”. So, they are looking for income generating properties.  Over the last month or so, Rod & I have dealt with about 3 of the following type requests.  These buyers are looking for:

• An income generating property
• Room to build several cabinas
• Room for a small restaurant
• Room for a main living abode for the buyers
• Budget of $200,000

The Esquinas property sold, removing from the front window what was clearly the most talked about property in our office.  We now have another couple of options for these requests, but this is a VERY tall order. We are expecting what properties there are that can satisfy these criteria to be gone by season’s end. Here is the new HOT relocators, income generating property: Pequena Luna

Water at the End of the World

Profile 2 End of The Worlders Last week I worked with prospects that want 100 hecs, lots of water, land to farm, and big view. Their budget is 1,000,000 Euros ($1,350,000 USD). They are looking to being self-sufficient, to the point of providing their own food, water and electricity.  We may have hit pay dirt with some amazing ocean view property up in the mountains around Uvita.

Profile 2b This next one doesn’t fit in the End of The Worlder’s category, but they are certainly an interesting indication of market conditions. There aren’t enough of them to credit them with their own profile, so they are abbreviated. An investor’s group from Europe, looking towards doing an interesting, very green hotel with some activity attached to the hotel, like a golf course, or some other. The budget on this one is multi-millions.

Old Standard Property Buyer Profile In addition to these rather impressive profiles, the old standard is still there – the retirees looking to move to Costa Rica and enjoy a lifestyle with less of the frenetic pace and media saturation of the “developed world”.  It seems that the economic downturn has had an effect on this seemingly bullet-proof group of prospects.  Whatever plans they made in their lives for retiring: 401K, IRA, market portfolios etc… things have simply changed, and now the thought of generating a bit of income with what they do here in Costa Rica is of interest.

Rod is currently working a deal in progress on an amazing listing that we just got here in Uvita that is just a short ways up the hill behind Uvita. The property measures just under an acre and has a gorgeous and expansive ocean view. $90,000 on this one.  Even if this first round of negotiations doesn’t go through to close, I have little doubt that it will go quickly.

Rod is also working a gorgeous ocean view lot down in La Perla Ballena, which is south of Uvita about 5 – 10 minutes. The asking price on this one is $165,000 (back to business as usual). The buyers offered $115,000, the sellers have countered at $150,000. The buyers are cogitating on this.

We’ll see where it all goes. I include these rather mundane details of our lives here because I think that these points help you, dear reader, to know how it is here now. What the feel is here in U-town and in the southern zone. There is more, and it would seem, serious, talk about the international airport having its funding. This may actually be a reality about to happen. Heaven knows why people need to fly into the southern zone of Costa Rica, but it would seem that this is what “they” want to do. The implications of this to land values is interesting.

I’m getting close to my self-imposed blog-limit of 1,000 words so I’ll leave you with this. I went out to the San Buenas Golf Resort today, and I’m blown away.  More to come on that front.

August begins a new Guys In The Zone tradition, the poll question. As some of you know, we have been increasingly active with the social marketing and networking lately. LinkedIn, in particular, has inspired many new connections and ideas. The Poll will be a regular addition to our Talk Show and articles, and who knows? It may even inspire youto submit your own poll question about Costa Rica real estate and life in the Southern Pacific Zone. If you have a LinkedIn account, thanks for voting!

This is our mid-year review of real estate in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. With tourism numbers up 11% in Central America, Ben and Rod discuss how this trend points to a brighter future for The Zone.

Costa Rica Real Estate – Talk Show 13 by GuysInTheZone

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”  – Steve Jobs

I bet your wondering how that idea relates to real estate in Costa Rica?  Well, simply put… if there was ever a time for property owners and real estate agents in this marketplace to be “innovative,” it’s now.

We all need to think outside the box...

LISTING IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP

Here’s how listing a property usually unfolds in The Zone—

• Step One: Call up The Guys and set up an appointment to preview the property.
• Step Two: Determine if an Open Listing or a Modified Exclusive Listing is appropriate for you.
• Step Three: Wait for The Guys to bring you a buyer.

The problem is that Step Three is taking much longer than most Sellers anticipated.

LOOKING BEYOND PRICE

We all know reducing the list price is the easiest way to increase property showings, offers, and sales.  However, if your property is in the ballpark of current market value and it is being shown but not selling, there could be other reasons limiting the sale.

Here at the Guys office, we continue to ask ourselves what can we do to speed up the sales process?  At the risk of sounding trite, one answer is: “think outside the box.”  Here’s an example of how The Guys have applied this idea.

Ben started his Costa Rica blog in 2003 (before many of us knew what a blog was) Read the full story

Episode 12 features a candid look at community in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. If you’re considering relocating, buying a house, raw land, or a commercial business in the greater Dominical or Uvita areas, we encourage you to watch. And, please feel free to share your comments or questions. Gracias.

Talk Show – Episode12 by GuysInTheZone

“Few people actually stumble into wealth.”
- Smith Barney (although I couldn’t determine if it was Mr. Smith or Mr. Barney?)

In Part One of this article, I outlined how million dollar houses fit into the Costa Rica real estate landscape, specifically in the southern Pacific zone (The Zone).  There are a few obvious reasons to buy a luxury home in Costa Rica—

*  It’s A Buyer’s Market (Prices are down approx. 50% from the peak in 2008.)
*  Desirable Area (International Living Magazine rated The Zone as, “one of the top three real estate destinations in 2010.”)
*  Stable Prices For Construction Materials And Labor

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 million dollar homes in the area, this young market enables another popular strategy— Buy-And-Build.

Buy and Build

The majority of buyers who come down to the greater Dominical area with a plan to purchase a house, often end up purchasing raw land instead.  The reason is the area has a relatively small inventory of quality homes with floor plans and finishes that appeal to most North American and European home buyers.  So, they end up buy raw land or a lot in an established development, design their home with the help of a Costa Rican architect, select a builder, and then start the building process. Read the full story

Seller Financing Open The Door in Costa Rica

The Downturn… (cue ominous music)

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, as well as, land and commercial buyers.

Before defining the effects, basic models, and legal structure of seller financing, let me back up just a bit to clarify why we now find it present in about half of the Costa Rica real estate deals we facilitate.  Like most lending institutions around the world, Costa Rican banks are better described as “institutional holders”.  Banks are not lending for a few reasons— falling real property values, the recession, and they are not lending to each other (e.g., no credit to leverage).  In Costa Rica, the debt-to-income ratio required to obtain a loan is as ridiculous as the double-digit interest rates being charged (often twice the rates in the United States).  The banks’ parsimonious response has opened the door to seller financing, and Costa Rican property owners have embraced the new paradigm.

Sellers Get Creative

“What do I need to do to sell my property?”  We received this common question too many times to count over the past few years.  Our answer typically included these answers— Read the full story

Have we hit bottom?

In the movie “Back to the Future” we saw an example of how beneficial it would be if we could tell the future. The character Biff Tannen gets his hands on printed results from some race track and other sporting events, before they happened, and went on to achieve phenomenal wealth.

In real world economics, the trick seems to be the ability to identify trends and accurately guess what is going to happen prior to it happening.  Here in Costa Rica, the real estate market is no different.  Discussion and speculation about the future run rampant.  Hints & clues are analyzed in a constant effort to make wise buying (and selling) decisions.

It caught my attention this morning when I received the following in an e-mail from an agent in one of the local real estate agencies. He was writing to update us on a client of ours that we had asked him to help with. Without trying, our associate provides a clue as to what the current state of the market is, and perhaps, where it is going.

*Hello [Guys],

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to assist you with the property interests of the Schmegerworgs (names changed to protect the innocent).

I feel it is of the utmost importance to give your potential buyers the Tico Times of today, Friday, Sept. 10 newspaper that explains in detail the past and current real estate market place that will back up exactly what I mentioned to them about the market picking up right now and that 2009 was a slower year (click here to read the article online). I feel it is important that the wife understands if we show them a property at a price point that makes sense and feels good in their heart, they need to move forward with a purchase as good deals are selling and we cannot always replace a fire sale or “perfect property” that one lets go by.

I truly feel our BOTTOM market has passed us and current activity with all us of can only prove that.

Whether we sell them something together or if you sell direct, that is all fine with me as I feel there is much business for all of us survivors right now.

Please take care and have a great weekend.

(Its noteworthy that this e-mail is from a “competitor”.  One of the really promising aspects of the real estate industry here in Costa Rica’s southern zone is the amount of cooperation between all the agencies.)

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?

Indicators:

One of the more prominent factors are that there are less Fire Sale properties on the market now than there were before.  All the reports that we are getting from the other real estate agencies in the area are that they are busy.  This is not just under $100,000 ocean view lots.  It seems that the $300,000 home is a hot item now that won’t last long on the market.  There are also a number of larger, more removed parcels, selling.   Some of these have topped the $1,000,000 (USD) mark.  There is a growing interest in “off the grid” and “community-style” living.

We had one of our favorite developers approach us some months ago and indicate that the recession was finally affecting him, and that he really needed to sell some property.  Long story short, since that time he has sold a house and two lots, making him well.

All of the above activity was stimulated by the market ebb & flow.  The market was and is down.  The inherent quality of the properties that are available in Costa Rica’s southern pacific zone is compelling.  The low prices on these properties has caused enough action here to cause us to wonder what all this talk is about a recession – (well, not really, but almost :0)  Savvy buyers are here snapping up the deals.

No one knows what the future holds.  Things are changing on the global scale, some of which is unprecedented, causing insecurity.  We really have no idea what to expect in the future.  There is the unmanageable deficit in the U. S. There is China.  There is talk about the “double dip” recession.  There is global warming and other environmental concerns.

So have we seen the bottom?

Hard to say.  However, if you were a fly on the wall of the Guys In The Zone office (or any other real estate office in the zone), you’d hear conversations that would make it seem so.  We’ve had a number of folks come through during the down time that have found what they were looking for, but then felt that they had time to decide, to “think about it”. Or perhaps they think that prices will even come down a bit more.  Our feeling is that the time to buy has been here now for some time, and may well be passing.

What we do know is that we haven’t seen prices this low and on such a great selection for some years.  So, whether “bottom” is behind us, or lies yet ahead, we’re pretty confident that now is a decent time to buy a piece of property in Costa Rica.

Shameless Plug: Click here for all Guys In The Zone real estate listings

* Keith Schenkel of Costa Rica Real Estate Services

A longtime associate in Costa Rica real estate stopped by our office after being out of the country for an extended period.  One of his first questions was, “So, what’s going on with the international airport?”  My response was, “What airport?”  He found that amusing considering the broker he just spoke to was talking it up like the asphalt trucks were lined up and ready to pour the tarmac.  We both had a good laugh.

I’m not saying major infrastructure projects aren’t being completed here in Costa Rica.  There have been many projects completed in the past two years—

• San Jose-Caldera Highway
• Quepos-Dominical Highway (affectionately known as, “The Dirt Road”)
• Re-paving of the Dominical-San Isidro Highway
• The Bridge at San Buenaventura
• The Bridge at La Cusinga (almost)

From that list it is easy to see the progress and the progression.  What I mean by “progression” is the land routes need to be completed first before an international airport is built in The Zone.

International Airport In Paradise?

Rumors to Reality

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.

In summary, Costa Rica’s third international airport will be located in the same exact spot currently occupied by the Palmar Regional Airport.  To comply with Aviacion Civil (the FAA of Costa Rica) standards, the runway will be extended 400 meters and facilities for immigration, customs, and security will be constructed.  The “facilities” will include extra hangers, buildings, and even a terminal that will provide hangers and services for commercial shipments.  The price tag on this project is quoted at $25 million dollars, half the proposed cost of the mega-terminal in a new location.  They did not release a projected completion date, but I would be shocked if it was ready in two years.

One of the most interesting points in the announcement is the Minister of Tourism’s call for more hotels to be built in the area.  It is a similar point echoed by the longtime mayor of the Osa Canton, Alberto Cole.  It’s safe to say, major hotel projects are going to get the green light, moving forward.  One of the more interesting things to me is exactly how they are going to accomplish this with no Plan Regulador (e.g., zoning plan) for the area?  Where are these new hotel-resorts going to be located?

What Does It All Mean?

It means that at some point in the future there will be international flights landing in Palmar.  It means there will be more hotels, and the beaches will be alive with activity.  It also means there will be many, many more investors buying in the area.  People look at me funny when I say this area is poised for another b-o-o-m, but all of the regional signs—improved access from every direction and significantly lower property prices— point that way.

It means property in areas like Tres Rios and San Buenaventura, once thought of as “too far south of Dominical” will be a 15-minute taxi ride from the terminal.  Check out Tres Rios Estate and Tres Sandalo 17 as examples.  We only have a few listings in Palmar (see photo left), but I guarantee that number will double before the high season.

Most of the expats in The Zone have adopted the “I’ll believe it when I see it” philosophy.  We have also been surprised by the recent completion rate of infrastructure projects.  Safe to say, the completion of the 3rd International Airport in Palmar will be the crown jewel for the region.  If you are interested in buying Costa Rica real estate, this recent news bodes well for smart investors.