My Recent Blog Posts

In today’s world, some of the old real estate cliche’s do not apply, while others still hold true. Location, Location, Location. We get tired of hearing it, but the cornerstone of real estate principals continues to be an ever driving factor in the decision making process of buyers in today’s real estate market. Costa Rica continues to grow both in the residential and commercial sector, and as traffic thickens, so too, does the desire for the most convenient locations so that families can spend more time with their families, and less time in their cars. Lomas del Valle, an exclusive residential community offering luxury apartments, custom homes and homesites, as well as luxury homes, offers residents with a unique combination of convenience, matched with privacy. Convenience can be a detriment if it comes with a location along a busy thoroughfare, or in a mixed use development where the sights and sounds of a lively atmosphere can often times take away from the peace and quiet families often seek when they get to their home. Lomas del Valle gives the fortunate few who live there the ability to be either in the heart of Escazu or Santa Ana within minutes, yet, when you drive through the gates of Lomas del Valle, you truly feel like you have entered into a private oasis. 

If you are looking for a one of a kind, award winning luxury residence, that combines stunning design, with extreme privacy while enjoying the exclusivity, security and amenities of one of the most sought after communities in the area, stop looking now. La Hacienda Contemporary Tropical Estate is truly an irreplaceable residence whose original owners, who designed every corner of the home along with renowned local architect Jean Garnier, have placed this property on the market allowing another fortunate family to enjoy their legacy. As real estate always goes, it starts with the right location, and the owners carefully selected three adjacent lots within La Hacienda which is consistently recognized as one of the most exclusive, gated residential communities in the western suburbs of Escazu and Santa Ana. From the moment, you enter the gates of La Hacienda, the stone line entrance, water features and design bring you back in time to another era in Costa Rica, however, the state of the art infrastructure, and resort like amenities including tennis courts, stunning clubhouse, multiple pools, gym and playground, remind you how far we have come.

Courtesy of Todd Jason Cutter, 2Costa Rica Real Estate As a real estate agent, there are dozens of reasons that clients tell me that they want to sell their house and look for a condo in a high-rise development. The most common is the empty nest syndrome, where having a pool, playground, oversized spaces and an abundance of bedrooms for kids and guests simply does not make sense anymore. Then there are those clients who are frequent travelers and are tired of having to deal with staff, private pool, gardeners and would like the peace of mind of a lock and leave property. There are of course other motivating factors such as security, convenience, community, simplicity but what is a fact is that there is a surge in vertical developments in the western suburbs of la Sabana, Escazu and Santa Ana to service this ongoing desire to live a luxury lifestyle while leaving behind some of the responsibilities that a single family home carries.

As the current global situation has forced us all into our homes, and into our heads, now is the time to think about smart investments for ourselves and our families. Costa Rica has been blessed to have managed the crisis with knowledge, science and led by a team of professionals, we have been fortunate to keep the spread of the virus, gross numbers, and the mortality rate extremely low. This will certainly assist us in not only finding the new normal and getting back at some level to our lives, but also will also continue to carve out a place for Costa Rica on the global stage as a leader in health care, as well as investment opportunities. Many clients have already reached out to us both for investment opportunities on the coast, as well as here in the Central Valley in locations such as Escazu and Santa Ana.

In this article, you will find the answers to the question that everyone wants to know. How is the current uncertainty and confinement going to affect the real estate market. Well, frankly, if I knew the answer to that question, I might not be writing this blog post. However, I will attempt to address some of the underlying components of the question to better predict and measure the impact. I think the obvious impact will be that this is going to impact nearly every aspect of the real estate market in one way or another. Some markets will experience price corrections as demand may slow, where others may experience stable pricing or even increases, as some home owners retreat and pull their property off of the market. The dip in supply could create inventory issues in many markets. In Costa Rica, the latter is not a likely scenario where markets have been inventory abundant for the past few years.

After having lived in Costa Rica for more than two decades, and having founded both a travel agency that I later sold, and of course operating a luxury real estate agency for the majority of that span, I have what I would consider to be a keen ability to understand and recognize the strenths and weaknesses of each of the varied markets and destinations in Costa Rica. This, as it regards both to real estate and tourism due to my background…. Early in my arrival to Costa Rica, there was much chatter about a place called Hacienda Pinilla, a historic cattle ranch that happened to boast over 3 miles of coastline in between Tamarindo and Playa Avellanes. I visited the development early in its inception and saw a sprawling 18 hole golf course, tennis facilities, and what would soon be the site of the now, impressive JW Marriott Hotel & Resort. Over the coming years, scattered luxury homes began to pop up along the golf course and throughout this 4500 acre property catering both to the golf, beach and nature enthusiast either as retirement, vacation or investment homes. However, being honest with myself and those indulging my thoughts, I never really got it. I always pondered how or why in such a massive development, people would see short, medium or long term value or that the development would reach a level of maturity that could warrant a sizeable investment, either buying land to build, purchasing a turn key condo or a private luxury home.  Furthermore, I thought to myself, while impressive in size and setting, with no ocean views, who could be drawn to this?

As Robert Frost once said in his infamous poem The Road Not Taken,  and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” While I am typically not very poetic, I think that residents and investors whom have chosen Nosara, a small village on the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste, would agree that taking the road to Nosara, while less traveled, has made all the difference.  Since the early 70’s, foreigners have been traveling here, to enjoy the world-class surfing in waters at Playa Guiones, Pelada, Ostional and others not as well known as the latter.  A visionary investor from the US tried to turn it into a golf course, resort community and most members of the community today are glad that plan did not work out. Those that come here, are looking for the road less traveled. They do not mind the bumps in the road, the distance from the international airport and so many of the creature comforts that some of the more bustling destinations in Costa Rica like Tamarindo or Jaco may have to offer. They want to walk the streets in flip flops, carry a surfboard in one arm, and an organic meal in the other… a desire to be in nature, from the surf, to the turtle nesting ground in Ostional, to now what has become a world-famous yoga and wellness destination, Nosara is checking the boxes for tourists and investors who are seeking something different, either homes for sale in Nosara, or developments land and lots for sale in Nosara to start their own development in this paradise.

Like most places around the world, developers true goal is to create places that are timeless. They seek to build communities, and hope that they become not only iconic, but are able to stand the test of time, and trends and the next one around the corner. It is a tough task in the ever competitive world, and one that well known developers Portafolio Inmobilario sought to achieve with their aggressive plans to create Avenida Escazu. Situated in the heart of Escazu, as the name so elementarily describes, the vision set out to design, build and deliver an urban lifestyle development that is dissected by an avenue that allows both vehicular access, and parallel pedestrian browsing. The carefully designed master plan includes multiple hotels including the Marriott Courtyard and another 5 star hotel in the future, as well as an IMAX theater, PF Changs, and several other international themed restaurants, as well as coffee shops, retail clothing stores, doctors’ offices as well as professional offices. Along with the commercial offering, staying true to the mixed use nature, Avenida Escazu also offers loft residential options for those who wish to live, work and play in the same space. ( Inquire for current availability )

I get the question all the time. What can I buy for "xxxx," with those quotes typically filled with an arbitrary number in the mind of one of our clients or friends. It is a great question and one that I think most first time buyers probably should ask themselves, to gain a better understanding on a macro level of the values in Costa Rica. The question, of course, results in a clarification to our clients, that the price and value depend greatly on what areas of the country they are looking for, what type of property are they looking for and similar factors that influence pricing in any part of the world. While prices vary drastically based on some of the answers to the questions previously mentioned, this article will help shine some light on everyone's curiosity, on what $500,000 will buy them in different destinations in Costa Rica including Escazu, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Uvita and Santa Teresa. I will provide some options both for land for sale, condos, as well as luxury estates and homes for sale.

What are the Most Important Steps before selling your house? It is the question that most clients fail to ask, however, it is perhaps the most important. What are the most important steps that I should take as a seller in order to be prepared to sell my home? Commit: Decide if you are a seller or an owner. What? Yes, there is a big difference between being a seller and being an owner. As I wrote in a previous blog about the state of real estate in Escazu and Santa Ana, we are in a buyer's market right now.  When you think about selling your house, if the first thought that comes to your mind includes the phrase, " I don't need to sell, but I would sell if...." Or, we are extremely happy and really don't want to sell, but if the right person comes along to pay what we want..." If we were playing $100,000 pyramid, these would fall into the category of "Things an Owner would Say". Real Estate, like anything else, is a matter of supply and demand. Properties, no different than cars, clothes, rings, or a bottle of water, are worth what the market is willing to pay. So, the critical step in preparing to sell is to understand the market that you are in. Allow your broker to educate you about the likely market price for your property, and then make a decision about selling. If you are in agreement with the pricing, and are willing to sell, then Commit to selling. That is the critical first step any seller should take. Likewise, if you are not willing to accept the price in today's market, that is too, a respectable position that your broker should understand. If that is the case, do not try to challenge the market, or hope that a buyer will ignore the market realities and overpay. Decide whether waiting for a better market is best for you, and move on.  Your broker will be there to service you in the future. Just be sure to ask your broker/agent what their outlook is for the future so that you can decide whether today's outlook may just be better than the one you thought you should wait for.