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‘arguedas’ is referring to our recent article entitled ‘Costa Rica’s “New International Airport” – You tell us if you think this is deceptive or not?’
You can find this at: [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/1711.cfm ]
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comWell, I don’t think the possibility of a new international airport could be expected in the short run, but it may happen in the long run. In ’82 there was only 1 and now there are 2 Int’l airports in CR, why not 3, but I certainly wouldn’t be holding my breath or investing based on this…
This is 100% deceptive and these types of tactics to sell real estate is hurting Costa Rica. This country is wonderful and Developers and real estate agents don’t need to be deceptive to sell property. And these types of tactics give Costa Rica a bad name.
I agree that their methods certainly lack any ethical values (not only for their misleading statements, but for using Scott’s material and not giving him credit for it) and CR is really quite beautiful so you don’t need to make things up in order to get people interested in the place…Whether that airport will be completed within our lifetime, that’s a whole other issue and it seems to me that the smaller airports in the area are certainly sufficient for now, but I would like this area to develop slowly and consciously because Corcovado National Park and the nearby reserves stand to be greatly damaged if that’s not the case…
Last week I received an email newsletter from International Living magazine touting the same..
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“There’s even better news.
This past July, President Oscar Arias finalized plans and signed the documentation to begin construction of a new international airport near Palmar Norte in May of 2008.
With a planned completion date sometime in 2010, the new airport will give international travelers the attractive alternative of flying directly into the Southern Zone as opposed to renting a car and making the long, tedious drive from San Jose.
Large airports usually attract commercial and housing development, and already forward-looking buyers are envisioning the dramatic increases in property prices once the new airport is completed…
And that shouts opportunity to the pioneers who stake their claim here ahead of the curve.”
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You can find this drivel on their site at:
[ http://www1.internationalliving.com/eletters/re/Costa_Rica_Tours/March2008/CR_Tour_IL_PC_AD.htm ]
They also mention that: “Remember, the Southern Zone is still largely undiscovered by the masses…and many of the top value properties we’ve uncovered for you here are off the beaten path and main highways. Just finding them can be a frustrating, time-consuming, even a harrowing experience.”
Makes you wonder how they “discover” these “top value properties” when they don’t even have a full time representative living in Costa Rica…
I will be trying to arrange an appointment with the Ministra de Transporte Karla Gonzalez to confirm EXACTLY what’s happening when I return from a trip in late February …
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI don’t think it’s deceptive. I think you are taking this too far. OK, they printed your article without your permission and then even omitted your opinions from it, those which you value to be very important on the matter, but if you don’t believe the whole idea of an airport, you should complain to the La Nacion and the Tico Times. After all, they are the ones who published the articles in the first place. And there is nothing deceptive in that article you are complaining about in regards to the airport not being built yet.
Even if one didn’t speak Spanish and didn’t hire a Spanish speaking lawyer to check things out and failed to appear on the site first and see for themselves that the airport doesn’t exist yet, I wouldn’t say that they were deceived. One would have to be very foolish to do that. Are these the people you’re trying to defend?
Who said I haven’t complained?
To my knowledge, La Nacion has never stated that a new international airport is being built.
A lot can change between the Spanish version and the English version …
As for as not being deceptive is concerned, I’m afraid you are very much in the minority as 71% of our VIP Members believe “This information is downright fraudulent” and 23% believe that “This information is deceptive.”
I do not understand your question about “Are these the people you’re trying to defend?”
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comNot me, I just suggested it. I don’t know if you have or not.
Well, everything needs a plan before commencing. The article in La Nacion is titled “El sur tendrá aeropuerto en el 2010”. There’s not too much that changes in the translation – “The South will have airport in 2010.”
The picture from the cut and paste job says “Hoy las fincas seleccionadas están cubiertas de maleza o decicados al cultiva de plátano.” Again, a straightforward translation – “Today the selected land is covered in weeds or dedicated to plantain cultivation.”
I don’t mind being in the minority.
I was referring to the “foolish” people, my choice of word for those foolish enough to buy without doing a bit of research or failing to realize that there is not an airport built yet.
All three articles (copy and pasted) indicate that it is not built yet. Have the bad guys contradicted that in their own words? If they have, then I missed that.
If you have complained to La Nacion and the Tico Times, what was their response?
What was written in that website mentioned above (and you can read below) sure as heck sounds like that airport is a SURE thing …I mean, May is just around the corner…Well, I don’t know who will fund this because that’s been part of the issue and then who will construct it…all things that should be in place if the construction is to TRULY start by May of this year…One thing is saying that there are plans (as in some unknown future date) and another to say it’s a done deal…
IF THIS IS NOT MISLEADING THEN WE MUST ALL REDEFINE THE WORD MISLEADING, I thought this definition from the http://www.thefreedictionary.com should suffice:
Adj. 1. misleading – designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently; “the deceptive calm in the eye of the storm”; “deliberately deceptive packaging”; “a misleading similarity”; “statistics can be presented in ways that are misleading”; “shoddy business practices”
I don’t mind going against the grain or against the popular view when I’m standing on principle or values, but I still haven’t figured out your reason for taking this position here…If anyone here in Jersey would have written this blatantly misleading statement for the purpose of promoting real estate sales, I assure you that they would have been brought up before their Real Estate Board and worse…
But you are right about one thing, ‘buyer beware’ applies anywhere and thankfully, they have this site and others like it where they can get reliable information even when it might not be the most conducive to real estate investments…That to me shows integrity and the fact that WLCR is willing to inform some very misinformed buyers out there and even show compassion to some unsavvy purchasers shows humanity.
Saying that Zona Sur which is an area that is quite beautiful, but incredibly remote & difficult to get to (and I know from personal experience since I spent many years working there) will now be made “internationally” accessible IS said with the intention to promote sales while preying on the ignorance of others and not serving the public in anyway…What do you suppose that says about them?
From a US legal point of view, there may be a case for it, but this is Costa Rica. Do you really think if someone bought land near the proposed airport location and years later the airport was never built, that the buyer would have a case against the seller for false advertising? Or, do you think that there would be a case today if someone were to complain about the advertising practices? I don’t think so in either case.
In the 90’s people were selling property all over Guanacaste by advertising the future international airport in Liberia. People have been doing the same thing for decades in regards to the new highway to Caldera. Scott even says that “any possible appreciation is already built into the price of the real estate that’s for sale along the route.” Was all this deceiving? If so, then there’s nothing wrong with it being deceiving in Costa Rica. I think that might be where we are seeing things differently. This sort of thing happens all the time in Costa Rica. Buyer beware means that the normal rules and ethics of real estate that you are accustomed to in your home country do not apply in Costa Rica.
If you really doubt that the airport in Palmar Sur will not be built, then you should complain against the press and the government for claiming otherwise. La Nacion has printed “El Gobierno prometió que la primera etapa del aeropuerto de la zona sur estará construida y funcionando a más tardar en el 2010.” – “The government has promised that the first phase of the southern zone airport will be constructed and functioning no later than 2010.”
http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/julio/15/pais1168088.html
Jon
I think what makes this deceptive is the fact that regardless of what the media is printing most of us with some experience in Costa Rica know the track record of the government. An experienced and knowledgeable builder in this country would also know that if they are talking about an airport now…maybe we will see it in 10-20 years. So an honest builder might mention there is talk of an airport but not tout it as a done deal. I do agree there appears to be many unsophisticated buyers who are buying land sight unseen and this is just plain foolish. On my way to Dominical/Uvita a few months ago I saw some signs for projects that are advertised on the web and Tico times etc. Boy I would be really shocked if I sent money based on the website pictures and renderings and then was driven out to some of these locations! I don’t always agree with Scott but with his web site he is protecting people from themselves and making the foolish mistake of wireing a whole lot of money into someones account for property they have never seen in a country they have never been to. The advertiseing in my opinion is deceptive but Lot’s of people selling things are deceptive, go down check it out for yourself then decide and buy it assuming there will be no airport and if it does get built great! I bought in the Central pacific near Jaco, yes the highway was mentioned by the developer, but I had been going to the area for over 5 years I loved the drive over the mountains. Now they say they are staring construction for real, great news for my girlfriend she gets car sick…so what I will save maybe 30 minutes? But then I won’t be able to get a great casado and eat while looking out at that breathtaking view from that little soda up in Atenas.
dehaaij, I have known CR for almost 3 decades and lived there almost one so I know how slow and different the process can be. I get your point about relativity, but you seem to forget that a “relative lie” is still a LIE (by omission or misrepresentation–no matter) after all and I would venture to say that you may be misconstruing CR laws just because they seem to be more lax with them. CR has an enormous amount of laws on the books and some people are surprised when they’re put to work, but it does happen from time to time. You might want to check with their Chamber of Commerce (http://www.camara-comercio.com/?proc=home ). In any case, the point is that I’m glad there are people who will give the information as it stands, while clearly also explaining to all about this CR “relativity” and still manage to do quite well in business without taking advantage of unsavvy buyers — I don’t care what country you’re in, taking advantage of your market’s ignorance is not an ethical way of doing business…BTW, I was the one posting above that the airport may well just happen, the point is not that it absolutely won’t, THE POINT IS that people shouldn’t think that this is around the corner because if they’re holding their breath, they may just turn a very unsightly color blue and loose a lot of green ($) in the process…
rebaragon, what have they lied about? They have copied and pasted two articles from the press and one from Scott, into their information “fact sheet” as it was referred to. All three sources clearly indicate that the airport is not built yet, that it is only in the planning stages. Where is the relative lie in this?
Is it deceiving to sell a property without electricity, but assure the buyer that the hookups are in the works and that ICE has promised it will be available in such and such amount of time?
History is history. There has been one corrupt administration after another the past decade or two. There’s no denying Arias is different and I have no reason to doubt that the airport will be built.
Maybe we can pass dehaaij’s contact info to some real estate developers in Arizona. Maybe he’d be interested in purchasing some oceanfront property in Arizona…staying ahead of the crowd and all, you know for that big earthquake that we all know is right around the corner that’s going to break California off. Hey you never know right… I’ve read plenty of articles that promise that’s coming soon too.
Those guys down there are being deceptive as heck and they ought to be ashamed of themselves. Costa Rica sells itself, you need not lie to sell it. You can go down there and get lazy and get hurt if you’re not careful (financially). When in doubt, don’t. That’s my advice.
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