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My wife and I are considering purchasing land at Grand View Estates http://www.gvecr.com/ to building a house for rent and for ultimately as a retirement home (7 years) can anyone provide any insight regarding the development and that area of CR
[quote=”irony”]My wife and I are considering purchasing land at Grand View Estates http://www.gvecr.com/ to building a house for rent and for ultimately as a retirement home (7 years) can anyone provide any insight regarding the development and that area of CR[/quote]
I admit to knowing nothing about this development, but my skeptic alarm bell went off when they talk about the “Limon International Airport”. Hmmm.When International Living “recommends” a project they typically demand a 10% sales commission which meams that you’re already spending 5% more than you would do if you bought through a Realtor …
Their “About Us” section tells us NOTHING about them which is a big pet peeve of mine and immediately turns me off.
But it does say:
“Our Team We are proud of our dynamic team of professionals whose experience in all facets of real estate development, sales and finance bring the highest standards of performance to our projects. Our team is comprised of professionally licensed Realtors/Brokers and Contractors from the state of California and the country of Costa Rica. Who are always striving for professionalism and complete customer satisfaction one client at a time.”
Not one single human being is named…
Maybe their “professionally licensed Realtors/Brokers and Contractors from the state of California” are legally allowed to work in Costa Rica but, it’s EXTREMELY unlikely but that’s probably why they don’t mention any names…
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comIrony – do you know the name of the company behind this development? I would definitely get the name of the US company (with all the experience) and check them out thoroughly. There is a California based company with an excellent reputation snooping around Guanacaste with a similar plan. It would be interesting to know if they are one and the same.
[b]Irony[/b] you don’t say whether you have either been to Costa Rica or to the Province of Limon.
It is wise to check out in person the area where this ‘estate’ is being built. While improvements are being made in the area, it still leaves a lot to be desired by many due to the lack of infrastructure.
In the news this week there was an announcement regarding the [url=http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/august/23/costarica10082303.htm]new docking facilities[/url]. You may consider this [i]good or bad…[/i]
I suggest if you really like what you see, wait for a while until you see homes, that are actually being built.
And for the international airport…seeing is believing!You state you have 7 years until retirement. TAKE YOUR TIME TO COME HERE AND DO AS MUCH “DUE DILIGENCE” as you can. There are sooo many other areas of CR that have, IN MY OPINION, better climate, better infrastructure, and better access to private and public medical facilities. This is why I would NEVER consider living East of the Orosi Valley. Properly priced and competent builder/developers will not be raising prices much in the next year.
The most successful WAY for you to begin your “DUE DILIGENCE” is to check out http://www.costaricaretireonss.comMake sure you find the heat and other “qualities” of sea level coastal living acceptable. The web site does not give details as to altitude of properties. It is one thing to vacation at a beach and quite another to live there at sea level in the tropics. The Central Valley mountains offer cooler, more comfortable temperatures, fewer potentially dangerous animals and insects and better infrastructure.
[quote=”sprite”]Make sure you find the heat and other “qualities” of sea level coastal living acceptable. The web site does not give details as to altitude of properties. It is one thing to vacation at a beach and quite another to live there at sea level in the tropics. The Central Valley mountains offer cooler, more comfortable temperatures, fewer potentially dangerous animals and insects and better infrastructure.[/quote]
The post from Sprite is perhaps the most valuable advice. I lived on the beach south of Limon for 3 months. I also visited friends in the hills outside Siquirres somewhere in the area where this project appears to be. Imagine stifling heat and humidity, mud, bugs, a tortuous drive to San Jose and not all that nice fighting with the all the container rigs on the “30 minute drive” to the beach. It’s a great place for banana plantations but for living???
I chose to settle near the coast in Guanacaste. It gets hot, but mainly in the dry season, and much less than many parts of my home state of California. As others have said, do your homework to avoid the disappointment that many of us have seen others go through.This leads me always to a bigger question that anybody contemplating a move to a foreign country should have: What is the turn-around rate for expats who return to the States and what are some of the major reasons for giving up? I am looking for empirical evidence which could be related to subjective situations and conditions.
For example, recently an american woman, her husband and kids left Costa Rica after living there, supposedly happily and comfortably, for over 4 years. Scot knows her and probably many others have read her blog “A Broad In Costa Rica”. I was disappointed to read she had decided to leave Costa Rica for Kentucky. She gave her reasons but some of those reasons contradicted her previous writings wherein she detailed why she loved living in Costa Rica. She had a change of heart which led to a change of geography and culture. No matter how well you may think you know yourself, you may end up being surprised by your future feelings. I keep looking for a common thread in reasons as to why people return from living abroad to see if any might apply to me.
[quote=”sprite”]Make sure you find the heat and other “qualities” of sea level coastal living acceptable. The web site does not give details as to altitude of properties. It is one thing to vacation at a beach and quite another to live there at sea level in the tropics. The Central Valley mountains offer cooler, more comfortable temperatures, fewer potentially dangerous animals and insects and better infrastructure.[/quote]
Thanks to all for your advice and comments. My wife and I will be visiting the area this weekend
My wife and I will be visiting the area this weekend[/quote]
So, tell us. How did your visit turn out?[quote=”glundquist”][/quote]
So, tell us. How did your visit turn out?[/quote]It was a whirlwind tour. We visited the area for approx 48 hours and were quite impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of Gil (Manager) and his family.
Most of the lots are already sold and a few homes are in various stages of construction. They certainly do have some work to do on the access road but for the most part we could see the potential for the development and in the area.
We are looking for a community rather than an investment and we hope that Grand View Estates will meet our needs
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