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In reply to Scott:
Sounds like a great idea Scott. You might even get me back down there to look around.
They received my request for refund on November 30. Still nothing. I am calling them every other day. The last time they gave me tracking number but I founded that nothing was sent out. They just get tracking numbers from USPS in advance and can use them at any time. It doesn’t mean that something was sent out.
Yes, I think the problem was that I’m already living here. They seem to approach me with suspicion like I was wasting their time. They asked me where my funds were located, in the US or in Costa Rica. They said they would only accept a check drawn from a US bank, that seemed kind of odd to me, since they have a Costa Rican corporation here. They told me they did this because people in the United States feel more comfortable putting money in a bank in their own country.
One thing that was a plus, is they told me I could build a house for $60/square foot and that I could choose my own builder. This is about right for Costa Rica. I have already talked to a builder here and they told me they could build for about $40 to $50 a square foot.
They said they would even gaurantee for five years that I would only pay $60/square foot. What if the cost of labor goes up, how can they do that?
I visited Panama last year and visited a similar development that was on the coast. They told me I had to use their builder and it would be around $120/square foot. That was obviously wrong, especially since Panama labor is cheaper than Costa Rica. I believe the place in Panama was called Vista Del Mar. It was a really nice place, but they are obviously taking advantage of naive buyers. They were very friendly, though.
Yes ,the roads are roughed in, but we did visit with a 4×4, no problem.Lucia told me that they were building in one of their other developments, and urged me to check it out (did not have to time to do so) Also they were working on roads as well as the electric in others. She did acknowledge that they were a little behind schedule and that they were trying to make up time.They have really only been under way for about a year now, I think.I will keep you all posted.
I think that is a great idea, try to focus on certain area’s. I’m very interested in the Arenal area, spend 5 days nosing around and there seems to be a lot of money pouring into that area. If any one has any info ,please share it.
You should ask for a fed ex shipment. Don’t go with the post office. Keep following up with them. How long ago did you receive your tracking number? I’ll tell you a quick story about my refund. They had given me a Fed X tracking number but when I checked the fed ex web site it said nothing had been picked up even though a shipment had been processed. As it turned out it was a fed ex problem. I received the check the next day so somehow fed ex missed scanning it or something. When I tracked it again to see what the fed x web site said, it had gone from not being picked up to being delvd. So my point is that you may still get it in a day or 2 even though your tracking showed it didn’t go. Of course if has been a wk or something since they sent it to you then something did go wrong and you need to follow up. I’m a little worried that they seem to be taking longer and longer to get the refunds out. You can draw whatever conclusions you like from this fact.
I thought Lucia was a super personable and very likeable person. Paragon has had the good sense to hire very nice and competent people. I really hope they are successful with their properties. People like Lucia deserve to have a good job! In fact I liked all the people I dealt with there. For me it was just a business decision I had to make based on the location of the property and increased risk of no infrastructure in place, when I decided to back out.
Construction costs at or near the beach are higher than they are in the Central Valley and will continue to go higher thanks to the price of oil. I would not trust any of these numbers you quote, just because they quote that number does not mea they will be able to build your home for that price. EVERYONE I know that has had their home built have paid at least DOUBLE what they were originally quoted.
And a five guarantee from these people means nothing. Common sense says that they can NOT make that guarantee. The price of oil may be over $100 per barrel in five years and you do not think that will affect their costs? Sure it will but they are making that guarantee because they do not plan on being here that long.
I bet you these people will not be here in five years. They will have taken your money and thousands of others = MILLIONS of your dollars and they will leave you to work out the nightmarish legal problems of trying to get title to your land…
Charlie Mac in CR
Charlie, for all the folkes and for myself, I hope you are dead wrong, but time will tell, If you are a betting man I might just take you up on it. Syd Mulder.
I think that would be a fabulous (not to mention extremely helpful) idea! It’s very difficult to ‘wade through all the mud’ when you are thousands of miles away!!
I wrote on another thread about my experience with Paragon Properties and their overly aggressive marketing tactics and jumping through hoops just to get information (you have to call one of our buyers before we’ll send out the info, we need two phone numbers for you, etc.)…if their property was so fabulous, and such a great deal, why do they have to be so annoyingly aggressive? (All those phone calls! EEEEK!) I just decided not to deal with them at all…but in answer to how they can guarantee prices for 5 years? My conjecture is that since CR is so hot right now as a retirement/vacation/relocation destination, prices, especially oceanview and beachfront, are bound to go way up as the available land is developed and less and less is available. Just my guess.
1. In November 2004 Scott first wrote about Paragon in his article – Costa Rica Land Sales – Paragon in Parrita – True? Or too good to be true? Which you can find at
In this article, one of his many concerns (#13) was that in the Paragon ‘Reservation and Purchase Agreement,’ that ‘The infrastructure of roads, electricity and water will be substantially in place within 12 months from the date of this agreement.”
Many local real estate professionals had privately voiced their concerns about Paragon long before this but I would have to ask, MORE than one year later – can ANYBODY please show us ANY photographs of this “infrastructure of roads, electricity and water?”
And yes, more than one year later Paragon’s website at still says that the Costa Rican government “… is also building an additional airport in the city of Orotina…”
According to the statement made by the Costa Rican Minister of Finance at this is NOT correct but please go ahead and prove me wrong?
Can anybody show me anything that proves that – in the words of Paragon – the Costa Rica “… is also building an additional airport in the city of Orotina…”
Does anyone have any info on the progress of the “super Highway” progress? I have heard that they are making progress. Is this true?
Many of the bridges have been there for some time, it’s the road that is still missing… As far as I know they have NOT yet started on that road.
If anybody has information or preferably photographs of the new “super highway” that “the Costa Rican government is building” (Paragon’s words, not mine) then please email them to me as we would would all love to see them.
Even when the new road does eventually get built, I’m not sure if we can call it a “super highway” since most of the bridges are two lanes only and one of the main concerns I hear from engineers is that by the time the road gets built the bridges may well be irreparably corroded.
Time will tell.
Scott
Highway, schmyway…. forgeddeboudit!!!!!
I am just finishing a wonderful book of email letters written by Martin and Robin Rice who are expats who moved to CR in 2000. They compiled this terriffic book (At Home in Costa Rica – and it’s a must read for anyone considering ownership and moving btw) about their adventures and adventures in just living in the form of these emails home to friends.
In various passages they describe the road between Quepos and Dominical, which is a 40 km MUY IMPORTANTE COMMERCE road, which has the traffic carrying commercial produce from the BIG $$$ GROWERS.
Now, you and I would think that THIS ROAD is pretty important compared to replacing one which already works just fine (the Paragon Super Highway) wouldn’t you???Well the thing is, I consider that stretch of road a ‘right of passage’ kind of roadway challenge – it’s a bitch even for a rental car!!! You haven’t lived until you’ve made this passage in a Suzuki Alto!!!!
Funny thing to me was that in the passage from about 2001, the locals were decrying the condititon of the road by blocking traffic on it, protest style for a few days. The author then supposes (in 2001 remember) that this was a strong display of unity of the people and believes that this road might finally be given the attention it deserves… I chuckled at that point because as of 6 months ago it was in the same exact crappy condidition it was in when the author penned the original – 4 years ago!!!
As I learn more about CR and Costa Rican life, the more I just look at the current conditions and consider that it might be as good as it’ll ever be. It’s easy for me, being an optimist, to see the glass as half full and believe people and the governemnt want to fulfill their promises. It would be easy to get upset over how long things take to get fixed. But, instead of the flip side of seeing the glass as half empty, I am starting to just see a glass with some water in it and accept it for what it is… and be happy that the water is probably safer to drink than what my government calls “safe” coming out of my tap!!!
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