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I have a house in Bijagua on 3 1/2 hectares. It is on the main road before the checkpoint going into Bijagua. Its a nice town thats undiscovered pretty much by tourist in fact there are literally a handful of foreigners who live there. There is a couple of bars, supermarket and a couple of sodas in town but thats it. There is a new hotel 3/4 mile before town on the right and there are a couple of lodges in the mountains to stay. It rains alot as the town is in a rain forest. The people are very friendly and helpful and I actually built my home with local labor at a very reasonable cost. If you go 3 miles away to Rio Chiquito where I have 8 hectares, the climate is totally different, much less rain but alot of wind. This is where I want to build my dream house as the property I have also has a waterfall. I have my Bijagua house for sale to finance the construction on my new home in Rio Chiquito.
John Degnan
Steve
I was not referring to perrogrande’s comments about your development. I was applauding him for his methods for checking for water quality and availability by asking to see tests results, checking with the local government, etc. It seems alot can be found out by using his suggested methods so once again I say “good work” perrogrande!
As for your comments regarding my feelings about real estate promoters, you being a purchaser of 2 homes in this community you must feel comfortable with this developer but thats not to say I have to. Good Luck!Its always funny how these real estate promoters always get offended so easily when you ask to do due dillegence or question something they have said. Keep up the good work perrogrande and I would do due dilligence on any developer or builder regardless of their track record.
john
DON’T BUILD!!!
While yes construction costs are going up, they are not rising as much as land has in the last 10 years. You already have the most important piece of the puzzle which is the land and it is also likely to increase in value so if your plans change or you find another spot or whatever, it is much, much easier to sell a piece of vacant land than it is to sell a house. And why would you want to risk having your house burglarized and also having to maintain a home you will hardly ever use. Wait until you are ready to move here and than build after you have rented for 6 months to see if you like it.
Building costs will not increase as much as you think. Costa Rica’s economy is tied very closely to our economy and while they are not experiencing the pain we are in the housing industry, it is just a matter of time. I think its funny how so many people love to pump up the housing and real estate industry in Costa Rica as if its only going to keep going up and up. Hmmm, thats what every body thought in the USA until last year. Also while I know alot of sellers made a lot of money selling real estate in Costa Rica, its really tough to judge the condition of the market without having statistical data such as amount of homes on market, days on market until sold, amount sold for, etc. etc. This data will not become available to us until the country adapts an MLS system that everyone uses and until than its a mystery.
As for me, I have a house on a farm in Bijugua that my father in law manages for me for $200 a month. He lives a small house on the property and takes care of the livestock and horses and I come to CR 4 times a year and even with him watching the property and living 100 feet away, I have still been burglarized once. If I did not have inlaws in CR I would never ever own a house unless I lived in a guarded and gated residential community or condo. Good Luck in your decision.John
I do not live in Costa Rica currently. I go there 5 times a year and I spent alot of time done there when i was building the house. I appreciate the offer to bid for your job but my plate is full up in the states. My advice would be to get multiple bids and check references.See if you can get a labor only contract where you buy the materials and than go to three hardware stores with a material lists and ask for bids or a proforma in spanish. This is what I did and it also insures that you get high quality materials, not crap. If possible watch how they mix the cement and make sure they dont piecemeal the pours. Ideally if you are near a cement plant pay the extra and get ready mix delivered in a truck.Make sure the plumbing has vents and the elctrical is grounded with plenty of outlets. Of course if you speak spanish and deal with local contractors your cost savings will be tremendous. I had the advantage of having a Costa Rican wife and her family assisting me which made things easier. I honestly think if I didnt have this support I would have bought a house that was already built due to the headaches involved.
As a builder who has built 3 homes in Costa Rica to American specs (large rooms,stucco,teak doors and ceiling,nice trim,etc.) I can say I never exceeded $50 a sq ft. and in fact have built for as low as $35 sq. ft. with good quality. I too am puzzled by the insane pricing of the projects in Costa Rica and I can only assume it is price gouging. I refuse to refer my friends to these projects and I firmly believe there will be an adjustment soon.
Scott
Is there any school you would prefer over the other? My children never attended a school outside of the US so I do not want to make a mistake. Do you know what school the US embassy employees kids attend?I would assume they would probably attend one of the better schools.If anyone out there has any experience with this please help as there is very little info on this subject available.
thanks
john
