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I have stayed at Canciones Del Mar twice. It is excellent & is located in Jaco directly on the beach. Great tiki operated for breakfast and lunch. Nice pool.
Is there a black market for SIM cards. I know a rental company can put a rented SIM card in a renter’s phone. I have to belive they are for sale by unscrupulous entrepenuers.
Just asking…I am not looking to buy.
I have my Moto RAZR from AT&T to use if I want to pay the $2.27/minute rate.FYI: I am in the process of closing on my house in Playa Bejuco. I will have the registry entry at the contract price of $102,000 not the $50,000 the Lawyer has put forth. I expect the tax situation will come around as the municipality sees actual sale prices in our area and I believe we should all pay the market rate anyway.
I expect to see an increase over the years too. But like you say, Scott, it is peanuts compared to the situation here in south Florida. We have homestead and a 3% cap on yearly increases called the “save our homes” amendment to our constitution. This of course does nothing for the speculators holding high dollar, vacant, condos and ocean front homes purchased in the 03-05 boom. Not to mention homeowners insurance running very very high for everyone after the 04 hurricanes. Mine is $4800/yr on a 1700 sqft island home, 200m to the beach. Flood insurance is cheap from the federal government at $700/yr.
I believe the resale market for existing homes will come roaring back in a few years for beachside property in south Florida. Stay tuned for the tax/insurance debacle. Costa Rica will look fantastic then.Your gringo.china scenario is a good assessment of the future.
I see the USA baby-boomer part as individuals seeking retirement homes and communities trendinging up for another few years. The USA corp builders may come in compete with exisiting builders to levereage the dollar. We will see. No matter what prices are going up.
The Chinese factor is on a grander scale and they are after natural resources. The ouster of the Tiwanese and acceptance of the PRC ambassodor is the most telling recent historical event. Keep watching for the results for major accords opening markets for raw materials like timber and minerals. The Chinese will offer money for major infrastructure projects like sewers, roads and telecommunications. This will be on a scale no small investor can handle. If the populace is quiesent and remains passive, the government can sell them down the river, literally.Water is from the city of Parrita….it can go off during the dry season & it can be a nuisance. I just work around it as a single person, it is what it is. If a house hs 6 people in it and all need a morning shower…good luck.
It has never been a real problem though.
Until this year when health issues arose, I have been visiting 5-6 times a yr.
The security is very good and my home is right next to the guard gate at the entrance to the community. No problems, ever on that. Electric is from ICE, no problems. Cable Tica is now available and my property manager is handling the install of basci cable. I have no phone installed.FYI: I purchased in Playa Bejuco (Estorillos), signing a purchase agreement 3 yrs ago. My criteria were: 1. security 2. price 3. location
I got the best security in a gated community and my 2br/2b house cost $109k (it now cost $160K from the same builder). and it is 500m to the beach. I waited over a yr for completion/occupancy and another 2 before the community was finished, still don’t have my title. I furnished it for 3K after the builder put in Kitchen appliances and a basic furinture pkg. drapes, wooden blinds, TV-DVD, CD, pub table & stools, wall decorations, linens, washer/dryer.
I have a property manager that takes 20% on rentals. It is rented starting in Jan. for 6mo to another family waiting for construction on their home. i have not had great demand for weekly rentals like I hoped. very sporadic.
The word in estorillos is that workers in the Jaco boom need long term rentals for family homes.question on this “up-cycle”: the demand you mention, what is the root of this demand? Do you think it is the baby-boomers from the USA? and also: is overbuilding going to be a factor (I own in the Estorillos area)? I would like to hear your thoughts.
I use BCR, a branch in Jaco. I opened the acct last summer and use it rgularly for paying ICE via the BCR website from Florida. I make deposits in downtown SJO too. It is a savings acct in dollars and I have never seen a bogus transaction.
Of course, the dollar amount is very samll compared to the $220,000 mentioned in AM CostaRica today. $200 max.
Luckily, I am just a tourist with a vaction home, not a business man.
Seems to me the best course of action is to use wire xfers for large sums back to a USA bank. keeping the local acct for small amounts only. At least until banking laws are adequate to protect acct holders.look at http://www.vrbo.com for costa rica listings
sorry this reply was so long in coming.
My house was about 1 year in completion. The entire community took two more years.
There were big time delays.
I am not informed about the Hills community.
Your best best is to visit often and see for yourself.
It won’t do any good to rant and rave but at least a visit gives you actual data points to document progress. Take fotos every trip and smile knowing the price is locked in.
For myself, from the begining, security has been my major concern. Now the Gardens community is up and running with an armed guard at the gate out my front door. I am pleased as punch with security. I assume the Hills will have the same.
Try renting in Estorillos Centro if you visit…it is a perfect destination.I know that American Airlines out of Miami will not board a passenger if the passport is not good for the required period.
I believe Delta does the same thing.
One way to always be safe driving alone: keep your passport, wallet etc. on your person. I wear dockers khakis with 2 buttoned back pockets. 1 for my wallet (credit cards, drivers lic) 1 for cash. My passport is ALWAYS in the front left pocket where I can put my hand on it.
Plus, using an ATM card allows you to carry a minimum amount of cash.
Finally, lock the luggage in a trunk out of sight or put it on a floorboard.The titles are now being processed for owners but no transfer has been made on my unit, a condo.
I am expecting it this summer.
The plans and permits were handled by the builder and his attorney in Jaco. As of now, as I understand it, everything is in order and the final SETENA sign-off is in place. My experience with the attorney has been that he is smart, reliable, and trustworthy. I explicitly decided NOT to use a seperate attorney, because I liked this guy when he dealt with me.
As for occupancy, the builder turned over the unit when it was ready for occupancy. The septic was complete and in-use under the original plan so there was no problem. The builder provided electricity until ICE was able to handle my individual meter placement. A freebie I enjoyed. As is security which includes a 24×7 manned guard gate located 25 ft from my front door, and lawn maintenance.
Under the terms of my contract with the seller/builder, he gets his final payment when I get title. His cash flow is zip until he gets me a title. The process is grinding along and all is on track so I am confident it will work out well.
Any buyer that expects to see expert practices in government is just not realistic.
As for property values, just look across the road at 168 3br garage homes or up the hill at Del Pacifico to get a comparable price per sq ft appraisal. Go down to the newly opened Century 21 office and see what you can get.
As for the Hills, I am not involved there.
Bottom line for me has been trusting the builder. They are on track and timeframe not withstanding, the place is almost complete. I believe it will meet my needs for years to come.Scott:
Try as I might, I can not find any plain and simple photgraphs of Costa Rica subjects.
I would love to have some professionally done, nicely framed shots for decorating my Playa Bejuco vacation home. They would also make great gifts. Ecotourism shots of wildlife, shots of the volcanoes, and awesome vistas across the land and coastal area.
If you have a web-page offering the work of a single photog, you could make him/her famous (or at least recognizable).
