[sprite]

It might be good to continue to put up with all shades of opinions here. For those who know Costa Rica well enough, when something too far out of line is presented, there are usually enough responses to quickly put things back into proper perspective. Those of us who do not yet know this country well should be able to get an idea of what is really happening by assessing everything that is written here.
I know the title of this site is “WE LOVE COSTA RICA”. That should attract the right kind of subscriber and contributor (and possible client) most of the time and as far as the odd complainer is concerned, well, you certainly wouldn’t want to be accused of the old “My country, love it or leave it” attitude, would you?

[sprite]

I suspect a very high proportion of those “reported” stolen passports are actually nothing more than misplaced or lost passports. Many people have trouble organizing their time and their belongings.

[sprite]

This is, of course, a highly subjective issue. As great as Costa Rica is, I have to assume it will not be great for everyone. But the more I visit CR, the more I like it.

[sprite]

well, when i see signs listing properties at 10 to 50 dollars a square meter, I believe the place HAS been discovered. I drove through Tilaran then back around again…very pretty land but quite remote from any of the bigger towns. I paid $4.35 a square meter for 12000 sq mtrs in the Central Valley. I ma sure that cost has gone up a bit in the last two years but not 2 and 5 times as much.

[sprite]

I suspect property in the Arenal area with views would be rather expensive.

[sprite]

I noted it was also very dry around Bajo Rodriguez and northward but then I also saw the Arenal area quite green in comparison. I suspect it might be a combination of localized dryer weather and my lack of experience in country at the end of dry season.

[sprite]

speaking of dumping trash into rivers, I just walked my property yesterday and discovered that has happened on the neighboring property. Is there no remedy? No municipality functionary to contact? Or do I just wait for the jungle to over grow it? This is on the Rio Grande and it makes me sick to think that this pile may grow bigger. TRhe nearest large municipality is Naranjo.

[sprite]

Thanks much. Getting ready to go there now. I will be leaving from Bajo Rodriguez and I just wanted to be sure the route was not as bad as some of the gravel and dirt roads I have driven before. I remember a one lane bridge near Tigre which was in very bad condition. Hope there are no more of those on the way to Chilamate.

[sprite]

Could Costa Rican real estate values drop faster than the U.S. dollar will in the coming months? Will the north american boomer population, the largest age grouping, decide there are better real estate bargains at home than overseas? Will europeans and south americans decide the same? What is the value of Costa Rican real estate relative to the values of real estate in the countries that have until now supplied most of the buyers? Will the living conditions in those countries improve or deteriorate relative to the conditions in Costa Rica.
There are so many variables and unknowns that figuring out where the CR real estate market is going is nearly impossible. Nobody knows. People speculate. The same applies to stock equity investment. If you are going to play in this field, you are speculating like everyone else. I can find opinions galore. The only ones I value are useless to me because they are the ones who say “I just do not know”.

[sprite]

My plan B is a much smaller Costa Rican house….much smaller. Today’s market should be interesting to observe. Fasten your seat belts, kiddies. We are just about to go over the edge on this roller coaster ride. Nobody knows how far the drop will be. The only thing for certain is that the track will go up again at some point.

[sprite]

All the experts keep coming back to fundamentals. As long as the under pinning of this economy and the rest of the world remains healthy and intact, recovery will happen. And the consensus is about a year and a half, give or take several months. I am not too worried about the economy based on its merits.
All bets are off, though, if some unexpected event overtakes the planet…such as unanticipated rapid climate change consequences or if president Dumb-arse and his cohorts try to get into a war with Iran before he leaves office. There is some scary news lately that makes this sound more and more plausible.

Edited on Mar 13, 2008 06:42

Edited on Mar 13, 2008 06:42

Edited on Mar 13, 2008 06:43

[sprite]

Things are expected to stay bad for another year and a half.
That’s not the same thing as saying the end is near.

Edited on Mar 12, 2008 15:08

[sprite]

Any interest rate cut IMMEDIATELY deflates the dollar. They may still do that but the action they took yesterday won’t cause the dollar to drop quite as quickly as a large rate drop would have. They are playing a game which they can only win if the value of our homes starts to rise again before inflation and recession can cripple the economy. They are playing for time.

[sprite]

I am not sure it will work, but it just might…The Fed decided today to pump a huge amount of money into the market to assure liquidity and the market responded. It was a co-ordinated event with the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England joining in as well. And more help was promised. This was the biggest move up for the Dow in five years. The Nasdaq popped up 4.6%.

All this may sell off tomorrow,,,,or not. But either way, it is surely evidence that the goose isn’t cooked yet and that we are now talking about a world economy, not just a U.S. economy. When Europe pitches in to help the Fed NOT cut interest rates in order to get oil prices back down, that is evidence that cooperative efforts are being focused like never before in history. Everybody working together just might pull this off and keep a violent economic downturn at bay for a long time to come.

[sprite]

while we wait for Scott’s Day of Doom when the U.S. falls into a terminal depression, where will you put your cash? Will you put it in a bank or a money market account? In addition to inflation, the dollar is sliding in value and will probably continue so your cash will be worth less and less. Will you invest in U.S real estate? That is going to stay flat for quite a while longer. Stocks, Bonds and commodities cannot grow beyond the general economy, which, according to many experts is headed down.
I have no idea what CR real estate will do. Not a clue. I bought a piece of land as a
place to live, not as an investment. At some point, one has to have a bit of faith that the world is not going to end. At some point, some of your wealth has to considered as a consumable and not a perpetual gaming chit. If you are considering buying land because you love the place, go for it, If you are considering this as an investment, you are rolling the dice with a lot of other people.

[Author]

Posts