Jaco Beach Condos |
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Jaco Beach Condos |
From $249,000Development Under Construction |
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Jaco Beach Condos |
From $475,000 |
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Condo in Jaco |
From $310,000 |
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Recently, I compiled a variety of property rental information to put together a useful rental analysis tool to be used by those who are evaluating an investment property purchase in the Jaco area. Here are the results of that analysis which I am sharing with you:
2007 Jaco Rental Analysis Worksheet
Please note that this is just one tool you should use when making a decision to buy a property as an investment.
Jaco Beach Condos |
From $375,000 |
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Dec27
So, Why Us?
Okay - so you have decided to buy Costa Rica real estate, or are at least looking into it right now. You could work with a real estate agent from Costa Rica or with a Costa Rica developer you found on the Internet. So why choose us? How are we different?
It’s actually an easy answer: dedication to providing a safe and comfortable real estate buying experience in Costa Rica.
What?! That’s it?
Well, isn’t that all you need? Because in our effort to accomplish this simple statement, we do a lot of not-so-simple things for you:
- Costa Rica & North America Offices - We have colleagues in Costa Rica, Canada, and the US. This allows us to keep our fingers on the pulse of each market providing for better communication. Surprisingly, many of the sales peole you will speak with at Costa Rican developments don’t know how to address North American’s concerns and questions about owning foreign real estate. Neither do they know what our home markets are like, which do affect our buying decisions.
- Developer Review - Before we agree to market a development, we do a thorough “background check” on the developer and the development. We work with the best attorneys in Costa Rica - Facio Abogados - to make sure that the developer has a good reputation and that their development is being done legally (example: they are building on land that they own).
- Foreigner-friendly Properties - We know the types of properties that North Americans are looking for, and we seek those out. They must be in accessible areas, close to “areas of interest”, offer safety/security features, provide property management, and also provide developer financing. In addition to that, we even offer our input to developers when they are in the design phase of their developments so that they incorporate features that North American buyers are looking for.
- Custom Home Tours - Can you believe that some people want you to give them money so that you can go to see their development to decide if you want to buy there? Ummmm…. We don’t do that. You don’t pay to see the properties we are marketing. Instead, we’ll pay you with our Fly & Buy program, where you can get up to $2000 of your travel expenses reimbursed at the closing table. To top it off, we partner with full service travel agents who are dedicated to working with you to set up a smooth, worry-free visit to Costa Rica to meet up with our Costa Rican colleagues for home tours. Of course, we expect that you’ll make the most of this trip and plan to see beautiful Costa Rica.
- Information - You want the information, we’ll find it. Immigration, schools, cost of living, rental analysis, etc. We are useful information junkies! Well, you have to be if you are considering parting with $100’s of thousands of dollars to buy real estate in a country you aren’t familiar with! Didn’t we say that we wanted to provide a comfortable buying experience? How comfortable can someone be if they have never seen or visited the property before, or if they don’t even know how they take ownership (FYI: fee simple, titled ownership - you OWN it). That’s the reason why we do seminars for interested buyers, as it turns out to be a great venue for sharing our information.
- Financing - No, we don’t offer financing (yet), but we know what all of your financing options are and how to get them! We have partnered with financing professionals who can help you with whatever financing option is a fit for you. Confused about your options? Well, we can help you decide based on your goals and your current financial picture.
So, is this enough for you?
Costa Rica’s Tourism Board (ICT) has just released its 2007 year end tourism statistics. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Crime against tourists dropped 26%
2. Tourism rose by 11.5%
3. Total of 1.9 million people (tourists) visited Costa Rica
4. $1.9 Billion in Tourism Revenue, up 300 million from last year.
5. 100 New ICT Police Officers added
6. Jaco has granted $800,000 more dollars for next year to hire more police.
These are some exciting numbers, and just confirmation of what we have been saying - that tourism is continuing to grow in Costa Rica.
Even more exciting is that crime against tourists has gone down. Typically, tourists fall victim to petty theft, mostly because they aren’t using common sense and they fall prey to small time thieves who target tourists. But with the addition of the new ICT police officers who work in conjunction with local police forces to keep tourists safe, these crimes have gone down. Quick justification for these new police officers.
And it appears that in response to this resounding success, the town of Jaco has set aside funds to beef up their ICT police officers, continuing their dedication to improve this great tourist town.
I am Canadian, but I now live in Southern California. I didn’t move because I had any aversion to Canada - I moved because it was darn cold in Winnipeg, which is where I lived.
I can’t say that I’m alone in this sentiment though, as every year, thousands of Canadian retirees make the trek South to warmer climates - Arizona, Florida, Canada, Texas, and even a little further south to Mexico.
There is also a small subset of this group that has been fortunate enough to discover Costa Rica, and have made it their winter home for 4 to 6 months out of the year. So why did this small group of Canadians choose Costa Rica versus the more familiar and closer retirement spots in the US?
Perfect Weather
Lots of reasons. The first and most obvious is the unequaled climate. As it turns out, the weather in Costa Rica is at its best during Canada’s winter. From mid-November to June is the “dry” season in Costa Rica. Don’t expect the Sahara though! It will rain during this time, but it will be pleasant, warm showers.
High Quality Healthcare
Another reason that Canadians (and other foreigners) have chosen Costa Rica for their retirement home is because of their fantastic, high quality healthcare system, a hybrid of a private and public system providing healthcare to all. Many of the private healthcare facilities work hard to accept many foreign health insurance plans, but even when they don’t, the fees are extremely affordable for foreigners.
Safe Living in a Foreign Country
Safety is another important issue that many Canadians consider when looking for a place to retire - domestic or foreign. Costa Rica shines in this area with very low crime rates. They do however have a high level of petty theft, but that can be avoided by using some common sense, not flashing money or valuables in public, and staying in well-lit, well known areas. Besides, most places where North Americans live in Costa Rica have numerous security precautions, like gated, guarded entrances, on-site security, and other security measures.
Hassle-Free Immigration
Another draw that Costa Rica has for retirees is its lenient residency rules. To enter Costa Rica requires no more than what you would need to cross the border into the US - a passport. In fact, with your passport you can stay up to 3 months in Costa Rica. If you want to stay longer, all you need to do is cross the border out of Costa Rica and then re-enter 72 hours later - a good opportunity to visit Panama to the south. Upon your return, you can stay another 3 months which should be more than enough time for snowbirds to wait out Canada’s winter before their return.
Looking to stay in Costa Rica a little more permanently? Costa Rica actually has a special visa just for retirees called pensionado. Obtaining this residency status is within the reach of most retirees, allowing them to stay year-long.
Unlimited Activities
And of course, I have to mention the wealth of activities, sights, sounds, and tastes that Costa Rica has to offer - fishing, golf, parks, water activities, shopping, dining, rainforest tours, and so much more. Of course, if you are looking for relaxation, you can find that too.
One of the major objections to choosing Costa Rica over some US destination actually has to do with the distance and the travel time to reach Costa Rica. When you really sit down and think about it though, is travel time to a retirement spot a determining factor, when you have all these others to consider? How does a 3 hour flight versus 8 hours travel time really differ? Are you really going to get more out of your retirement spot with those extra 5 hours? Think about it.
If you have decided to make Costa Rica your retirement home, I would love to hear why. Leave a comment and share your reasons why you chose Costa Rica!
And if you are considering Costa Rica for a retirement spot, but still have some questions, let me hear from you.
Considering Costa Rica’s small size (about the size of West Virginia), it is quite impressive that this little country is turning out to be a major player in building positive worldwide relations.
In the past few months, the people of Costa Rica spoke and chose to join the Central American Free Trade Agreement which will promote free trade amongst numerous Central American countries, as well as Mexico, the US, and Canada. In the past, Costa Rica and the US were already strong trade partners, but by joining CAFTA, those relations were made even stronger.
Also recently, Costa Rica and China have been meeting and speaking frequently, working to create a strong relationship between those two countries. Both the Costa Rican president and the Chinese Prime Minister have complimented each other on their leadership and their country’s economic growth, and have expressed their excitement at their countries working together.
Even more recently, it was announced that Costa Rica established diplomatic ties with the Sultanate of Oman, a country in the southeast of Asia. Each country pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and both are devoted to the strengthening of peace and international cooperation.
All this from little Costa Rica!