The Luxury of Living in the Third World

An article by Jack Ewing

Ben’s note: Jack Ewing & I have known each other for years and have worked together off and on with various projects. I regard him as one of the preeminent authorities on the history and ecology of the area. Jack is the owner of Hacienda Baru eco-tourism lodge and canopy zip-line tours. From his position as a cattle rancher in the ’70’s to reforestation mentor and eco-tourism expert now, his experiences here in Costa Rica span and catalog some of the astounding changes that have occurred in this “second” world country.

Jack is also one of the most notable authors for The Zone. His book “Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate” is recommended reading for anyone with an interest in Costa Rica and especially the southern zone. Standard reading in most vacation rentals and hotels in the area.

I am delighted to have Jack come on as a contributing author to the Guys in the Zone blog. In this first installment you’ll notice that there isn’t anything about real estate, but it has a lot to do with life here. We are on a rapidly “progressive” tangent here in Costa Rica and this account really helps to show some of the contrasts in amenities over the years, some so dramatic they could be deemed revolutionary. I especially appreciate how Jack’s account begs the question: “how do we really define “progress”?


Back in the late 1980s we still didn’t have telephones in the coastal communities, and we were just starting to do some bird watching and ecological tours at Hacienda Baru. The lodge didn’t exist yet. For booking the tours we shared an office with a travel agency in San Isidro and communicated with them by radio. One day I was at the phone company in San Isidro, which was also the electrical utility, seeing about getting an extra phone installed in the office. The whole process should have taken about ten minutes, but we kept having power outages.

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February News

Property Tax Assessments – There is an interesting article in amcostarica about maritime zone property tax assessments being made by Aguirre.  Not mentioned in the article is the amount of the assessments being made either by inspection by the canton or when an individual goes in for the five year value declaration.  If the property is on the beach side of the road the valuation is made at 50,000 Colones per square meter, 30,000 for the mountain side of the road. A meter is 3.2 feet.  The tax rate is either 4% of that amount for residential property and 5% for commercial.

Speaking of property tax assessments.  Karen and I just went through the five year declaration.  Relatively painless.  Carlos, the individual we dealt with at the municipalidad, was very helpful.  Everything is computerized but Carlos had to access, adjust information on, and then print six separate forms.  The assessment rate,

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What Does the Matapalo Police Station Have to do With Real Estate?

I got asked the other day what the opening of the new Matapalo Police station has to do with real estate, and by extension, why is it mentioned in my “Costa Rica real estate” blog? Well, I’ll tell you – it all starts with land.

I was told some time ago about a dinner party here in The Zone where the host got up on to a table and announced: “I would like for all conversations about real estate to stop. If you are unable to comply, please leave.” It is reported that the room went quiet.

Costa Rica Real Estate and a few of its influencing factors
A few of the the “non-real-estate” factors that affect the value of “Costa Rica real estate”

Granted, this was back in “the day” – back when fortunes were being made on the buying and selling of land here in The Zone. Such conversations are not nearly as prevalent now as back then, but they are certainly a daily occurrence in my life, and I suspect that many here would make the same statement.

I contend that all news comes around to affecting, or being affected by land. If you are interested in moving here, migrating, retiring, or simply, to visiting here, the topic of property and its value will enter the picture. The managing of crime has a direct impact on the value of property.
As do:

  • tourism
  • currency
  • climate
  • water
  • taxes
  • animals
  • roads
  • laws
  • residency
  • language
  • culture
  • etc…

I don’t want to have this bulleted list go down through your floor, so the”etc…” embodies all the rest. This list is based on my time spent talking with people who want to move or migrate to here.

Returning to Matapalo: it is receiving a steady flow of foreigners moving in as re-locators, migrators, and investors. They did not have a police station there before, so it could be reasoned that any self respecting thief would view that area as the place to be and to ply their trade. The presence of a police station has a positive effect on this scenario. One would then surmise that the value of land there will hold steady or perhaps increase.

Along with some of the other appealing amenities: screaming views, proximity to both Manuel Antonio and Dominical, proximity to a gorgeous, unpopulated and miles long beach, quiet living in Costa Rica’s tropical jungle, you can now add “enhanced security due to the presence of a police station”. My question: how can a Costa Rica real estate blog not mention such a thing?

Currency: The exchange rate of the colon versus the dollar. One of the hot topics going on right now in many sectors of the globe is what the effect of the “recovery” is having on tourism.

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