2013 – Page 2 – Guys in the Zone

The Luxury of Living in the Third World

April 26, 2017February 28, 2013 by

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.

February News

April 26, 2017February 20, 2013 by

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,

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

April 1, 2018February 1, 2013 by

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.

January News for the Zone & Costa Rica

April 26, 2017January 23, 2013 by

I have invited a new guest author to my blog. Frank Walker puts out a newsletter once a month that I have subscribed to now for some time. I always find his depiction of the news enlightening and fun to boot. Plus I wonder just how the heck he finds all this stuff out.
~ Ben

Matapalo

Police Station – The police station was dedicated earlier this month in typical Tico fashion with speech after speech from various officials. There was really a nice turn out from the local community. As promised the station is manned. The other day I actually saw two police at the beach. They were chatting up two young Ticas whose shorts and tops were so tight it looked like they used spray on spandex. Guess the two young officers were engaging in a community outreach program.

Loss of Businesses – Word has it that this will be Susanna’s last season to be open. Under the new liquor law the municipalidad is hitting her up for something like US$250.00 per month for her liquor license. Word also has it that Phillipe will be closing down. Whether or not he is going to sell his pulperia or close it down is unknown.

Hungarian Goulash and the New Costa Rica Drivers License Law

March 2, 2020January 21, 2013 by

This question just in from a client.

Question: As you probably know Tarminda (name changed) and I are perpetual tourists.

There is a driver’s license article in the new Ballena Tales. I think it basically says that you can’t get a CR license w/o a Cedula (residency card). And, that if you are pulled over w/o a valid Costa Rica license, your vehicle can be impounded and your insurance is null and void, even if it is paid for.

Do you know if this is accurate? If so, it does not appear that there is a way to stay in CR past 90 days and drive legally. Thoughts?

We can talk about this when we get together too. It is just a little disconcerting to think I may be driving w/o insurance even though I have a policy that was just paid for this month.

My response:Hello Dingmeister (name changed),

Your foreign driver’s license is valid here for 3 months at a time.

Should I Offer Seller Financing?

June 30, 2021January 9, 2013 by

This question just in from a land owner in Uvita.

I have a question about owner financing of real estate property for sale, and do not really know anyone else, besides you, to trust with a realistic, objective and intelligent answer.

We just received an email from the real estate agent who brought the buyer today, asking us what our financing terms would be. As of this moment, I do not know any details about the offer price, what the buyer’s financial position is, how much they have in cash as a down-payment, but before putting our cards on the table, I wanted to ask you about usual and customary seller financing terms in Costa Rica.

Seller financing in Costa Rica — Is Seller Financing a good idea for a seller of property in Costa Rica? Definitely. However, there are a few questions to answer first.

What would be typical and reasonable financing terms?

Is asking a 50% down payment, with a 7-8% interest rate, maybe a balloon payment or 2, in a year or 2, reasonable?
How can we make the deal air-tight as far as security of the down payment, and if buyer does not meet balloon payments, we get the property back, with no hassle.
Is there some sort of legal process, escrow or trust vehicle here in Costa Rica to protect us, the seller, from default?

Quick answer (based on info provided):

Read more

How to Sell a Property in Costa Rica

April 26, 2017January 6, 2013 by

It is common to think that you know all about how to sell because of your experience in real estate in another land. In Costa Rica real estate, this type of thinking can be a real hindrance.[/caption]

We have posted quite a bit on this blog about seller’s options in Costa Rica and in particular, The Zone. In this article I will list the pros and cons of the various Seller’s Options and hopefully help to unravel some of the perplexing issues presented by the lack of representation for the seller.

Options:

How to do an effective Open Listing:

For a raw land listing, here is a list of what you’ll need:

The survey (plano) of the property.
Information on the various fees associated with the property, ie. taxes, road dues, water, monthly maintenance.
Current photos of the property and its view.
Creative write-up

For a house listing you’ll also need, in addition to the above:

A description of the house – number of bedrooms, baths, square footage, if there is a pool, garage etc…
Who built it and when.
Disclose any details about the house that the buyer has the right to know.

What you do with all this: