For entire article, please click the link to the below: http://costaricarealestateblogs.blogspot.com/2010/12/planning-subdivisions-with-twist.html
Rick Harrison, the master planner and designer of The Village of San Buenas, was recently featured in the Minneapolis StarTribune.
| http://www.ticotimes.net/daily_paid/dailynewsarchive/2010_08/080210.htm#story4 | |
| By Chrissie Long Tico Times Staff | [email protected] |
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| Even as the Chinese are putting the finishing touches on world class soccer stadium in San José’s La Sabana metropolitan park – a gift to the Central American country – Costa Rica is seeking more investment by the Chinese in infrastructure and in clean energy.
On Sunday, during a visit by China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Costa Rica made a pitch to its Asian ally to invest in a $221 million highway that would connect the country’s northern plains with the Caribbean port of Limón, among other infrastructure projects. The plea comes at a time when Costa Rica’s highways are crumbling under heavy rains and the weight of years of postponed improvements. Just three days before Jiechi arrived, part of the country’s main highway north, which connects the country with the rest of Central America, was closed when part of a bridge over the Rio Seco collapsed (see story, below). But Costa Rica’s foreign minister, René Castro, said the relationship should be a two-way street. “They also have some ideas for advancement relating to biotechnology, cultural exchanges and sciences that are being developed,” he said, adding that he is looking for “a mature, win-win relationship” between China and Costa Rica in years to come. Following a working session at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters at the Casa Amarilla, in downtown San José, the two diplomats signed a cooperation agreement, which is expected to bring $6.2 billion in infrastructure improvements to Costa Rica. Jiechi spent time with President Laura Chinchilla, Vice Presidents Alfio Piva and Luis Liberman, as well as the heads of the Security Ministry, the Foreign Trade Ministry and the Transportation Ministry. Formal relations between Costa Rica and China began in 2007 during the Oscar Arias administration. In addition to the soccer stadium, China is also investing in the state-owned refinery in Moín and has purchased $300 million in bonds, among other projects. |
Click on the link to download information about Costa Rica real estate and The Village of San Buenas real estate development.
February 23, 2010
Dear Investor/Owner/Prospective Client:
As we begin the new year I wanted to make certain you were fully appraised of the status of the project and the latest news in Costa Rica. With this in mind we present you the following overview:
Costa Rica
Like virtually all countries Costa Rica has experienced a challenging national economy. Tourism was up just slightly last year which is not good for the country, but great compared to other regions of the world. Unemployment is increasingly a problem as many construction projects have stopped. I would term the economy as “sluggish.”
On the other hand there are good signs for the future. The country has made a definite commitment to upgrade its road system. For example, within 90 days there will be an excellent modern highway system in place from the northern border of Costa Rica to the southern boundary.
In January a new highway connecting San Jose to the Pacific coast was opened. This project took over 40 years to complete since it was first proposed. The drive from San Jose’s airport/Alajuela to Jaco is now just over an hour. It used to be approximately 2.5 hours. This means that the time to travel from San Jose to our development will now be 3.5 hours rather than the previous 5 hours.
The modern highway is one mile from our project. The fact that there is now easy access to the south is very favorable.
In early February there was a national election. The new President is a woman who is prodevelopment while still insisting that the environment is protected. Her name is Laura Chinchilla and she will be in office for the next four years. Previously she served as Vice President under current President Oscar Arias. We look upon the election as a good sign. Click here for more information and some of my observations about the election.
The newest hospital in Costa Rica is operating well. Please remember that it is but about five miles from our development.
Finally the town of Palmar Norte, which is 15 minutes from Paradise Developers, has added several new stores and the municipality has paved more roads, while retaining the Costa Rican culture.
The Village of San Buenas
Because of the slow economy worldwide many development projects are moving at a slower pace than in the past. We continue to move forward at a steady pace after working through the sluggish 2009. Specifically:
1. We now have sold 39 lots . This is excellent progress and we have approximately 80 more lots to sell.
2. We have water and electricity to a small portion of the project. We will add these as buyers decide to build their houses.
3. The first house has been completed and built on Lot # 9. It is now being rented out at the rate of $1,500 per week. Within the next 30 days a website for the house will be developed and linked to the main website of www.villagecostarica.com The house will also be available for serious prospects that can stay at the house for free if they purchase during their visit.
4. It appears that a buyer will be starting to build a house in the next 120 days. I have met with the architect on his behalf several times and we hope he can get all of his paperwork approved soon.
5. We continue to generate interest every week through our marketing efforts and our price points make it one of the most affordable Costa Rica real estate options available. The purchase process for most clients is twelve months (from first expressing interest to purchasing), however, those who move more quickly continue to receive great bang-for-buck (cash discounts) and first pick of the lots. I always encourage prospective clients to visit the property as soon as possible. This way, they get first hand experience of the views, the area and the other options available in the project. They also can meet with architects, myself, our property manager, our workers so they quickly feel a sense of community and what The Village of San Buenas is all about.
Every year we also have several “site unseen” buyers which is also an option. I don’t encourage it but everyone of our clients who has purchased and then visited has been thrilled with their purchase. I am continuing to add more photos and videos to provide clients from around the world the ability to see and hear what the project is about. The videos and photos don’t do justice as to how beautiful it really is. Even with several thousand photos and hours of video I can’t effectively show the friendliness of the people and the local community.
Here’s a link to some photos: http://villagecostarica.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/2010_janfeb_costarica.pdf
Here’s a link to some videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/SolPropertyGroupNick
6. We continue our Pay As We Go as a key strategy. Hence we have no long term debt.
7. Our biggest challenges for the balance of the year is to gradually build the infrastructure and to continue our sales momentum.
We continue to be optimistic about the future and are continuing to improve the project to exceed expectations.
Please check out the website at www.villagecostarica.com and review some photos from the last 60 days here 2010_JanFeb_CostaRica
You will notice we have a wide price range of lots available from the low $20,000’s to $294,000 based on location and views. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Nick Halverson
President
[email protected]
612.819.8154
The last couple of months have been very busy in Costa Rica, Sol Property Group and The Village of San Buenas. I’ll highlight a few events that were very memorable.August
Back in August I spent a day with Rodrigo Arias (Costa Rican Secretary of State), Jorge Eduardo Sanchez (Deputado or “Senator”), Rosibel Madrigal (Mayor of San Isidro) and Hanz Cruz (Deputy Mayor of San Isidro). I spent the day taking photos, attending a private lunch with 50 business owners and executives from some of the country’s largest banks and largest companies. The event was to announce government loans for farmers of mora, coffee and sugar cane in the area.
Later a group of us jumped into a handful of cars, including the security detail, and drove to several new bridges for “ribbon-cutting” events. At each bridge Secretary of State Arias and Rosibel each made a small speech. Click here to see photos of this event. It was a great day and culminated in a BBQ at Tres Jotas new meat processing plant in San Isidro. It was the best ‘carne’ (meat) I’ve had in Costa Rica.
September
We had a honeymooning couple from the United States spend a week in/around The Village of San Buenas. They had never left the United States before so I was
hoping they would enjoy Costa Rica as much as I did. I needn’t worry. They had a blast! They enjoyed whale watching (they saw three), eating at various
restaurants and watching (and hearing the howler monkeys!) all of the beauty the zone has to offer. They are already planning their next visit in 2011.
I drove on the highway from Dominical to Quepos—wow! What a difference! They are close to finishing the entire stretch with approximately 2 miles to finish paving and the installation of two bridges. I believe they will easily hit their December 31, 2009 target date. What used to take up to two hours is now an enjoyable, easy 45 minute drive. When completed it will be around 35 minutes.
October
I still believe that Costa Rica’s rainy season (September – October) is one of the most overrated ‘non-event’ in Costa Rica. Generally speaking the mornings are very beautiful with 5:30 am sunrises and the afternoon showers start around 2:30 pm. It is the coolest time of year to visit and the number of tourists is very low as well. Don’t overlook visiting next October. I think you will be pleastantly surprised.
Village of San Buenas
Demand for the Village of San Buenas continues to increase. The last 90 days have been very busy with numerous lot sales and with water and electricity now available in certain areas of the project we have seen an increase in demand. We are planning on raising prices December 1, 2009. If you have every thought about visiting The Village of San Buenas, in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica, or if you have every thought of owning Costa Rica real estate now is a great time to act.
We have installed the first set of electrical poles and 1,000 meters of electricity lines on “main street”. Now in the evening you can see the development lit up by the street lights. Given all of the new laws and regulations regarding developments, this is a great feeling to get accomplished. Click here for more photosCosta Rica
Costa Rica continues to make tremendous progress in terms of infrastructure improvements.
Sol Property Group
We have added Twitter and YouTube channels and updates. Please be sure to follow us there for the most current updates, photos and videos. We also continue to blog several times a week on the official Sol Property Group Blog.
If you ever thought about visiting Costa Rica or buying real estate in Costa Rica now is a great time. We have lots starting at $19,900, condos starting at $75,000 and houses starting at $89,900. Now is the time to act. Also, The Village of San Buenas is going to be raising prices December 1 – lock in your savings today!
Sincerely,
Nick Halverson
The Village of San Buenas Launches New Affordable Costa Rica Real Estate Development
One of the newest Costa Rica real estate developments, The Village of San Buenas, has released their new set of housing lots that make owning real estate in Costa Rica affordable for almost anyone who has ever wanted to own land in paradise.
The location of the development is perfectly placed near all the amenities that one would expect in Costa Rica. It is set back 1 mile from the Costanera Highway, one of the nicest highways in Costa Rica, is next door to the only golf course in the southern zone being built, is 5 minutes from the new (2008) regional medical center, is 10 minutes to two beaches and is 20 minutes from Palmar Sur regional airport.
Las Villas de San Buenas is the perfect affordable Costa Rica real estate development in Osa (south pacific region located between Ojochal and Palmar Norte) for those looking to experience the best of what Costa Rica has to offer. We fell we have one of the safest retirement-communities-costa-rica offers in the southern zone.
To download a PDF full of information click here.
It’s location in the Osa peninsula region (South Pacific) of Costa Rica puts residence of the community in the heart of Costa Rica’s incredible wildlife. When you live in Las Villas de San Buenas you get the perfect combination of beautiful, natural wildlife, incredible sunsets and every day amenities. There has been no better time than now to buy!
Las Villas de San Buenas offers an affordable solution to retiring abroad, owning a second home in paradise or as an investment. With lots starting as low as $19,900 this Costa Rica Real Estate development is a must see.
The master plan includes numerous parks, green areas and a hiking trail into the jungle that is located on the property. There are a variety of lot types including ocean views, riverfront and mountain views and a variety of lot sizes.
Be sure to visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/sanbuenas
Our owners have two options that no other single development can offer:
1) Ownership in the Ballena Beach Club. More information on the Ballena Beach Club . The Ballena Beach Club is located approximately 15 minutes from Las Villas de San Buenas and offers owners private showers, secure storage of valuables, swimming pools and a full restaurant and bar, for your day at the beach.
2) Golf course memberships at San Buenas Golf Resort which is located right next door to Las Villas de San Buenas
