Lindal Homes Elements series (2,000 sq ft and upwards)

Just some of the Lindal Homes, Elements series design now available in Naturewalk. The designs below are 2,000 sq. ft and above:

To buy now or wait.......that is the question!

Many clients tell me "I really want to buy my dream property in Costa Rica, but I need to wait for markets to recover at home so I can sell my current property and use those funds to purchase a Costa Rica property".

Now for those clients who are "under water" and in negative equity with their current property, this is true. They will have to wait until markets recover and they regain some equity in their property. They can then sell (or perhaps refinance) and use the equity release to purchase in Costa Rica.

But what about those clients who have equity in their home property, what should they do?

Well that depends on their view of where their home property market and the Costa Rica property market are going.

My view is that the Costa Rica property market is going to outperform most other fallen markets for a range of reasons:

• increased demand from retiring baby boomers from the USA and Canada
• increased demand from US citizens due to dissatisfaction with the US economy and politics
• increased demand from US citizens seeking to protect funds from foreign exchange controls (Hire Act and more).

So if you own a property and the local property market preforms the same rate as the Costa Rican market. You have effectively "stood still" by waiting a number of years to buy. See the example below:

Property value in the USA year 1                                        Property you wish to buy in Costa Rica year 1

US$100,000                                                                          US$100,000

Property markets double over 5 years in both markets

Property value in the USA year 5                                        Property you wish to buy in Costa Rica year 5

US$200,000                                                                          US$200,000

So by waiting 5 years you are in exactly in the same position as you were 5 years before, you can only buy the same property.

Of course if the property market does not perform at the same rate as the Costa Rica property market then you're actually losing

Property value in the USA year 1                                        Property you wish to buy in Costa Rica year 1

US$100,000                                                                          US$100,000

Property markets double in Costa Rica and go up by 50% in the USA over 5 years

Property value in the USA year 5                                        Property you wish to buy in Costa Rica year 5

US$150,000                                                                          US$200,000

In this scenario, through circumstances that are out of your control, by waiting 5 years, you cannot now buy the property you could have bought 5 years before.

Of course for those that are highly leveraged (have mortages or other finance on their property) the calculation is not quite the same - increases in the local property market results in relatively larger increases in equity. But remember the contrary is also true, decreases in the local property market results in exponentially larger falls in equity. However, fundamentally if the Costa Rica property market outperforms your local home market, you will struggle to keep up and likely end up being able to purchase less in Costa Rica by waiting.

Something to think about!

Perhaps now is time to take action. Why not contact us at USA +1-866-990-1123 (toll free) or Europe +353-1-272-4184 or at info@costaricainvest.ie or speak directly with your consultant. We have a range of solutions for clients (trades, RRSP, 401k, developer finance, IRA funds)

What's stopping you owning your dream property in Costa Rica

During our first conversations, many of our clients feel that they are not in a position to move ahead with a property investment in Costa Rica for a number of years.

They talk about a range of problems which they feel make it impossible to purchase sooner rather than later.

Just some of the problems we hear are:

- they own a property, in which they have equity, that they cannot sell because the prices have dropped

- they own a property, in which they have equity, that they do not want to sell until the prices have recovered

- they have cash locked into IRA, 401k, RRSP or other plans

- they are going through a divorce

- their funds are locked into other real assets (cars, heavy machinery, boats)

- they have limited cash available, but lots of assets



With some "out of the box" thinking, you'ld be amazed at the solutions we have come up with for clients, allowing them to have their Costa Rican dream property sooner than they thought possible.


If you have a desire to have your "piece of paradise" and have equity (even if it is apparently locked up in assets), we may just be able to come up with solutions for you.


We have a range of expert associates worldwide who can assist you.


Just contact us on info@costaricainvest.ie or +1-866-990-1123 (toll free) or Europe +353-1-272-4184 or your consultant directly and we'll talk through your particular situation, and make it happen for you.

 

Costa Rica to increase protected areas from 25% to 26% of its surface area

By MARIANELA JIMENEZ Associated Press Writer

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—The Costa Rican government is receiving nearly $56 million in donations and debt write-offs to expand its forest and marine conservation programs and become the first developing country to meet U.N. goals on protected areas.

Costa Rica will use the funds to increase its protected tropical forests from 25 percent of its national territory—1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres)—to 26 percent, said Zdenka Piskulich, the manager of the trust created with the funds.

The goal is to meet Costa Rica's commitments on environmental protection under the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity by 2015, Piskulich said Friday. If successful, Costa Rica would be the first developing country to fulfill those commitments.

The Central American country, known for its burgeoning eco-tourism industry, also hopes to triple the size of its protected territorial waters. Less than 0.1 percent of Costa Rica's waters are currently protected.

"The convention establishes that every ecosystem should be protected in good measure. Costa Rica is doing well with 25 percent of its land, but it has a great debt when it comes to marine areas," Piskulich said.

Under the plan, the U.S. agreed to buy back $27 million of Costa Rica's foreign debt, money that will be used instead to invest conservation programs. The U.S. already trimmed $26 million of Costa Rican debt in 2007 as part of the U.S. Tropical Forest Conservation Act. The debt now stands at $77 million.

With the aid and write-offs, Costa Rica will work "to turn what has been promise into reality," Environment Minister Teofilo de la Torre said.

Under the act, the U.S. has provided $135 million in aid to 11 countries since 1998, including Panama, El Salvador, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

"Costa Rica is a global leader in conservation and this agreement today is an important investment to continue the expansion and protection of the incredible biodiversity found in Costa Rican forests," U.S. Ambassador Anne Andrew said.

Costa Rica is receiving another $19.9 million from private organizations including the Linden Trust for Conservation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. Another $9 million is coming from The Nature Conservancy, an international non-govermental organization.

"In our case, we identified areas in Costa Rica that are worth permanently conserving, and we saw a government and a society committed to their conservation," said Roger Ullman, executive director for the Linden Trust for Conservation.

The sites that will benefit from the initiative, called "Costa Rica Forever," include the Cocos Island National Park, Corcovado National Park and the Golfo Dulce and Pacific areas such as the Barra del Colorado and Gandoca shelter, on the Atlantic coast.

To read the full original story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, By MARIANELA JIMENEZ Associated Press Writer, click here

Webinar Thursday 30th September 1:00pm Eastern

Avoid the mistake many investors make when investing in Costa Rican Real Estate.


Attend the webinar and you'll find out more about:

• Costa Rica
• Real Estate Purchase in Costa Rica
• Real Estate Ownership in Costa Rica
• Teak / Timber and the investment opportunity
• That big mistake many investors make and how to avoid it

Or register at the link below

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/477352779