Blue Gypsy Inc. Blog

"I'll go with you!"

As soon as my Realtor friend, Dawn Miller, said she was going to Costa Rica to check out some new homes communities for her international real estate business, those were the words that immediately flew out of my mouth. "I'll go with you!"

If you read my travel blog, you'd know I've been going through major travel withdrawal, and so the idea of taking a business trip to Costa Rica sent me packing. But in reality I'd love to find a way to combine my passion for travel with my expertise in lead management.

I was glad Dawn let me invite myself along.

While we investigated property in three different area's along the Pacific cost of Costa Rica ideas began to peculate.

It seems that while real estate in general has taken a hit in the last couple of years there are still people ready willing and able for a variety of reasons to purchase land overseas.

As we spoke with each developer, builder and real estate agent we heard many say that their experience with foreign buyers, and Americans in particular, was that many desire to move their money out of the country at this point in time. They cited reasons which included a perceived insecurity in the financial structures or the government in general.

Costa Rica seems more than happy to accommodate this urge by creating a number of investment opportunities. You can find properties in the hundred thousands to the millions and we saw the entire range during our trip. Anything from a very basic condo investments to homes that are built with multiple sections that can be rented out separately to capture the tourist rental market.

In several of the upscale condo and single family home communities we visited the craftsmanship and quality was incredible. And while there were hundreds of developments to choose from we managed to find some of the best. With the hundreds of developments all over Costa Rica it is impossible to know the reputation of them all.

We were impressed with the developments we viewed.

Many give back to the country by building schools and contributing back to communities. Since Costa Rica is a very Eco tourism minded country, there were also many green practices employed in both building the homes and creating the communities.

After working with builders for the past 4 years I feel I have a good eye for quality and craftsmanship and I was blown away by some of the beautiful details. I saw amazing finishes and features such as bamboo ceilings, hand sculpted metalwork railings, custom closets, private pools and endless outdoor verandas to take advantage of the views.

As we chatted with both the developers representatives as well as locals it became quickly apparent that it is important to go with established developers with a proven track record and one who is well established with in the area.

We heard stories of beautiful entry ways, slick brochures, and "bargain" pricing. Many investors have learned the hard way that if it sounds too good to be true... then it must be too good to be true.

We were impressed with the track record, the building quality and the environmental and philanthropic nature of all of the developments we visited.

If you are planning on investing in foreign countries, it can be a great way to create a vacation spot, retirement location, or simple investment for yourself. Finding someone who knows the right developments, the right real estate agents, and the right builders overseas is key in protecting that intended investment.