April 2015

Cross-border or international real estate investment is a new driving force in real estate markets globally. In North America, there is a growing trend for affluent Baby Boomers to buy properties in Central America for vacation and retirement and this trend is expected to see steady growth over the coming decade. Real estate professionals in Costa Rica (and globally) are seeking efficient marketing channels to reach buyers who are searching for cross border/international investment properties, second homes, and vacation properties. And North American buyers are looking to countries like Costa Rica for these opportunities because of proximity, value, and life style choice. Other international buyers are zeroing in on Central America as well. Chinese buyers alone are predicted to purchase US$50 billion of overseas property in 2015, more than US$40b of that outside the United States, so attracting international buyers is important for real estate professionals all over the world and even more important for countries like Costa Rica to advance promotion and PR to the global market. International Living recently listed Costa Rica in ‘The World’s Best Real Estate Markets ’, stating “These are markets on the upswing. The mainstream hasn’t heard of them yet. And in them today you’ll get excellent bang for your buck as well as great profit potential.” Whether you are interested in income, short-term gains, long-term investment, a second home to live, or for vacation and enjoyment while it increases in value, Costa Rica offers many opportunities. Regulation and oversight in the Costa Rica real estate industry has improved tremendously over the past few years, but it is still very important that buyers do their due diligence on their realtor choice(s). They should be registered in the centralized national database of properties (Registro Nacional). Also select an agent that specializes in the type property or investment you are looking for. There is a growing trend now for real estate agency companies to be more consultants in that they will also help you with other aspects of moving and living in a foreign country. If you want any information and/or recommendations on real estate, agents, property investment, second home, or general info on moving and living in Costa Rica. Lake Arenal Real Estate Market In the last 4 years the Real Estate market in Lake Arenal has been hot. Many travelers from all over the world have discovered one of the most beautiful areas in Costa Rica, not longer a hidden a gem. For many reasons people are moving to Nuevo Arenal, among those reasons the temperture 77 F all year around, happy real people and the county lake side of Arenal (lake and volcano view),  which have helped many buyers to make the right desition to call Lake Arenal home. Javier Ruiz www.teamrealtycr.com

Roger and Brenda Smith had a good life in Southern California. They were retired and had a nice house with friends and family around. It was all very nice, “but we wanted to have more of an adventure while we still can,”said. Roger Smith “Our health is good and so we thought ‘why not?’” The couple made a short list of international places they might like to retire, including Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Uruguay. “We did one of those retirement tours in Costa Rica, and we were so convinced after that tour that we didn’t go to those other places,” said Smith . Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Mexico are all top five best places in the world to retire, according to the 2015 International Living Retirement Index. “Everywhere your eye falls it is so beautiful,” Smiths explained as to why they set their sights on Costa Rica. “The weather is great. The people are the friendliest of anywhere in the world. It has a good stable economy for us to buy a house.” The Smiths first looked around the country and then found their new retirement home in Nuevo Arenal , Costa Rica in November 2014. “We found this home here in around Lake Arenal through Olman Sandoval ( of team Realty I) and bought it,” commented Smith . “Nuevo Arenal is a neat little town with a lot of nice shops, We also chose Lake Arenal because if in the future we decide we want to use our home as a vacation rental, or even if we decide to sell, we know we can get much better prices in Nuevo Arenal than in many other areas nearby.” For Ed and Rebecca Price , of Virginia, when they chose Arenal Lake Costa Rica as their retirement destination, they opted to build their dream custom home. “We learned quickly that real estate in Costa Rica is not like the United States with its regulations, but we found a few realtors in Costa Rica who were the most professional, in our opinion, and who worked with a code of ethics,” commented Ed Price . Team Realty Lake Arenal “found us exactly what we were specifically looking for. They listened to what we wanted and didn’t waste our time, which is rare. Within 24 hours of seeing properties, we knew we wanted to build our home. We were very impressed with Team Realty ’ builder and the high quality of construction.” The couple, who had both visited Costa Rica before, cited the country’s family-based culture as to what appealed to them most, and great location for why they chose Nuevo Arenal . “We love the people here. It is a very respectful country and the people are so kind. It reminds us of how the United States was when we were growing up, very family based,” explained Price . “In Nuevo Arenal , we love that we are so close to great health care and close to the Liberia airport. It is a small town atmosphere but is very close to everything that we need.” “I chose Nuevo Arenal after traveling around the country, and I just loved the feeling here. It felt like home,” said Costa Rica realtor Olman Sandoval originally Canada, Team Realty member ,“We always say that we’re not selling houses or properties; we sell dreams. I’m living my dream and I want to share this piece of paradise with others