5 Tips for Combining Your Vacation with a Real Estate Scouting Trip

Many pre-retirement Baby Boomers like to combine their dream eco-tourism vacation in Costa Rica with a preliminary scouting trip to see what's available in Central American real estate. This is very easy to accomplish, but some advance planning can help you to best utilize your time.  Here are some tips: 

1)  Call our US office at +1-410-727-6444 to get an overview of the current market and also to talk about your objectives and some reasonable expectations.  We can help get you up to speed on the different regions of Costa Rica  and the terminology. Unless you're an Indiana Jones wannabe, the odds are that you will want to either look at the Central Pacific region (where the Del Pacifico and Los Sueños resorts are located), the Nicoya peninsula (Guanacaste and where the Four Seasons resort is found) or the Osa Peninsula (down near Panama- very pretty, but also very hot and very, very humid). If you're looking to retire full time in Costa Rica, you might want to look in the Central Valley (the areas around San Jose) This is popular with US retirees who want to live full time in Costa Rica because of the very mild weather and proximity to good hospitals.

2) Come stay in either a condo or house at Del Pacifico or at our Alma Del Pacifico Beach Hotel & Spa. We can arrange to have a rental car delivered to you; take 1 full day to explore the Central Pacific coast.  We can help you with an itinerary and can give you the scoop. Since there is essentially just one road, it's very easy to navigate the area.

3) Should you work with a Costa Rica real estate agent? Not really for your first visit. The level of professionalism and ethics is much different than in the US.  We'd recommend that on your first time, you look around the larger resorts such as Del Pacifico and Los Sueños and get a feel for what's available and whether it meets your needs.

4)  Plan a half day to tour Del Pacifico. Given some advance notice we can arrange a leisurely horse back tour of the resort, ending up at the beach bar at Alma Del Pacifico. Since sunset is pretty much at 6 PM year round, don't plan a real estate tour at 4 PM! The sun sets quickly.  To arrrange a tour, call our local office +1-410-800-4773 or our US office +1-410-727-6444.

5) Remember, we are here to help so give us a call (410-727-6444) or shoot us an email with your questions.

Retire In Costa Rica?

What does this actually mean? Over the past 10 years I've spoken to hundreds of people who have expressed an interest in this concept. For some, this means moving to Costa Rica full time while for many others, its means having a warm weather second home for 3 or 4 months of the year. At Del Pacifico, we have options for everyone depending on how much time you might want to spend taking advantage of your luxury resort home in paradise. For retirees planning on several months a year or longer, a 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom condo might be a solid choice. For the pre-retirement Baby Boomers, whose vacation stay is maxed out at about a month a year, the new Del Pacifico Residence Club is designed for you. 

Regardless of which option is best for you, the sport fishing, the surfing, the beaches and the wonderful people all remain exactly the same.

Del Pacifico Announces Launch of New Fractional Private Residence Club

June 14, 2012 (Esterillos, Costa Rica) - Del Pacifico, a master planned resort community on the central coast of Costa Rica near Quepos and Manuel Antonio - announced today the launch of the Del Pacifico Club, a private residence club offering fractional real estate and carefree ownership.  Fractional real estate and residence clubs have grown in popularity because of the market conditions and buyers get much more home for the money, lower upkeep costs and the ease of ownership. Many consumers are finding it’s the smarter way to own an international second or vacation home.

Owners can choose from one, two and three bedroom villas nestled on a hilltop overlooking the warm tropical waters of the Pacific, and woven into the very fabric of Costa Rica’s rich cultural heritage and stunning natural beauty. Owners at the Del Pacifico Club will have exclusive access to the amenities of it’s sister property the Alma del Pacifico Hotel, ranked a top ten in Central America. Owners will enjoy private beach access, restaurant and bars, fitness facilities and their acclaimed spa.

“We are excited to add the Del Pacifico Club to the other real estate offerings at Del Pacifico", says Barry Strudwick, developer/partner at Del Pacifico - “The residence club will give the ability for people who love beautiful Costa Rica but realistically would only visit their home here 5-6 times per year.  They’ll enjoy a luxury home and the services of a boutique hotel for a fraction of the cost and none of the hassles associated with owning international real estate or a home in Costa Rica”, adds Strudwick.

The Del Pacifico Club offers fractional ownership in the seaside village nestled on a hill overlooking the Pacific. Additionally, the Club will offer one-bedroom Plaza Studios and two-bedroom and three-bedroom Villas. All the Del Pacifico Club units come fully and beautifully furnished with prices starting at only $39,000.

The Residence Club at Del Pacifico is a fractionally owned residential property. Buyers receive a 1/10th-deeded real estate interest in a world-class Costa Rican vacation home without the hassles of full-ownership. Like other forms of real estate, fractional residence club ownership interests can be sold, willed, deeded or placed in a trust. This proven real estate model has been coined the smarter way to own a vacation home, and has been successful in other elite destinations around the world.

Residence Club Partners of Asheville, NC, the management company at Del Pacifico Club, feels this model will change the future of second home ownership in Costa Rica forever. “In addition to a growing trend in fractional ownership and residence club home ownership vs. whole ownership, Owners are demanding more services and hassle free ownership that residence club owners enjoy at all of our clubs. Owner services at our clubs include a Club Concierge, housekeeping, onsite management and very unique custom experience packages, things you don’t get with the typical real estate purchase,” says Mandy Allfrey of Residence Club Partners.

The Del Pacifico Club is a private residence club within the Del Pacifico second home community near Quepos and Manuel Antonio, on Costa Rica’s beautiful central coast. Vacation and second home buyers interested in learning more about The Del Pacifico Club in Esterillos, can visit www.delpacificoclub.com

Two Powerful Ideas for Wealth Protection

Every year we attend conferences, like the Agora Wealth Symposium each July in Vancouver, to see what some of the top speakers in the world have to say about the economy and wealth protection.  One of the main "take away ideas" of the past few years is that almost everyone's wealth preservation strategy should include international real estate as an important component.

Diversifying  your net worth overseas with international real estate is actually far simpler than most people  appreciate.  More importantly, you can invest in both style and luxury while creating a legacy of memories for future generations of your family.

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Here are two powerful ways that to make overseas real estate work for you and your family as a wealth protection strategy:

Action Idea #1:  Consider creating  your own "private offshore land bank" by investing in a  residential home site in a luxury resort like Del Pacifico. This can be done at Del Pacifico with as little as $225,000 and  is an ideal way to internationalize your IRA account. More importantly, owning a residential lot is a low risk, low hassle and low profile way to invest a portion of your assets offshore.  Low risk? Stewart Title and other US companies will issue title insurance policies on residential lots at Del Pacifiico. Low Hassle? You neither have to worry about decorating nor building on a lot.  Low profile?  Contact us to discuss!

Action Idea #2:  Do you want to create  a second home for your family which is also an income producing investment? Then owning a  luxury resort real estate, like a house or condominium at Del Pacifico, might be the best way to go.  Currently Del Pacifico has condos and houses available starting at  $275,000 fully furnished and going up to $1,750,000  for a spectacular ocean view house with pool and jacuzzi.  Why not make this your second home or family retreat for creating multiple generations of memories?  Local bank financing is available.  Order your free copy of the Safe Haven Report, a special report on the logic of owning resort real estate.

Special Consultation Offer:  If you're serious about international real estate or are concerned about the direction of domestic economic policy, I'd like to extend to you a complimentary private consultation to discuss owning international real estate and how it could  fit your personal objectives. I can help you sort through objectives and options very quickly to see if international real estate is an idea to consider.  Call  +1-410-727-6444  or send me an email to arrange a convenient time.

Final Due Diligence? Of course,  if you're ready to schedule a "site visit"  as the final step of  your "due diligence",  our vacation experts can help to arrange a personal trip to view Del Pacifico. We can arrange for your stay in either our beachfront hotel, Alma del Pacifico or in one of our luxurious vacation rental condos or houses. 

Look forward to hearing from you,

Barry Strudwick
Del Pacifico Founder

Beach Bar Progress and A Special Vacation Rental Offer!

Here is the latest update on our beach bar! Any suggestions on names? Comment below with your best idea! 

Stephanie tells me that when writing a blog post, you really have to offer not just information but also something that is of value to our readers ... so here goes ...please read on !

We're getting ready for the high season rentals which have really picked up in the last two weeks. NOW is the time to book your winter vacation. While I was thinking about this it brought to mind the slow motion political train wreck we're witnessing in the US right now. Why? Because a number of really smart people want to do double duty on their vacation this year. First and foremost is some well deserved R&R in the sun and surf of Costa Rica. But the second reason is to start looking at Costa Rica as a possible safe haven "just in case" investment  outside of the United States. So if  this has grabbed your attention & interest, read on for a very special offer!

It's been a wild month in the U.S. with stock market investors riding the roller coaster as concerns about  European sovereign investors have sent ripple effects through the global markets. Who knows where this will go and how our government and banks will respond. Is this 2008 Redux? maybe...maybe not... but what I do know is that more and more people are contacting us at Del Pacifico about using international real estate as an alternative hard asset investment to say gold or the Devil's metal, Silver.  But by owning a condo overseas in a luxury resort, you get a special dividend that is priceless.  Unlike gold,  you and your family can actually create memories while you enjoy your investment in an ocean view condo. Is now the time to finally look seriously at diversifying your net worth internationally? If now is not the time, I don't know when would be the right time. We've got protesters "occupying Wall Street" with an "eat the rich" message that says anyone earning over $250,000 a year is a quasi-criminal and needs to pay more in taxes.  This isn't a new message, but the "attack the middle class" aspect is alarming.

Over the past 20 years, many of my old friends like Bill Bonner of Agora Publishing, Porter Stansberry of Stansberry Research and Michael Checkan of Asset Strategies International have been warning of the collision course that the U.S. government was on with the realities of too much debt. Do you think the days of reckoning are finally at hand?  If you do,  then what can you actually do about it?  Here is a simple pro-active common sense strategy that I'd like you to consider:  Why don't you come down and visit us in Costa Rica and check out why it's called " the Switzerland of Central America"?  Even better we'll give you a very special rate to stay at either stay a condo at Del Pacifico or  at our beach front hotel Alma Del Pacifico!  We'll also help coordinate the details of your trip. Spa treatments? Marlin Fishing? Surfing lessons? Rain Forest Tours? Golf? Whatever you want to do, we can make the arrangements.  You can get to the Pacific coast from the San Jose International Airport (SJO) in just 90 minutes. Take 3 or 4 days and do your own "due diligence." Check the quality of our  construction, tour the local area. See first-hand the exceptional opportunities at Del Pacifico! Want to see the competition? No problem. You can also rent a car (about  $40 a day)and perhaps tour other real estate developments in the region such as the Los Sueños Resort and Marina near Jaco beach (30 minutes north and with over 600 houses and condos sold in the last 10 years) or for the much more adventuresome "Indiana Jones" types (risk seeking) perhaps head south to Hacienda Matapalo near Dominical (45 minutes south) or even Pacific Lots in Ojochal (90 minutes south).

Everyone always asks me "Why Costa Rica rather than Ecuador, Argentina or Nicaragua?" Aside from being much safer and closer to the States, one of the reasons is that it has established a very strong Middle Class encouraging over 250 international companies to open up operations in free trade zones.  Together these international free trade zone companies accounted for nearly $2.9 billion in sales last year or 8% of the GDP while employing nearly 60,000 Costa Ricans. That's about 5% of the Costa Rican citizens. Intel is the largest of these employers which has made Costa Rica an Internet Technology hub for Central America (and given it the nickname "the Silicon Valley of Latin America"). In fact we're seeing more and more Silicon Valley types coming to vacation at Del Pacifico or Alma Del Pacifico and also look at investments while with us.

So here is your action plan: 

1)  Look at your vacation plans

2)  See if staying at our 4 star  beach front hotel and spa or in a condo at a super price fits your plans

3)  Call our US office (410) 727-6444 and say you want to discuss the "Special Deal with Barry."  I'll  need to hear from you  by November 10th to get this offer.