Homes for sale and homes for rent in Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica | Newsletters

» NOTES

When I started Residencias Los Jardines, I started writing a weekly news letter —determined to tell all the good, bad, and the ugly. I knew some readers would be interested in the construction process. I expected others might be interested in the lifestyle of two people who had decided to live outside the box. For others, the adventures of lita, the parrot and the cat took on an entertainment saga all its own.

Residencias Los Jardines is finished. We periodically have resales and rental availability. Some readers may be interested in this information.

More and more, the content will be dominated by events of our new project, "El Dorado" for short. While the future is always uncertain, I again aim to tell it like it happens —the good, the bad, and the ugly, and that is what follows.

In an effort to make the format more interesting and visually appealing and to field inquiries re. El Dorado, the news letter is now being distributed by Jan Kozak, Marketing Manager, Hacienda El Dorado. I will remain the author.

» MARKETING, WEBSITE & SALES

We are focusing on updating and improving our website as well as our marketing materials. We continue to meet with new realtors to inform and educate them about Hacienda El Dorado. Although we tend to get more busy during the weekends throughout the week we continue to attend a number of potential buyers as well.

» CONSTRUCTION LOG

Gaviones: We wait.

Office Building: We wait.

Quebrada extension: We wait for additional culverts.

» RESIDENCIAS LOS JARDINES

Website Upgrade: The house descriptions and the data base have been completed. An extensive picture data base has also be made of 107, 115, 121, 123, and 124. More will follow. That information is now being programmed so that it can be useful for marketing.

Photos of Residencias Los Jardines, the Santa Ana area and some of the houses are now available at https://picasaweb.google.com/gardenresidencesresort.

For Sale:

One of our investor has put his four homes up for sale—two are tenanted, two are vacant. All 4 are fully furnished. Two are one bedroom units and two are two bedroom, detached homes. He will be offering financing.

Unit 103: $170,000 / Tenanted ($1,100 mo.)

The 1,000 sf, (plus parking for one car and locker) single story, detached home has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has a backyard with banana and papaya trees and lots of tropical vegetation. For more information click here.

Unit 107: $ 275,000 / Vacant

This 1,716 sf. (plus parking for one car and locker) two storey, detached house, with three terraces, two bedrooms (one on each floor) and upstairs master suite is a beautiful home.

This home consists of two and one half bathrooms, two VERY large bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, each with extensive closets with built-ins for personal organization. For more information and pictures, click here.

Unit 124: $127,000 / Vacant

This 662 sf, plus covered parking for one car and locker, is a one bedroom home on the 2nd. floor overlooking the large pool. It is ideal for a single person or couple. For more information and pictures, click here.

Unit 125: $125,000 / Tenanted ($950 mo.)

This 662 sf, plus covered parking for one car and locker, is a one bedroom home on the 2nd. floor overlooking the large pool. It is ideal for a single person or couple. For more information and pictures, click here.

Financing: With a minimum of 25% down, the owners will take back a mortgage for the balance. No arranging fees, life insurance, title insurance, nor age restrictions; fixed interest rate, fully open.

For Lease:

Unit 109: Furnished: 1,500 sf (140m2), single floor, beautifully furnished with leather furniture and granite tables, wall unit, built in office area, large open concept LR.DR, Off., Kitch, two bedrooms each with queen beds, two bathrooms, terrace storage room, detached--$1,600 mo. April 1 (for more information, click here)

Unit 120: Furnished: 1,300 sf (127 m2), single level, 2 bedroom each with Queen beds, 2 bathrooms, beautifully furnished with wall unit, 42" flat screen TV + two standard TVs, DW, clothes washer/dryer, vaulted ceilings, ceiling fans, etc. $1,350 mo. May 1 (for more information, click here)

Unit 121: 1,620 sf, two level; 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom (one with Jacuzzi), living room, dining room, den and kitchen on first floor, view terrace from 2nd level, fully furnished. $1,550 mo. (for more information, click here.)

A Sad Story: The last chapter in the life of one of our owners ended on Monday. She had a monkey on her back for a number of years and the demon wouldn't let go. After watching helplessly for two years spiral down the vortex of despair and desperation, her body finally gave out. Hopefully, she can now rest in peace.

»EXPLORING SANTA ANA

While still in many ways maintaining its traditional feel of a typical Costa Rican town, along with its predominantly Costa Rican population, small stores, bars, restaurants offering local and international cuisine and Sunday fresh fruit and vegetable markets, Santa Ana has been recently experiencing real estate and commercial development unprecedented in the entire Central Valley. It has become the place of choice with upscale grocery stores, gourmet restaurants, banks, gas stations, medical and dental clinics, beauty salons, coffee houses, hotels, business centers, private schools, malls and small commercial centers springing up everywhere. Located on the outskirts of the capital city of San Jose, Santa Ana nowadays combines all the advantages of a metropolitan lifestyle with the comforts of country living.

The CIMA Hospital (Center for International Medicine Advanced), conveniently located 10 minute drive east from Santa Ana, recently received special accreditation by the government of Costa Rica, making it the first in the country to have achieved this honor. This is an added honor when you consider the life expectancy of people in Costa Rica is longer than people in the USA. (77.3 years for Costa Rica, 76.2 years for the U.S. according to the United Nations common database.) CIMA Hospital is designed to meet exacting requirements for patient care and surgical procedures, and offers the best

Main wing of the Hospital
facilities, infrastructure, technology, and internationally trained personnel in Central America....all fully compatible with North American standards.

These high quality services are combined in a truly state-of-the-art facility, dedicated to guarantee your safety, security and comfort. CIMA Hospital is affiliated with the Baylor University Medical Center of Dallas, Texas, and is fully integrated as one of the Center's teaching hospitals.

The hospital is operated by the International Hospital Corporation, also headquartered in Dallas. Other CIMA medical facilities are located in: Mexico at Chihuahua, Hermosillo, Santa Engracia and Pueblo and also in Brazil at Curitiba, Florianopolis, and Volta Redondo.

One wing of the hospital is used entirely by doctors from all over the world who specialize in nearly all disciplines of medicine. Another building with an additional 150 offices is planned, and negotiations to build a comprehensive oncology center on the third floor are under way.

Consultant´s wing of Hospital

Main wing of the Hospital

CIMA Hospital is a place to save money and to receive the best of medical care. Regardless if the procedure is required or elective, CIMA has the doctors, nurses, and equipment to provide the best of care. There are 170 qualified physicians representing over 60 specialties, a complete imaging department including open MRI, CT, Xray, ultrasound, endoscopy, a full service laboratory, and a 24 hour pharmacy.

The United States veterans have an office in the lobby. CIMA Hospital in San Jose is the only hospital in Central America that is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs. There is a special international insurance claims department with a staff to assist Americans.

Foreigners represent more than 25% of the patients at CIMA Hospital and the percentage is growing. "Health tourism" represents about 15% of all visits to Costa Rica. Patients can now receive effective treatment in nearly any area of medicine in a manner that is more responsive than most American hospitals.

» NEWS FROM COSTA RICA

If your browser does not support the hyperlinks below, you can view the COSTA RICA NEWS section on our website from the following URL:

» https://www.eldoradocostarica.com/English/News/index.php

There are also new articles posted in Spanish on the following URL:

» https://www.eldoradocostarica.com/Spanish/News/index.php

---

April 18, 2008
Google Denies Plans for Costa Rica Office
(The Tico Times) Following a media frenzy over its alleged intent to open an office in Costa Rica, the Internet giant Google yesterday denied having such plans.
Read

April 18, 2008
Chinchilla is Arias’s Pick for 2010 Costa Rica Elections
(Costa Rica Pages) Costa Rica’s Vice-President and Minister of Justice, Laura Chinchilla, is being groomed to take Arias’s place in 2010, when his presidential term ends. Though his endorsement is not [yet] official, Arias’s numerous flattering comments, and Chinchilla’s presence at many public activities has the political circle abuzz about the possibility of her running to become Costa Rica’s first female president.
Read

April 18, 2008
Costa Rica Offers Tax Breaks for Energy-Efficient Cars
(Costa Rica Pages) The Costa Rican government plans to reduce the taxes paid by energy-efficient and low-emission cars. This tax break will cover hybrids, electrics, and those that are powered by biofuels such as ethanol. Automobiles in Costa Rica currently pay between 35% to 53% worth of consumption tax. The tax rate varies based on the car type, engine size and model.
Read

April 18, 2008
Costa Rica Lightly Optimistic
(La Nacion) According to the most recent UNIMER survey for the daily La Nación, 36 percent of the respondents believe that their family’s economy will improve in 2009, while 26 percent believe that it will worsen.
Read

April 18, 2008
Slower Growth
(La Nacion) The International Monetary Fund slightly reduced the estimate for the Costa Rican Gross Domestic Product in 2008 to 4.1 percent. In 2009, economy is expected to grow 4 percent.
Read

April 18, 2008
Casino Restrictions
(La Nacion) The Government ruled that casinos will operate only eight hours a day from now on and that players not be served free drinks.
Read

April 18, 2008
Bill Gates Here
(La Nacion) Microsoft cofounder and one of the world’s richest men, Bill Gates, 53, came with his family for vacation in Costa Rica.
Read

April 17, 2008
Google Clicks on Costa Rica for Regional Office
(The Tico Times) Google Inc. is to open an office in Costa Rica, according to a government press statement yesterday, making this country a springboard for the internet giant's big plans for Latin America.
Read

April 16, 2008
Brazil, Costa Rica and Jamaica Announce Miss Universe Representatives
VietNamNet Bridge – The three countries that have won high prizes at international beauty contests have just announced their representatives for Miss Universe 2008 to be held in Vietnam this July.
Read

April 15, 2008
Costa Rican and Regional Leaders Meet to Discuss Economics
(Costa Rica Pages) More than 500 business, academic and political leaders from 46 countries and 7 Latin American presidents are meeting today, April 15, and tomorrow, April 16, 2008, at an economic forum in Cancún, Mexico. The III World Economic Forum in Latin America (a regional version of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland) aims to establish strategies that will counteract the impact of the U.S. recession on regional economies and maintain regional growth. This year the forum is looking at the Chinese and European markets as potential allies for Latin America.
Read

April 14, 2008
Long-Lived Costa Ricans Offer Secrets to Reaching 100
(National Geographic) At the age of 101, Abuela Panchita is still a social butterfly. The centenarian, who lives on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, has a solid support network of friends and family, which includes a son in his eighties who visits her every morning on his bicycle.
Read

April 14, 2008
Cleveland, Costa Rica Strike Import Deal
(The Houston Chronicle) CLEVELAND — The city and Costa Rica have struck a deal to use Cleveland's Lake Erie port as an entry point for coffee, tea, pineapples and other imports from the central American nation.
Read

April 14, 2008
Personal Journey: Learning about life revered in Costa Rica
(The Philadelphia Inquirer) When we agreed to join friends for a 12-day tour of Costa Rica, we knew so little about the country that we had to locate it on a map. The natural Wonders of Costa Rica sounded like a mellow adventure, especially since we were sharing it with others who were "60-plus."
Read

» OUR LIVES

Weather: Wind and little rain. We're still on the cusp of the rainy season.

Christening: (Sunday) of our newest addition to Los Jardines as only the Irish can do it. A great event around the pool, lots of people, drinks, and drinks, and drinks, and food, and food.

I've been unusually busy moving people around, preparing units, repairing units, working with owners, preparing the upgrade information for better marketing, etc. not to mention working with the family of our departed owner.

Lita has been preoccupied with the death of her friend; she continued to maintain contact with her even through difficult times. Having been through this with my brother, I couldn't again get involved.

We found time to say good-bye to one of our residents who's off on a golfing junket for several months and others who will be leaving this next week for Canada now that the snow is mostly gone.

This was not a happy week. I took refuge in the hammock.

Briaen, Lita, Hugo, irreverent Vicka, the pigeon toed parrot, and the newbies —Chico and Chica.