Life of a Property Manager -A Job You Do Not Want

ISSUE #757: April 14-20, 2019

2019-04-23

Brian Timmons, Newsletter Author
Brian Timmons

Dear friends,

When I started Residencias Los Jardines, I started writing a weekly newsletter -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 re-sales and rental availability. Some readers may be interested in this information.

Brian Timmons
Developer / Property manager
Residencias Los Jardines

Web: https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com
Emails: info@residenciaslosjardines.com
ResidenciasPropertyManagement@gmail.com

Featured
rentals & sales

Paradisus Condos / Rohrmoser
FOR SALE / RENT
Visit our website

Paradisus Condos - click to visit

Each of the units consists of two bedrooms / two bathrooms, and a large living/dining/kitchen area. The floor plan of each of these units has eliminated the optional "den / office" divider. The result is a larger area offering more flexible furniture arrangements while still maintaining the option of including an office area. At 105m2 plus two parking spots each and storage locker, they offer a great opportunity for someone seeking views, security, central location, and first class, all round living...

PRICE REDUCTION
Semi furnished unit: For sale: $235,000
Fully furnished unit: For sale: $245,000
Floor 12 -west view

Market activity
sales & rentals

Sales: Los Jardines: Units #114, #116 and #124

Rentals:

Paradisus: Nothing Available at the moment

Los Jardines: Units #106C, #112, #113 and #116

Residencias Los Jardines
property management, rentals & re-sales

FOR SALE
Unit #114: $ 199,000 / See Unit
Unit #116: $ 195,000 $ 189,995 / See Unit
Unit #124: $ 125,000 / See Unit

FOR RENT
Unit #106C: $ 950 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit
Unit #112: $ 1,150 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit
Unit #113: $ 1,200 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit
Unit #116: $ 1,250 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit

For sale

UNIT #114
FOR SALE
$ 199,000

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Semi-Attached
Furnished: Yes

This 2 bedroom/2bathroom,1,290 sf single floor end unit home includes a 150 sf front terrace plus parking for one car. This house is fully air conditioned and has recently been professionally decorated by international decorator Alcides Graffe and has undergone a complete renovation—new modern furniture, finishings, window coverings, and art work by Carlos Gambino. It is arguably the nicest furnished unit at Residencias Los Jardines and only steps from the pool

UNIT #116
FOR SALE
$ 195,000 $ 189,995

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Semi-Attached
Furnished: Yes

This 1,290 sf single floor home includes a 300 sf front terrace plus parking for one car and a separate, secure storage locker. It is and end unit and therefore attached on only one side by a 6 inch cement demising (common) wall, which prevents sound transfer.

UNIT #124
FOR SALE
$135,000 $ 125,000

Total Area (Sq Ft): 662
Total area (Sq M): 61
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Floor(s): 2nd Floor
Type: Semi-Detached
Furnished: Yes

This 662 sf, + covered parking for one car, is a one bedroom home on the 2nd floor overlooking the large pool. It is ideal for a single person or couple.

For rent

UNIT #106C
FOR RENT
$ 950 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1250
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: 4-plex
Furnished: Yes

This is a fully furnished 2-bedroom unit situated in a 2-story building, which has two units on the ground floor and two units on the 2nd. floor. Each unit is the same size (1,250sf) divided into 800 sf of interior space and 450 sf of covered front and back terraces. Units 106A and B are on the ground floor; Units 106 C and D are on the 2nd. Floor. The solid masonry demising wall (common wall) as well as the 5” concrete slab prevent sound transference.

UNIT #112
FOR RENT
$ 1,150 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: 1 Story
Furnished: Yes

This 1,290 sf single floor home includes a 300 sf front terrace plus parking for one car. It is attached on two sides by a 6 inch cement demising (common) wall, which prevents sound transfer.

UNIT #113
FOR RENT
$ 1,200 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Semi-attached
Furnished: Yes

This 1,290 sf single floor home includes a 300 sf front terrace plus parking for one car. It is attached on one side by a 6 inch cement demising (common) wall, which prevents sound transfer. The three other sides allow light, ventilation and garden views.

UNIT #116
FOR RENT
$ 1,250 mo.
Available May 1st

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Semi-attached
Furnished: Yes

This 1,290 sf single floor home includes a 300 sf front terrace plus parking for one car and a separate, secure storage locker. It is and end unit and therefore attached on only one side by a 6 inch cement demising (common) wall, which prevents sound transfer.

Our Lives

Rainy Season commeth... mostly calm / slight breeze -it is warm for us... 35C / 85F -it had rained a number of times this past week...

What Happened This Week

Vacancies: Nothing rented this week it being Semana Santa-- maybe next week...

Accounting: we will be changing accountants...

Compliance with new Tax Law: I was assured that the Hacienda would reply within 10 days which by law they have to. I laughed at that assurance and I was correct... we are now at 20 days...

Septic System: Fixed

Pool Leak: Fixed

Life of a Property Manager -A Job You Do Not Want: Pam left on a schedule trip. Vito left for his Caribbean home/project. I drew the short straw... until a sudden death in Toronto requires my presence... Timing could not be worse and it is Semana Santa as well and the end of the tourist charter flights... That sets the stage for my past week's priorities... putting things in place to carry on without me... the fall back guy with the short straw... now, I have to find a replacement... not easy at the best of times and not at this time of year... I have done what I can do such that things SHOULD be seamless but I know they will not... for example:

Yesterday we had three power outages -perfectly clear, sunny, no breeze day -ICE has to be one of the worst, of the worst electrical companies -their power is lousy... voltage fluctuations, unreliable, inefficient, expensive, terrible engineering and terrible planning, and bankrupt... other than that, they are great... gates and pumps need electricity... Internet goes down with the power but then not all switches behave as they are suppose to and re-boot when the power comes on... We had to reset one switch twice by hand... we are replacing the new NetGear switch today..hopefully it will ix that problem... While many people are very intolerant of Internet interruptions, some are more intolerant than others... one of those got in my face yesterday... I am not a good customer service person when faced with unreasonable demands and when I am working on the problem... Then one gate decided to act up and not work... probably due to power outages... Had to learn my way through what should not have happened and if it did happen, it should have been an easy fix but of course, it was not... The motor is a poorly designed piece of S...t... we get a lot of that here. On Thursday I was told that the pool was half empty... what the hell??? Investigation found that the pool filter diverter value had not been set properly after the cleaning cycle so the pumps pumped out the water... change the setting, educate the employee, fill up the pool... Now I find out we do not have the water clarifier chemical to fully cleanse the water... will have to wait until Monday...

Encounter with a Motorcycle: Thursday I went to my usual soda for lunch. A motorcycle ran into the left side of my car. He tried to beat me to the corner by passing on the inside... I had slowed and had my blinker on... what he didn't realize is that I was not going to the corner but turning into the soda before the corner... unfortunately, this idiot will still be able to pro-create having only a bruised ankle--I have a dent / and scrape on my car...

I missed my Saturday flight... had to reschedule...

News Items of the Week

COMMENTS

 

FOR RENTAL OR SALES INFORMATION
ON ANY OF THE ABOVE, CONTACT:

Brian C. Timmons
Property Manager RLJ and Newsletter Author

Costa Rica:
Cell: (+506) 8-455-59-35
Land line: (+506) 2282-4142 Ext. 101

Canada:
VOIP: (+416) 461-2203

Web: https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com
Emails: info@residenciaslosjardines.com
ResidenciasPropertyManagement@gmail.com

 
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