To Chile and back in 36 hrs... What a Bust!
ISSUE #802: March 8-14, 2020
2020-03-15
 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 |
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Featured
rentals & sales Paradisus Condos / Rohrmoser 
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 FOR RENT |
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Market activity
sales & rentals Sales: Los Jardines: Units #114, #116 and #124 Rentals: Paradisus: 12-2 at Paradisus $1,400 mo. (white living room furniture) Los Jardines: |
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Residencias Los Jardines
property management, rentals & re-sales FOR SALE FOR RENT  For sale
UNIT #114 Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290 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 Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290 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 Total Area (Sq Ft): 662 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 Total Area (Sq Ft): 1250 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 Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290 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 #125 Total Area (Sq Ft): 662 This 662 sf, (62M2)+ parking for one car and 33sf locker is a one bedroom home on the 2nd floor overlooking the large pool. It is ideal for a single person or couple—or investment property. UNIT #126 Total Area (Sq Ft): 530 A small one bedroom with outside covered terrace with top of the line finishes (granite, stainless steel appliances, fine crafted wood cabinetry, +, +, +), with lots of well thought out storage... |
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Our Lives
What Happened This WeekWeather: Normal... the wind's showed up... StoriesCitizenship: After three years and many, many screw-ups -lost documents, useless lawyer, etc, "I" was notified that my application had been approved. A very useful friend took me through the process, completed the application for the card -finger prints, signature, and foto, and was told to come back in a week for the card. Actually, I was notified three days later that the card was ready so I picked it up... I have given up on Lita's... it is not really important anyway since I have no specific plans to use the citizenship but it might be useful for banking... but we will see. Rental: I rented a unit to a young couple who said they were from Guanacaste... doing on line marketing. Seemed ok. In they turned out to be druggies... In two nights, they trashed the place. After a physical conflict with the girlfriend, the police were called / mother of the girlfriend called her for help, I kicked their sorry asses out un-ceremonously after that. I returned some of their deposit but it was an expensive two nights for the both of us... The second rental is to a middle age guy who works close to Los Jardines. I think he will be a good, long term tenant. Since he rented the unfurnished unit, and that unit needed some modifications, I had those done and he moves in tomorrow. A Wipe Out: We had planned a trip for several months. We didn't tell anyone about it other than close personal friends. I worked my butt off for the past several months... many 9-12 hr days... trained a person to replace me... hoping that it will be longer term replacement for me... The planned trip was to fly to Santiago de Chile, board a cruise ship, and get off in Port Canaveral. Caronavirus, aside, and the advice of many well meaning friends concerned about what was happening, we were determined to go. Trip started badly with me grabbing an old passport... race back to the house, get the current one, getting to the boarding gate as it was closing, loosing my phone in the process... flight on Copa was great, 1 and 1/2 hr layover in Panama airport, on to Santiago... met by our advance couple who greeted us at the airport with a "the cruise has been cancelled". We were scheduled to spend the night in a hotel, we did, considered our options over a drink or two, had breakfast, and decided that the best option was to return to CR... found 4 seats, leaving Saturday at 3:30, checking out of the hotel in an hour, and will hopefully be back in San Jose and our house around 11:30 this evening... Wow!!!!! we will supposedly get shipboard refund or credits, and since we had trip insurance, may get some flight $$ refunded... but not the time or hassle... oh well... that is life... another story. Hope for the Future: I have trained him, and even though I am going to return, I hope to let him run things -and maybe we will scoot off to someplace in CR... I really, really want a break. Investment Business: Concluded a longer term deal -three year- partnering with an existing owner of a Los Jardines / friend... I feel comfortable with it... Delinquency Enforcement: The reason we can shut off the water is because it is our water... not AyA's water... And we can go further than that. The owners of my high rise condos have some useful lawyers... I haven't found any that really understand the nuances of the law... anyway, I learned from them and and now, 100% convinced I can do what I have always said I could do... but now I have at least one solid legal basis. Chile: (Background) We did not make any public announcement about this... Lita wanted it low-keyed (why I don't know but sometimes I do what I'm told) Along with another couple who we traveled with in Portugal / Spain last year, we had planned, booked, and really really looked forward to a cruise from Santiago, Chile up the west coast of S. America, thru the Canal, Caribbean and off in Port Canaveral... at 14 day, Norwegian CL... This had been planned for months. I had been working many 9-10 hr days for months and really needed a break... to do nothing, nothing, nothing, eat, sleep, be entertained and waited on... When the mass hysteria started, many friends were concerned about our safety on a cruise ship... understandable... but this was form S. Am, people from China, Iran, and severely affected countries were not being allowed into Chile... I reasoned that the chances of being in a car accident were greater than my chances of the ship... and that more people die from the yearly "flu" than from this... I thought it was and still do think it overblown... we were determined to go. The couple we were traveling with, were in Chile several days and were giving us reports... nothing we could not handle... now the sojourn itself: Arrived at the airport, check in... woops, I have my old passport... Wow!!! bad omen... (For the previous two weeks I had been carrying our passports because of the CAJA and Residency applications... Where it is? Frantic call to the person who drove us to the airport... he races back, as a good competitor to Stirling Moss, we to home, search, find it mixed in with other documents, race back to the airport, check in, off to the departure gate as they are closing it... (I had not realized at this point I had lost my phone.) Panama City 1 1/2 hr layover, on to Santiago. Arrive 30 min. early, and surprisingly meet up with our friends... After the initial greetings, he whispers that things have changed dramatically... oh!!!!! then he says, the cruise is cancelled... Well, that is a dramatic change... o.k. to the hotel... a couple drinks, discussion about alternatives... we decide to sleep on it. Next morning at breakfast, he announces that he feels we should return to CR because the world travel industry is collapsing, countries are closing their borders, flights cancelled, all cruise ships are cancelled, and who knows what more is to come... o.k... that is the new plan.... They find 4 seats at a reasonable price leaving 3 hrs after we have to check out of the hotel... book they using their CC... but he does not get a confirmation... We go to the airport, Avianca... they have no record / confirmation... we are told we have to wait until their system acknowledges payment... we can pay cash... no, they cannot accept cash... 5 min before the last call, payment is confirmed, we use carry on luggage... and get on... through Bogota, 1/1/2 hr layover, on to CR -a van which had been arranged by our traveling companions was waiting... we were home by 11pm... 36 hrs after having left... What a bust...!!! Observations: Copa is a great airline... even though we were in Economy, there was sufficient legroom, the entertainment system was included, food was actually decent airline food (not great just not awful), wine, rum, fruit drinks included... Avianca... really, really tight spacing from Santiago to Bogota (literally 10 in from my face to the entertainment screen when the guy in from reclined. Entertainment system was included, food was the usual lousy airline food, Avianca from Bogota to San Jose... much better spacing, bigger seats, lousy food... Handicapped handling for Lita: Both airlines did a fantastic job... nothing but complements there... In Panama airport (it was busy), some people were wearing face masks, In Santiago airport, we had to make a written self declaration re. travels / health conditions -airport was busy; In Bogota, we were subjected to temperature test. In CR, self declaration of travels, and NO ONE in the airport... we deplaned, and exited the airport in 15 min. What happens now? Don't know exactly... I think we will have the option of a full refund re. the cruise or 150% credit on a future cruise... (am tending towards this option); we had trip insurance so we will try to claim something air travel... other arrangements we had made and paid for, will have to be cancelled... a mess... But our bags are packed and everything has be set in motion for our absence from Los Jardines... so in a couple days, we will start looking for something local... my guess is that there may be some good deals at the virtually vacant all inclusive resorts (which this time appeal to me)... we'll see... |
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News Items of the Week
COMMENTS Again, I have no idea what has been going on... too many 10-12 hr days getting ready to leave... certainly everything is now in order, all details, all training in place, etc, etc... hopefully, I can find a place to escape to in CR... It is unfortunate that the cruise was cancelled because I was really looking forward to it... but that is the way life is and we have to accept it... as of now, we have the option of a full refund or a 150% credit towards another cruise in the future... we are thinking of the latter option... we'll see. |
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FOR RENTAL OR SALES INFORMATION Brian C. Timmons Costa Rica: Canada: Web: https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com |
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