Casas a la venta y en alquiler en Costa Rica | Paradisus Condos / Rohrmoser - Newsletters

Mosquitoes & Market Activity

Brian Timmons

Dear friends,

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.

Brian Timmons
DEVELOPER:
Residencias Los Jardines / https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com
Hacienda El Dorado / https://www.eldoradocostarica.com
E-mail:
brian@eldoradocostarica.com
info@residenciaslosjardines.com
ResidenciasPropertyManagement@gmail.com

Construction Log
Updates about Hacienda El Dorado

Rio Oro: This time of year, the property looks its best -green, and the continuing grass / brush cutting enhances that look. Now if Europe and N. American can just get their social, political, financial, and economic acts together...

Residencias Los Jardines
Property Management, Rentals, Re-Sales

Market Activity: Saturday morning we had Chris Howard's tour consisting of 10 people considering relocating -buying / renting- to CR. While we haven't gotten any follow up from this monthly tour for the past year, we used to get a lot of follow up in terms of both sales and rentals. I believe when this group starts to move towards a decision in CR, we'll benefit and the N. Am. mindset will be changing. I'm using this as one of my yardsticks.

Overview: The last three weeks has seen the return of a healthy market -both for sales and for rentals. While we haven't sold any additional units, we have had more lookers than in the previous 4 months and we've had lots of calls re. rentals. Reviewing the past month, we have leased 123 -twice for 15 mo., 126 for a year, 115, filled vacant space in 106C and in 109. The two disappointments are 115 long term (it's difficult when Kirebe's jack hammer and backhoe are in your back yard) and 106B.

Sales: we had one Mexican investor check us out; she bought a 3 bedroom elsewhere for $140K.

Rentals: We leased 115 for a month; Unit 112 comes available Sept. 1.

Pending sale of 112: one set of documents was signed this week. The deal won't close until mid September. It's complicated by the fact it is "owned" in a 401K and controlled by a US based trust company and because (in my opinion) the purchaser's lawyer... but we're working through it as both parties want the deal.

Mosquitoes: the issue of whether we have a mosquito problem or not is being debated. As expected, there are varying opinions. We apply a larvacide now which is working quite well. We're going to add an oil base to the solution to make the effectiveness of the poison last longer by not being washed away with the rains. The additional option under consideration is the purchase and use of a "fogger"; this is a noisy machine which crates a mist (fog) consisting of pesticides and diesel oil (that is the medium used here) which is designed to kill hatched mosquitoes and leave behind a residual coating on the foliage. This is a process which needs to be repeated 3-4 times a month; it's costly, it's noisy, and some people (including me) have a really problem with spraying 3-4 gallons of diesel oil a month and pesticide around. The issue is really one of personal definition and tolerance, personal vs. community responsibility, change the environment to suite oneself of adapt to the environment... etc.

FOR SALE / RENT:

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HOUSES FOR SALE / RENT

UNIT #106B
FOR SALE $169,000
FOR RENT $1,200 mo.
September 1

See a complete description of this unit

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1270
Total area (Sq M): 115
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): Ground
Type: Apartment
Furnished: Yes

This is a fully furnished 2-bedroom unit situated in a 2-story building, which has two nits 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 erraces. Floor. The solid masonry demising wall (common wall) as well as the 5" oncrete slab prevent sound transference.

UNIT #112
FOR RENT $1,450 mo.
September 1

See a complete description of this unit

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total Area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1 Story
Type: 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 two sides by a 6 inch cement demising (common) wall, which prevents sound transfer.

UNIT #115
FOR SALE $205,000
FOR RENT $1,550 mo.
October 1

See a complete description of this unit

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1345
Total area (Sq M): 124
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1 Story
Type: Attached
Furnished: Yes

This 1,345 sf single floor home includes a 200 sf private terrace plus parking for one car. It is attached on two sides by a 6” solid concrete block wall which prevents sound transfer. This is an extremely well decorated home with lots of natural wood built ins.

UNIT #125
FOR SALE $140,000
Price reduced by $10,000

See a complete description of this unit

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, + 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.

Our Lives

WEATHER: normal rainy season weather returned -sunny mornings, clouding up mid day and usually a drizzly rain for a couple hours followed by clearing. Not great for the pool or swimming but it's not hurricane havoc.

Saying Good-bye: a potential client who became a client and a friend returned to his home in Tennessee just before the hurricane stopped the flights. His one month goal was to see how he liked Costa Rica, whether he could negotiate his way around, and to generally check out the lifestyle. He accomplished his goal and we became friends in the process. We shared a number of good meals together, told some tall tales, and agreed to disagree on US politics... I expect we'll see him again... maybe in our guest bedroom if we can't find a vacant unit on site... who knows... we wish him well with his koi ... (just heard from him and he made it home safely and without incident).

The following article appeared this week in Inside Costa Rica:

Santa Ana City Best in Costa Rica

The Municipalidad de Santa Ana is the best according to the Índice de Gestión Ambiental (Environmental Performance Index) by the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller) in its 2010 ranking.

The study includes items such as development and institutional management, planning, citizen participation and accountability as well as sustainable environmental management, management of financial services and management of social services.

Escazú and Goicoechea tied for second place, while San Rafael de Heredia was third and San José fourth.

Possible Retirement Community: Also reported this week was a 400 unit North American style retirement community was being studied by a group of expats. This would be located between Santa Ana and Ciudad Colon. Rumors of this type development has surfaced before and nothing has happened. Perhaps this time it might. I'm not sure where they expect to find N. Am. with any money left to retire but if they have deep pockets and perhaps a brand or affiliation, it might work. I expect they (whoever that is) will figure it out.

Brian, Lita, Hugo, irreverent Vicka, the pigeon toed parrot