A Week I Wish Didn't Happen

ISSUE #818: June 28-July 4, 2020

2020-07-05

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

FOR RENT
12-2 at Paradisus $1,400 mo.
this one has white living room furniture

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: Available immediately: #106C $900 mo. / #121 $1,300 mo. / #125 $825 mo.

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 $ 115,000 / See Unit

FOR RENT
Unit #106C: $900 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit
Unit #121: $1,300 mo. / Available immediately / See Unit
Unit #125: $875 $825 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
$125,000 $ 115,000

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
$900 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1250
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1 Floor
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 #121
FOR RENT
$1,300 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1432
Total area (Sq M): 131
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2.5
Floor(s): 2 Story
Type: Detached
Furnished: Yes

This is a detached, two story, two bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom house. It is nicely furnished as the prictues indicate. Ground floor consists of den/TV room, dining room, living room, kitchen, and 1/2 bathroom. Second floor: master bedroom with full bathroom including a jacuzzi, 2nd bedroom with ensuite bathroom, terrace.

UNIT #125
FOR RENT
$ 875 $825 mo.
Available immediately

Total Area (Sq Ft): 662
Total area (Sq M): 60
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Floor(s): 2nd Floor
Type: Semi-Detached
Furnished: Yes

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.

Our Lives

What Happened This Week

Weather: Enough rain to keep all happy... garden is looking great. Over the past several weeks, we have experienced a series of low pressures resulting in lots of rain... more in parts of the country other than the Central Valley but even here we have seen lots of overcast days.

Stories

1. Pool Work: It is nearing completion. Next week I will provide pictures. A person who complained strongly re. ?????? accusing all types of things and making a number of assertions because he felt it was taking too long, has not used the pool since it has been reopened... and I got yelled at when I was filling it because someone couldn't do their laundry because the water pressure was too low... difficult to make / keep everyone happy.

2. Slippery walkway tile: My experiment failed... the sand blasting equipment was not robust enough. I will look for another solution.

3. Foreclosure: The additional paperwork was filed. We wait... now since Jan. 21.

4. My Replacement Left: The person who I had hoped would replace me and with whom I worked and trained for 4 mo., decided ...for reasons which neither Vito nor I can really understand... to move on. We will not burn bridges with him but he is definitely not going to be performing the role he was... This is a big disappointment but not totally unexpected ...never the less, a big disappointment... he was tailor made for the job and while we provided him with the best salary, working conditions, and opportunities we could, he had other ideas... we can second guess his thinking/actions but it still leaves us without an replacement for me. So, I am back in the saddle, pulling the sled once again...

5. A Deal Gone Bust: I had been working on a deal for 6 wks. The final deadline was Friday, noon. The deal fell appart because information was not provided in a timely manner and the reality was different than some of the information... what a waste of time and legal expenses.

6. Scotiabank: Wants and updated info... what fun putting all that together... it was suppose to be January of 2021... they changed their minds.

7. Taxes, Banks and Covid: Invoicing, paying taxes, paying multiple accounts at multiple banks, collecting accounts, social distancing, face mask, limited working hours, limited working staff, driving restrictions -each of two cars are out of service two days of each week, shopping, cooking, entertaining, keeping Doneste operational, ...no hammock time...

News Items of the Week

Comments:

The colon: US $ exchange rate has changed a bit -from recent 560 to 572- my guess is that it will continue to float down against the $$.

The national government has reduced the allocation of funds for city street maintenance by C41,500 million.

Banks have had to drop 187,000 credit cards because the associated interest rates exceeded the newly effective usury law limiting interest to 31% in US dollars / 38% in colones. This cut 80,000 clients... the debt is to be written off from what I understand...

The teachers credit union has been ordered not to lend to teachers who have less than C200,000 mo. net interest payments. 60% of teachers (50,600) have debts exceeding 50% of their salaries, and 20% have interest payments of 80% or more of their salaries ...but they have second jobs because they never teach... schools closed or teacher protests, holidays, professional development days, sick days...

National government is expecting to loose 21% of tax revenue, 3.3% of GDP and it was expecting to cut 1% of GDP expenses. The 21% expected loss amounts to C1.2 trillion.

I asked a smart tico if he things the government finances can continue. His response was that CR is so small and on an international level, the several billion CR requires is chump change so, yes, it will continue.

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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