I provide in-depth analysis of the Costa Rica real estate market with the goal of empowering clients to make the best possible decisions. I first came to Guanacaste in 2008 as a Peace Corps volunteer and service continues to define my business.
Since then I've directed non-profit organizations, built a small Costa Rican homestead and started a family with my wife, complete with two "Guanacasteco" sons born here in this beautiful country.
I started working in real estate eight years ago; in October 2017 I became a full time Realtor and joined the team at Coldwell Banker Tamarindo Realty. I have been thrilled to help dozens of foreigners and Costa Ricans transition to the "pura vida life" in northwestern Guanacaste (or transition back to their homes) through real estate.
Visit www.coldwellbankerpacificrealty.com to learn more about our brokerage.
My channel does not contain legal advice - solely information about Costa Rica real estate. #CostaRicaMatt #costaricarealestate #costarica
You are welcome; thank you for watching and for the positive feedback! We will be showcasing this house more on a future episode of Costa Rica Open House, likely on August 9!
You are welcome, though personally I love the colors they've picked. Tropical homes look great with fresh fun colors instead of just conservative whites etc. In my opinion!!
@@CostaRicaMatt Too strong a contrast for my liking with that blue; a nice floral, tropical green would be nicer IMO. Always enjoy your videos, Matt! All the best from North Carolina.
I didn't know much about buying beachfront property in Costa Rica before, but you really made everything clear and easy to understand. I feel like I learned a lot. You really know your stuff! Thank you so much for putting this together.
The sale of this beautiful beach house is a dream come true for anyone considering emigration or an unforgettable vacation. The endearing architectural style and wonderful ambiance create a unique atmosphere. Especially the interesting view and the preserved nature in the surrounding area, which convey a real beach feeling, make this offer so special. The creator of this impressive documentary deserves great praise for making the decision to buy this "island" easier. Somehow I can't shake the feeling that I'm already sitting in the house enjoying the wonderful view while drinking my coffee.
You would do so through the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica, their national organization. It will take googling for their website (YT doesn't let me post links in comments) and then I believe you go to "Consulta Agremiados (as)" - there is even a list of suspended lawyers there. The searches there can be done by name, ID# or their organization # and I'm sure that qualified attorneys will be happy to share.
@@CostaRicaMatt Sir, I would not know the properties were costly untill I watched your videos and visited several websites.. I and Im sure others are shocked. One would not think that properites in central or south america would typically have US prices as if youre in the states. No bueno ! If there are less costlier areas please share with your viewers because Im not alone. also, not eveyone is looking for a house on the beach. some of us dont want to be on the beach, we are not surfer dudes, we just want a decent affordable house.
I understand your feedback! It seems though that you found that prices were high, were shocked, and continued watching and commenting on videos about the same stuff. Yes there are areas with lower prices; look for my video called "finding cooler areas of Guanacaste" or the one that I think is called "Where are the opportunities" in Guanacaste. I absolutely understand not everyone is a surfer dude which is specifically why we're starting to work up in Hojancha as well!
As we discuss in this video, Costa Rica has very protective laws when it comes to coastal development, making truly beachfront properties a very scarce/prime asset here. And having seen a few oceanfront home prices out of the west coast in the U.S., I'd say this is a bargain when it comes to living on the water...
Love how your technology allows a quality virtual walkthrough. I can experience everything perfectly while navigating the property. Next best thing to being there in person.
Concession land cannot be purchased, as it is owned by the local municipality. The better way to say it is that you are buying the right of concession, and will be paying the local municipality to lease the land, and you have zero control over elevated rent payments!
You are absolutely right - thank you for your comments and for watching. It is difficult to encapsulate the full setup in a short video; this right of concession is no longer on the market. I will be sure to be more exact if I list concessions in the future; thank you again!
Thanks very much Paula, I absolutely agree! Every time I've walked into the house I've gasped a bit - they really designed the home to capture the best views from every space; it's wonderfully open and breezy. My son watched the video and asked, "Why can't we have a house like that?"
Good info as always, Matt. When you have those video conversations with Steve, please include when/if you would need a 4x4 to access a property site, or if those roads have any issues during rainy season. It would also be great to get an idea of the climate difference in these upper elevations. I remember during one of my visits there that it was 90 degrees and sunny at the beach, but in the mountains it was a full 15 degrees or more cooler and misting rain. It's always good info to have. I'm always staying tuned in!
Matt, I was a bit skeptical about the attractiveness of Hojancha as a destination until you mentioned that it was only 13 minutes from a McDonald’s. 😀 just kidding, of course. I do like the idea of higher altitudes with Ocean views and cooler climates. I’m not sure that 500 m is quite high enough. It is worth checking out, Glad to see you back. though.
@@CostaRicaMatt sorry, Matt, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I get it. If you want to attract flies you have to put out a little honey. My wife and I were just in Costa Rica for two weeks. We managed to stay away from all the American fast food until the very end of our trip. We were in the multi plaza mall inCurridabat and noticed they had a Johnny Rockets. We couldn’t resist the temptation.
I don't think I've eaten at Johnny Rockets but if I saw something like a Five Guys down here in Costa Rica it would be tough to resist. We love eating at sodas and are glad that in our community we still have a ton of 100% locally-owned and operated restaurants.
:) Hah, I can't argue! If anything it was painful because I didn't let Mariam be her natural self. I have to try different scripts every time or I'd go nuts doing the standard "walk out of the front door with a big smile and huge hand gestures" approach....
She's actually ready; I try to to some kind of "shticks" in a good number of my videos, to keep myself sane! This shtick wasn't good :) - next time I'll just let her do a video
$465,000 as of July 2024. As always, forgive me for not including; it's always in the listing profile and I include that in the description. Videos have a huge cost (either I pay someone a lot or I spend a lot of time fighting through an edit!) and prices change. Thanks for watching!
That whole area is unbelievably beautiful! I am gathering more knowledge on the market down there and so I really don't know where prices stand. Yes, I am sure they are relatively good opportunities because the prices should be lower than what you're paying in developed areas. Yes, those places are just spectacular. I have no idea what their trajectory will be and for the moment would definitely recommend them to people who want to be in a very quiet area!
In regards to land for sale do a lot of them come with a water letter already in place? Is it difficult to obtain a water letter? I think the term water letter is what it’s called. I could be wrong. I thought that’s what I’ve heard.
@@relicofgold expensive is relative... plus, if you don't move to touristy areas, it's not nearly as expensive... On top of that... Have you ever been to Costa Rica? It's amazing. All the great places to live are gonna be expensive, no matter where you're at in the world.
@@Chris-zo5ze I have been to CR. I liked a lot of it, and certainly the people there, but it is a matured expat destination and too expensive. There's a reason tourist areas are popular. And you are 100% correct that regardless of country, the best areas are going to be more expensive than the less desirable ones.
Thank you two for having this reasonable discussion on my channel! Relicofgold, you're absolutely right that CR is mature. Chris is also right that you can find much more affordable properties here if you get away from touristy areas. In the case of this home - we are talking about 1300 sf of interior space and another 400sf porch - reinforced concrete construction that currently costs $150-170 psf to build given the cost of materials labor etc. (You could find lower prices for simpler systems; IE if you made the home with concrete rail-and-panel construction, or went cheap on the foundation and just did a slab as your base.) The pool is massive.... It's situated on 3/4 of an acre of flat land located only 2 minutes from the beach and just over an hour from an international airport. Heck, it's just over an hour from a Wal-Mart... so yes, your comment about this being a mature market is true :) -- you're also paying for something with a lot of intrinsic value as well.
So this is what we would call a “Coastal Home” not a beach home, that home being on the beach, beach home/beach frontal, besides that, nice looking grounds. May just be the difference in country designations. Thank for the vid
Funny enough, in making the thumbnail and title moments ago, I was just struggling with this because you're right, this is not beachfront! I think of a "beach home" as something that people own in order to go on beach vacations; people in Indiana buy their "beach home" out in South Carolina or Florida... But the distinctions do matter; I'm going to change it up! Thanks for your feedback and for watching and commenting!
Hah what a coincidence! I have updated the branding to be less suggestive that it's a home on the beach. Thank you for watching and ope to see you here in CR someday!
Great video and I agree with you about financing a home. What are the closing costs like? I've seen a video where the closing costs were close to $50k for a $600k loan. That's crazy to me, not to mention the interest rate. Do you know what those are currently?
Unfortunately I can't give a lot of info on that as I haven't asked for specifics from lenders. Part of private or seller financing for foreigners buying properties here is always that it's fairly high risk relative compared to normal loans - non resident foreigners couldn't get any other loans because of the inherent risks. So lenders have to adjust for that by charging rates and "it is what it is," loans that tend to be expensive because of the risk involved.
Good to see you back on the air, Matt! You gave us more confidence in our purchase. WE LOVE OWNING IN GUANACASTA - so easy, efficient and great in every way! #costaricamatt
Buy property in Costa Rica because you love it and you want to contribute to the local economy. Not to make money and fill up your foreign bank account
En Costa Rica debemos hacer una ley una regulación para evaluar muy bien que tipo de extranjero queremos venga a vivir a nuestro país. Investigarlo más a fondo. No basta con que solo tengan mucho dinero.
