Properties in Costa Rica Blog

Company’s Sales Volume Up 23%, Expansion of Affiliate Network in U.S., Abroad

April 9, 2012 – (KANSAS CITY, Mo.) –United Country Real Estate, the nation’s largest seller of lifestyle real estate, has continued its expansion with the opening of 12 new offices in the United States and six new affiliates in foreign markets. On top of this first quarter 2012 growth, the company has shown a 23-percent increase in real estate transactions during same period.

“Six years ago, United Country recommitted to its 87-year-old roots with major across-the-board investments in new services, new technology, new thinking and a strengthened property marketing program to better serve our buying and selling clients,” said Dan Duffy, chief executive officer for United Country Real Estate. “The results we are seeing now from our affiliated offices are a direct result of these targeted investments. We, in close collaboration with our professional local office owners, agents and brokers, are outperforming the current market and are really enjoying the byproduct of a great deal of hard work by the dedicated professionals that are proud to be part of what is proving to be an extremely bright future for the company. We expect a continuation of expansion in the network and our affiliated offices sales volumes in the coming months.”

Just in the first quarter of this year, United Country has opened offices in Mena, Ark.; Eagle, Colo.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Lincoln, Maine.; Moriarty, N.M.; Beaufort, N.C.; Camden, TN.; Aledo, Texas.; Mt. Pleasant, Texas; Independence, Va.; Midlothian, Va.; and Penhook, Va. In addition to new U.S. affiliates, United Country has opened offices in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Pavones, Costa Rica; and Dominical, Costa Rica. The company has further plans in place to expand into six more areas of Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico by year’s end.

Growth was realized across many of the market segments United Country specializes in including land up 52 percent, recreational properties up 36 percent and given the incredible demand for farmland, farms more than doubled versus the first quarter of 2011. Another sign of an improving real estate market can be seen in home sales in the small cities and towns the company serves with sales of residential properties up 12 percent.

“With the real estate market conditions significantly improving, we expect to see this strong growth continue throughout 2012,” said Mike Duffy, president of United Country Real Estate. “Americans still hold dear the dream of homeownership and owning lifestyle real estate, and at United Country, we specialize in helping buyers achieve those dreams.”

About United Country

United Country Real Estate is the largest fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals in the United States. The company has been an innovator in real estate marketing since 1925. United Country supports nearly 550 offices across the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama and resort areas of Mexico, with a unique, comprehensive marketing program that includes one of the largest portfolios of property marketing websites (more than 3,000 separate sites and traffic of approximately 3 million visitors per month), multiple United Country real estate catalogs with national distribution , an extensive buyer database and national advertising of local properties that reaches more than 90 million homes per week. United Country has recently been recognized by Franchise Business Review,  AllBusiness.com, The Land Report, Entrepreneur and The Wall Street Journal as one of the top U.S. real estate companies.

According to a new study by Columbia University and Yale University Costa Rica has ranked the 5th greenest country on the planet. The study revealed almost all countries on Earth and Costa Rica was the only country in the America’s to rank in the top 10. The other countries that made up the first 5 were Austria, France, Sweden, and Norway.

It seems like everytime we stop and look Costa Rica is coming out in a new study ranked as the happiest, the greenest, and who knows what is next. Being the happiest and the greenest country can be related if you take a deeper look at the equation and the studies. The more time you spend in nature and the more attention you give to protecting your surroundings the happier of a place you will have created for your society.

If you are looking to invest in Real Estate it seems like a no-brainer as Costa Rica is becoming more and more of a spot to live a happy and environmentally friendly life-style.

When you think of Costa Rica the first things that come to mind might be ziplines, beaches, and monkeys. If you decide to stay in San Jose for a night or two you might enjoy some of the ammenities of the city. This gives you a chance to explore the areas of downtown San Jose or visit the many activites in Escazu.

Jaco beach is turning into the combination of both. You can find the beaches, monkeys, and ziplines but also enjoy the lifestyle of the city. The Jaco Theater which was startred by Darren Lee Cole who is the co-owner of the SoHo Playhouse in NYC is in its first season and has been a great success having starting with the Christmas Carol it will not be running its second show.

The show of the season is called 17 Borders Crossings and has traveled from Madrid to make to perform at the theatre in Jaco from Jan. 19th – Jan. 29th. Tickets are on sale now and go treat yourself to a weekend in Jaco or find yourself a weekend vacation home in Jaco with beautiful beaches and some of the ammenities of the city.

I was driving to Golfito yesterday from Pavones and as I bumped along the gravel road, hoping that the annual road grading would start soon I noticed someone who seemed to be lost. Now having lived here at 8 degrees North of the Equator for 12 years, I have come to notice that certain visitors seem to stick out like a sore thumb. As I slowed down to double check that my vision was not deceiving me, I couldn’t help but smile and chuckle as I realized it was an old friend from my childhood. You can imagine the surprise on my face as I was not expecting to see him way down here in the tropics. There he was in all of his glory, with a top hat, corn cob pipe, a carrot nose and a scarf around his neck. Yes indeed! It was Frosty the Snowman (in cardboard) tacked up on the weathered front door of an old farmer’s house, who I am sure had never seen a Snowman, much less snow, but who in the spirit of the season took the time to put Old Frosty up to delight the children and passersby. Somehow after that, I didn’t feel the bumps in the road for the rest of the trip to Golfito, as my mind drifted back to the times in my youth when we would make Frosty the Snowman come to life in our front yards during the winter months.

Costa Rica is a country that spends the end of the year in full celebration. There are many things that happen during the end of the year that make Costa Rican’s get excited about the Season. The first is that the month of December all employees are paid double for one month. The second is that the end of the rainy season comes and it is full sunshine from north to south. Along with some extra money and sunshine all Costa Rican’s will be eating Tamales.

Tamales is a traditional dish that is made of corn base that involves a long process to get them just right. One of the most interesting things about the many Tamales that are made in the country is that they all taste just a little differerent. You will notice that everyone you talk to claims that their grandmother makes the best tamales. In my personal opinion all of the tamales are good and it is the vacation season, nice weather, and overall joy of the Christmas season that makes for each tamales to be the best tasting.

If you are offered a tamale this Christmas season yo almost always have to say yes and dont forget to save room for the next because chances are you will be offered them until they run out which is usually after the New Year.

The Howler monkeys must have digital alarm clocks because every morning at 5:30 a.m. on the dot, I awake to a chorus of male “Congos” as we call them. Their voices travel for miles through the rain forest and serve as a wake up call to the jungle. Shortly after they sound the alarm that a new day has dawned, the other species begin to stir. Green parrots take flight and announce that their squadron has taken to the air with ear piercing screeches that cannot be ignored. The soft cooing of a Dove in a nearby Coco Bola tree softens the blow of the raucous early risers. As the sun begins to rise above the jungle canopy that surrounds my house, soft rays of sunlight pierce through and illuminate the morning mist like beams from a light house. As I stand on the second level porch overlooking the garden, my favorite sentinel for the new day arrives with brilliant blue flashes and not a sound. The magnificent Blue Morpho butterflies take flight and enjoy the open spaces and sweet nectars of the garden. Reflecting on all of the natural beauty that surrounds me every morning, I am grateful and privileged to be awakened by the sounds of nature and knowing that I am alive to experience another Blue Morpho morning.

With the rains tapering off  and the beginning of summer just a few weeks away, soon we will see the population of tourists, ex-pats and Ticos begin to fill in at the beach. Here in Pavones, the horses that have had the beaches to themselves for the last few months will have to share with the coming surfers, sun bathers, and bikini clad girls who adorn the shoreline in the summer months. The economic stimulus that accompanies our guests will be welcomed by locals as the cabinas become occupied and the restaurants stock their kitchens. The smell of pan seared tuna and the wonderful aroma of chuletas and onions will fill the air and fill the tables with people sharing their daily experiences here in the jungle. Children will be on vacation from school and will enjoy the freedom from studies and the energy of youth as they play soccer on the plaza, explore the rivers and beaches, and reunite with visiting family members during the holidays. With the approaching New Year and the promise of Costa Rica’s many attractions, we are all looking forward to a healthy, happy and prosperous 2012!

Pura Vida from Pavones, Costa Rica

Bobby Nielsen,

United Country – Properties in Costa Rica Associate in Pavones, Southern Pacific

Before the year of 2006 your options for drinking wine in Costa Rica were slim to none. If you were not ready for the full cultural experience of Imperial or Guaro then your alcoholic beverage options might have been limited. Between the years of 2006 – 2008 the wine industry in Costa Rica grew by 30% and with most things in 2009 did not grow. In 2010 and 2011 there have been a 15% growth which means it is back on the rise. Wine is often a good indication of what the economy is like. If people are willing to spend on top bottles of wine from all over the world then there is a good chance they are living the good life.

ExpoVino which was held at Real Intercontinental was a display of your wine options in Costa Rica from all over the world. ExpoVino was a success for their third year. What they are noticing is that Ticos are becoming very educated and doing their research on different wines. Many Costa Rican’s drink wines from Chile due to the free trade agreement and the average spent on a bottle is about $10’s which is relatively cheap when talking about wine. This might be due to the fact that Costa Rican’s are new to the wine industry and with a few more years of experience and taste it is thought that they will begin to spend the extra money on finer wines. Keep an eye on the economy and keep an eye on what kind of whine you see being offered in places. CHEERS!

The Country Day School in Escazu, Costa Rica is celebrating the United Nations week with multicultural activities representing more than 40 countries and all 7 continents!

Hope you enjoy the video! Let’s stay connected!

Art Guzman

Costa Rica is known as the green country. As the country that has the majority of it’s rainforest protected and some of the happiest people in the country. As all countries Costa Rica is not perfect and if they had one crutch in their system it would have to be the Central Valley sewage system. The good news is that they are now in the works to bring a state of the art sewage treatment plant into the country between 2010 – 2030.

For those of you in the business world this might sound like a dirty investment but it happens to be one of the best investments you will find in these times. One option would be to look for a nice piece of land in Costa Rica and build your retirement home and after that you can invest in Costa Rica’s new sewer treatment plant. They are expecting this project to cost around 2.5 billion dollars.

The numbers are not out yet but over the next 20 years having an investment in this might be one of the most solid things to think about along with investing in some land in Costa Rica.