Office Space in Costa Rica

For those thinking about opening business in Costa Rica, finding an office building or office space can turn into quite a hassle. However, it is a necessity if you want your business to succeed. This is because the perfect office space makes for productive and happy employees. 

Of course, each business is different and will require different features and amenities. For example, if you plan on opening a soda, then you want to find an area that has a lot of foot traffic and hopefully is reasy to install kitchen appliances.

On the other hand, if you intend to open a sportsbook, then you want an office space that has fast internet and that can accomodate your employees.

But given the evolution of the modern workplace, what’s “perfect” now varies by company. When choosing a new office space with your commercial real estate company, consider what your business and your employees need to succeed.

In addition, you if your employees will need different workspace, then you need to look into an office with different work spaces. For example, if you have an online business like a sportsbook that uses a bookie software, then you will need a secure room for you servers and an IT department. 

Choose an office design that suits your employees’ needs and the flow of work at your business.

For example, if employees work remotely part-time, you may opt for an office with more collaborative workspaces and fewer meeting areas.

Employees value flexibility in their work area, but they also want their own personal space.

Clutch’s research found that 53% of employees value their personal space more than any other office space.

Even in unconventional office spaces, personalised work areas are key to employee satisfaction.

Office space has an increasingly large impact on a business’s ability to attract and retain employees.

Location is the most important factor for employees, but interior design, comfort and workspace flexibility are also essential to a rewarding workspace.

Consider working with a commercial real estate broker to find an office that’s suited to your unique workforce and business.

Buying land in Carara Mountain, Costa Rica

A few weeks ago, my friend Raymond took me to his home in Tarcoles, Costa Rica to spend a weekend there with my family. For those who do not know Tarcoles, it is a small ocean side town that lies right on the outskirt of northern Puntarenas in Costa Rica. It is a nice peaceful town with a lot of indoor and outdoor activities that is also close to the Carara National Park.

On our way there, we took a short Cruz up the mountain because he wanted to show me the view. He said that this is best ocean view in Costa Rica and that it was worth the stop. We did just that and I was speechless. I have been in Costa Rica for almost two decades now and I had never seen such a beautiful view in my life.

James shows me the Carara Ocean View Resort Community 

I asked him if they was any land available in the area. This is because after seeing the view, I was seriously considering buying some real estate in the Carara area. However, I was a bit skeptical about whether I could afford it or not. Thus, I was kind of exploring the market with Raymond. Even though Raymond is not in the real estate business, he does know a lot of people.

He told me that he knows a guy called James who is the caretaker of the Carara Ocean View Resort and that he could introduce me.

He did just that and I found that Buying land in Carara Mountain is affordable and well worth it. A few lots are still available starting at around $75,000 and up. However, if you do not want to build your own home, you can also buy some that are already built.

Decisions, Decision… 

At the moment, I am still debating whether I want to buy a piece of property there as an investment or just sell my house in Escazu and live in Carara Full time. The advantage of living there is that James the caretaker does everything for you and my friend Raymond is just a few minutes away.

On the other hand, I really do like my house in Escazu and am not sure if I want to move to the mountain. Maybe if my Sportsbook PayPerHead business gets better this year I will be able to afford both!

House for Sale in Escazu, Costa Rica at a Bargain

So here I was driving in Escazu on my way to meeting a friend of mine and his wife for lunch that has been living in Costa Rica for over 35 years.  I kid you not, if you are an expat in Costa Rica and you have a question, they are the ones to ask.

After a great lunch in Sabana Sur at a place called Doc Brown's which is probably the best gourmet hamburger place in Costa Rica they said that they wanted to show me a house that they real estate broker in Costa Rica had shown them a few days ago.

They were looking for a possible home for sale in Escazu Costa Rica for friends of theirs that re back in the U.S. that want to move to Costa Rica because they are fed up with the current politics in the U.S.

They told me that a friend of theirs, Ingrid Ortiz from Upropertiescr.com showed them this newly renovated house for sale in Escazu and wanted my opinion to see how the contractor did on the renovation.  Since I did a bit of contracting for houses back in the days, they thought that I could give them an honest opinion about this house.

So here is the info in case in anyone is interested:

House for sale in Escazu Costa Rica

Price:  $650,000
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Levels: 3
Land Size: 400 square meters

This house is located in San Rafael de Escazu, Costa Rica and one of the best features of this house is the kitchen with plenty of sunlight, granite counter tops and back splash.

Click here for more details about this house

After taking a look around the house and checking it out, I had to give my seal of approval as I believe this house could easily sell for 5% more so at this price, it is a steal.

Santa Ana Costa Rica is a Real Estate Hot Spot

I recently had the opportunity to visit a friend of mine who lives in Santa Ana, Costa Rica and it was an eye opener. 
You see, I have always been partial to Escazu, Costa Rica because of it's proximity to San Jose and of the modern shopping convenience it offers.

This last trip to Santa Ana however blew my mind away as I had not been to Santa Ana in about 5 years because it's a bit further away than Escazu and this last trip changed my opinion.

It changed it so much that I am considering investing in some buying Santa Ana, Costa Rica real estate for several reasons.

Here is what changed my mind:

• In the past few years, Santa Ana has been undergoing a lot of infrastructural changes, meaning that it now has a lot of what Escazu has to offer in terms of shopping and convenience.
• Real estate in Santa Ana is about 30% to 35% cheaper
• Santa Ana is a nice community that has everything you need and vcry modern
• The weather in Santa Ana, Costa Rica is comparable to Escazu.

So for anyone thinking about buying a house in Costa Rica, I would suggest taking a look at Santa Ana!

Time to Add a Wooden Deck to My House

I don't know if many of you know this but I do own several homes around the world and I happen to own one in Atlanta as I have a lot of family in that area of the world.

Being the kind soul that I am, I often rent out my house to my relatives at a very low price because I get to keep my house and I know that I have someone trustworthy to take care of it while I am out traveling the world.

I recently came back to my home which is located in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood which is probably my favorite neighborhood in Atlanta as it is right in the middle of some pretty fun places according to most Atlanta Guide.  And after doing some talking with my nephew Craig, who is currently renting my house, we deciced to add a deck to the home whioch would be located in the backyard.

Oddly enough, having owned several proporties around the world, I have never had to have a deck built so I was a bit at a loss.  That is when my nephew recommended this company  called Dixon Group Services which has a good reputation in Atlanta for providing quality work at a fair price.

Of course, I wasn't gonna just take his words for it and did my own research on Atlanta deck contractors and after meeting with several of them and getting many quotes ranging from ridiculously low to ridiculously high prices, I realized that Dixon was the right choice.

I was quote a price tag of $30,000 for the deck and it would take them just a week to build.  I was a bit surprised that they would be able to make it so fast but they assured me that it would be done on time and that I would not get charged for the rest of the deck until I was satisfied with the work.

Surprisingly enough, the deck was built within a week and I am very happy with it.  Dixon's work was obviously very professional and the service very good.  So if anyone in the metro Atlanta is interest in getting a deck built, I strongly recommend them

Vista Pacifica - Real Estate Project Opportunity in Costa Rica

So I am no longer looking for a hous to buy in Costa Rica as I am comfortably living in my home in Escazu but once in a while, I'll get a few emails from real estate companies in Costa Rica about their latest property for sale.

I just got one yesterday which did get my attention as I am always looking for ways to invest my hard earned money.

So I got this email about this gated community called, "Vista Pacifica" which is said to be a "small country living community" at the foot of Monteverde in Puntarenas.

Since I occasionally visit Puntarenas and I have to say that it is a pretty nice place to visit.  The white sandy beaches are particularly attractive.

One of the features I like is that this is Phase one of the project meaning that if you invest now, you get to be one of the original owners and the profit margin is huge since I have seen homes on 2,000 square meters in that area sell in the $100,000 range.  Since we are talking about a minimum $10,000 investment this could potentially be a gold mine.

In terms of safety, I like the fact that they are using the deed of the land as your security so I feel fairly safe about it even though I know some friends that have spent years in the Costa Rican judicial system over land issue.

However, I do know that this land is being developed by Raymond Cruz who has created a couple of succesful real estate projects in the past.

Anyway, if you are interested in this Costa Rica land Investment project, you should visit their site at vistapacifica.co.cr

Costa Rica Properties - Time to Look Again

Well, It's been over two years since I bought my little house in Costa Rica and I feel that it was done prematurely so I have decided to sell this house and buy me a new one.

The main reason why I want to sell my house is because I have decided that Escazu is not the right place for me. I have a few friends that live in Santa Ana and even though it is a bit far from San Jose, I like the area better as it offers more peace and it is definitively more modern.

Right now, I am looking at house and am using a couple of different brokers to look at Costa Rica properties as to not place all of my eggs in one basket since some Costa Rica Real Estate brokers have properties that others do not.

If you know of any properties worth looking at give me a holler and my price range is in the low $300,000.