National Surf Tournament Jaco Beach

This past weekend, in Jaco Beach, siblings Luis and Lisbeth Vindas took first place in the first tournament of the national surf competition. Luis defended his national title from last year by dominating the men’s division, while sister Lisbeth won the women’s division by 0.33 points. She said the competition was very difficult due to her lack of time spent training but because she has a home in Jaco Beach she knows the waves very well.

The next tournament will be held in Palo Seco, Parrita, on February 26th and 27th in front of Hotel La Isla.

2 Costa Rica Real Estate

The New Year is bringing exciting news, and I wanted to update everyone that I have moved offices from REmax to 2 Costa Rica Real Estate. I have worked with 2 Costa Rica Real Estate for years with clients interested in Manuel Antonio and Escazu (where their original offices reside).

This company is one of the only in the country which has a true multi office presence with the same ownership, and the core team brings a combined total of over 40 years of local business experience to the table.

When the company opened an office in Jaco I saw an opportunity to forward my career and provide better service to my clients, knowing that 2 Costa Rica is one of the most professional, highly regarded, and innovative real estate companies in Costa Rica. They are the only office with 3 locations (under the same ownership) that work together as a team and have built their reputation on hard work, impeccable service and integrity and sold more real estate then nearly all of the U.S. brand name companies.

2 CRRE is the Exclusive Board of Regent members for LuxuryRealEstate.com for all of Costa Rica and bring our clients not only the best network of professionals here in Costa Rica, but also access to the largest and most successful luxury real estate portal in the world and the top professionals around the globe.

Please go ahead and check out 2Costa Rica Real Estate’s company. High season is here, properties are moving, and buyers are looking! I am excited about this move and hope to have you all on board in what I feel will be another level of success for all involved.

http://www.2costaricarealestate.com/Piper_Renner/page_2423460.html

Costa Rica: Safest Country in Central America

The Director of the OIJ (Costa Rica’s FBI equivalent), Jorge Rojas just spoke about the crime rate in Costa Rica, stating that, "There are significant downward trends. It is important that citizens know this even though there is a widespread belief that crime is rising,"

The statistics vary minimally, depending upon the source, however across the reports Costa Rica remains the safest country in all of Central America.

Below are the statistics for the Central American Countries with regard to homicide:

1. El Salvador has a homicide rate in 2009 of 76 per 100,000 inhabitants
2. Honduras has a homicide rate in 2009 of 66.8 per 100,000
3. Guatemala has a homicide rate in 2009 of 48 per 100,000
4. Panama has a homicide rate in 2009 of 24 per 100,000
5. Nicaragua has a homicide rate in 2009 of 13 per 100,000
6. Costa Rica had a total of 494 homicides for a homicide rate in 2009 of 11 per 100,000 and only 10.65 in 2010

Real Estate Trip to South America

This past week, my assistant and I took a trip to Ecuador with international developer Carl Wescott. This was my first time to Ecuador and wow was I pleasantly surprised! We started out by visiting Carl's partner Joe Simonetta's tranquil ranch project, Hacienda San Joaquin, in the town of Vilcabamba (near the larger city of La Loja).

The town of Vilcamaba was a very interesting place, the foreigners living there are very reminiscent of the people living in Sedona, Arizona, mainly due to its healthy and tranquil reputation. Vilcamaba is renown for being the foremost location in the world for the most vibrant centenarians. Fascinating city and even more fascinating people!

Following this trip we flew out to the Northern Pacific Coast to the province of Manabi, where we stayed in the town of Bahia de Caraquez. From there we drove about 30 minutes north, through the popular surf town of Canoa, to a very large and very beautiful oceanfront property, with pristine white sand beaches and incredibly impressive Ceibo trees.

Being in Ecuador for only a week, we weren't left with enough time to explore the diverse country on our own, so we can’t wait to go back and check out what else it has to offer!

Fractional Ownership in Costa Rica

Right now it is a Buyer’s Market in Costa Rica, which means this is the time to make that investment you have always dreamed about. An oceanfront condo or oceanfront home in Costa Rica is not just a great investment but also the perfect vacation property to own and fully enjoy.

However, if you are not sure you want to live in that property full time, then fractional ownership may be the best idea for you. Fractional or Shared Ownership lets you own as little as 8% up to 50% of an amazing Costa Rica property. This type of Real Estate Ownership is not the same as a timeshare; you and your partners are actually the complete owners of the shares of your property, unlike a timeshare where the developer is the owner. In Costa Rica, it is still fee simple ownership and the property has the same opportunities as other full ownership properties; for instance this type of Real Estate Ownership entails having the same probability for experiencing value escalation.

Now is the time to take advantage of the market and invest in Real Estate in Costa Rica while the prices are still at record lows.

Al Gore to Speak in Costa Rica

Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, is coming to Costa Rica this March! He will be giving a presentation related to climate change.

The Title of his presentation is "Business Forum on the Environment and Sustainability" or in Spanish: "Foro Empresarial sobre Sostenibilidad y Ambiente" and it will take place at the Marriott Hotel in San José, Costa Rica.

Due to Al Gore's determination and hard work educating the public about the climate change, he was granted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. And now he is coming to Costa Rica to continue the discussion of Sustainability and the Environment.

The Business Forum will be held March 16th in San José, Costa Rica.

Purchasing Costa Rica Real Estate in your IRA

Buying Real Estate with your IRA is actually a very simple process, just follow the easy steps below:

· Determine what your down payment will be and the available funds you have.

· Evaluate cash flow. Take into account additional reserve funds in case of vacancies or other operating costs.

· Make an offer to buy a property in Costa Rica under the name of your IRA.

· Fill out and send a "Buy Direction For Real Estate" document to your IRA administrator.

· Use your Costa Rican Lawyer to complete your Title Search and open Escrow.

· Close on the property in name of your IRA.

· All income from your investment property in Costa Rica needs to be directed towards the IRA.

· Acting on behalf of your IRA, your administrator will handle the Mortgage, Utilities and other expenses for your Costa Rica Real Estate.

· With both Roth and Traditional IRA’s, your income from your real estate investment in Costa Rica will grow tax-free.

· As you accrue cash in your IRA, you can purchase more international properties and/or invest further in Costa Rican Real Estate.

**I would be happy to put you in contact with companies that specialize in helping you with all of the legal documentation required by the IRS so that you do not risk your tax-free status.