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• Coldwell Banker Vesta Group-Dominical, Daveed Hollander

Dominical: Tourism paradise and a thriving hub

We service the Southern Pacific Area between Portalon and Pavones. Our office is located in Dominical.  There are three ways to get to Dominical. The most common is from the east, via San Isidro del General. San Jose is where you fly in you can either take a bus or rent a car and head south to San Isidro and head west to Dominical. This entire route takes about four hours by car and 6 hours by bus. You can come in from the northern route through Quepos. San Jose to Quepos is paved and from Quepos South is in the process of being paved, it should be completed by the end of this year or at the beginning of 2010. You can also flight into SJO, then flight to Palmar Sur and get a car rental to meet you there. From Palmar Sur to Dominical is a 45 minute drive on a perfect road.

Costa Rica’s well-earned fame as a land of natural beauty and untapped opportunity, the political stability of the country, the smiles and warmth of the Costa Rican people and the incredible lifestyle are just a few of the reasons that made us decide to relocate to Costa Rica.  Dominical has a subtle way of grabbing your heart.  It’s in the natural beauty of the area.  It’s in the warmth and friendship of the Costa Ricans.  It’s in the adventure of a new land and language.

The main product is ecotourism. In this area you can enjoy exuberant beaches, friendly communities and the best places for surfing, sport fishing, and whale watching. You will find great restaurants that offer a variety of dining options, from low-priced, Tico-style to the finest international cuisine, boutique hotels, hardware stores, supermarkets, drugstores, the renowned offshore Ballena National Marine Park, beautiful waterfalls and natural reserves.  The good thing about leaving in this area is that the rain forest extends itself from the mountains to all the way to the seashore where you can find a deep blue ocean and fantastic beaches and it is sometimes possible to walk for miles on these seemingly endless beaches without encountering another human being.

A range of properties, from finished product to raw undeveloped land are found in this area, from luxury homes to B&B, from large farms to prime home sites.  Most of the properties have amazing ocean, valley and river views with land prices ranging from $70,000 to $350,000. The property sizes range from ½ acre to 10 acres.

The beauty of the area, the diverse community, the property prices and convenient infrastructure has transformed it into a tourism paradise and a thriving hub for active travelers and nature lovers. The diverse wealth of activities, ranging from bird-watching, whale watching, horse back tours, swimming and movie nights to ultralight flights, sport fishing and live Community Theater. Through infrastructure improvements and thoughtful management this area has matured into a hotspot for luxury real estate. Evenly paced and holistically minded, the real estate market here achieves an exemplary balance of nature and convenience; those are the reasons why all the owners and associates of Coldwell Banker Vesta Group have personally invested in this zone.

What makes the difference between heartache and satisfaction in the property-buying process?

Here are a few ideas:

• Invest in Income producing property such as Vacation Rental, bed and breakfast,
• Work with a reputable Realtor use a real estate professional to find the best deals in the area.
• Be patient. Taking your time to gather information is a key to success. Take time to compare the qualities and differences of several lots prior to purchasing.

Bad ideas:

• Buying in the wrong area: Location, location, location are the three most important factors in buying real estate anywhere.
• Buying overprice properties: make sure your realtor provides you with an acurate market comparison analysis.
• Not doing your due diligence:  Do not jump into the first thing you see without verifying that it is a clean deal. Tempting though it may be, don’t rush into any purchases without all the information.

This is a great time for investing in the Southern Pacific due to the following factors: It’s a Buyers market: there is a lot of inventory available and property prices are more accessible. Owner financing: There are a lot of owners offering financing at good terms making easier for buyers to afford properties. New infrastructure:  the road from Quepos to Dominical is finally being paved it will be completed at the end of the year. There is a new hospital in Cortes and a Golf Course under construction.

The “ideal” buyer comes to Costa Rica with a certain amount of education on the area already, so I wouldn’t have to tell him about the intrinsic value of investing in Costa Rica (things like the stable democratic government, the lack of an army, and the huge amount of biodiversity in a small country with 1,290km of coastline).  He would likely already be aware of the fact that even in recent months the infrastructure is noticeably improved (roads being paved, internet connection improvements, and new hospitals) which makes for an even more secure investment.  The educated buyer already knows that a quick title study online with a more in-depth one done by a lawyer will guarantee a clean and clear title and that there is no need to worry there.  Once arriving at the property – which is a fantastic deal due to the current state of the market – I would probably tell this buyer, “Check out that monkey!”.