Costa Rica-Real Estate Condos for sale in Guanacaste

More seaports for Costa Rica directly translate in more ships arriving to the country, more cargo delivered and also more jobs for the ticos; but things for this new project are a little different from the ones I described in: Costa Rica’s docks prepare for a transition; because this new project will be located in Puntarenas.

Before we move on, let me tell you a little more about Puntarenas.

Puntarenas is quite big (Perhaps long is actually more accurate) as its territory encompasses a substantial part of Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast area, and even though the area is famous for offering a lot of ecological alternatives for the tourists; the new dock initiative will certainly help to develop new business related options.

The construction will take place in Puerto Caldera, and it is scheduled to begin in late August of this year; even though the construction should have started on February, but thanks to a protest from a local group (National Public Employee Association) the works were put on hold until Karla Gonzales, Costa Rica’s Minister of Public Works and Transportation confirmed yesterday that after reviewing the information presented in the different reports, the project had been given “green light” to start with the initial stage of the building development.

Now as usual, let’s see some numbers!

According to the Project developers, the dock will have 8 storage tower silos ready for a maximum capacity of 20.000 metric tons. And the total construction cycle for the docks will be of 36 months (That means 2011), with a total investment (So far) of $40 millions.

Once the project works are a little more advanced is quite logical that more companies will approach the government to offer their services. Will it be the Germans (Again) or the Chinese? Here is another opportunity for an international company with knowledge in dock Managing/development to make a smart investment on Costa Rica.

When everybody suddenly start asking you out, is when you realize that taking those extra hours to “invest” in yourself were worth it. (Either that or you just won the lottery) Things are pretty much the same for Costa Rica, which after “working out” on new development plans for different projects to come to life this year, keeps drawing the attention of international investors.

So who are the new “suitors” for Costa Rica?

According to Costa Rica Foreign Trade Minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Mexico, Canada and Chile are already starting to establish the base for future negotiations that more likely will take place this year. And just in case you are wondering about the sudden interest of this 3 countries; well, let me give you guys the short answer, CAFTA (Known as TLC)

First on the negotiation list will be Mexico, whose CAFTA certainly does not offer a very good panorama for Costa Rican investment; hence some rules need to be defined before the future projects are even considered or presented in the business meeting.

On this very subject, Ruiz met last Friday with the Costa Rican ministers in charge of the Centro American Integration; there he propose to work with Mexico in a renegotiation of the CAFTA treaty, so it can also presents regional benefits. This idea is still being evaluated.

“Costa Rica will present a smart negotiation plan” stated Ruiz, who also mention the fact that due to schedule troubles in the Costa Rica business agenda, the negotiation with Canada and Chile will have to wait a little longer.

There will be more countries that will approach the Costa Rican negotiators this year, and as the Central American country keeps being on the top popularity charts; the future offers of those that come late to the party are more likely to be ignored.

This new business initiative in Costa Rica is based around a single purpose, advanced manufacture development, and the 3 major areas in which it will be focused will be: Automotive Products, electronics, and space/aeronautics alternatives.

The idea to create a new opportunity for the different manufacture investors is a natural step for the Costa Rica business sector; which witnessed last year how 6 new manufacture companies decided to open their factories in the country.

Some of the new names include: Continental AG, Future Power and Altanova; they will be joining the manufacture scene in Costa Rica with: Hutchings Automotive Products, Deshler and Microcell. Whose presence and achievements in the country has certainly contributed to this new decision from the government to boost the private manufacture alternatives for investors and developers.

Officially the new action plans and other ideas will be announced to the public this April 29^th by the heads of the Costa Rican Coalition of Development Initiatives (CINDE) and the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Ministry.

And for those of you that were waiting for the numbers!

There are currently 51 different manufacture companies already established on Costa Rica, which translate in 1.200 new jobs for the “ticos”.

There are certainly a lot of expectations from this new opportunity in the manufacture sector in Costa Rica, but we can rest assure on the fact that it will definitely present a more appealing “face” for future investment.

I will keep you guys posted.

When one thinks about Costa Rica a lot of images come to mind; among the first ones would be huge tropical forests crowded with thousands of trees, white sand beaches, rivers for rafting tours, and off course excellent coffee; (I’m telling you guys it’s great!) however Costa Rica has never been famous for its gold production, until now.

It all began back in 2002 with a company far, far away (They are Canadians) named Vannessa Ventures; but before I started with the news, let’s find out a little bit more about this company before we move on.

Vannessa Ventures Ltd. is an advanced gold exploration company based in Calgary, Canada, in the process of transiting from junior explorer to gold producer.

Their Chairman and Director is Steven G. Dean, who has extensive experience in the gold mining business, including serving as President of Teck Cominco Ltd. to July 2002, (Info taken from their website.)

Ok, now we can continue.

The name of the project is Crucitas (Small crosses) located in the San Carlos area in Guanacaste; and the company in charge of the mining initiative is Vannessa Ventures. The Canadian company presented the first study about environmental impact in the area to the Costa Rican government back in 2002; and even though the project was already scheduled to start in 2005, several protests from different environmental groups forced the initiative to be temporarily postponed.

Taking into consideration that one of the biggest resources for Costa Rica definitely is its nature, it is only logical that the locals wanted to make sure the gold mining project did not represent a potential problem to the area.

The Costa Rican National Environmental Cabinet (SETENA) continued to monitor the new proposals from Vannessa Ventures, and finally gave the approval required to start the Crucitas project this 2008.

And here are some numbers!!!!!

The agreement between the Costa Rican government and the gold exploring company is for a total of 700.000 ounces of gold to be extracted in a time frame of 10 years.

The approval of this project will translate in more job opportunities for the Costa Ricans, and will definitely make quite a difference for the local towns surrounding the area; let us hope that only good things comes out from this initiative.

Going “green” is not only good for the planet and ourselves; but for those businessmen that can see a little ahead into the future. As more and more companies and individuals are busy creating awareness in the mind off the population, another sector is quite busy developing more alternatives for the public, and yet another one is looking forward to purchase the best in order to save more money.

Alvaro Umaña, former Ambient Minister for Costa Rica, now main representative for Central America on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) met this last Tuesday with different members of the private sector to gather information destined to formulate new strategies to develop real solutions to the many issues presented by the Climate Changes in the Central America area.

This meeting was actually set in motion thanks to three main entities, the INCAE (The leading business school in Latin America, you can read more about them here: Costa Rica New Digital Approach) The British Government, and the Central American Commission for Ambient and Development.

This initiative helps to set the stage for a future meeting between the Central American Presidents in late May in Honduras. There the main topic will be none other than prepare for the main challenges that the climate changes will present to the region; and also develop an action plan to deal with them.

Let’s see some numbers!!

Many companies are aware that turning to simple practices, like “effective light usage” (that translate into using the natural light as best you can), strategic changes in the cooling and different refrigeration alternatives, and a tighter control on the electric power usage can represent savings that can go from 10% up to a 40% in a year.

Another interesting note is the one from Gustavo Camacho, vice president in charge of logistics and development for Wal-Mart in Central America. According to Camacho Wal-Mart initiatives in this area had brought to the company benefits for over $1.2 millions. (Just last year)

Costa Rica is hungry for more “green” options, and now is the perfect time to present achievable ideas and solid business proposals in this area.

Today more and more tourists keep coming to Costa Rica to discover its many treasures; and even though this could be considered good news in many ways, it could also present a big problem for the different airports in the near future.

The main issue has to do with the growing number of tourists coming to Costa Rica vs. the actual airports structures; just to give you guys an idea of what I am trying to say, consider that between January and March of this year a total number of 643.000 people came to visit the country everyone is calling the Central American jewel. (That represents a total increase of 17%) And thanks to the options described on my post: Direct Flights from Guanacaste to New York the need to renew the infrastructure of the different airports in Costa Rica will keep on being a priority for the government.

Now let’s take a look at the numbers!

An increase of 17% on the visits to Costa Rica translate into 92.000 tourists, and if we want to talk about the flights; well in 2007 the different airlines reported a 33% increase on the number of tickets sold to travel to Costa Rica. (Perhaps that did not sounded to impressive to you, so allow me to translate once again, those are 2.7 million tickets)

And just in case you wanted to know, 54% of the 1.9 million visitors that came to Costa Rican were from the US.

In December the Juan Santamaria Airport experience a major upgrade, the boarding halls doubled its numbers (17 in total.) And now there are 18 service terminals available for the travelers.

What about the Liberia airport in Guanacaste?

With a 25% of the total number of visits to the country, and even tough the Guanacaste administration has help with the development, the Liberian airport has a long way to go in terms of infrastructure. (Don’t get me wrong the service is great and the personal is awesome) never the less the growing number of visitors could eventually get out of hand.

The Costa Rican government states that they have a very solid plan for upgrading the different airport infrastructure in the country, specially the one in Guanacaste that should be ready by the first month of 2009 at the most.

So far the Airports in Costa Rica are in pretty good shape and are more than able to handle the flow of travelers that come daily to its terminals; however if something is not done in the near future, Costa Rica may become a victim of its own success among tourists.

On one of my last posts: Land Taxation and the weather cycle in Costa Rica I mentioned a couple of factors that could make a big difference for your future investment on Costa Rica real estate, those were the land and the weather.(And the importance of this 2 elements towards the future of the property.) I guess you guys really like that post, for I have received a lot of messages asking me to mention more factors that can be analyzed towards acquiring land in Costa Rica.

So here we go once more, and remember always to double check the information with your real estate agent if you have any doubts.

If you are on a luxury beach condo (More likely in Avellanas, Guanacaste) here are some things to check before your purchase:

1- The water pressure and water supply options: It is important to know where your water is coming from (Especially since most of it will be consumed by you) the pressure off course has to do with more practical stuff; so for example if you discover that the water pressure fluctuates at specific times, I would suggest a talk with the local engineer as to how to remedy this situation.

2- Fans vs. AC: This is a common dilemma for everybody; let me put it like this, if you have good ventilation in the rooms, and if there is no computer equipment in the house, I definitely will go with the fans instead of the AC. (Not only will you save money on electric power consumption; but the fans do not release “green house” gas emissions)

3- The trash: One of the most important aspects you really need to find out when buying a house in the beach. Learn about the trash collection schedule, and if there is a specific spot in which they pick up the trash. (This believe it or not has been a big issue for many people, so learn about how they deal with the trash in the area were your house is located)

4- Electric Cables: This point goes hand in hand with the roof and the rainy season future problems you could encounter; so make sure there are no leaks for we certainly do not want any water on those wires. Also make sure you have enough power outlets to cover your needs. (Before starting to buy furniture)

If you are on the city (Possibly in the Cortijo) pay attention to the following:

1- Location: The streets of downtown Costa Rica are quite famous for its traffic jams, so a major element for you to make a good decision should be the location of the house/apartment. (Ask your agents for different traveling routes to specific locations, they should know)

2- The trash: Learn about the trash collection schedule, and if there is a specific spot in which they pick up the trash. (Some areas of the city are famous for not following the schedule, so learn if the building/neighborhood has a plan B to deal with this situations)

3- White Light: Fluorescent bulbs are not only healthier for your eyes but also good to your wallet as they save a lot of power. (Many houses already came equipped with this lights; never the less if yours does not, ask your agent as to where can you purchase some.)

Now I’m going to stop for I believe those are enough for the time being; never the less there are a lot more point to discuss towards Costa Rica real estate acquisition, and I promise to deal with those in future posts.

Even though there is still a lot of work to do on the “business table”, China is seriously thinking on opening new development opportunities for one of Costa Rica’s favorite products, its coffee. (I have to confess that I am actually addicted to it) Chinese Ambassador in Costa Rica Mr. Wang Xiaoyuan, visited this weekend one of the most awarded coffee complex in the country Doka State.

So before we continue with the news, let’s find a little more about Doka State

Doka State is one of Costa Rica’s highest quality coffees. The Doka Coffee state is located on the fertile slopes of the Alajuela Poas Volcano, the rich soil and the ideal altitude and climate have made the Santa Eduviges farm famous because of its excellent coffee. The Vargas coffee growing family also carry a brand - Cafe Tres Generaciones - ‘Three Generations Coffee’ that conveys the great care and pride that this coffee growing family have placed in their coffee trees. (From their site)

Among some of the awards they have received we can find: First place Sintercafe Cup Competition 2000 / Ken David’s ’98 12 Hit, Coffee Review Award August 1998 / 2nd place cupping competition SCAA 1995.

Ok so now we can keep going

Doka’s main Manager Mario Fernandez was the one responsible for guiding the Chinese representatives through the facilities, and even took them to one of their famous coffee tours, in which the Ambassador and his entourage were able to witness the whole process from beginning to end. According to Fernandez this visit serves to set the stage for a formal business meeting with representatives from the Chinese government scheduled for the next month. And even though one would think that the negotiations are just about the product itself (Coffee); Fernandez claims that actually China’s vision has to do with Coffee and tourism.

Mr. Wang said that there is certainly a great future for Costa Rican Coffee in the Chinese market, and thanks to the great results from the coffee presentation the Costa Rican producers had in the Business Shangai Fair, the Chinese public has nothing but great comments about the quality of the Tico coffee. And even though the coffee is certainly not a traditional drink among the regular Chinese population, the young new generation has started to embrace the renowned qualities of this beverage.

Usually when there is a press release form the Government offices, one will think not only that the information is accurate but also well founded; never the less that was not the case with the Google initiative in Costa Rica.

Despite the fact that the Google Regional Office in Costa Rica news were all over the country in digital and printed form; Mr. Alberto Arébalos, Google’s Director of Corporate Communications and Public Announcements for Latin America, quickly contacted the people from La Nación (Costa Rica most popular newspaper) so they would know the fact that there were currently no plans at all to establish a regional office in Costa Rica.

“We are not thinking to open a new regional office in Costa Rica as of yet; but we really want to improve our relation and services with our customers in the area. “ (Mr. Arébalos stated to the newspaper reporters.)

Well I told you guys that as soon as I got news about any development on this new Google initiative I’ll let you know right? Ok, enough of that, but what about the Costa Rican Government’s Press Release? What do they have to say to that?

“It is quite clear that there was a communication problem between the members of the team, and most unfortunately that resulted in a press release that was not originally check by us” (Said Arébalos, who also mentioned the fact that they were almost immediately contacted by different companies to start with the development plan for their “new office in Costa Rica”)

As for the PR from the Costa Rica government offices, well there is really not much to say at this point; they release the PR after Costa Rica’s President Oscar Arias met with a group of Google executives in: The World Economic Forum, held in Mexico just a couple of days ago. And as we can see from the reaction of the Google team, it appears that the information was certainly incorrect.

So for the time being Costa Rica will have to wait; for now Google will keep its Latin American regional offices only on three countries: Mexico, Brazil and Argentina

On one of my earliest posts Why Costa Rica’s popularity is growing as the new “India” I mentioned the fact that several international business giants are noticing the many advantages that moving their offices to this country has generated for names like HP, IBM, and others. Now it is time for another huge name in the industry to make their way to Costa Rican lands, Google.

Even though Google currently deals with the Central American requests from an office located in Mexico; the decision to “open a new office” in Costa Rica was taken after a careful analysis on the growth on the Central American market, and also the development of the Costa Rican initiatives towards new technology.

The main goal for the Google office in Costa Rica will be to give a “boost” to the different public libraries in the country, and help to promote different “virtual offices” focused on exportation initiatives.

Now let’s take a look at the numbers! (Actually there is only one but here we go)

Costa Rica’s Foreign Commerce Minister Vinicio Ruiz, pointed out a huge factor that was certainly important towards Google decision, and that is that 80% of the Software that is sold in Central America comes from Costa Rica.

Yes 80% is a big number people.

There are currently no news for the date in which Google plans to start with the Costa Rica office project; never the less we know it more likely be this year, I’ll keep you guys posted!!