Your Thoughts On The Manuel Antonio Area

[Guest_Thomas_Guest]

I am considering purchasing an all inclusive luxury condo in the Manuel Antonio area and would appreciate your thoughts as to its potential for appreciation and its desirability as a tourist destination. Any thoughts you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I found your overall site very helpful.

[Russ]

Thank you for the "piropo" on our site. (compliment)

In my opinion Manuel Antonio is very well developed.  Manuel Antonio is the top tourist destination in Costa Rica and has been for many years.  You would be hard pressed to buy any property there now and lose money on the deal at a later date.  The same applies to Flamingo Beach, Jacó Beach and Tamarindo Beach. I see development in these areas continuing and there are good prospects for solid appreciation in the short term and also in the long run.   Prices are already high compared to other areas in Costa Rica, so you won't find any incredibly cheap deals there, but that also means that your investment is very secure.

However, I would say that there are a couple of things you should watch out for:

- You should work with reputable realtor when buying any property in Costa Rica.  This is important in the research phase but also in the negotiating and closing of the deal.
- You should very familiar with the area you are purchasing in.
- You should check very carefully the actual location of the property. Quepos is not the same as Manuel Antonio and Parrita is definitely not the same!  Even though they appear very close on the map.
- You should purchase a property that is already built, or a property that is within a development an established builder with an impeccable reputation.

I am not sure what an all inclusive condo is, and whether or not you are considering something like a time share.  I would say that you can be confident investing in that area as long as the project is established, you were not contacted by telephone or email from a promoter, and you have visited the condo you are thinking of purchasing.  

If you would like to provide more details or have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask away!

[Sherry]

Russ, you seem to be very knowledgable about property in Cost Rica.  I requeted some information from an email I received from costaricanlandsales.com (C.R. Tropical Properties).  They say they are based out of Florida and are selling land on the mountains in Manuel Antonio.  There are 3 gated developments (no houses yet, they are still working on the roads/infrastructure).  2 Phases are sold out - Las Palmas and there lots (1.25 acres) left in Emerald Dunes.  However, they do want $25,000 "refundable deposit" to look at the property and make a final decision.  You have 2 years interest free to pay the balance. 

I believe this area is going to be extremely popular and I may eventually even want to live there..... do you know this company?  Are they reputable?  They appear to be but I am still cautiously pursuing this although I am close to saying yes....

Thanks. 

Sherry

[Russ]

Sherry, and anyone reading this topic, please also see reply to this related post - CR Beach Investment Real Estate

I believe this area is going to be extremely popular and I may eventually even want to live there..... do you know this company?  Are they reputable?  They appear to be but I am still cautiously pursuing this although I am close to saying yes....

Manuel Antonio is the most popular tourist destination in Costa Rica and it is difficult to find homes in this area for under $1 million.  However, many unscrupulous developers are promoting developments NEAR Manuel Antonio as if they were IN Manuel Antonio.  Commonly, Parrita or Palo Seco are mentioned.   This is a completely different market and area.  I am not saying that people should not buy in these areas - if there is a reputable development - but that you should not buy in this area expecting that it will become Manuel Antonio or that the market will behave in a similar way. 

We try to avoid talking about specific developers in the forum, but I will tell you please see the other reply and telemarketing operations operating out of Florida raise red flags on any developer promoting Costa Rica land.

[chads]

Does anyone have expereince with Rodrigo Zapata & Associates?