Be sure to look at the new photos that I added tonight. I have several hundred more to add but give me some time to edit/compress/post.

I’ll also have some video by the end of August up and running

http://www.solpropertygroup.com/blogs/costaricainformation/archive/2009/07/16/costaricainternationalairportsouthern.aspx

Update on Southern Zone International Airport
According to alDia newspaper in Costa Rica, the often discussed international airport in the Southern Pacific zone is back on the agenda of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. President Arias signed the proclamation appoximately two years ago, but since that time very little news has been released about the progress of the project.

Today alDia reported that the Arias administration is in deep negotiations with Panama’s new President Ricardo Martinelli regarding the airport.

The airport would not only increase tourism in the Southern zone of Costa Rica, but it would also increase the number of visitors to Panama. Panama President Martinelli has expressed interest in helping Costa Rica get the airport built in a joint venture. The exact details are still being worked out and nothing formally has been announced. However, given the lack of news regarding the project and the current economic condition around the world this is great news for those who are thinking of visiting Costa Rica’s Osa region, own real estate in the region or are thinking of purchasing land there.

Rodrigo Arias, Presidential Minister and brother of Oscar Arias, informed President Martinelli that Costa Rica has the land available, identified, surveyed and studied. The only remaining factor is funds to complete the project. The airport would be similar to Liberia International airport in Guanacaste in terms of size and capacity.

“From both a developer’s and a tourism sector standpoint this is great news,” commented Hanz Cruz, Deputy Mayor of San Isidro del General. “All of Costa Rica will benefit from this but especially the southern zone which is the most beautiful area of the country, but often overlooked by investors and tourists.”

The majority of developments are in Guanacaste due to easy access through Liberia. This new airport will help the Southern zone tremendously and the developments there.

The airport will also allow tourists to Panama an easy and fast way to visit the western region of the country. The Panama border is approximately one hour from Palmar Sur. Currently to fly into Panama’s western region visitors must first fly into Panama City and then out to a regional airport (for example David). This will remove a step and save visitors and residents almost 1/2 day in travel time.

President Martinelli is also analyzing Costa Rica’s great medical system and looking at ways to implement a similar system in Panama to help control costs and care for their aging population.

We are back to bloggin’ and keeping everyone updated. Sorry for the delay. There have been some great changes, improvements and updates that we need to share with you.
We have new condo designs, electricity is to be installed in the next 40 days and the first house has been completed.

Photos and updates to follow. Please contact us today for more information.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Today’s big news was that the Costa Rican National Select soccer team was playing tonight in San Jose against El Salvador. This was a World Cup qualifier so everyone was a bit edgy.

I often hear that American’s are sports nuts. I’m definitely proud of my citizenship and my country but we are not at all really that sport’s crazed. Outside of the Super Bowl I’m not sure there is a sporting event that generates such large ratings and energizes our country. Costa Rica is different.

It is generally understood (although I had to be told) that when the National Team plays a game you are supposed to wear red – all day. Thank goodness I had a red polo shirt with me. I actually bought a national team jersey last year but for some reason I brought it back to the States with me. From now on it is just going to stay here.

I don’t know much about soccer but I can tell you the passions and intensity at La Cascada Bar & Restaurant was electric. Young. Old. Foreign. Costa Rican. Foreign. All of us were packed in watching on one of the 10 TVs in the place eating, drinking and for me, speaking in broken Spanish. I really enjoy the Spanish language and I’m a bit embarrassed I don’t know more but I keep studying and learning and hopefully in a couple of years I’ll be fluent.

Back to the game. Costa Rica dominated throughout and outshot the El Salvadorian’s by a large margin but it was still 0-0 at half time. Costa Rica ended up winning 1-0. When the ball when in the net everyone was jumping up and down, high-fiving one another. However, I think the cheering was even louder after Costa Rica was called for a foul in the goal box so El Salvador had a free kick from about 10 meters out. The Costa Rican goalie blocked the shot. Incredible.

During the game I sat with a couple of restaurant owners (including the owner of the bar we were at – La Cascada (the waterfall) so when Costa Rica scored we all got free drinks), several real estate agents from different companies and an attorney. The people here are so incredibly friendly.

From a real estate standpoint I looked at some land in San Isidro del General that had been subdivided into lots from $30,000 and $50,000 ($60-$100 sq m) that Costa Ricans are subdividing and buying.  It is a great sign that the locals are also enjoying the great growth in the Costa Rican real estate market.

A group of us went to look at the two projects. In our group of 5 was me, the deputy mayor, the president of the local Scotiabank branch and two other Costa Ricans – both interested in buying. One deal was struck before the game started.

San Isidro is poised to continue it’s tremendous growth. I’ll have more photos of the new projects in the next couple of days.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I broke with my tradition of not eating at a fast-food restaurant yesterday. To actually find a global fast-food chain is a bit of a challenge in Southern Costa Rica as there is only one restaurant. I was, however, in San Isidro del General where the sol McDonald’s in the southern zone is located.

I was having a bit too much fun the night before and just needed something quick – thanks Mikky-D’s.

Due to the “too much fun” the night before I didn’t do too much except watch a Chilean re-broadcast of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. It was great! The version back home in the States that I DVR’d was over four hours long. This one was only two. Nothing like cutting out the parade of champions and the speeches from the IOC. 

Speaking of Olympics. What’s pretty interesting is every morning and evening a Costa Rican TV channel carries live feeds from Beijing. However, unlike their Northern counterparts who feel possessed to talk over and smother every piece of action on TV there is no commentary. None. It’s actually pretty relaxing. Not that Costa Rica needs any more reasons or ways to relax!  The piece you do miss is the behind-the-scenes information that I find somewhat interesting.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Today I flew from my home base to Costa Rica on a Delta flight through Atlanta. Both flights were on time and my luggage made it through no problem. I don’t know the exact type of plane that I took (it had a 2-3-2 seating configuration) but it had about 100 empty seats. More than a lot of earlier flights I’ve taken. However, the concourse was jammed pack with tourists so I believe it was more of an anomaly than a trend.

The good news was that I had three seats to myself to lay down. That is really nice when you have to get up at 3 am after about 2 hours of sleep the night before.

I’d never flown on a flight where you could watch (for $2) HBO movies. I chose to watch an episode of John Adams. I usually don’t like long flights, but I could have withstood another hour to watch another episode.

I was picked up by the manager and lead singer of the award winning pop group Calle 8. Click here for more information. We drove from San Jose to San Isidro del General as they were performing that night at a fund raiser for the local soccer club. The duty free station in San Jose had several great deals that I couldn’t pass up.

That night I went to bed very early and skipped the concert. The last thing I felt like doing was dancing all night long although I was torn as it was good to be back in Costa Rica.

Accessible throughout the year as the weather is gorgeous most of the time, Playa Uvita is a 2-mile white sand beach with moderate waves and crystal clear blue waters. Since this beach is part of the Marino Ballena National Park, fishing and hunting any marine life is strictly prohibited. However, swimming conditions are ideal here and tourists can enjoy a variety of water sports. The best feature of Playa Uvita is its beautiful landscape with estuaries and mangrove swamps as well as its lovely local village atmosphere.

Horseback riding, snorkeling, kayaking and scuba diving are very popular activities here, while for those of you who prefer a more relaxed pace, you can go for long walks along the coast, sunbathe on the beach and enjoy the fabulous scenic beauty and marine life that Playa Uvita has to offer. A relatively quiet beach with not many tourists, you can also take a tour of the nearby Caño Island, Violines Island or Ballena Island, or you can hike to the forests and mountains a few miles away.

With near perfect weather all year long, Dominical has warm temperatures during the day and a cool ocean breeze by night. Many surfers who often come here usually sleep on the beach under the stars. However, there are accommodations here to suit every pocket. Dining is a fabulous experience in Dominical, especially if you love seafood. There are a number of local restaurants or ‘sodas’ in the area, which serve everything from fresh lobsters and shrimps to delicious crabs and fish.

San Buenas Golf Resort approach to the environment makes them unique? The developers have a vision to create a world class ecological golf resort that is not only beautiful but affordable.

Recently SBGR announced that owners of certain homes will have the choice of using a solar energy system saving money while becoming energy independent. The design of the golf course focuses on using the natural landscape as much as possible.  Because of the natural landscape the developers will not have to “move” a lot of dirt. Instead the design will use the natural aspects to make a truly unique course. This will have a very positive impact on the environment. Even the drainage system is in place due to the existing sand beneath the grass.  All native trees were plotted to assure they remain with in the course.

It is the goal of SBGR to plant 30,000 new indigenous trees inside the development. There is a primary focus on fruit trees native to southern Costa Rica. SBGR currently has two nurseries’ that are up and operational to service their reforestation efforts. These are just a few of the things that SBGR is doing to assure that they are not just saying they are green, they are doing what needs to be done to assure they are truly “green”.   

Check back soon as we will explain more of the things SBGR is doing to preserve the environment.  Feel free to leave a comment with any questions you may have.

By: Eric Bettermann

By: Duane Halverson

Some of the questions that we are asked most frequently are, “Who are buying all your lots?”  “Do they live in large cities or are they from rural areas?”  “Are they young people, middle aged, or retired?”  “Are they very wealthy or are they middle income?”  Interestingly, the answer to all these questions is YES!

Currently, we have buyers from Costa Rica, Canada, the United States, England, and France.  Within the United States, buyers are from Oregon to Virginia and from Minnesota to Georgia and Florida.  We have folks from large cities, such as London, England, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Los Angeles, California, and Paris, France.  We also have buyers from the rural areas in Iowa, South Dakota, and Oregon.  Buyers range in age from the mid-30’s to the late 60’s.  They are farmers, teachers, CEO’s of companies, military people, people who work for $20,000,000,000 companies, and those who are self-employed.  Some buyers are in the first quarter of their careers, while others are retired.  Some have been to Costa Rica numerous times, while others never have.  Some are planning to build a home on their property and live there all or part of the year, while others has bought lots solely as an investment.

Thus, the key characteristic of our buyers is not age, income level, current location, or a common reason for purchasing.  Instead, we have found that the characteristic that the overwhelming percentage of our buyers have in common is the philosophy of life, or simply “attitude.”

Our buyers tend to have a very positive attitude.  They see the glass as “half full,” not “half empty.”  They also have an appreciation for beauty and adventure.  Those who see life as a “cookie cutter” approach and want no new experiences are not our prospects or buyers.  Our buyers are full of life, celebrate the unexpected, such as a monkey running across the highway or a toucan in a nearby tree, and enjoy learning new things, meeting new people, learning (or trying to learn!) a different language, and trying new foods.  In other words, they are great people to be around.

If you have purchased one of our properties, we say, “Thank you and welcome aboard!”  If you haven’t considered purchasing, the obvious question is, “Why not?”  Come and join us in a truly great lifetime experience.