|
Why Costa Rica? |
Costa Rica is world renowned for its sport fishing, tropical
rain forest, canopy tours, volcanoes, surfing, white water rafting
and not to mention its great night life (casinos, restaurants, night
clubs) Major hotel chains have built or are building hotels and
beach resorts here, including such luminaries as HILTON CORAL,
MARRIOTT, JW MARRIOTT, BARCELO, FOUR SEASONS, HYATT, RITZ CARLTON,
CLUB MED, HOLIDAY INN, RADISSON, BARCELO MELIA, INTERCONTINENTAL AND
BEST WESTERN just to name a few. In fact major beach front and beach
side developments, marinas and golf courses are under construction or
are finished on the Central and Northern Pacific Coasts
(Guanacaste). To understand this boom all you have to do is come and
experience Costa Rica's pleasant year round climate, see its
beautiful lush green mountains and enjoy one of its many pristine
beaches.
Costa Rica's Real Estate Boom
The U.S. National Association of Realtors says Americans are
buying second homes in record numbers, thereby driving up the cost
of vacation homes everywhere in the United States. In fact a recent
newspaper article stated that one in every seven people in the
United States now lives in an area bordering the coast.
The simple fact is that almost every bit of coastline property
world wide is becoming overcrowded and overpriced. This scarcity has
contributed to a high level of interest in Costa Rica because it is
still very cheap in comparison to the world market.
Coastal real estate values in North America, Europe and Asia
have reached epic proportion pricing most buyers out of the market. You now have
Americans and Europeans buying Costa Rican property in record numbers. This
movement of property
in Costa Rica is very similar to what happened in California and
Hawaii 30 years ago. The exposure that Costa Rica has received over the last decade
has exploded. As in any situation with demand outpacing supply the results are always
higher prices. Imagine
the ability to position yourself before the next real estate
boom. If you are a visionary we believe Costa Rica real estate has a lot of similarity to
property values 30 years ago in the U.S., offering an investor the perfect balance of low
risk and high potential
reward at affordable pricing.
Who Comes to Costa Rica?
Intel, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble...
The beauty of this opportunity is synonymous to adding paint to
a blank canvas. Well funded international corporations continue to expand and create
high paying jobs by adding infrastructure to the surrounding area, resulting in a
priceless work of art. Costa Rica has everything that a sophisticated, international
investor needs in a global financial center.
It's a beautiful, stable and peaceful country with good privacy
laws, and hard working, qualified professionals who will ensure that your
assets are protected. Intel has a sizable operation here in Costa Rica and contributes a
very significant amount to the gross domestic product of the country.
No doubt Intel considered carefully their decision to start
operations in Costa Rica. Many other multinational companies such as
Microsoft, Procter & Gamble,
Lucent and Bristol Myers have taken advantage of the Costa Rican IT
level. In that
regard, companies like Abbott Labs, Chiquita Brands, Esso,
Texaco, 3M, UPS, DHL, Gillette, Warner Lambert, Xerox, Glaxo Smith Kline, Johnson
& Johnson, SC Johnson, Sherwin Williams, Sony Music, Pfizer,
Kimberly Clark,
Manpower, Dole Fresh Fruit, Colgate Palmolive, LL Bean, Alcatel,
BASF, KPMG, Price Waterhouse, Deloitte & Touche, 3-Com, Motorola,
Oracle, Perkins Elmer, Western Union, Unisys and Cisco Systems
have made huge investments in Costa Rica.
It is estimated that non Costa Rican companies invested over
US$600 million in Costa Rica just in the year 2000 alone. Just as Intel carefully
considered their decision to invest in Costa Rica, so should you. So keep in mind
— as these large corporations increase the purchasing power of the local consumer
thru well paying jobs, demand for real estate will increase.
Living Conditions
It is widely known that Americans have flocked to Costa Rica for
vacations and to live as expatriates since the 1960's. But did you know that the
European population, from the German and Italian communities, have come to this
little slice of paradise for years? It is not uncommon to hear their languages spoken
easily in the restaurants and bistros located throughout Costa Rica. This in turn has
given Costa Rica a distinct flavor as a melting pot of cultures.
These expatriates, as they are called, who have made Costa Rica
their new home enjoy an enhanced quality of life that includes:
• Excellent MEDICAL CARE with
an average life span of almost 80 years.
• PEACEFUL democratic country
for over 50 years.
• ENGLISH is the second
language, spoken by over half the population.
• All the MODERN conveniences
of home while feeling you are a world away.
• Climate (average temperature
27C / 82F).
• Beautiful AFFORDABLE real
estate with LOW tax rates.
• Unlimited business
OPPORTUNITIES with a government eager to attract foreign investors.
• CONVENIENT location to the
U.S. and Canada
Business Environment
According to a 2003 study by the MIAMI
HERALD and FORTUNE MAGAZINE:
COSTA RICA was the 27th safest country for investments of 140
countries surveyed (the U.S. was ranked 22nd) San Jose (capital of Costa
Rica) ranked as the 5th best city in which to do business in 2004, the amount of
visitors topped 1.4 million, which means compared to 2003 an increase of 18% to 20%
this year while total exports increased by 2.17%.
Other benefits include:
• Legal guarantees,
predictability and economic freedom
• Preferential access to
important markets
• Attractive tax incentives
• Good complement of major
foreign companies
• Worldwide telecommunications
services
• Favorable government
attitude towards foreign investment, free enterprise,
and free trade
• Excellent investment
incentives especially in free zones
• Excellent living standards
and the world's best climate
• No army
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
