What's Going on with Puntarenas?

Wow, this little port town is really growing up. Paved roads and parking, shops and restaurants? Swimming pools, Marina and boat rentals too? It's looks more like a Florida fishing village then the Puntarenas we used to know.

Actually this has been in the planning for 5 years and is one of the improvements to the area that Monterra has expected. Remember, when we first moved to this area there was on 1 small ferry (30 cars) going to across the bay (now 2-160 car ferries). We knew all that was going to change, and it has. Getting to the Peninsula is fast and easy today, and by the time you wait for a commuter flight and fly here, you may as well drive to Puntarenas, shop, eat and take the ferry across. Scenic and fun.  Or from Playa Tambor, visiting San Jose or Jaco just got better too! 5 years ago this was full day commitment - today, a few hours.

All this is part of the government's commitment to modernize and develop this special area of Costa Rica. Ask any Costa Rican where the most beautiful place in the country is and they will most likely tell you it's the Nicoya Peninsula. And now this World famous 'Blue Zone' is more accessible to everyone.

Costa Rica, Canada and The Playa Tambor Area.

Costa Rica and Canada to expand trade agreement

Posted: Monday, June 18, 2012 - By Tico Times

Representatives from both countries met in San José last week.

Canada’s trade minister, Ed Fast, on Monday announced the successful conclusion of a fourth round of negotiations to modernize the Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement. Negotiations took place in San José last week.
“To create new opportunities for Canadian workers, businesses and investors, we are working closely with our Costa Rican partners to modernize our agreement by removing more barriers to trade,” Fast said.
The original Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 2002 but did not include provisions in such areas as cross-border trade in services, financial services, investment and government procurement. An expanded agreement will create new opportunities for Canadian businesses and provide them with a competitive edge in many sectors, including construction, manufacturing, financial services and telecommunications, officials said.
Since 2006, Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with Central America has risen by 16.7 percent. Costa Rica accounted for 11.8 percent of Canada’s two-way merchandise trade with Central America in 2011.


Why invest in Costa Rica?

The first Costa-Rica thought most of us have, is about the enticing warm climate and the peace loving people. Well, other countries also have those attributes. When we want to make an investment, we consider the security of the investment. This thought leads to questions about the social and political environment of the country. Consider Costa Rica, this way:

Costa Rica is a democracy, has no military, and as a result, has been a peaceful, economically successful country for decades. The population is well educated due to compulsory education which has caused a literacy rate of 96%. In addition, there are 98 specialized schools and 56 universities. Healthcare in Costa Rica, is rapidly becoming a destination location for both medical and dental problems, due to virtues of quality and economy. Many international businesses have recognized the value of a Costa Rican investment. These include Intel, 3M, Walmart, Procter and Gamble and Sony.

At the most recent count, Costa Rica hosted the most tourists of any country in Central America. Over two million tourists arrive each year, and many choose to stay after falling in love with the ecological miracle of the Costa Rica Climate. Costa Rica has been a fierce supporter of the many ecosystems that sustain eco-tourism. Costa Rica has 5% of the world's biodiversity and has converted 29% of the country to parks and forest reserve.

International hotels have experienced growth in their investment in Costa Rica. These hotels include Four Seasons, Hilton, Carlton, RIU, Melia, Occidental, Marriott, Best Western and Barcelo, to name a few. The hotels also like the "Four Seasons" of enticing climate. If you want hot, go to the beach, then go to the mountains for a tropical alpine experience of cool breezes, hydrangeas and coffee plantations.

Costa Rica is on a wave for sail boat and yacht owners. The breezes are gentle, hurricanes always pass Costa Rica and touch land north of the border. Fishing is marvelous, ceviche on board made from freshly caught fish and shell fish is a local delicacy to be experienced. In addition to the marina approved at Punta Piedra Amarilla, other marinas are in operation at Los Sueños, Golfito, Papagayo, and a second is under construction at Quepos. Marinas are already fully leased, with waiting lists. With the attributes of the marina at Punta Pieadra Amarilla, could we expect that it would be fully leased in two years?

The infrastructure of Costa Rica is improved every year. Cell phone coverage is excellent, and most areas have high speed internet and wireless. Costa Rica is the country with the most "green" electrical power generation in the world. Eighty Five percent of the electrical power is produced by wind, hydroelectric or geothermal energy. Potable water is the rule.

Access to Costa Rica is excellent through international air terminals in San Jose and Liberia. Many airlines fly non-stop into Costa Rica. An excellent system of regional airports and airlines means that destinations can be reached easily all over Costa Rica. The national systems of roads is continually being improved. The most recent luxury is the new toll highway that courses through the hill country from San Jose, to the ferry landing on the way to Punta Piedra Amarilla, PLAYA TAMBOR'S NEWEST MARINA PROJECT, being developed by a Spanish / American company.

The best investment in Costa Rica is the human resource. There are over four million people who live in Costa Rica. Of these, 34% are between 15 and 34 years of age. They are well educated due to the excellent education system. You would like their energy and enthusiasm for life. You would like Costa Rica, we do.

Awards:
Some of the Awards earned by Costa Rica in recent times are:

The Safest Destination
The Central American Country of the Future
One of "Cleanest Countries in the World"
The most ethical tourist destination

What makes Playa Tambor so attractive?

Stunning Natural Beauty.
Safety. Although Costa Rica in general is a safe country, this area is especially so. Everyone knows everyone. The area is completely surrounded by Ocean being on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula and unspoiled by problems of large population centers.

The local airport, only a few kilometers from Punta Piedra Amarilla is serviced by several national airlines with many flights each day to the Capital of San Jose as well as other parts of the country.
Large Modern Ferry Service exists every few hours from Paquera to the modern new toll-way to San Jose. Plans are in process to open a new ferry route directly from Puerto Caldera directly to Punta Piedra Amarilla. When this is in place the entire trip from the international airport in San Jose will only be a few hours. Alternatively many people make the trip in only 30 minutes by taking one of the regional flights directly from San Jose.

The area is one of the best fishing grounds in the world. The bay is calm and perfect for all varieties of nautical activity. Nature abounds with Monkeys howling at sunrise. The area is full of mountains, waterfalls, rivers, forests, tropical islands, national parks and preserves. It is a true green paradise.

Located between two important commercial centers; Cobano and Paquera having banks, gas stations, supermarkets, hardware stores as well as medical facilities and business services.
Good Neighbors. The other hotels in the area, such as Barcelo Playa Tambor, Los Delfines, Tambor Tropical Resort, Hotel Costa Coral and Hotel Tango Mar all strive to maintain a green, ecologically sustainable environment.

Blue Flag Beaches. The beaches in the bay have "Blue Flag Status", an official recognition of their pristine and protected status.
Amenities such as golf, tennis, soccer, volley ball, nature trails, nature tours, equestrian are all available.

Building Progress Update.

As construction continues on our customers first 4 homes, many others are anxiously waiting for their home construction permits to arrive.  We are very happy with the current building progress and the performance of our crews. After limiting 2012 builds we now have no doubt in our ability to handle dozens of simultaneous builds in multiple locations. As anticipated, we expect 20 home building permits / construction by years end. 

Valle de Luz Title Process - Board of Directors Call.

GREAT NEWS!

As part of the projects registration process, Monterra Developers are pleased to announce our ability to elect a Board of Directors to the VDL project. The Board will govern, maintain and create regulations for this development, overseeing the future management and quality of VDL.
All  property owners in VDL who wish to be on the board can call us for more info.

(905) 750-0010,

Home Construction Continues!

Just a few pics of process photo's that the owners are looking at weekly on the home-owners web site. When construction begins, customers receive a password account where info and weekly photo's are uploaded to view.

Monterra Purchases Equipment

With the amount of home construction scheduled for this year and 2013 our crews will be working the traditional 12 days on and 3 days off, weekends included. We will likely experience a construction bottleneck from heavy equipments contractors, who run such machinery as backhoes, bulldozers and excavators, as they don't work weekends or extended hours.
So to keep our crews working and our customers homes on schedule Monterra will be acquiring it's own machinery like this new backhoe that arrived last week.

Building Progression Photos.

Here are some construction update photos as we are gaining momentum with our first homes. We will continually post new images as construction proceeds.

Join Our Team and Live in Paradise!

Home Constrcution Orders, Just Starting to Come In!

It's been a busy Fall so far and now that we're headed into the new season (CR summer) our big news is Building, Building and more Building.

Valle de Luz is fully permitted and ready for construction and more infrastructure. The rainy season took it's normal toll on this project but our road crew is headed back into the property now that the summer is almost here.
VDL property owners should have received notice by now to have their corporations opened and prepare for title transfer. Monterra is transferring another 220 titles - just in VDL!

2012 will see the formation of Monterra's new building company which already has 10 homes to start early 2012. We will be posting progression photo's as these homes raise.

According to Costa Rica's development and permitting office, as of fall 2011 Monterra is now the largest owner of titled and permitted properties in the entire peninsula, and we're in the top 5 for the entire country. The Monterra team has worked very hard to achieve this as we've witnessed other developers stall as they try to build without these complicated permits. There are no shortcuts in this country! And we're happy for that.

With our upgrades to the Hotel Costa Coral and our union with powerhouse 'ACI' - Monterra has built new relationships with billion dollar marketing companies such as Groupon and Living Social who are populating the Hotel Costa Coral and driving
interest to our area. This has translated to more property sales and home building enthusiasm. OCR in Canada, will likely focus more on client administration for Monterra allowing these big
companies to handle marketing for us in this new age of promotion. OCR seminars will continue but with focus on home building education with little emphasis on property sales. Our marketing partners will take over in this area.

2012 and 2013 Monterra will be focusing 90% of it's efforts on construction and not land development. This coincides with our business plan for 2012 which put most of our emphasis on home and condo construction. Also this keeps our (the) property
market from inventory saturation allowing land pricing to climb closer to Chicago Title appraisal values, benefiting all. We still have many properties available but the prices will be climbing more dramatically over the next 2 years - and many will be sold with a building contract in place.

This is great time to be involved with our company. If you're considering building then please contact OCR (ask for a 'Architectural Agreement') before the holidays - we're limiting our home numbers in 2012, and already have commitments for 2013.

Monterra Developers,

We will update our BLOG shortly. We have lots to share with you!

Meet Michael!

Many of you have already met Michael as he's been employed by Monterra Developers for more then a year. As we're rapidly moving into home building this year Michael has been busy sharing his home ideas and meeting with customers who are ready to get building. He's also been busy interviewing / hiring our building crews consisting of trade and labor - with their first project being the Monterra warehouse in VDL.
For the past year Michael, who now lives in Playa Tambor, has been researching and assembling a comprehensive quoting sheet of every type of material needed to build and finish a home in Costa Rica. After a year of negotiating and pre-purchasing materials Monterra's exclusive pricing from these suppliers will make our luxury homes very competitive (quality & price) against any builder in Costa Rica.

More info will be coming soon on the Monterra building process and how to get started.

Michael Pechbrenner:

- More than 30 years' experience in construction building.
- Second generation. Credited with projects in; Northern Alberta, British
Columbia, GTA, and 8 years in Florida.
- Florida; Home construction from 6,000 - 18,000 Sq. Ft.
Disney World, Busch Gardens, world famous Hammock Beach Resort (Hard-scape finishes) and many other hospitality, resort and residence construction and finishes.
- Heavily experienced with structural engineering for; Bearing, Uplift, and seismic.
- Engineering, architectural, and construction management skills to complete projects expeditiously with superior results.
- Working with architect for custom home designs to optimize terrain usage, views, functional, with beautification, natural materials, and eco friendly finishes.
- Current in technological improvements and automation for energy savings, security, communication, to simplify life's demands and comfort.
- Experience includes residential construction, commercial construction, government projects, road and parking lot construction, theme parks, city park construction with full understanding of blue print reading which include; elevations, cross sections, inverts, structural, mechanicals,
electrical, finishes, call outs, and sectionals.
- Full experience with project management, project scheduling, project estimating/budgeting.
- Full understanding of North American building codes and engineering. Currently applying skills in Costa Rica for 4 years.

New Tower Now Installed!

As promised 'ICE', Costa Rica's telecommunication company, just installed a new tower down the road from our Valle de Luz entrance. That tower now provides 4G cell phone technology (not 3G) and wireless high speed internet to Monterra's VDL projects including Pacific Blue - right to the beach!

Monterra's New Warehouse.

As planned Monterra Developers are moving quickly into becoming an organized building company. New staff have recently joined our group including an in-house architect (Costa Rican) and our Canadian home builder who comes with 25 years experience building to North American standards. Our construction team is being formed by top trades people in Costa Rica and new home designs are being created weekly! We currently have 9 client homes to build in VDL and RDS which will begin after our warehouse is completed.

Our new warehouse is designed for 10,000 square feet and will be located on VDL next to our nursery (vivero). It's needed for equipment, building materials, tools and security. Once completed it will become the main building and lock-down centre for all Monterra phases. It's vital for the building process and is the final stage before construction begins. We are very excited to be at this stage!

Why is the Southern Nicoya Pennisula so Popular?

We're back in the high season again (Nov. to May) and many more people are showing-up this year to see how beautiful this area is. The word is getting out that Playa Tambor is more accessible than ever and offers true Costa Rican nature, culture and bio-diversity. Costa Rica has determined that this entire area (Southern Peninsula) should be protected from over-development to maintain it's forests and coastlines. Over-development has occurred in some other famous beach towns which has not only hurt those area's ecology but also Real Estate values too!

Daily the ferries/ airplanes are arriving full of people coming to work, play and maybe even live in this area. Even the Cruise Ships, which dock across the bay from the peninsula, are offering passengers excursions to our area for the first time. People are coming to see what we've known for years - but without the threat of high population as the inevitable Real-Estate boom happens.

Monterra Purchases New Development.

Located in one of Tambor's most beautiful areas (known as Tango Mar) is a spectacular property which was has been under the development process for the past 3 years. During this time the previous owner/developer had acquired the necessary development permits to begin infrastructure and building. However due to economic reasons they needed to sell.

Recently Monterra was able to purchase this property at far below the appraised value and will pass those savings on to property purchasers. These are the lowest land prices we've seen in 5 years for a development of this quality. Monterra will only sell 1 per person - we are looking for people who want to start construction either immediately or within a few years and not buyers who want to purchase and flip these lots. Although this is a excellent investment it's also a great opportunity to own a piece a paradise in Costa Rica and build a winter getaway or permanent home.

The development allows for 80 building properties - building can begin immediately. There are already many homes built in the area and the 5 star 'Tango Mar' resort is located just down the road. Other then all the activities the Playa Tambor area offers, from this project you can walk to one of nicest beaches in country or Golf just a few minutes from home.

The project is named 'Pacific Blue' and is Monterra's 4th development site in the Playa Tambor area.
http://www.pacificblueproject.com/
Sales: 1 (877) 313-3336

RDS Roadwork Continues!

This past season Costa Rica property developers have had their roads tested by heavy rains - the heaviest rainy season in decades. Monterra road builders have continued working thorough this entire season as it's the best way to identify areas that need improvement. After a recent inspection we see that our water management systems have performed as they were engineered too and our roads are dry and solid. Electrical plans have now been approved by government and we will begin its distribution by Nov. 29th 2010.

Why is this home unique? Designed for Monterra's Rios del Sol.

A Canadian client together with our CR Architect 'Leon de Leon' have come up with this unique mountain home design that will be built in Phase 1. This home is actually a duplex maximizing its investment function both as a private family retreat and dual rental income potential. Even when the owner is using the home it can still be rented - Great Idea! And a beautiful home too.

What the 'Heck' is happing to Rios del Sol Phase 2 and 3?

This is a popular question these days as we have not written much about these 2 projects for a while.

The RDS phases 2,3 are definitely taking more time then planned but they are well worth the wait, keeping in mind that these river and forested areas are as beautiful as they are protected. It takes a dedicated developer to make certain that they are planned just right and have the ability to build in these regions. It also takes government permissions and with this we have delays - normal for Costa Rica, frustrating for those who are waiting to build.

GOOD NEWS! These lots will be some of the last of their kind in Costa Rica and after this final title process any 5000Sq2m + size properties will be hard to find anywhere! CR's development future is small lots - so for those lucky few who own acre properties, hold on to them! Once the final plans have been approved we will be writing more about Rio's del Sol Phases 2 and 3.