For some, a simple 2 bedroom home near the beach or on a hillside is the dream home, or a 4 bedroom estate with acreage for others. But once the purchase is complete, you’ll want to find your tribe.

Once my clients tell me their wish list – number of bedrooms, an ocean view versus a valley or beach view, in town, or up on a mountainside – I’m surprised at how many I then have to ask about hobbies, the physical activities they enjoy, and how social they plan to be once settled in.

It’s human nature to be attracted to others with similar interests. Back home in Canada I never thought I would be moving to Costa Rica at 47 years of age, and after picking up a surf board for the first time I would soon become friends with such a broad age demographic. From 25 to 75! Although I felt like I’d discovered something secret, I quickly realized it was more like, “the last one to know.”

Is cooking your passion? Several local and expat chefs immediately come to mind in the Costa Ballena area. Rancho Cielo Alto in Playa Hermosa is one excellent example. Chef Jasmin’s food is a stunning surprise to the palate, made with local ingredients, many of which are grown on the family farm. The experience includes an introduction to each course that creates an anticipation that is quickly rewarded with the first bite. Chef Jasmin is just one of the area chefs that also provides cooking classes. It may seem intimidating at first. Where do I meet people? Is there a hiking club? Does anyone else like to paint rocks or make jewelry? How will my kids make friends? Well, with a little effort on your part it’s actually pretty simple. For starters, just talk to people – total strangers! In the grocery line, at the hardware store, a simple smile and “hello.” Volunteer with a local charity to walk rescue dogs, or at a local wildlife sanctuary, and don’t forget Facebook! Most communities have facebook pages for information – a forum to ask questions. There’s a Bulletin Board page, a Yard Sale page, an LGBTQ Social Networking group page, and many more. All right here in the jungle! So rest assured, even before you sign the closing documents you can easily search out several events and activities that will have you being social before your bags are even unpacked!

Written by Ben Rutherford

Ben Rutherford is a Senior Sales Associate with Blue Zone Realty International. He and his husband moved to the Costa Ballena area in 2013 and quickly started to enjoy a social lifestyle volunteering, playing beach volleyball, enjoying a good pot-luck, and hosting new friends at their home!

The post Invest in Your Dream Lifestyle appeared first on Costa Pacifica LIVING.

We are Century 21 Ballena Properties, the go-to real estate professionals based in Ojochal, Costa Rica. We offer ocean view estates, homes and condos in Ojochal, Uvita, Dominical, Herradura, Jaco, Carate, Puerto Jimenez, and La Palma.

All Costa Rica properties in our portfolio are carefully assessed and categorized in order to ensure we offer the best property match according to your criteria and requirements. We will work with you to ensure we only present options that meet your requests.

All Costa Rica properties listed with CENTURY 21 Ballena Properties, will be promoted through our different web portals, press, sent to our extensive database of clients and realtors; they will also be uploaded to CENTURY 21 local, regional and global web pages to ensure maximum outreach. This ample promotion combined with our extensive experience, will facilitate a sale in the least possible time at the best market price possible.

OUR PROMISE: We will handle every detail of the sale/purchase process, looking after the best interest of your investment.

We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with us:

PHONE	EMAIL	WEBSITE
+506 2786 5801	info@c21ballenaproperties	c21ballenaproperties.com

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Exquisite Balinese Home with Tri-Level Waterfall

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Coldwell Banker Costa Rica Coldwell Banker® in Costa Rica is the undisputed local leader in residential and commercial real estate. With more than 3,000 offices world-wide and more than 100 years of existence, Coldwell Banker® is one of the oldest and most trusted names in real estate providing proven marketing and client representation systems. Coldwell Banker® Costa Rica features (9) franchise offices located in the most popular Costa Rica destinations.

OUR PEOPLE

Our brokers are highly trained experts in Costa Rica real estate transactions ensuring a safe and smooth purchase or sale. Our brokers are members of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), Certified International Property Specialists (CIPS), Coldwell Banker® International Previews Brokers, members of the Costa Rica Real Estate Board (CCCBR), members of the Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors® (CRGAR), and recognized as “Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate”. Make your real estate investment a memorable and safe experience working with one of our elite professionals.

OUR TECHNOLOGY

ColdwellBankerCostaRica.com is the most comprehensive website for searching residential and commercial properties in Costa Rica. We use the most advanced real estate listing management software in the world giving our clients the most up-to-date selection of properties for sale and rent. The technology also allows us to promote our clients’ properties instantly across a global network of real estate portals. When a Coldwell Banker Costa Rica office is updating a property listing, it is instantly updated across the entire network and any global portals. Our network of nine (9) franchise offices ensures you can search for properties in virtually any region of Costa Rica from the convenience of any of the franchise websites or right here at ColdwellBankerCostaRica.com.

OUR COMMITMENT

Integrity and professionalism are essential for any real estate transaction. Costa Rica does not have many of the same legislative protections in place for real estate buyers and sellers making it crucial to work with a qualified and honest broker who will tell it like it is. We are committed to showing you the properties that meet your criteria and providing professional representation, customer service, and intangible resources that exceed your expectations.

We’d love to hear from you! Contact us today.

PHONE	EMAIL	WEBSITE
+506 2787-0223	info@cbcostarica.com	dominicalrealty.com

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Family Ties

A native Californian raised in a latin family, I always had a draw to Central and South America. With a passion for surfing, it was the perfect choice for me to drive from Mexico to Costa Rica…

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Looking to purchase a new home? 

Avoid feeling overwhelmed and use my experience and knowledge to find the home of your dreams. 

Thinking of selling? 

Exposure is everything. Leverage my experience and marketing tools to turn ‘selling’ into ‘sold’. Have questions? 

ABOUT BLUE ZONE REALTY

We’re here to help find answers and provide insights into the local area. Blue Zone Realty International specializes in vacation homes, residential homes, investments, hotel sales, commercial sales, and developments. Whatever your real estate needs in Costa Rica, we are your concierge-style real estate experts.

MEET THE BLUE ZONE TEAM

Ricardo Bolaños

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We’d love to hear from you! Contact us today.

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+506 8617 0677	janet@bluezonerealty.com	bluezonerealty.com

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• 1% – 2.5%: From ground level, a home with a view overlooking unobstructed open space (not necessarily water as the open space).
• 3% – 5%: A home just high enough to overlook trees or other buildings, with apartially obstructed view.
• 6% – 8%: A good unobstructed view but without much elevation; a home halfway up the hill, for example.
• 9% – 12%: A home at the top of a hill with an unobstructed view (of a landmark, city or other).
• 15% – 20%: A water view. An outstanding, unobstructed view of a big lake or ocean can start at a price increase of 15%, and if highly unique, prices can increase vastly.

On average, it is found that grand open views of water that are highly exclusive can add up to 59% of the value of a property.* It is noteworthy, that as the distance from the coast increases the impact on value greatly diminishes. Other important factors include attractive landscaping, which on average adds 5% to the value, buildings in a property’s neighborhood add 37% to the value, and attractive improvements in the immediate surroundings of a property add another 27% to value*. The overall conclusion is that aesthetics are multi-dimensional and can havean important impact on property value. A one of a kind view may be worth the investment and creating your own garden can turn in to more than a hobby; it could be a great investment choice in the end.

†Merilyn, Lewis. “What’s the value of a view?” MSN Real Estate. Microsoft, 25 May 2013. Web. 01 11 2013. <http://realestate.msn.com/whats-the-value-of-a-view>.

*Bourassa S C, Hoesli M, Sun J, 2004, “What’s in a view?” Environment and Planning A 36(8) 1427 – 1450.

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