One of the most underutilized facilities on a property, whether it's a business or residence, are the ones outdoors. The phrase “weather permitting” is one you will find attached to several outdoor activities and events. There are several different methods used to combat the rain, wind, and sun and make exterior gathering areas usable for more days out of the year. Gazebos and canopies provide shelter from the sun and rain. Screens act as a windbreaker and keep out the bugs. Temperature, though, is difficult to control without placing so many physical barriers that your exterior area becomes interior. If it's too hot, people tend to stay indoors.

Costa Rica's tropical climate can be uncomfortable to those not adjusted to it. Exceptionally humid days compound the effect, and the heat will feel absolutely oppressive. The key to minimizing the heat is to view it as it relates to people. While the actual temperature outside can be high, the perceived temperature is what matters to those using the facility....

While people, in general, would prefer to live green and embrace green technology, it's unlikely that they would welcome a situation without the modern conveniences that we've grown accustomed to. When you flip a switch, you expect a light to go on. It can be disconcerting when it doesn't happen because most people are used to being connected to a power grid with a seemingly endless supply of energy. That being said, some of your customers might worry about connection to an alternative-source grid or being a freestanding entity.

The main concern of the average person, when contemplating a home on a green power grid or a self-sufficient home, is that the natural resource being tapped is unstable or won't produce enough power to meet their needs. While solar panels are usually attached to a battery for night-time use, the weather is a mitigating factor. If the power is used at night and there's a few rainy days in a row, even a massive battery system will eventually run out. Wind turbines can suffer from...

What's the difference between a LEED Certified development and one that's LEED Platinum Certified? Quite a bit. LEED certification comes in varied levels as judged by a LEED inspector. There is a checklist for developers to follow for acquiring points, and the LEED inspector verifies that the proper procedures and materials have been used. Once the total number of points has been determined, the development is assigned a level of certification ranging from the bottom, simply LEED Certified, all the way to the top of the scale, LEED Platinum.

There are different subsets of certified developments including homes, schools, commercial buildings, and more. While you can apply for LEED certification after construction has begun, it is prudent to start the process before you break down as LEED Platinum requires a start-to-finish inspection of the building process. It requires that all aspects be examined including: “sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor...

You have a place, a plan, and a team of motivated professionals ready to start your development. However, you're not quite ready to break ground yet. You need to rally the troops, organize some teams, and make sure that the plan you've created can be executed efficiently. Even if you have a top-notch development and support team with previous experience in developing real estate in Costa Rica, it's not a good idea to send them out on their own without direction. If you're in charge of the development, then you better be at the helm of the ship the whole time. Development in Costa Rica is much like anywhere else, so these rules will translate easily to other areas.

We'll continue to assume that you're developing a residential community in an entirely blank area. First things first, you need to divide your pool of labor into teams. To think of it in military terms, your entire human resources pool is a company. It's convenient because it's your company, and that correlates in essence to a military “company”....

When planning any size of project, the key component is research. You should know who you're selling to, what they want, and where they would like it to be located. For example, if you're planning on a building a high-end community, you wouldn't want to place it in an economically depressed area unless you were absolutely positive that there are certain redeeming factors that would attract your desired demographic to your development. Also, you must consider whether your project is a long or short-term investment and whether your infrastructure can handle it.

Let's suppose you've found an attractive stretch of land which is in the path of growth of a moderate-sized city in Costa Rica. We will also assume that you're planning on building a residential community on that property. No matter the type of development you are planning or the location, the same factors will come into play and should be carefully examined.

Once you have a location and an idea, it's time to do some research to develop that...

When attempting to create a sustainable development, there are three primary factors you must consider. The environmental, social, and economic implications of a development must be balanced to provide the optimal condition. Each arm of a sustainable development must be addressed, and there's much more to it than just building a green home which addresses the issues of environmental sustainability. In this post, I'm going to examine each arm of sustainable development in its extreme and bring them together in balance at the end.

The Environmental Arm

This is the first thing that comes to mind when sustainability is discussed. The extreme of this arm is an absolutely “green home” which strives for zero impact on the surrounding environment. An absolute green home can be imagined as one which is closely integrated with the environment. It uses completely biodegradable building materials, disturbs none of the wildlife, uses unobtrusive technology such as passive solar, and produces zero waste. All...

After reading Jesse Bogan's article, “Trouble in Paradise”, on the Forbes website, I was dismayed by the inaccurate portrayal regarding the amount of squatters in Costa Rica and the laws regarding them. The cases mentioned were anomalies that could have been prevented if the offended parties had followed the proper procedures and taken precautions which would be considered basic in any real estate transaction of that nature. They are not representative of the vast number of real estate transactions which take place in Costa Rica every year, and I would like to lay to rest some of the concerns raised by Bogan in that article by examining a selection of those cases, showing where the buyer could have prevented the issue, and briefly covering some ways you should protect your investment if you choose to buy real estate in Costa Rica.

In that article, Bogan names several cases where squatters have settled on a piece of land and caused trouble for the owner—then proceeds to report on one-sided opinions which...

The words “environmental responsibility” may invoke thoughts of donating your time and resources to making the world a better place for yourself and those around you, doing your part to preserve the natural beauty of the land. While that is certainly an aspect of environmental responsibility, there are many benefits for businesses, homeowners, and developers to invest in eco-friendly Real Estate. Central America is the perfect place to start, and the best time to get started is now.

The Benefits of Environmental and Social Responsibility

When considering a location for development, one of the most attractive factors is the aesthetic quality of the land surrounding the property. Most homeowners would place their dream home on a beach, overlooking a canyon, or placed in some other beautiful location which is untouched by the relentless flow of glass, concrete, and steel. However, proximity to businesses and work is an equally important factor. So, how do you balance natural beauty with modern convenience?...

Developing Real Estate in any country can be considered a craft, and it is more than procedural tasks to be checked off of a list. It is a combination of analysis and intuition, economics and risk, detailed planning and emotional selling, diplomacy and aggressive tenacity. Both sides of the brain need to be involved, all the time. In Central America, there are unique issues in the development process, and Costa Rica has its own very specific critical components. Hopefully, my advice will stimulate some thought for those in the quest to become a Costa Rica Developer.

 In my 22 years developing and selling real estate projects ranging from a single Fourplex to hundreds of condominiums and home sites, hotel/casinos, multifamily units, retail, and now Golf Course themed residential and mixed use communities, I have, thankfully, never stopped learning. In the articles that follow, I will attempt to distill some of what I have learned into something that will help you avoid the “brain damage” that can occur...