Happy customer
Good Evening Bob and Freddy
Just a brief note to tell you ... Thank you!
Money has been wired and Sale complete.
You guys are True Blue Quality people that I am Indeed pleased to call my friends.
All the behind the scenes activity to make this sale happen is recognized and appreciated.
When my Dad told me that there would be people I would meet in this world that were Honest , True and
Just plain Fun to be around , you guys fit the Bill just right.
I am Truly blessed to be part of what you are doing in CR.
My most sincere Thanks again for a Job well done.
Your Bro
Jon Jacob
Our experience with buying and building
in Loma del Mar, Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
My wife and I met some friends of ours from California in Playa Hermosa back in January for a Surfing Vacation. During our time there we started thinking about possibly looking for a small piece of land or small vacation home. Our friends left a few days before us so we decided to take a day and just look around. First we visited the ReMax Realty office in Playa Hermosa. We were shocked by the prices…. and not in a good way. We both left ReMax wondering if our dream of owning something in the area was even feasable. When we left ReMax we were pretty down on our chances of being able to buy a piece of land or home. As we were driving back to the Backyard Hotel I noticed the sign for Ranchos las Lomas and Loma del Mar. I had seen both of them advertised on the rovercam.com website and we had also seen the signs for Ranchos las Lomas when we were on our way to Manuel Antonio National Park near Quepos. I told my wife that we should ride over to Loma del Mar and check it out as I knew it had been a long established Surf Camp that was run by the Garson Family for years. We drove down Calle Hermosa and pulled into Loma del Mar Surf Camp. We parked and just started walking around and were met by a guy who was renting a Villa there. He told us that the Garsons were in the process of sub-dividing the camp and turning it into a gated community that catered towards surfers and outdoor enthusiasts. He offered to call the Real Estate Broker and have him come up and meet us as he just lived down the road a few hundred meters. I said, “sure, what do we have to lose”. In about 5 minutes the Broker, Freddy, pulled up and introduced himself. Not at all what I expected. Here was someone a lot like us…. young, energetic and a surfer on top of that, not to mention the fact that he spoke perfect english. Freddy proceeded to take us around the property and show us the various lots and amenities offered in Loma del Mar. We started to think that it might actually be possible to own something in Costa Rica.
Freddy also took us to see some other houses a few miles away that they had built so that we could see what to expect and see what things would cost. During that time he also helped explain the process of buying land and building in Costa Rica. Freddy took at least 2 hours out of his day off to show us around and treated us like we had known him forever.
After we had looked around and gotten our fill of stuff we decided that we should talk about it and get back with Freddy the next day. He had no problem with that and gave us all of his contact information and told us to call when we were ready. I remember that night very well. My wife and I must have discussed the possibilities for hours. We decided that we should meet with Freddy again and look at some more parcels of land in Loma del Mar just to make sure that’s what we really wanted to do. After meeting with Freddy again we decided to talk to a lawyer and establish a Costa Rican LLC in case we decided to buy something. Freddy introduced us to a lawyer and we went through the process of setting up the LLC. We also asked the lawyer a thousand questions about the process of buying land in Costa Rica.
Everything that he told us went along with what we had read and also with what Freddy had told us. Needless to say we were both kind of apprehensive after reading stories of people that had been scammed on land purchases in Costa Rica. Based on meeting Freddy and talking to the lawyer we decided that we were on the right path and went back to Loma del Mar one more time with Freddy. During the whole process Freddy was not pushy or anxious. He let us decide what we wanted to do and was there to answer all of our questions. There was not a single question that he could not give us a definitive answer for. That was another point that made me feel more secure about purchasing from Loma del Mar.
On our last visit to Loma del Mar we met Richard Garson. Richard was not pushy or anything like that either. He came across as someone that is very laid back yet very professional. We looked around and gave Freddy a rough commitment on lot number 15. He asked for a $5000.00 deposit which could be paid once we returned home and had time to get our finances straight. We left Costa Rica the next day and headed home and started to make plans to get our deposit in to Freddy. We wired the deposit to the Lawyers escrow account and the process officially began. Within a month or so we had closed on the property and officially owned land in Costa Rica. The next step was to start building a house. Freddy offered to contract the house for us and we started working on all of the necessary permits and designs for the house. Again, everything that he told us was 100% correct. The longest part of the whole thing was waiting on the permits to be approved. It generally takes a few months for the architect to do the plans and then have them approved for building permits. We got the permits and decided to make another trip down in June to go over the plans with our builder and discuss some small changes. When we arrived our lot was graded and the footers were dug for the foundation. During the two weeks that we were there the builder poured the foundation and started laying block. The walls were up to my chest by the time we left. That is when it hit us that we were actually going to have a house in Costa Rica. During the building process Freddy kept us updated with photos and emails weekly. It was amazing to see the work that they accomplished each week. The builder assured us that they would work very hard and have the house completed in around 3 months. As they progressed we kept thinking about when to go back and check on things. Freddy had everything so organized that I didn’t really need to be there to check on things. It was so much easier than I ever thought it would be. In September we returned for two weeks and the house was nearly complete. We went over small finishing details with Freddy and the builder and when we left there were only just a few tiny details to finish up like having the A/Cs installed and also adding a small Rancho on the side of the house. Both of which are now complete and our house is done and waiting for us to come back in November. I can say without hesitation that Freddy, Richard and the rest of the people behind Loma del Mar are on top of their game. Everything that we were told was 110% true and happened as they said it would. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again. There was not one single time when I questioned our decision or became frustrated with the process. I still cannot believe that everythng went so smooth. I cannot say enough good things about our experience. I would reccommend Loma del Mar or Ranchos las Lomas without hesitation. These guys have the whole process and area wired. Plus, for those of you that surf, they will join you in the line-up every day and you will have the opportunity to, as Freddy says, become famous on the Rovercam! All in all a great experience and one of the best decisions that we ever made. If we hadn’t met Freddy, Richard, Bob and the rest of the guys from Loma del Mar I am sure that we would not own a place in Costa Rica. Freddy, thanks again for all of your hard work. I can’t tell you how much Beth and I appreciate it. Please post my email address with this so that people can feel free to email me with any questions.
Alex H
alex2@aholdendesigns.com
Lenoir NC USA
