Reflections: Granada, Nicaragua...

ISSUE #694: Jan. 21-27, 2018

2018-01-29

Brian Timmons, Newsletter Author
Brian Timmons

Dear friends,

When I started Residencias Los Jardines, I started writing a weekly newsletter -determined to tell all the good, bad, and the ugly. I knew some readers would be interested in the construction process. I expected others might be interested in the lifestyle of two people who had decided to live outside the box. For others, the adventures of Lita, the parrot and the cat took on an entertainment saga all its own.

Residencias Los Jardines is finished. We periodically have re-sales and rental availability. Some readers may be interested in this information.

Brian Timmons
Developer / Property manager
Residencias Los Jardines

Web: https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com
Emails: info@residenciaslosjardines.com
ResidenciasPropertyManagement@gmail.com

Featured
rentals & sales

Paradisus Condos / Rohrmoser
FOR SALE / RENT
Visit our website

Paradisus Condos - click to visit

Each of the units consists of two bedrooms / two bathrooms, and a large living/dining/kitchen area. The floor plan of each of these units has eliminated the optional "den / office" divider. The result is a larger area offering more flexible furniture arrangements while still maintaining the option of including an office area. At 105m2 plus two parking spots each and storage locker, they offer a great opportunity for someone seeking views, security, central location, and first class, all round living...

PRICE REDUCTION
Semi furnished unit: For sale: $235,000
Fully furnished unit: For sale: $245,000
Floor 12 -west view

Market activity
sales & rentals

Sales: Los Jardines: Units #106A, #114 and #124

Rentals:

Paradisus: Nothing available

Los Jardines: Nothing available

Residencias Los Jardines
property management, rentals & re-sales

FOR SALE
Unit #106A: $ 165,000 / See Unit
Unit #114: $ 199,000 / See Unit
Unit #124: $ 135,000 / See Unit

For sale

UNIT #106A
FOR SALE
$ 165,000

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1250
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Apartment
Furnished: Yes

This is a fully furnished 2-bedroom unit situated in a 2-story building, which has two units on the ground floor and two units on the 2nd. floor. Each unit is the same size (1,250sf) divided into 800 sf of interior space and 450 sf of covered front and back terraces. Units 106A and B are on the ground floor; Units 106 C and D are on the 2nd. Floor. The solid masonry demising wall (common wall) as well as the 5" concrete slab prevent sound transference.

UNIT #114
FOR SALE
$ 199,000

Total Area (Sq Ft): 1290
Total area (Sq M): 120
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Floor(s): 1
Type: Semi-Attached
Furnished: Yes

This 2 bedroom/2bathroom,1,290 sf single floor end unit home includes a 150 sf front terrace plus parking for one car. This house is fully air conditioned and has recently been professionally decorated by international decorator Alcides Graffe and has undergone a complete renovation—new modern furniture, finishings, window coverings, and art work by Carlos Gambino. It is arguably the nicest furnished unit at Residencias Los Jardines and only steps from the pool

UNIT #124
FOR SALE
$ 135,000

Total Area (Sq Ft): 662
Total area (Sq M): 61
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Floor(s): 2nd Floor
Type: Semi-Detached
Furnished: Yes

This 662 sf, + covered parking for one car, is a one bedroom home on the 2nd floor overlooking the large pool. It is ideal for a single person or couple.

Our Lives

Weather: We continue to experience "cold fronts"... high winds, cool higher temperatures than in previous years.

Lot-Districto Cuatro: I will have the debris cleared and the house painted this week -this is like putting lipstick on a pig but... someone might kiss the pig... at the right price. I will also work on an ad...

Reflections on Granada and Nicaragua: It is a lively place and a destination worth going to. I don't think I will return soon... the border was simply a turn off... I really don't need that hassle having been to Granada many, many times. However, even in Granada, the prices are about half of what they are in CR... outside of Granada, it is even cheaper. Driving was o.k... roads are good... parking in Granada did work out... at the fire station... $1.50 a day for secured parking. The property management did end up doing a decent job and I did not cite them for anything... really the only disappointment we had was the directions were not accurate... We had some good food; and others in the group had a good time... IF and WHEN I return, it will most likely be by bus... it is not cheaper to drive nor is it any faster... and he bus is a lot less hassle...

Birthday #72: Yes, it happened Thursday... we went to Bacchaus in Santa Ana with friends... it was a disappointment... won't be going there again for some time regardless of who's dime it is on...

Taxes: that time of year... every government wants money: RE taxes are due, corporate taxes due, income taxes due, car taxes, Municipal governments and two countries, three federal governments... Applications in progress to two governments and supporting documentation being accumulated... and re-filling forms when I screw up the first and second time... it never ends... I keep striving for a simpler life... it is elusive... like a rainbow's end...

News Items of the Week

Comments:

1) Economic outlook: CR will continue to grow but at a slower pace with more inflation likely. The outlook is tempered by the nearfterm election to the federal government. As shown below, as of now, there is no clear front runner.

2) Historical Government Deficit: regardless of who wins, there is no money.

3) Main Concerns of Electorate: employment, security and government corruption...

4) Hospital Metroploitano: a great alternative to the expat oriented expensive private hospitals... I have used Metropolitano as well as have friends and we all rate it excellent value. and now they are expanding their footprint...

1. Economy will show slow growth, according to forecast
By A.M Costa Rica staff

The growth of economic production during the first quarter of the year will be below 3.5%, according to the Performance Forecast of the Costa Rican Economy carried out by the Research Institute of Economic Sciences of the University of Costa Rica (UCR).

This growth is lower than that expected one year earlier when it was 4.18% during the same period.

According to Rudolf Lücke, a researcher at the Institute, such a low growth figure has not been seen since the beginning of 2015.

"The pace of growth of private consumption has weakened; the consumer is showing more caution. The weight of growth lies with exporters, although consumption is still important," said the specialist.

Lücke added that the expectation of higher prices and interest rates negatively influence spending.

Inflation, on the other hand, is projected to start the year growing at a faster pace than the previous year.

While the increase in the general level of prices was 1.58% during the first quarter of 2017, for the period between January and March 2018 it is expected to be between 2.5% and 3.5%.

Among the factors that explain the changes in the rhythm of year-on-year inflation is the drastic volatility in the domestic price of fuels and the increase in the price of food and raw materials.

The analysts of the UCR estimate that the passive basic rate could grow in the first months of this year reaching 6.5%. A year ago it was around 4.50%.

On Thursday the quarterly survey on business opinion and expectations for the first quarter was also presented. The results highlight less optimism among entrepreneurs.

The result of the Global Index of business expectations weakened by 2.4% from the previous quarter, standing at 53.6% and matches the second lowest value of the last 7 years in the same period.

The most striking downturns occurred in the agricultural, construction, manufacturing and other services sectors. Only trade showed more optimism due to the payments of school salaries in the public sector.

Regarding employment, 7 out of 10 companies expect to keep their current employment levels. Trade and manufacturing indicate that they may hire additional staff.

Despite this, many businessmen prefer to wait for the election results before making investment decisions, explained Gabriela González, one of the researchers.

The survey was conducted with a sample of 500 businessmen from all over the country during the month of November 2017.

2. Government ended 2017 with historical fiscal deficit

According to Finance Minister Helio Fallas, the government’s fiscal deficit reached ¢2.02 trillion (billion), the equivalent of 6.2% of the country’s GDP, by the end of 2017. This figure is the highest since 1994, when the State took on the bankruptcy of Anglo Bank.

Tax revenues for 2017 grew by 5.3%, the lowest figure in the last five years. Fallas explained that this is due to a fall in the collection of sales tax (it grew by just 2.8%), although the growth income tax (10%) is also lower than in 2016.

For the first time in history, revenue collection exceeded that of sales,” said the minister, who added that the greater growth of the economy in the service sectors and the drop in the import of vehicles had an impact on income from sales tax.

Spending increased to 9.1%. It also increased as a percentage of GDP, representing 20.7% in 2017, the highest since 2009. In this area, the government managed to reduce the growth of salaries, but not interest on debt.

When we arrived at the Government we found a series of structural problems to which we tried to give an answer, in order to make progress,” said Fallas.

Fallas believes that the implementation of the Virtual Tax Administration (ATV), the Unique Tax Registry (RUT), and the Electronic Invoice have modernized part of the collection.

3. CIEP reveals Costa Ricans’ concerns before elections

In addition to revealing that Fabricio Alvarado is in the lead, the survey of the Center for Research and Political Studies (CIEP) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) revealed what are the most important problems for Costa Ricans in the face of the elections of February 4th: Unemployment, insecurity and corruption continue to occupy the first places.

Although in the electoral campaign various issues have emerged as priorities, political parties have not managed to position some of them as the central theme of their campaign, which has led to the absence of a clear discourse.

In the third quarter of 2017, the country’s unemployment rate got to 9.4 and was the highest reported in the year, although it was lower than the one from the same period in 2016. Despite this slight improvement, it still tops the list of concerns in the country. Nearly 30% of the respondents stated that this is the main problem that afflicts the country.

After unemployment, there’s insecurity and crime. According to data provided to the Center’s researchers, the country ended 2017 with the highest number of homicides in its history. 20% of the respondents ranked this problem second, although in October it had been surpassed by corruption, a problem that is currently in the third place.

The CIEP is surprised that, despite the country’s fiscal situation and the delays in transferring salaries and pensions in the public sector, this is not an issue of importance for Costa Ricans. Out of the 1,013 people interviewed, only 2% recognized it as a problem, that is, only 20 people approximately.

The last problem according to the survey is the infrastructure and the state of the roads.

4. Who Will Win the Elections in Costa Rica This February and Why?

While the last poll conducted by the Center for Political Studies and Investigation of the University of Costa Rica (CIEP-UCR) revealed that 27% of the voters in Costa Rica still have not decided who to vote for, the support for other candidates appears to be motivated by religious beliefs, tradition or populism.

On Tuesday, the poll by CIEP-UCR showed evangelical pastor Fabricio Alvarado, the candidate for the National Restoration Party (PRN), ahead in the elections race by 16%; back in December this candidate had a support of only 3% according to the poll carried out by this same entity, and it was Juan Diego Castro, candidate of the National Integration Party (PIN) who was ahead with 18%.

The sudden support received by Fabricio Alvarado is attributed to the recent ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding same-sex marriage and transgender rights, which states that the rights of same-sex couples should be recognized and guaranteed and that the transgender population must have the right to change their name and gender in their official documents, ruling which the Costa Rican government must comply with; however, many religious groups have spoken loud and clear about their opposition to this ruling, and they have then manifested themselves supporting a candidate that identifies with their position and defends what these group consider as “family and moral values”.

Reactions to the results of this poll came swiftly, and just a few hours later information platform Bloomberg highlighted a “crash” in Costa Rican bonds; however, the “Crash” was a drop of close to 1%, described by financial experts as a “normal” movement prior to an election process where the uncertainty becomes a key issue affecting the financial market; it has happened in other election processes in Costa Rica and other countries, like the USA for example prior to the Trump election.

Juan Diego Castro came in on second place in the CIEP-UCR poll published this Tuesday, a candidate that has been aggressive and critical about traditional political parties, particularly the National Liberation Party (PLN) he used to belong to; the fact that he promises “a change” makes him a popular choice.

An interesting fact to mention is that there have been several polls carried out by authorized companies in the past ten days, and the results of the same differ from one another, in some cases drastically, for instance, the poll by Cid Gallup shows Alvarez Desanti (PLN) in the first place, followed by Fabricio Alvarado and Juan Diego Castro; the poll by Opol Consultores published January 19 shows Alvarez in first place with 22%, followed by Juan Diego Castro and Fabricio Alvarado; and the poll by Demoscopía showed Alvarez first, followed by Rodolfo Piza (PUSC) and Juan Diego Castro in third position.

One thing is sure, none of the polls have any of the candidates close to reaching the 40% required to win the elections and all surveys coincide in the fact that the biggest group is the one that hasn’t decided who to vote for.

There’s only 10 days left before the elections in Costa Rica (February 4) and this situation makes us wonder, if that group of people that have not decided who to vote for will be motivated by their religious beliefs, their family’s political tradition, promises of a change that may or may not be possible or perhaps they are taking their time to really evaluate who has the best and more realistic proposals with regards to the problems the country faces: the fiscal crisis, corruption, insecurity, inequities, public transportation, etc. and the knowledge, capacity and team to make these proposals a reality. There’s 13 candidates to choose from.

5. Hospital Metropolitano Continues Expansion In Costa Rica

The Hospital Metropolitano (Metropolitan Hospital) in Costa Rica continues its growth and announced the opening of between 15-20 service centers in 2018; it also signed a collaborative agreement with Sanford Health.

The Metropolitan Hospital was born in 2010, and Grupo Montecristo is the majority owner, currently it has more than 30 service centers between clinics, hospitals and corporate doctor offices. Francis Durman, spokesperson of the Metropolitan Hospital, confirmed they will continue with their expansion plans with new services both in and out of the Great Metropolitan Area.

The announcement was also made that Sanford World Clinic is providing strategic and operational support to the Hospital Metropolitano health system as it experiences this dynamic growth across the country.

Sanford World Clinic was launched in 2007, supported by philanthropy, the initiative is designed to foster partnership with health care leaders in the development of sustainable services around the world.

“With these partnerships, we are creating unique opportunities for shared learning,” said Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “This is not something we are pursuing for financial gain, but we believe this type of collaboration will help further our mission of health and healing.”

In the case of the Metropolitan Hospital, Sanford will share knowledge and medical practices to better the attention in the three excellence centers developed by Hospital Metropolitano: oncology, mental health and cardiology. The international firm will also support the objective of performing surgeries in the most efficient way possible and in this way offering quality medical services with lower costs.

The Hospital will share knowledge with Sanford World Clinic regarding its prepaid medical care service MediSmart.

“I believe we will also contribute with them in the topic of medical tourism. We can support them in procedures that are very expensive in the United States; in Costa Rica we can provide the same level of excellence as they offer but with controlled costs”, explained Durman.

FOR RENTAL OR SALES INFORMATION
ON ANY OF THE ABOVE, CONTACT:

Brian C. Timmons
Property Manager RLJ and Newsletter Author

Costa Rica:
Cell: (+506) 8-455-59-35
Land line: (+506) 2282-4142 Ext. 101

Canada:
VOIP: (+416) 461-2203

Web: https://www.residenciaslosjardines.com
Emails: info@residenciaslosjardines.com
ResidenciasPropertyManagement@gmail.com

 
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