Friday, October 07, 2011
Dear Reader,
Before dawn the first surfers race toward the ocean and the sun begins to unroll a carpet of yellow light across the beach. Soon the clubhouse is buzzing with the breakfast crowd…and I can see neighbors on horseback stopping to chat in the surf.
Rancho Santana on Nicaragua’s South Pacific Coast includes over three miles of one of the world’s most dramatic coastlines. Vertical cliffs drop to flat rock plateaus. Some of the world’s best surf breaks and beaches are here. Close by, you’ll find sandy beaches… perfect for swimming…and rock pools where you can bag the freshest lobster of your life.
You can enjoy sun, sand and surf in Rancho Santana’s 2,700 acres
In Rancho Santana, you have five beaches to choose from. Playa Santana stretches out in front of the clubhouse. My favorite, though, is Playa Escondida. Its name means "Hidden Beach" and that’s just what it feels like. A reef makes it the best beach for snorkelers, and the last time I was there I had it to myself.
These seascapes are truly stunning. But that’s not why I’m here. I’m hunting for undervalued real estate. And it’s all around me. Few coastlines compare. And to quote legendary investor Jim Rogers, "They ain’t making any more of it." But the real estate values don’t reflect this. They reflect fear and misunderstanding.
I’m here because this stretch of coast is one of the most undervalued on earth. You’ll find cheaper…but nowhere will you get this much bang for your buck. Earlier this year in Costa Rica I found a $1.8 million lot. That is 60 miles or so as the crow flies from Rancho Santana. Yet in Santana, ocean-view lots that are nicer start at just $71,500.
I see progress everywhere here, too. Work is well advanced on the new clubhouse area that will include a convention center. Plans are progressing for a boutique inn and new spa area. The furniture and wood finishes are being designed and manufactured on-site in a 10,000-square-foot wood shop. Homes are dotted throughout the 2,700 acres Forbes magazine described as "simply stunning."
Homes here look like they cost millions of dollars…in fact, you can build for a lot less
This morning, fresh vegetables arrived from the organic gardens that have been planted near the stables. A fistful of bok choy landed on the chef’s table to rapturous applause as the clubhouse team greeted the arrival of the first crop.
There’s the buzz of community and progress everywhere you look. A new rental management team is onsite. The concierge has been constantly available to help get me where I needed to be…or to find what I wanted.
Imagine waking up to a view like this…
But it’s not just Rancho Santana that’s moving forward. Connected locals are making investments on this coast, too. Carlos Pellas is the head of one of Central America’s most successful and oldest conglomerates. It has been in business for over a century…market leaders in banking, energy, sugar, booze (they own, make and distribute Flor de Caña rum), and automotive distribution. He is investing many tens of millions in his project a few miles down this coast.
His Guacalito de la Isla project was on-again, off-again for some time. I have watched plans come together, only to be put to the back burner as the U.S. real estate market imploded and Nicaragua elected Sandinista Daniel Ortega to the office of president.
The fact that the Pellas family and conglomerate are now pumping their cash into this region shows their confidence in it (and in Nicaragua as a whole). I share this confidence.
Infrastructure is improving. The Pan-American Highway is now smooth, pothole-free, and filled with big, new, expensive SUVs. For the first time, one million visitors traveled to Nicaragua in 2010. And Lonely Planet, Travel Age West and Shermans Travel all named this country as one of the top destinations to visit in 2011. Still, your pocket book won’t take a beating.
Don’t get me wrong. Nicaragua still has challenges. And this year’s presidential election will raise the temperature of political rhetoric, I’m sure. But this little country is looking forward…and real estate like this cannot stay undervalued forever. The world will catch on.
And the stretch of coast between Rancho Santana and Guacalito will be ground zero for Nicaragua’s high-end tourism and residential development. This is the stretch. Now is the time to secure a piece of it.
Ronan McMahon
P.S. Rancho Santana has some great re-sales right now. These are from buyers who bought in the early stages of the development…so the prices are very tempting. A re-sale ocean-view lot overlooking the clubhouse is listed for $65,000…and 2.94 acres with ocean view are for sale with an asking price of $150,000. If you’re interested, contact Bryan McMandon here to find out more.
Posted Under:
beachfront, nicaragua, affordable, real estate opportunities
Want More?
Sign up here for your free Pathfinder Alert e-letter, and we’ll send you our $50,000 Report...showcasing seven real estate opportunities for $50,000.
