Monday, January 03, 2011
Dear Reader,
Rancho Santana is Nicaragua's premier beachfront community. In fact, you'll struggle to find a nicer place...anywhere. I'm talking about Nicaragua's southwest coast, known as the Pacific Riviera.
On this coast, you hear the awesome roar as waves crash against steep cliffs. You'll find white-sand beaches perfect for swimming...or catching fresh lobster by hand. You can eat fresh fish straight off the boat in rustic beachfront restaurants. This is a coast of wild dramatic beauty. You'll find high-end real estate options here. But you'll find they don't come with an exorbitant price tag...or the sticker shock you get across the border in northern Costa Rica.
A few days ago, I made the crossing by road from northern Costa Rica into Nicaragua. An hour later, I arrived at Rancho Santana.
Last year was a big year at Rancho Santana. Construction began on the Seagate Condos...and later in the year, they delivered the first units. Here's some video of one of the condos I took this morning: http://www.pathfinderinternational.net/santanacondo/.
All but four of the condos are sold.
Santana invested a seven-figure sum in heavy machinery last year. They also established an onsite construction team to make the construction process as seamless as possible for owners building their own houses.
This year is another "game changing" year for Rancho Santana. As I write, work on the new clubhouse is underway, 24 hours a day. At night, work continues under specially erected lights. I saw it for myself when I arrived (and again at 3am when I peered out my window to see if work really went on all night...and, yes, the site was still buzzing.) Just like it was when I took this video a couple of days ago:
http://www.pathfinderinternational.net/santanaconstruction/.
Check out the progress that was made in only three days. I took this video this morning just before I left. The pool area is now complete:
http://www.pathfinderinternational.net/santanapool/.
Clubhouse delivery is slated for late spring next year. Views will be optimized by the large terrace that wraps around the clubhouse. The indoor bar and lounge area, with Spanish-style arches, will make the perfect spot for watching Santana's spectacular fiery-red ocean sunsets, over dinner and drinks. The restaurant will make the most of quality, locally-sourced ingredients. The conference center will hold seventy-five people.
The furniture and wood finishes are being designed and manufactured onsite in a 10,000 square-foot wood shop. The developer wasn't happy with the finishes that he could buy locally. So, he brought the most highly skilled local craftsmen in-house.
I know and trust the developer. Rancho Santana is backed by International Living's parent company. Home owners include International Living's founder Bill Bonner and his top executives. They spend as much time here as their schedules allow. They have the resources to follow through on their commitment.
In fact, they cap the amount of property they sell each year. It's tied to the amount of funds slated to be spent on amenities like the new clubhouse or other improvements. Densities are kept incredibly low. They're not developing Rancho Santana to draw down a fat dividend at the end of the year. They never have. The don't plan to. They are committed to creating and maintaining this special place. Of course, they are neither fools, nor a charity. They know that the lots they don't sell cheaply today will be pure gold in the future.
Progress isn't limited to big projects like the clubhouse. 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 as the clubhouse team greeted the arrival of the first crop to rapturous applause.
Kids are now going to school right on the beach in the Playa Rosada clubhouse. There is a buzz of community and progress everywhere you look. A new rental management team is onsite. The concierge was always available to help get me where I needed to be... or to find what I wanted.
Last night, Bill hosted a dinner on the front lawn of his home in the Los Perros phase of Santana. Addison Wiggan of The Daily Reckoning and Chris Mayer of Capital and Crisis have been here for the past few days with a small group of Agora Financial Reserve members. We enjoyed cocktails at sunset to the sound of crashing surf. The full moon lit up the beach in front of us. The evening ended with song... and finally fireworks.
According to the Forbes 2009 Retirement Guide, "Rancho Santana is simply stunning". This coast, her people, and this place, is special. Unique. With a price tag that doesn't match.
A half-acre ocean view lot on Costa Rica's northwest Pacific could set you back as much as $600,000. Here, $52,960 buys you a half-acre ocean view lot.
For me it's much nicer here...in Nicaragua, and Rancho Santana in particular.
Come see for yourself, on a Santana chill weekend. You can take advantage of this trip to check out the amenities here, the new clubhouse, the views, the location, your would-be neighborhood...whatever is most important to you. You can ask all the right questions about owning a property here....or simply kick back, relax--and enjoy the Santana lifestyle.
Ronan McMahon
P.S. The progress I've seen in Nicaragua is impressive. The Pan American highway is now smooth, pothole free, and filled with big, new, expensive SUVs. In the capital Managua, the roads are full of new mid-size saloons. I visited a new shopping mall here...full of high-end stores. The mall's restaurants offered more choice than I found in the whole of Managua when I first came here seven years ago.
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