The Latest Hot Deals: Beach, Lake, or City?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Dear Reader,

As October draws to a close, it’s time for the round up of this month’s hottest deals. The selection includes a home in a beach town with a unique style, an affordable lakeside home in a country that’s remained popular with tourists and expats over the last thirty years, and a condo with rental potential in a city that’s a hotspot for young, active, retirees.

Read more below on our best deals in the last four weeks.

A Beach Town with its Own Unique Style

Just one of the many picture-perfect beaches in this area

It’s a mix of Caribbean, French and Italian flavors. It started as a charming Caribbean fishing village, with little wood houses in pastel shades of yellow, pink and blue, and a golden curve of sand wrapped around a sparkling azure bay. A steady stream of French and Italian tourists liked what they found, and decided to set up home (or a business) here. They brought their gourmet food and chic interior styling with them, and added some finishing touches to the town.

Today, the old houses have a fresh coat of paint, and a new lease of life, as beachside restaurants. They serve pizza from wood-fired ovens, authentic Greek food, and (of course) Italian and French cuisine. You can buy warm croissants at the French bakery…imported sausage, pate and cheese from the deli…and champagne in the supermarket. Browsing the small stores, you’ll find antiques, art, and handcrafts.

A three-bed, three-bath home, a 300-meter walk from the beach, comes with a deck and pool, in a small private development of seven villas. The home covers 225 square meters (2421 square feet), and boasts an additional one-bed, one-bath guesthouse. The property is within walking distance of restaurants, bars and stores, and would make a nice second home, with rental potential. The asking price is $255,000. Contact Toni here to find out more.

Lakeside Living For Less

This is Costa Rica’s lake country

It’s another home with a separate guesthouse…but this time it’s on a lake…in the world’s happiest country.

This place is a bit like Lake Tahoe—without the crowds. It does have a 33-square mile lake, a rolling landscape of hills, mountains and forests, a volcano, and hot springs. You’ll find good company here (there’s a small but active expat group), fresh weather year-round, and gourmet food…along with some of the country’s most affordably-priced properties.

In the heart of Costa Rica’s lake country, the property is set in 2.5 acres. The main house is two-storey, with a garage and one-bed, one-bath apartment on the ground floor, and bright, airy living space on the second floor. A one-bed cottage sits on the property’s own private lake, surrounded by lush tropical gardens. With a price tag of only $159,000, you could use this home as a private residence, a B&B, or simply rent out the apartment and lake cottage while you enjoy the main living quarters. If you want more details, contact Terry here.

A City Condo with Rental Potential

A big city that feels like a small town

Take a large, modern city, home to 700,000 people, and all those big-city conveniences (hypermarkets, malls, hardware stores, hospitals, car showrooms, banks). You might expect to find a bustling, faceless, gray concrete cityscape. But this one is drenched in sunshine, with 25 miles of beaches, and 1730 acres of protected forest, within the city, and a surprisingly small town feel.

With warm sunny weather all year, you can enjoy a beach lifestyle. You don’t have to stick to the city beaches (which are lovely); north and south of here, you’ll come across postcard-worthy sweeps and curves of white sand, offset by dark forested hills and the bright jade and turquoise ocean. This is a healthy, outdoors place, centered on the boardwalk that winds alongside the beach, where the locals come to walk, jog, and rollerblade. The sun rises early here…the ocean breezes cool and refresh…and the air is reputedly amongst the cleanest city air worldwide.

The city’s a relocation hotspot for younger retirees, and attracts tourists from Europe and North America. But there’s a shortage of nice hotels, and that means rental opportunities. This property, one block back from the beach, offers 55 square meter units from $155,817. Located in the most exclusive residential neighborhood in the city, these units should rent well…and make a great second home. Contact John here to find out more.

So, that’s it for October. Remember to contact the brokers today if you want more details—these deals won’t last long.

Margaret Summerfield