Former commercial real estate investor from Canada, now based on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Writes about property values, rental yields, and the gap between what developers promise and what the data shows.
Investment
Gated communities in Costa Rica offer security and amenities but come with HOA fees, restrictions, and trade-offs worth understanding before buying. An investor's honest assessment.
Investment
Real Airbnb occupancy rates in Costa Rica by region for 2026. Tamarindo, Nosara, Santa Teresa, Uvita, and San José compared. What the data says and what it means for investors.
Design
The best architecture firms in Costa Rica for foreign buyers, Studio Saxe, Salagnac, SARCO, Studio Octava, Zurcher and more. Who to hire and why, from someone who knows the market.
Investment
Best areas to buy land in Costa Rica in 2026 depend on what you're building and why. James Caldwell breaks down Guanacaste, Nicoya Peninsula, Southern Pacific, and Central Valley.
Investment
Guanacaste real estate in 2026: where the boom has stalled, where prices are holding, and why buyers are looking south to the Nicoya Peninsula.
Investment
A good property manager makes your investment work. A bad one lets your property deteriorate while collecting a fee.
Investment
The worst investment decisions I have seen in Costa Rica were not bad properties. They were good properties bought by people who tried to optimize for cash flow, appreciation, and personal use simultaneously.
Investment
The best beachfront investment might be the lot at 15 meters elevation with an unobstructed view, not the one at 3 meters on the sand.
Investment
The market is not uniformly hot. Some segments are overpriced. Some are undervalued. The data tells you which is which.
Investment
The national median is $230,000 — but that hides a 300% regional spread. What houses actually cost in Escazú, Tamarindo, Nosara, and the Southern Zone.
Investment
The difference between a rental that earns $55,000 a year and one that earns $35,000 is rarely the location. It is the layout, the spec, and a dozen decisions locked in before the first block was laid.
Investment
The average Airbnb listing in Costa Rica grosses about $1,700 a month. That number shows up in market reports, gets repeated in listing pitches, and sounds like a reasonable return on a $250,000 property. It is also the wrong number to make a decision with. That $1,700