"It started about five years ago. After some 40 years building and operating the Landgrove Inn in Vermont, our thoughts turned to semi-retirement and change. We intended to sell our country inn business, and that prospect put us face-to-face with the big 'What Next?' question.
"I started reading and researching. Articles on Central and South America caught my attention. I wanted to see these places. I wanted to know them firsthand. It was as though I could hear a voice saying, 'Go south, old man.'
"Something you wrote, Kathleen, a few years ago, really got to me.
"'Live your dreams,' you said.
"I made a list of countries to explore. At the top was Nicaragua, partly because it was the shortest flight time for us (!), but also because, by all accounts, it was a very inexpensive place to live.
"Then I took off to see the rest of the country--remote villages, coastal towns, planned developments... With only three days remaining on this first visit, I felt a strong desire to return to Granada. Back in the city, I took the plunge. I began speaking with real estate agents.
"Walking around Granada with the agents, I realized all my senses were satisfied. I liked what I saw, what I smelled, what I heard, what I tasted, what I felt...
"I place a lot of value on the sixth sense, too--on intuition. And I liked what my gut told me about Granada. The place felt right, and I felt at home.
"Why continue looking and waste precious time? I asked myself.
"There was no reason I could come up with, so, the next day, just before leaving for home, I made an offer on a piece of land in town.
"Retirees in the States right now face a serious dilemma. It's impossible, really, for them to live on Social Security. And the cost of quality retirement living options has exploded. The current meltdown in U.S. housing costs doesn't change this fact. Most retirees can't afford a retirement home.
"I thought about all this walking around Granada during that first, life-changing trip. It seemed to me that I'd found an alternative...a viable, appealing option for Americans trying to figure out how in the world they're going to make it in retirement.
"Nicaragua seems to offer exactly what people like me are looking for--an affordable, quality lifestyle bundled with the chance to start over...to make a significant change in your life.
"Plus, in Nicaragua, you're not too far from the States, so you can get back and forth easily, and the medical care is both inexpensive and excellent (I speak from experience).
"I made my decision...and then I prepared myself for battle. I rehearsed responses to the incredulous stares and raised eyebrows I expected from my wife and family.
"But they disappointed me. Instead of, 'Are you out of your mind?' my plans were met with enthusiasm, excitement, and encouragement. The support I've enjoyed from family and friends has had a lot to do with my being able to follow through on the plan I hatched those first days in Granada.
"Three years ago, when I made my first trip to Nicaragua, the market was hot. Today, activity has slowed considerably. There was a pullback just after Ortega was elected, but the Señor Daniel fears are settling down. Meantime, economic and investment market worries are escalating in the States. Investors, especially American investors, are looking for options.
Boomers Outside The Box
"I don't have a solution to the problems facing Americans and others right now. It's too frustrating to contemplate. I do feel, though, I've found an alternative that works for me and that could work for many, many others, as well.
"You've got to think outside the box--the box being the United States. I realize this isn't a new idea, but it's truer and truer. Statistics show an increase in the numbers of Americans leaving the States and a big increase in the numbers considering the idea.
"It's tempting to continue living the way you've been living. It's easy. Certainly easier than making the kind of change I'm talking about. It can be very frightening to think about creating a whole new life for yourself in a foreign place.
"That fear can keep us from acting on chances for fun, for adventure, and for possible profit.
"All I can tell you now is that I'm thrilled with my decision. My adventure in Nicaragua has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my life."
Playing The Sandinista Factor
The story of little Nicaragua has been anything but dull these past 30 years. Political unrest, civil war, economic disaster...then a renaissance. The Sandinistas were pushed aside, and the free market was given a chance.
During these sunny days, the tourists came, followed by the speculators, the property investors, and the retirees. Speculation turned to frenzy, and beachfront property prices were pushed up and up and up and up, with seemingly no end in sight.
The end came when the Sandinistas returned in the person of Daniel Ortega, whom the good people of little Nicaragua re-elected as their president in 2005.
"Oh, no!" came the collective cry from travelers, investors, and would-be retirees the world over, who panicked at the news and retreated at once.
"What will Sandinista Danny do now that he’s back running the show?"
Three years later, we have an answer to that question:
Nothing much...at least nothing much that any foreign investor or retiree to worry about. Ortega continues to reassure the world that foreign investment in this country is safe. And he continues to support the rights of private property owners.
Meantime, the clock is ticking. Ortega can’t be re-elected when his term finishes in 2011.
Tourists are returning already. The first half of this year saw a 13% increase in visitors from the U.S. and Canada and 6.7% growth overall. In fact, Nicaragua saw more tourists during the first five months of 2008 than it did during the entirety of 2006, the year prior to Ortega’s re-taking office.
The tourists are ignoring the Sandinista factor...and you should, too.
When you put the country’s politics aside, what do you have?
You have a long coast along which the Pacific Ocean crashes just as dramatically and just as beautifully as it does across the border in Costa Rica, where pay four, five, six, as much as eight times for the privilege of owning a little piece of this glorious Pacific coast.
You have rolling, diverse countryside...and warm, welcoming people with a lot of heart. People intent on putting their troubled past behind them and getting on with the business of rebuilding their beautiful country.
You have one of the world’s most pristine environments, featuring an enormous variety of flora and fauna.
You have a country that boasts tax incentives, a low cost of living, and a generally low crime rate.
And, right now, you have a moment of opportunity. While much of the world is maintaining its sidelines position on this market, you, dear reader, have the chance to position yourself.
Buy on the dips
This is your chance to buy on the dip, as they say. This market raced toward a top...then stalled. Today, two-plus years later, sellers are open to offers. Developers who, three years ago, wouldn’t have considered discounting or special offering are getting creative...and open-minded.
Right now is the time to move back into this market, whether you’re looking for a second home at the beach, a rental investment or a renovation project in one of the world’s most charming colonial cities, land for speculation, or a full-service, turn-key gated community where you could plan for the retirement you’ve been dreaming about your whole life.
As Jay Snyder assures you, you don’t have to give up on your retirement dreams. You just need to expand your horizon...to think outside the box.
Open-minded retirees with no interest in cutting back or making do at this important stage of their lives are finding that, in Nicaragua, you’ll never have to worry about outliving your nest eggs.
In Nicaragua, you can not only maintain the standard of living you enjoyed during your hard-working years, but you can improve it. You can enrich your life...find new ways to spend your days...discover...explore...grow...
Nicaragua Property Prices May Never Be This Low Again
Open-minded investors can get a really smokin’ deal on a piece of Pacific coastline...a stretch of sandy Caribbean beach...or a colonial architectural gem. You haven’t seen prices like these in this country in a decade.
And you may not ever see them again...
What To Do Now
The first step is to arm yourself with information from the scene...up-to-date, current, and complete intelligence from an insider who knows his way around.
Allow me to introduce Scott Taylor. Scott has been traveling, researching, scouting, and investing in property all over the world for the past four years. His has been an accelerated learning curve, for, during these past several years, Scott has focused his time and his attention on international real estate and nothing else.
As Scott explains, "Of all the places I’ve traveled, Nicaragua remains one of my favorites...and one of the reasons is because this country continues to hide some of the world’s best deals on beachfront property."
Scott not only talks the talk. He also walks the walk. He knows the Nicaragua real estate market from every angle...buying, selling, borrowing, purchasing, holding, structuring...and from personal experience.
And, recently, he took the time to record his experiences in a way that would make it not only possible, but easy and, critically, safe for other investors, expats, and adventurers to follow in his footsteps.
Scott wrote everything down. He created the definitive guide to "Living and Investing in Nicaragua."
As Scott explains, "I love everything about this country, and I believe you will, too. My objective in writing this report was to help you get the most out of your time in Nicaragua, whether you’re passing through, thinking about staying put, or looking to make a killing."
In "Living and Investing in Nicaragua," Scott tells you:
- Why now is absolutely, positively the best time ever to live and invest in this country. It would take years of your time and many thousands of your hard-earned dollars to round up all this information yourself...and, in truth, even with a big investment of time and money, you’d have your work cut out for you.
- Where to look for the hottest property deals.
- Step-by-step how to purchase real estate in this country, including Scott’s uno, dos, tres checklist.
- Find out when you should spend a little more during the purchase process...to save yourself dearly in the future.
- How to get an exclusive Investor’s Visa...and why you’d want one in the first place.
- One thing you must know to avoid the otherwise most difficult thing about moving to Nicaragua (page 93).
- Where to find the most inexpensive but impressive Spanish-colonial style homes...with vaulted ceilings, columns, hallway arches, and big, beautiful windows.
- How to speed up your purchase time, reduce your stress during the process, and make your final move...all in record time...following one important tip (page 71).
- How to choose the beachfront resort or private community that’s right for you.
- How to develop a resort of your own!
- How to refurbish for rental. Miss even one step in this process, and you risk losing it all...
- Where to grab timeless architectural treasures for less than US$20,000.
- The one person you need to make your investment experience a success. Without him, you’ll wish you’d never come to Paradise (and that’ll be ashame). See page 53.
- The most common problem foreign buyers encounter when investing in this country (this one might really surprise you).
- How to quality for little-known special monthly benefits just for buying property in this country. These benefits could save you thousands of dollars every year.
- The dirty little language secret that has bitten more foreign investors than any poisonous snake in the rain forest. Page 73 shows you how easy it is to avoid this common mistake.
- Three reasons why Nicaragua’s real estate market is hotter than ever.
- The key reason you need to act now or risk losing out on this opportunity to realize your dreams of living and investing in paradise.
- Creative options for financing.
- The markets with the biggest upside potential (page 124).
- How to secure government funding for your business adventures.
I’ve been in love with Nicaragua since I first visited more than a dozen years ago. I’ve started businesses in this country, invested in real estate here, made friends, and stored up wonderful memories...
I’ve had a grand time in Nicaragua these past dozen years.
My one regret? That I didn’t have a manual like Scott’s to set me straight from the start. All the time and money I could have saved...
Alas, I’ve made my way in Nicaragua on my own. But you don’t have to.
Scott knows this country as well as anyone I’ve ever met. Leverage his experience. Learn from his mistakes. Accelerate your learning curve.
Realize your dreams of "Living and Investing in Nicaragua" now.
P.S. In Scott’s own words, here’s what you don’t get in "Living and Investing in Nicaragua":
I saved one of the best photos for last: This is a picture of my garden, with the morning light illuminating it from the East. How would you like to grow your food in this kind of environment?
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