Hi,

I'm hoping we can get some help with our dilemma.

We visited Ojochal as part of a group of real estate investors and fell in love with the the area.

As a result, we ended up putting money down on a property with the Ventanas Del Pacifico company.

Time goes by and we were told to check out the very negative site ventanasdelpacifico.biz. There we see a completely different story on how things really are.

It makes us sad and a bit crazy as we realize we might have made a mistake and we wonder whether we should continue with the purchase or find another location and group to invest with.

Also, if we should move on, how should we best go about getting our funds back(or are they lost forever)?

Can someone in the area provide an unbiased opinion on what is really happening in that part of Costa Rica and what a couple like us should do?

We decided to post on this group because everyone seems level headed and in touch. That other website seems to be so full of negativity it's hard not to wonder if they are only a small group (3 or 4) of very unhappy people.

We appreciate your help.

Thank you,
pj

If I were in your shoes I would be asking that of one of the top law firms in Costa Rica.

From what little I know you are probably out of luck on getting your money back.

I have been advised to never give a deposit in Costa Rica (for anything) you pay in full at the time of purchase.

MD is correct. First of all, as has been discussed on this forum many times, the way to buy property in CR is to deal directly with a Tico seller, and your Tico attorney, and avoid all use of developers, investor groups, et al.......also, as he says, unless you have the time and the resources to personally camp out on these people's front porch until
they pony up your money, you will likely never see it again.....

PJ,

Ventanas has just as much positive as it does negative. I know a few people up in the development and I hear the good and bad. An opinion would have to be best produced from yourself. Spend time in the area and get to know the culture.

As for getting money returned, as stated before, a lawyer would be your best asset.

If you would like, send me a PM, and I can give you some more info on the area.

Jim

Trusting developers and/or real estate folks to give you a read on the market and you will be taken for a ride. If you are planning on making money on a new home ANYWHERE in Costa Rica, I would keep it for at least 10 years [5 years to break-even]. I would say your cash is here to stay.

First of all always visit an take advice form a legal personal before investing in Costa Rica. Investing in Costa rica can be beneficial or disadvantageous at the same time, Ventanans is not as bad as it is portrayed in most of the website, However you must ask some legal person about the company as well, You can go to a real estate broker as well as these persons are sort of spies and can explain you everything about the project etc, However its upto you now that are you going to invest here or not, Its depends holly solely on you now

jenniferedwards: I have a great deal of difficulty placing any credence in your entry, since your apparent command of the English language is so poor. That, coupled with the fact that the link in your message is to a Real Estate Broker purported to be in Great Britain, and whose web site provides a (misleading figure showing the) population of Costa Rica as being over 34,000,000, leads me to question anything that you might have to say on this subject.