L
LivingIt
New Member
My Two Cents....
To clarify...I'm not working for anyone, I'm not selling anything, I'm not trying to make any money. I just live here, happily.
For those who are considering Caracola Beach Resort....
I've lived on Caracola beach since 2005. Not a long time but long enough. It is a great location. However if you are looking at Caracola Beach Resort as anything other than an investment (not someplace to live) you may want to read the fine print. Unless I missed something, it states in the FAQ sheet that you only have use of the unit for 4 weeks out of the year, off season, and this use will be discounted at a pro-rata rate from your rental income.
GOTO: caracolabeachresort website, then management, then click the link at the bottom of the page and you'll see...I'd just post the link but this site won't let me.
As far as living here.... living on any island or Latin American country is a way of life. Let me remind anyone who missed it. In Margarita it's a double whammy, both island AND Latin America. It's not just an address where you choose to hang your hat. It's a lifestyle choice. One likely very different from what you live now. Yes, from time to time it can be tough to find certain items. We always know what those items are and stock up on them. This way, when there is a shortage we have enough until we find it on the shelves again. It's really no big deal. It's an island...get over it. I've been on more than half the islands down the chain and several countries in Central America and I'm here to tell ya, on Margarita, we've got it pretty darn good. Better than many places. There are things we have here many other islands NEVER have very often if at all. There isn't much we need that we can't get our hands on.
As far as being comfortable with our investment...very. But we never bought assuming we would make any money from it. We bought because we wanted to live here. If I sell it 5 years from now for no more than I have in it, it means I've lived free of rent or mortgage all that time. I could even go so far as to say if I lived in it for 10 years, sold it for the same amount I bought it, that I actually made $72,000. How you ask? If I were paying rent, say at $600 a month (not a bad deal for an ocean front 2b/2b condo) for 10 years(hell of a fixed rent) that adds up to $72,000 that I never had to pay out plus the return of my original investment amount. So I'll really have made over 100% profit. If say after 10 years I sell it for $5000 less than I bought it (which isn't likely) so I paid $41 a month in rent for 10 years with a profit of $67,000. Again, almost 100% profit over my initial investment. Is that so bad? I know that isn't how most people see it when they buy a property and live in it, but maybe they should. I'm not sure right now, in this economy, anyone should be looking at real estate investment as a money maker darn near anywhere anyway. So a word of advice.... if you invest in a property on Margarita, do it because you want to be here, and try first to understand what being here is.
To clarify...I'm not working for anyone, I'm not selling anything, I'm not trying to make any money. I just live here, happily.
For those who are considering Caracola Beach Resort....
I've lived on Caracola beach since 2005. Not a long time but long enough. It is a great location. However if you are looking at Caracola Beach Resort as anything other than an investment (not someplace to live) you may want to read the fine print. Unless I missed something, it states in the FAQ sheet that you only have use of the unit for 4 weeks out of the year, off season, and this use will be discounted at a pro-rata rate from your rental income.
GOTO: caracolabeachresort website, then management, then click the link at the bottom of the page and you'll see...I'd just post the link but this site won't let me.
As far as living here.... living on any island or Latin American country is a way of life. Let me remind anyone who missed it. In Margarita it's a double whammy, both island AND Latin America. It's not just an address where you choose to hang your hat. It's a lifestyle choice. One likely very different from what you live now. Yes, from time to time it can be tough to find certain items. We always know what those items are and stock up on them. This way, when there is a shortage we have enough until we find it on the shelves again. It's really no big deal. It's an island...get over it. I've been on more than half the islands down the chain and several countries in Central America and I'm here to tell ya, on Margarita, we've got it pretty darn good. Better than many places. There are things we have here many other islands NEVER have very often if at all. There isn't much we need that we can't get our hands on.
As far as being comfortable with our investment...very. But we never bought assuming we would make any money from it. We bought because we wanted to live here. If I sell it 5 years from now for no more than I have in it, it means I've lived free of rent or mortgage all that time. I could even go so far as to say if I lived in it for 10 years, sold it for the same amount I bought it, that I actually made $72,000. How you ask? If I were paying rent, say at $600 a month (not a bad deal for an ocean front 2b/2b condo) for 10 years(hell of a fixed rent) that adds up to $72,000 that I never had to pay out plus the return of my original investment amount. So I'll really have made over 100% profit. If say after 10 years I sell it for $5000 less than I bought it (which isn't likely) so I paid $41 a month in rent for 10 years with a profit of $67,000. Again, almost 100% profit over my initial investment. Is that so bad? I know that isn't how most people see it when they buy a property and live in it, but maybe they should. I'm not sure right now, in this economy, anyone should be looking at real estate investment as a money maker darn near anywhere anyway. So a word of advice.... if you invest in a property on Margarita, do it because you want to be here, and try first to understand what being here is.