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For today’s post we have our second guest writer and are fortunate to have Henkel Smith, from Water’s Edge Realty with a post on purchasing property in Nicaragua. Henkel has been running RealtorNicaragua for four years and he specializes in helping people find their corner of paradise. If you know of anyone looking to purchase property or move to Nicaragua please forward along this story.

After living in beautiful southern California for eight years I decided it was time for a lifestyle change. Freeway traffic had managed to consume over two hours of my day on average, making me realize that I was becoming trapped in a lifestyle of being indoors or in my car, with very limited ability to enjoy the outdoors, and more importantly, my time.

I wanted to live in Latin America for the culture, food, the challenge of learning a second language, and most importantly to be a part of helping a developing country progress. I had spent numerous vacations in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico and Brazil, but based on the feedback I received from two close friends about Nicaragua, I decided to visit this Central American country and see if it was the place for me.

When many of my colleagues and friends learned of my plans to visit Nicaragua, they naturally became concerned for my safety. Images of a war torn country are all they could conjure up. Little did they know I was in fact visiting the Costa Rica of yesteryear, and would soon have the opportunity to live in Nicaragua and enjoy all she has to offer. And little did they know that Nicaragua is actually one of the safest countries in Latin America.

Nicaragua ended up being the place for me based on numerous factors: location relative to the U.S.(just 2.5 hours from Miami and 3 hours from Houston), average humidity (much lower than most of Costa Rica and Panama), cost of real estate (a fraction compared to most of Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica), and the diversity of ex-patriots that now call Nicaragua home (from around the world), and of course the friendliness of the people (which is pretty much the same in most other Latin American countries).

That was four years ago, and things in Nicaragua have definitely changed since then. Real estate development has been strong, with ocean view homes, condominiums, golf courses, restaurants, and all sorts of services catering to tourism and real estate development. What has not changed are the general friendliness of Nicaragua’s people, and the world class beauty of Nicaragua’s landscape and coast line. We have the ability to spend our days on secluded beaches when we choose, to go fishing for dorado, tuna and marlin without seeing another boat almost all day, or go exploring a volcano or islands in the lake.

When the day is winding down, we head back to town for dinner or drinks with some of our other new friends that have moved here from Germany, France, Canada, Spain, the United States, Italy, Australia, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, and England.

Nicaragua is still an intimidating destination for many people until they actually get here and see how the country really is. Typically within the first day or two people fall in love with Nicaragua, and many end up purchasing real estate for a future vacation home, or even as a future primary residence. The common thread between most of these buyers is their desire to be a part of helping Nicaragua progress, and to helping the local communities by giving back both with their time and skills.

Nicaragua’s most successful real estate developments are built on the principle of philanthropically engaging with the local community. Some examples of philanthropy in San Juan del Sur since I have been here are the creation of Nicaragua’s first true public library, including a mobile service to provide books on loan to area communities; the renovation of community parks and recreation centers; a wide variety of community events including “Art in the Park” for children and an annual beach clean up day; the creation of a non-profit animal rescue center; and ongoing sponsorships of sport teams including soccer, volleyball, surfing, and baseball.

Purchasing real estate in Nicaragua is a fairly straightforward process, but you need to be aware that things are not the same as in the U.S. or Canada, or even in some of the Caribbean islands such as the Virgin Islands or the Bahamas. The nice thing is that you will be able to build your dream vacation home or second home for a fraction of the cost compared to many other destinations, and that you will have the ability to surround yourself with some of the nicest people on the planet.

If you are looking for a tropical escape, don’t overlook Nicaragua. Come and check it out to see if it’s for you, as it has been and is becoming for many others. I invite you to learn more by visiting our website RealtorNicaragua where you can read frequently asked questions, see plenty of properties, and in general get a better understanding of Nicaragua. Make sure to visit our partners’ websites as well, where you will find even more information, which you can find under the About Us section.

For more information, contact:
H. Henkel Smith III | Water’s Edge International Realty
henkel@realtornicaragua.com
U.S./Canada Tel +1.786.206.4361 | Nicaragua Tel 568.2180
www.realtornicaragua.com