{"id":27292,"date":"2012-02-10T11:06:56","date_gmt":"2012-02-10T16:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/fx\/2012\/02\/10\/the-ultimate-alternative-investment\/"},"modified":"2012-02-10T11:06:56","modified_gmt":"2012-02-10T16:06:56","slug":"the-ultimate-alternative-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/2012\/02\/10\/the-ultimate-alternative-investment\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Alternative Investment?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"left\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\ntweetmeme_style = 'compact';\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/tweetmeme.com\/i\/scripts\/button.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27274\" title=\"Rancho Santana: The Ultimate Alternative Investment\" src=\"http:\/\/www.investmentu.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/alternative-investment.jpg\" alt=\"alternative investment ideas\" width=\"600\" height=\"180\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Last week I spoke at an investment conference at Rancho Santana, a charming resort community on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, near the town of San Juan del Sur.<\/p>\n<p>Set on more than two miles of coastline with rolling hills and dramatic cliffs, the reserve attracts expats, investors, surfers and nature lovers from all over the world. They like the idea of owning a piece of \u2013 or at least visiting \u2013 one of the most spectacular stretches of coastal land in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Some are attracted because the property is so inexpensive. It\u2019s hard to believe you can buy a stunning home site directly on the Pacific Ocean for less than $175,000.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not just the property that\u2019s inexpensive. One evening 14 of us rode into town to have dinner at a favorite local restaurant, Yolanda\u2019s. The proprietor served up heaping helpings of local lobster, fresh vegetables, black beans and rice, plantains and plenty of Corona beer. When I picked up the tab, I was shocked. The cost was less than $9 a person.<\/p>\n<p>Some investors here are banking on increased foreign investment and commercial development. The International Monetary Fund estimates that Nicaragua\u2019s economic growth hit 4% last year\u2026 and is on the verge of accelerating.<\/p>\n<p>Exports jumped 23% last year. Tourism is up. MSN <em>Money<\/em> ranked <a title=\"Research real estate investing opportunities in Nicaragua\" href=\"http:\/\/www.investmentu.com\/research\/nicaraguarealestate.html\">Nicaragua<\/a> at the top of their list of \u201cTen Exotic Retirement Spots for 2011,\u201d telling readers \u201c[Now] is the time to put this country at the top of your super-cheap overseas retirement list.\u201d CNN Money calls it \u201cthe next Costa Rica.\u201d Indeed, Rancho Santana is just 50 miles north of the Costa Rican border.<\/p>\n<p>Good things are happening locally, too. A local business leader plans to invest $300 million next door in a world-class marina, golf and spa resort called Guacalito. Due to open in Spring 2013, it\u2019s located just 30 minutes from Rancho Santana and is already bringing increased investment and improved infrastructure to the region. And an international airport is planned for the Tola area, located less than a half hour away.<\/p>\n<p>Other <a title=\"Follow the latest insights of legendary investors\" href=\"http:\/\/www.investmentu.com\/sm_who.html\">investors<\/a> are putting money to work here for privacy reasons. They want to diversify their portfolios beyond the prying hands of angry ex-spouses or potential litigants.<\/p>\n<p>But for most, it\u2019s the sheer beauty of the place. <em>The New York Times<\/em> points out that, \u201cThe beaches are among the finest in the Americas, and among the least developed.\u201d Gaze out from atop one of the many bluffs on this 2,700-acre reserve and you\u2019ll see what the coast of California looked like a hundred years ago, pristine and largely undeveloped.<\/p>\n<p>Residential lots are selling quickly. Over 50 homes have been built and 24 more are under construction. It\u2019s not hard to see why. The terrain is such that home sites can capture views of the ocean, the nearby valley and lovely sunsets. Labor costs are significantly lower here. And a master association and various sub-associations exist so that owners are assured that high and consistent standards of quality are maintained.<\/p>\n<p>Is oceanfront property in Nicaragua the ultimate <a title=\"Read more articles about alternative investments on IU\" href=\"http:\/\/www.investmentu.com\/sm_altinvestments.html\">alternative investment<\/a>? That\u2019s for you to decide. But if you\u2019d like to learn more, feel free to visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ranchosantana.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">the website<\/a> or, better yet, sign up for a property tour.<\/p>\n<p>The cost is $500 per person ($600 per couple) and includes all transportation, breakfast and three nights in oceanfront accommodations at Rancho Santana. This is a great trip for those wanting to come down and investigate investment, second home or retirement opportunities. (Contact <a href=\"mailto:bryan@ranchosantana.com\">Bryan McMandon<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>In the interest of full disclosure, Rancho Santana is being developed, in part, by colleagues of mine at Agora Publishing. However, I am not compensated in any way (directly or indirectly) for any sales at the development. I just think it\u2019s a beautiful place and an interesting investment.<\/p>\n<p>And whether you decide to invest or not, I know you\u2019d enjoy the experience.<\/p>\n<p>Good Investing,<\/p>\n<p>Alexander Green<\/p>\n<div>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?a=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?a=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:V_sGLiPBpWU\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?i=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:V_sGLiPBpWU\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?a=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:qj6IDK7rITs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?d=qj6IDK7rITs\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?a=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:gIN9vFwOqvQ\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?i=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:gIN9vFwOqvQ\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?a=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:F7zBnMyn0Lo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/InvestmentU?i=c6ZZHMF1wbY:kQIqZIEPsqU:F7zBnMyn0Lo\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/InvestmentU\/~4\/c6ZZHMF1wbY\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Article by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.investmentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Investment U<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week I spoke at an investment conference at Rancho Santana, a charming resort community on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, near the town of San Juan del Sur. Set on more than two miles of coastline with rolling hills and dramatic cliffs, the reserve attracts expats, investors, surfers and nature lovers from all over &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/2012\/02\/10\/the-ultimate-alternative-investment\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The Ultimate Alternative Investment?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/fx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}