 I have grown very picky from previous real estate investments (returning 100% or more in a 5 to 7 year time period). Due to my very stringent investment criteria, I am willing to wait a long time for what I feel is the right deal. The opportunity to purchase a pre-development lot through Wellington Asset Management is the only investment opportunity I have come across in the last 3 or 4 years that I feel has the potential to meet my investment criteria.
The compelling investment potential aside, the biggest reason why I purchased a lot from Wellington is the lifestyle enhancement potential of building a nice home on a generously sized lot with beautiful views of the Pacific ocean and surrounding countryside.
But all the above is meaningless if the company with whom you are doing business is unable to deliver on what it has promised. The due diligence I did prior to visiting Costa Rica led me to believe that Wellington, the marketing arm of the company, and Coastal Property Management, the owners of the land, had the financial strength, knowledge, talent, and expertise to execute the vision embodied by their Columbia Heights and Vista Pacifica projects.
The Vista Pacifica project has 207 lots. Wellington marketing is entirely geared toward finding the 200 (or so) ideally situated individuals with the ability to deploy capital in an accelerated timeframe (thus reducing risk and lowering Wellington’s overall cost of capital). This approach allows the rapid buildout of their projects years ahead of their competitors. This is just one example of the thoughtfulness, foresight, and planning that separates Wellington from their competitors.
Then there is the personal touch. I had the good fortune of having Troy Snow introduce me to the Wellington office and to Costa Rica. Troy spent 3 days giving me a tour of the Jaco and Tarcoles areas and beyond. The first day he showed me the projects of their competitors (the good, the bad, and the ugly). Most were in the latter 2 categories. Many of the lots looked very difficult to build on and many of the developments looked to be languishing in a state of neglect. Even the projects in the good category, though attractive, still generally lacked the wonderful views found in the Vista Pacifica and Columbia Heights lots.
In contrast to much of the above, Wellington’s Capital Heights project has all the infrastructure (roads, utilities, front entrance etc.) in place. The lots were all very buildable and ready for the individual owners to commence building.
The next day Troy took me to the Vista Pacifica lots. My compliments to Wellington for finding such an incredible parcel of land. I had a tough choice to make between 2 wonderful lots. Troy’s experience and expertise as a builder helped me visualize the types of structures that could be built on each of the lots. With Troy’s help in comparing and contrasting the lots, I was able to make a decision. Troy drew up a plan on the spot of the type of house that could be built maximizing the spectacular views. I really appreciated Troy’s patience, expertise and attention to detail throughout this entire process.
Gayland Smith
Portland, Oregon
 Susan and I have been looking for a place to spend the cold months away from Baltimore for some time. After looking at Florida, the Carolinas, and the Caribbean, we set our sites on Costa Rica. We have friends who have visited and one who lives in Costa Rica. Never heard a bad word from anyone regarding Costa Rica! We own properties in the USA but this was our first property venture out of the country. After speaking with six or seven organizations, I took a chance with Wellington. Call it a gut feeling. I liked the people I spoke to and that they are all based in Costa Rica. After I spoke to Steve Hafhill, Wellington’s attorney in the US, I felt comfortable with the deal and sent the deposit and arranged a visit.
Wellington helped a ton with the arrangements and our contact, Troy Snow, met us at the airport in San Jose. We visited Wellington’s office and spoke to many of their employees including the president and some of his staff. Troy was terrific and we had a ball the entire week. Costa Rica is really a paradise even in the rainy season. I wanted to be sure that we were making the right decision. Troy took us around to seven or eight other competitor sites and two that I wanted to see and an existing house for sale. He answered all our questions and we felt that he was a straight shooter. Then we went to the lot we picked out in Vista Pacifica over the internet. What a no brainer. Vista Pacifica is perfectly located near the ocean, national forests and Playa de Jaco. The topography is perfect. Macaw, parrots, white faced monkeys were on the property. Grocery store 15 minutes from the property was cleaner, better stocked and better prices than most in Maryland.
What eventually sold us on Wellington was their finished development, Columbus Heights. It looks like they start and complete their projects before taking on another. And the comparative lot prices are significantly higher once the infrastructure has been completed. Susan and I plan to build our home in two to three years and spend some of our kids’ inheritance. Hopefully you will have Troy Snow to show you around. If nothing else, you will have a great time with Troy. Check out www.ticotimes.net great resource to get the flavor of Costa Rica. We will be spending 10 days in Jaco this January instead of Barbados and cannot wait.
Pura Vida.
Charlie & Susan Libby
Baltimore
 My compliments to Wellington Asset Management, Chris Cochran, Thomas Quinn, Gene, Paul, Brad and all of the people behind the scenes at Wellington. It’s a nervous and exciting moment when you first start considering purchasing a piece of paradise in a different country. There are so many questions and so much to learn. From my first phone conversation with Thomas to my departure from Costa Rica back to Denver after my site visit the staff at Wellington encouraged me to learn as much as I could.
The web site provides a wealth of information that is real and accurate. I recently returned from my site visit to Vista Pacifica, where Chris Cochran spent two full days out of his busy schedule to be my host in Costa Rica. When you see the Wellington’s office you will realize these are very busy people who understand that personal attention alone has a sales value second to none. Chris, Gene and Paul were excellent hosts in a country that was all new to me as they took me on whirl wind tour of the Jaco area of Costa Rica. After touring the costal developments around the Jaco area Chris took me on a tour of Wellington’s recently completed development Columbus Heights, it became obvious that there is a huge difference between a Wellington development and that of its competitors.
In Columbus Heights every road is paved and the lots are ready for use by the land owners. As for the competition, well you will have to see and judge for yourselves. I bought property in Vista Pacifica confidently. I am comfortable in knowing that Wellington will follow through on all of their commitments and we will all be proud to say that we are the owners of Vista Pacifica. Additionally, the location, the views, and the peaceful serenity of Vista Pacifica will take you breath away and if one could describe how I felt when I left Costa Rica and my visit with Wellington it would be “chill”.
Pura Vida mi Amigo
Larry Bennett - Colorado
 I am a property owner in Columbus Heights in Costa Rica through Wellington Asset Management. I can truthfully say that my entire experience with them and especially Chris Cochran has been one of great professionalism.
I started exploring investing in Costa Rica in late 2006 and was connected to Chris to learn more about the opportunities. From the very start Chris made me and my wife feel very comfortable as we increased our knowledge about the benefits to purchasing a lot in Columbus Heights. There was never any high pressure tactics, but rather patience with us and careful work with us to overcome potential obstacles.
Upon our visit to Costa Rica we were made to feel like a member of the Wellington family as we met with different colleagues. Everything has gone just as they explained and I am increasingly more certain that the investment in Costa Rica was a good decision, whether I choose to build there or re-sell it for profit.
I would highly recommend Chris Cochran and the Wellington Assets to anyone looking to explore the opportunities of investing in beautiful Costa Rica.
Ron and Justina Franklin
Michigan
 I usually don't write testimonials but my trip to Costa Rica in early June 2007 and more specifically my experience with Wellington Asset Management has prompted me to do so. My broker Chris was a superb host and Paul the owner was gracious and helpful while neither exerted any pressure to purchase. In additional I had the distinct pleasure of spending a little time with Paul, his wife and two young sons at the house overlooking Vista Pacifica where I was treated like family. While inspecting my lot I was impressed with Wellington's ability to locate actual lots lines by use of their portable hand held GPS system, an ability not all developers possess. Being able to actually walk property lines and see exactly the lot in question during the pre-development stage made my decisions much easier.
On this, my first trip to Costa Rica, I also toured with two other developers but was especially impressed with my entire experience with Wellington. The other developers had good products but in the end Wellington was the clear choice. Seeing the quality of Wellington's first development, Columbus Heights, completed in less than 24 months was very impressive and reassuring. By the conclusion of my trip I easily decided to cancel my purchases from the other two developers and purchase two additional lots at Vista Pacifica. This was due not only to my personal face to face experience with Chris and Paul but also with my entire experience with everyone I dealt with at Wellington before and after my purchase. From Patricia who handled accounting and documents to Adriana who arranged the travel plans to Chris who treated me like royalty and Paul who'll "do whatever it takes to make you happy". I've worked in corporate America for 35 years and have dealt with a considerable number of companies large and small but have never experienced more professionalism than I have with Wellington. And if that wasn't enough, my meeting with their attorney Carlos Hernandez, complements of Wellington, was very informative and reassuring. Buying property in a foreign county for the first time can be a little unnerving but Carlos explained the entire process well, answered all my questions and put my fears to rest. I'll be returning with my wife and daughter on vacation in March of next year and I can't wait to show them our property and see how well the project is progressing.
Burt Eschenfelder
Houston -Texas
 Sufficient time has now passed to allow us to comment on our venture into the real estate market in Costa Rica and our experience with you and the folks in the Wellington Asset Management organization. We are always wary when we enter into a contract and such was the case when we decided to climb on an air machine and fly to San Jose.
We don’t normally take the time to formally thank those involved but when hindsight so closely matches foresight and expectation on any deal it warrants more than a phone call!
The time we spent with you and all the key managers was enjoyable and informative. All our questions were answered and our on-site look at the entire property tied the vision into a neat bundle with the physical land. Clearly an opportunity that should be jumped on!
From the receptionist at the front desk to the President, all those we visited with were enthusiastic about their work and the product they offer. As close to perfect as any contract we have ever entered into except our marriage which continues to pay great benefits.
Count us as extremely satisfied customers!
Gene and Charlotte Smith
Satellite Beach, Fl
I would like to extend my thanks to everyone at Wellington! I purchased in the beginning and signed a contract in what was a cow pasture two days before leaving CR. From the very beginning everyone was friendly and helpful including my first conversation with Mr. Hernandez after some concerns were raised by others. You did just what you promised and the project looks fantastic! We did not buy to speculate, we purchased this land because we love Costa Rica especially Playa Hermosa....you followed through and for us made a dream come true. If ever you would like me to write a letter of recommendation or speak with a potential client feel free to give them my phone number.
New York, NY 10012
 For many years my wife Nelly was dreaming about buying property in Costa Rica. Through all this years I was skeptical to invest in a foreign country and deal with sales people who promise and don't deliver.
Everything changed in 2006 when I received a call from Bradley from Wellington Asset Management. Once Bradley transferred me to deal with Chris I became more confident that I deal with the right person and reputable company. It was clearly explained to me about the opportunity of investing in Costa Rica.
Thanks to you, myself and my wife felt that this is the right deal at the right time with the right company. The rest is history. We bought the land after a visit in Costa Rica. The trip was well planned by the Wellington office and our visit was a pleasant experience. You became our friend.
What most impressed us was that after the purchase of property we were constantly updated on progress of development of the project. As promised road, utilities and other improvements were made.
Now what was a dream for Nelly became reality.
Not only her dream come through but also mine.
Thanks,
Nelly and Roger
 To anyone interested in property in Costa Rica
If you are looking at property in Costa Rica I would recomend Wellington Asset Management. We purchased our property in October 2006 and have been very happy with the deal. We dealt primarily with Chris Cochran, and he did an excellent job of answering every question we could possibly think of, and more. The follow up after the sale has been better than we ever expected. The people at Wellington Asset Management treated us very well during our inital trip. And they have continued to take great care of us throughout this past year by keeping us informed on progress in our subdivision as well as news within the country.
Thank You
Nathan & Andrew Hodgkins
Robstown - Texas
We have been fortunate to have the opportunity to own vacation property in Florida for several years, but recently began to realize that retirement in Florida might be less desirable 15 years from now. We began to explore Costa Rica. We have heard wonderful things about the beautiful countryside, wildlife and climate, but purchasing property in a foreign country is a little scary. We considered all options - buying existing property, rental, or finding a pre-construction opportunity. After speaking to a number of real estate development companies, researching title companies and speaking with both our attorney and Steve Hafhill, Wellington’s US attorney, we decided to visit Wellington Asset Management. The intent of our trip was to meet the people behind the scenes, explore beautiful Costa Rica and visit the properties. The visit far exceeded our expectations.
We were very impressed with the operation, the people, and both developments – Columbus Heights and Vista Pacifica Heights. Troy was very hospitable, giving up his weekend to take us around to the different properties and give us a tour of Columbus Heights. Just as advertised – Columbus Heights is a completed project and the day we visited there was a construction crew beginning the first home. We are excited to go back to see the progress.
Our visit to Vista Pacifica and the lot we chose was more than we had hoped for. The GPS system showed us the exact lot boundaries and the view was beautiful. Troy drove us around the development on the dirt roads. It’s fun to visualize what it will look like 18 months from now.
Thank you Wellington Asset Management and especially Troy, for a fantastic experience. We feel very comfortable with our decision and we look forward to our next visit to see the progress at Vista Pacifica Heights.
Denise Gott & Tom Barrett
Cleveland, Ohio
My wife and I have been interested in finding out about possible opportunities that might exist in Costa Rica for about three years now. We are at the point in our lives where we have begun to consider the time when we are both retired from full careers in teaching. A couple of years ago, I made several contacts with companies pushing developments in Costa Rica. I must admit that all of the hype got us more interested. We made a trip during our summer break in 2005 and continued to develop an interest in the possibility of coming to live there one day.
We did visit the Wellington property at Columbus Heights while we were there and got a chance to view it as a cow pasture. We are happy to see that the development is sold out, the infrastructure is in, and a first house is being built at this point in time. As we understand, this follows the time line that was promised. As far as we can tell, this process is more appealing than some of the other developments that take less money upfront, but do not get roads, electricity, and other promised amenities done in a timely fashion.
Next, we were contacted by a representative of Wellington. We expressed an interest and subsequently were assigned Troy Snow as our man with all the answers. Eventually, we selected a lot in the newer development of Vista Pacifica, and soon decided to go there to view the property to be able to decide if this was something that continued to interest us. We visited the property in April of 2007. Troy took care of getting us to the main office and the office made accommodations for us in Jaco during our visit. Upon arrival at the main office, we were greeted by many; from the secretary to solicitors, to the salesmen, to one of the owners of the company. A video presentation was made to us personally and Troy made arrangements to drive us to the other side (central coast) and get us settled in.
The next couple of days were spent looking at nearby property and making comparisons. We were taken to Vista Pacifica, shown our lot and given an opportunity to look at others in the same price range. After doing all of this, we decided that it seemed like a good risk, either for a site for a future build for my wife and I, or an investment for a later sell. By the time we left, we committed to this and had picked a different lot of similar value. Troy Snow was a tremendous host. He was available to get us around, answered all questions, gave additional information, and treated us like we mattered. We did not feel like we were being had.
All in all, our experience with the Wellington Program has been positive so far. We continued to be interested to see if building progresses at Columbus Heights and realize that if these developments are to really succeed the building out of the property is the real proof of the wiseness of the investment.
Bill and Patsy McFadden
Coburg, Oregon
Bruce and I wanted to take a moment to thank you and Jose for the incredible experience we have enjoyed thus far with you and Wellington. As you are aware, I was very skeptical about the viability of purchasing property in Costa Rica. At this point I can clearly tell you that all of my skepticism, concerns and doubts have been allayed. You and the entire Wellington group have done an outstanding job of communicating, continuing to communicate and then communicate some more during the various phases of our purchase.
You took the time to get to know us. You found out what we wanted the property for, what we could afford and helped us find the best property available to meet those needs. You didn’t try to sell us just “anything.” You showed us the best available lots that you thought were the best to meet our needs. We really appreciated that.
Everyone we talked to at Wellington was very professional, kind and helpful. And when we came to the office and met the people that have been helping us, they all were genuinely happy to meet us in person. We felt like we were a part of the Wellington family.
We couldn’t have asked more of the entire experience working with you and the Wellington Asset Management team.
Sincerely yours,
Susan and Bruce Gold
Hello Chris:
I have been very busy and I want to send my appreciation for the help you gave me and continue to give me on the purchase of my property.
I would like to recommend you to others interested in Costa Rican property for many reasons.
I have been visiting Costa Rica for many years and a couple of years ago started to get serious about a purchase. Over the years I have been approached by many so called realtors and made many inquires.
With my experience in CR , I could tell that most of these "professionals" new nothing about the country, the great people, and the different locations... you did.
In the beginning I let you do the talking and after listening for awhile, I new that you had expedience with the people and knew the country and that was very refreshing.
With much communication and inquires, I decided to go with you and your the company you represent and have not been sorry.
You still keep in touch and give me updates on areas I like with every thing from property values and progress, to weather and fishing reports and thank you for showing me around areas in CR that I was not familiar with and always offering assistance when I come down to visit.
Best Wishes and see you in the spring
Pete Mooney |
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