Get to Know your Real Estate Professional at the Beaches Section

Get to Know your Real Estate Professional at the Beaches Section

Meet Mr. Tim Fenton and BLUE ZONE Realty International in Uvita, South Pacific Coast.

Mr Fenton, please tell us how you decided to come to Costa Rica and what made you decide to stay and to become a leading Real Estate Broker for High End properties at the South Pacific Beaches?

We first visited Costa Rica in early 2012.  On one of our last days of vacation, we rented a car and decided to visit the hot springs and Arenal volcano.  During our drive, we encountered a sloth crossing the road, and while at the hot springs a toucan landed just a few feet away from where we were sitting.  These two wildlife encounters had us hooked, and we started wondering what life would be like in Costa Rica (once we retired). I have worked in real estate since 1990, and so I instinctively sent emails to a few brand name real estate agencies because I wanted to satisfy my curiosity.  Unfortunately, none of my emails were answered.  Shortly after returning home to Canada, we suffered one of the largest total loss house fires in the region that we lived in.  This experience was both traumatic and life changing for our family.  My real estate and property management legal consulting practice had afforded us a nice lifestyle, but in a matter of a few hours, while we were out of town, all of our possessions were simply gone.  While we were trying to piece our lives back together, my mother-in-law insisted on taking our children to her home in New York and encouraged us to take a week away to clear our heads.  With heavy hearts and a lot of hesitation, we returned to Costa Rica. 

Did you move by yourself initially or bring your family down with you? Where did you live before coming to Costa Rica?

Our family moved to Costa Rica together, and we relocated here from Ontario, Canada.

Do you recommend the move to Costa Rica as being better for a Retiree or is it equally good for a younger family who is able to work remotely or does not need to work?  Do you see this as a good destination for the Digital Nomad?

Although a large number of our clients purchase a home in Costa Rica with the intention of using it as a vacation home and not moving here full time until they retire, a greater number of people have decided that moving to Costa Rica full time is a viable option for them.  Several companies in the United States, Canada and Europe have allowed their employees to work remotely during Covid which made the idea of living and working remotely a reality.  I am excited to see that there is likely going to be a new immigration status in Costa Rica that will make it attractive for digital nomads to live and work in Costa Rica.

What made you choose the Uvita-Ojochal and surrounding area of the South Pacific Coast as your principal area of expertise?

We first chose the Southern Pacific region of Costa Rica to live in, because it is at the tip of the Osa Peninsula, which is said to be the most bio-diverse area on the planet. We fell in love with this area because it is always lush and green, the beaches are unspoiled and uncrowded, and the topography here is much different than the rest of Costa Rica.  The mountains are very close to the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, so the views are extraordinary, and the sunsets are amazing.  It should also come as no surprise that we also chose this region because of the abundant wildlife. We decided to locate our offices in Uvita, Ojochal, and Manuel Antonio because these towns are the ‘hubs’ which connect the adjoining communities.

What do you consider to be the main attractions of the South Pacific area for someone visiting for the first time?  And what about for someone living there as a newcomer to the area?

In my opinion, the main attraction is the wildlife and the dramatic vistas.  It is like taking a walk through paradise, and it is like seeing nature for the first time.  It is actually moving. For someone living here as a newcomer, they will be amazed at how friendly the expat community is, how amazing the Costa Rican people are, and they will feel welcomed.  There is a real sense of community in this area.  For those looking to relax and unwind, there is no better place to be.  For those looking to experience new adventures like surfing, hiking, fishing, kayaking, or even ziplining, this part of Costa Rica has it all.

How did the Pandemic affect your office and what do you see for the 2021 thru 2022 timeframe?

The first few months of the pandemic were very challenging.  With the airports closed to international travelers, and with more than 95% of our clients being foreigners, we had to quickly adapt to the new ‘normal’. We started doing live virtual tours for our foreign clients, and we before long we were writing offers even without the potential buyers seeing the properties in person.  When the airports reopened in October and November 2020, the market became very busy.  November and December 2020 were both record setting months for our offices, and January and February 2021 continued to set new records.  We predict that the real estate industry in Costa Rica will see an impressive increase in the number of properties sold, and the sales price well into 2022.

I see that in the last couple of years you and your office have won several very prestigious awards.  Would you tell us a little bit more about that?

I have been so humbled by the success that Blue Zone Realty International has achieved over the past several years.  We are members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, and were awarded membership into the Global Alliance Club in 2019 and 2020. This membership is granted to companies who close a high number of incoming referrals.  We were also named ‘Best Real Estate Agency, Costa Rica’ for 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 by the International Property Awards.  In 2019 we were named the exclusive broker in Costa Rica for Haute Residence/Haute Living and this exclusive advantage was renewed in 2020 and 2021.  We were named ‘Company of the Year, Costa Rica’ in 2021 by the Latin American Quality Institute, and I was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the same organization.  Also, in 2021 we were named ‘Costa Rica’s Most Outstanding Luxury Real Estate Agency, 2021” by Lux Life Leaders in Luxury Awards. I like to say that documentation beats conversation, but make no mistake, Blue Zone Realty International owes all of the success that we have enjoyed to the dedicated team of professionals who work hard every day to make sure that we are exceeding the expectations of our clients.

Finally, with all your experience in Costa Rica Real Estate what would be your advice to a potential buyer as to the best way to go about finding that extraordinary home in Costa Rica?

The most important advice that I can give to a potential buyer is to make sure that you are working with a reputable realtor, and that you are also represented by a real estate attorney who is accessible, responsive, and whom you can communicate with.  I also would encourage all potential buyers to ask as a lot of questions, and to expand those questions beyond the typical real estate process.  The only silly questions are those that remain unasked.

During this trip we discovered the Southern Pacific region of Costa Rica, and without a lot of planning or even a lot of discussion, we ended up buying a resort in Uvita.  We returned a short time later with our children, and we purchased our home in Cinco Ventanas.  By September 2012, we were living in Costa Rica full time, and starting our new lives.  With more than 25 years of working in the real estate industry, it just made sense to share the joy and the wonder of living in Costa Rica with others, and hence Blue Zone Realty International was founded in early 2013.