This Is Where I Talk About Myself
In February of 2002 I took my first vacation to Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It was bitter cold in my hometown of Chicago, and I wanted to be on a beach in the tropics somewhere. I’m Leo and the sun is my sign. One of my friends who had recently been here said that I’d be guaranteed nothing but blue sky and sunshine during the long, hot, dry “summer” in Guanacaste that goes from November through May. So, I booked a flight and a hotel room and flew off. Man, he pegged it! Thanks, Brian!
I liked my first trip here so much that I returned the following year. I became friends with a local hotel operator who also sold real estate. We formulated a business plan for a property management company. I moved to Playa Hermosa 8 months later and have never looked back. Exceptions: I DO MISS my Chicago White Sox, Giordano’s stuffed pizza, and chowing on char-cheddar red hots while being verbally abused at The Wieners Circle.
Property Management segwayed into Real Estate sales when I became 50% partner at Better Homes Real Estate in Playas del Coco in 2007. Life was great! Then came the Great Recession of 2008. It didn’t really hit us until 2009, but when it did, it hit us hard. Things ground to a halt.
I decided to go virtual and started my own Digital Marketing company catering to small businesses who needed help with websites and social media for their brands. I was a Digital Nomad way before it became cool. All the while, I maintained a foot in the door with my real estate contacts here and in the US. But it was a tough go of it for a while.
Eventually I circled back into real estate full-time as social media merged into just about everything on the planet and the Real Estate industry became more internet based. I already understood how they fit together. I freelanced with private clients who hired me because they saw I was doing it better than most others. But I wasn’t ready to make the jump back full-time.
In my prior life I was an Architect in Chicago working for big firms like Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Perkins & Will. Then this thing called the Internet came along and I grabbed onto it. Eventually I moved from designing and constructing bricks and mortar buildings to designing, selecting, and implementing a document management and business workflow system for a $2.5 billion capital improvement program for the Chicago Transit Authority. I became a geek who could communicate with owners, developers, architects, and engineers on how to use technology for online collaboration. It was bleeding edge.
That’s the boring professional stuff. Personally, I’m a tree-hugger, fitness freak, lover of snakes, beaches, puppies, sunsets, and ice-cold beer. I’m married to a “local girl” from Playa Hermosa and speak fluent Spanish. We have two fantastic kids – an 11-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter. I raise over 25 different varieties of fruit trees on our property, along with chiles, veggies, spices, orchids, and succulents. I also raise stingless bees called mariolas whose honey is incredible! Outdoors is just another room for me. Running on the beach barefoot in the mornings is my church.
Fast forward to 2023 and here I am with Tres Amigos Realty Group – the best real estate group in Papagayo. They stole me from another agency (yes, I’m bragging). I’m very fortunate to be part of the family – and it really DOES feel like family. With the best in web tech, SEO, SEM, digital marketing, administration, and management – and 200 years of combined real estate experience here in Northern Guanacaste among its agents and staff – TARG is a machine that sells more real estate in the area than anyone else.
When people ask me why I moved to Costa Rica I give them a simple answer: “Freedom, Opportunity, Lifestyle.” I have more freedom here than I ever did in the USA. This is a “live and let live” culture. Opportunity has presented itself both business-wise and personally in ways I never could have dreamed. And the “pura vida” lifestyle can’t be beat; laid back, healthy, outdoors, casual, and respectful of both the people and the nature that surrounds us. Costa Rica has something for just about everyone. It’s a place you can easily call “home.”
I can help you find a new level of freedom, great real estate and personal investment opportunities, and a lifestyle that’s unbeatable, whether you’re a family with kids, a lone investor, or a retiree looking to enjoy the rest of your golden years in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
I can also help you with the sale of your property if you’re upgrading, relocating, or downsizing via TARG’s powerful internet presence, network of contacts, and vast collective real estate expertise. We all work as a team here at TARG.
Just call, email, or WhatsApp me! Let’s get the conversation started!