Source: www.journalcr.com
By Alex Lane
In the present competitive climate of development companies in Costa Rica, it’s easy to blend in as an imitator and difficult to stand out as an innovator. Grupo CondeDuque and its partner company, Desarrollos del Pacifico, have managed the latter by developing a project in Guanacaste that rises above its competitors in both quality and innovation.
Grupo CondeDuque, a 5-years-old business, is unique because it prides itself on creating a sustainable environment for its developments. According to company president Federico Apestegui, current developments rely on a self-contained water system drawn from the company’s own wells.
The location he describes is a conglomerate of projects situated on the fertile plains west of the Liberia airport and just before the road veers towards Playa Del Coco.
The company’s current focus is on two self-sustainable luxury communities, Costa Mar and Prados Del Rio. Other projects named Golf Monte Claro and Plaza Monte Claro are also being planned. There are six private resident and community-related projects currently underway split between the two companies. Currently, four are being marketed.
Carlos Chinchilla, 33-year-old general manager of Desarrollos del Pacifico, has full confidence in their projects. “We have the best location for a development. Our plan is to keep on going and make a name for ourselves as responsible builders.”
The impressive computer generated layout of Costa Mar boasts a development designed with the resident in mind. It includes 400 condominium and loft units, with the condos approximately 800 square feet and the lofts at 500 square feet. Also included, a bridge and a 2-acre lake. The condos are designed as the epitome of luxury and range in price from $43,000 to $115,000. Or, more aptly put in the words of Chinchilla, “they’ve got everything.”
The advantage over their competitors, according to Luis Alejandro Giralt, development manager for Grupo CondeDuque, is two-fold. “We are giving the best prices and our housing is the most affordable. Because we have owned the land for the last seventy years, the crazy price hikes that are going on in this area haven’t affected us. We also have our own architect and engineer team.”
The team he describes consists of 25 people. All additional jobs, like construction, are outsourced.
These two companies are all about relationships. Besides planning much of the development on a private piece of property owned by members of the Grupo Condeduque company, Chinchilla and Giralt also have a close personal relationship. As a result of the business Grupo Condeduque was generating, Chinchilla and his company felt obliged to join in.
“Guanacaste is moving fast. We already have a lot of pre-sales on these projects and they are going quick,” said Apestegui.
Permits are currently being finalized and construction is intended to begin in April or sooner.
Upcoming projects in the same location include the tentatively titled Golf Monte Claro, an ambitious project spanning 300 acres and including 600 residential lots surrounding by an 18-hole golf course. Monte Claro, a shopping center, is being constructed adjacent to the Costa Mar condominiums.
Apestegui and Chinchilla are grateful for the involvement of Grupo CondeDuque and Desarrollos del Pacifico’s sponsors and partner companies, including Stewart Title, which guarantees all the properties, and Fortune House International Realty, which manages all the international sales.
If you would like more information on Grupo CondeDuque and Desarrollos del Pacifico’s current and upcoming projects, please visit there website at www.desarrollosdelpacifico.net or www.condeduque.net, or contact them by phone at 291-5544.
