Join Us

As an equal partner at Heartsong

Why are we looking for a partner

     After 30 years of maintaining the land here at Ballena I am faced with the reality that I will never be able to improve the property or live permanently in the area if I don't share the investment and upkeep with others.  I am in the US right now working to pay off property in the nearby community of Uvita where I have a motel/home construction partially completed.  I also have a 6 year old son who I want to grow up in these natural and healthy surroundings.   I have no desire to stay in the US and want to return permanently to Costa Rica and make long term ecological and financially rewarding investments in Heartsong.  That in general involves creating more of a park environment, planting a selection of indigenous precious woods and creating access trails to some of the hidden wonders on the property.  This also includes the planting of certain trees and shrubs which attract the abundance of natural wildlife in the area.  Costa Rica is know for being the spot on the planet with the highest level of bird diversity in the world.

Accessibility

     While most people when the choice of land was open (1975) were looking for the prime beach front property (prohibitively expensive, 10˚ hotter and far more biting insects) I was looking for the most protected and scenic of the properties.  And that is what I found.  Up until today it is the only view of the north and south coast which at night time you see no other lights.  With the encroachment of tourism to this newly opened area (the last undeveloped area along the pacific coast highway) I am sure this will become a lost phenomenon. 

     Heartsong begins at a level of 1000ft above the ocean. The land nearer the ocean is already being subdivided up to about 500ft and from there on the surrounding area is mainly large parcels so at the higher elevations we are guaranteed little population density.  Since most of the land was bought for speculation by companies or the wealthy, there are at present no roads to the property.  During the summer dry months our 4-wheel drive could make it 2/3rds of the way up the mountain and from there it is a 20 minute walk through the forest to the house.  The accessibility of this land is restricted to people who are outdoors oriented and appreciate the walk required to reach the property which is still truly virgin.  With a small investment we could put in a ATV trail up to the house but it has not been a priority of mine as I feel that 20 minute walk to be both healthy and the measurement of the isolation and beauty that is felt on the land.  Those of you who would be interested in Heartsong would only appreciate this buffer zone.

Partnership

     In a legally binding corporation, the one or two people who share this investment will be of equal partners.  We would come to a mutual agreement on the substance of the partnership and the goals and development of Heartsong.  Heartsong is presently incorporated so we would reincorporate with the new ownership and direction.  The greatest advantage of this to any investor who is not intimately familiar with the maintenance of a large piece of property and the legalities of a foreign government is that I have 30 years of experience in this particular environment and would be glad to be the maintenance and logistics person since I plan to be permanently in the area to oversee the successful operation and protection of the investment.  On the other hand if others wanted to share that responsibility that would be just as negotiable.  In short we would be reestablishing the directions and goals of Heartsong with the input and creativity of each investor.

The Investment

     Again my motivation for this offer is the advancement of the land and to have enough capital to establish my life permanently devoted to the area.  The value of mountainside land overlooking the coast ranges from $5000 to $30,000/hectare ($2000 to 12,000/acre).  This of course can be verified by going onto the internet and looking into parcels of ocean view pacific coastal property.

     With the right person or people I am setting the price at $3850/hectare (2.5 acres).  That would set the cost of 50% investment at $135,000.

     In addition the maintenance of the property and basic improvements would be $5000 yearly divided by two.    Again I would be willing to take charge of all upkeep and improvements during the time that our partner was not in Costa Rica as our permenant residence will be in the local vicinity.  Additional investments and improvements such as extensive trails, cabins and planting of local hardwoods would be up to mutual agreement.

     Although it was never my motivation for living here, the long term investment in this property is excellent.  This area is the last easily accessible coastal property along the new Pan American Highway started in 1985 and still not complete.  The reason that the prices are still not out of reach is because there is a 30 mile stretch of highway between Quepos and Dominical which has not been completed.  That means that the heavy tourist traffic from the north has not yet reached this last unexploited stretch of pacific coast highway.  The local residents are doing all they can in advance to initiate restrictive development and rigid environmental protection of this area before it is too late and it becomes another overdeveloped tourist trap like the north.  I participate in an organization called ASANA which is doing a great job of fighting against the developers in our area.  We hopefully will be the only highway accessible beaches that escape the greed of developers and continue to protect the wildlife and forests which are disappearing along the rest of the Pacific Coast.