House hunting

Yesterday turned out to be a great day, we had Richard pick us at 9am, he toured us around Crucita, then we headed north to meet Dave. Richard showed us a couple places here in Crucita for rent, new construction, beautiful, but one shared outdoor space with two other units, and with the pups, that's not what we're looking for. The other, happened to be Richards beach house, was beautifully landscaped, and right on the ocean, breezes were awesome, but it was really a one bedroom, and well sometimes Mike snores, and I need a good night sleep. It had grass for the pups and such nice outdoor space, but really not enough room, 600 sq feet inside. We have an apartment to look at today in Crucita , above a lunch only restaurant that some Canadian expats just opened. They are building a house that will be ready soon, we will go to the restaurant for lunch today and either see the apartment in person, or exchange emails for pictures. In the picture of the fishing boats in my last post, you can make out a car mirror on the left, that cars parked in front of the apartment, so it's right on the Malecon.

We drove yesterday with Richard to "the Boca" (mouth of the river) where the PortoViejo river empties into the Pacific, got some insight on properties near there, and the increased bug population because of the river and mangroves. ( good to know) Dave started the tour there, with a house over our budget at $750, nice house, ample room, nice outdoor space, except it had no shade, and with the bug possibility and over budget it wasn't  "the one". Next we saw a house that Dave actually owns, it is ocean front with only rocks and road between the sand and courtyard, so much potential! It is our favorite and unless we fall in love with the apartment, we will talk to Dave about doing a year lease. 

It's a fixer upper, and Dave has some plans, and we said that we could do some stuff to it too. A coat of paint, and a little landscaping would make this property a winner. It has an outdoor shower and sink, grill area and with some potted plants and hammocks, it could be a nice little yard. Three levels, 2 bedrooms  with attached baths each on the first and second floor, then third level is rooftop terrace. 

It's located in between two little towns the size of Crucita, so we have double the exploring area, a little farther from PortoViejo, but with more shopping within walking or bike distance, we'd only go into "the big city" once a month or so. 

Being right on the ocean the breeze was glorious, no need for A/C that close to the water, so our electric bill would run about $ 20 a month. Internet is ( If I remember correctly) $50 to install then $30 a month, gas tank is $15 every other month, and water is about the same. I think if we do a year lease we can get the rent down to $400, wow! What a dream come true. We will know more after we see the Crucita apartment. Opportunities are endless, we certainly made the right choice coming here, we love this part of the coast, and look forward to more exploring. Stay tuned, our adventure continues!