Lake Arenal in Costa Rica’s lake country is stunningly beautiful. The weather, with year- round temperatures in the 70s, is near perfect.

From the lake (and from the elevated lots at The Preserve, the project I told you about yesterday) the views to the towering Arenal Volcano are jaw dropping.

This is rich pasture and tropical jungle country. You might think you are in Switzerland. The roar of howler monkeys… flamboyant and dramatic…and brightly colored birds tells me I’m not.

Lake Arenal, Costa Rica has been overlooked. I can’t explain why. I can see no good reason. It’s just one of those anomalies.

It’s stunningly beautiful. The weather is near perfect. The community of locals and expats is welcoming and friendly. The road here is good and you don’t want for any modern conveniences or amenities.

I’ve seen situations like this before.

Along Costa Rica’s Southern Zone the bright, thick, green jungle canopy rolls down to a coast of sandy beaches and rocky points. It’s truly stunning.

While prices in the north soared…prices here stayed low. It was difficult to get to. But a new smoothly paved coastal highway has changed that.

One project along this coast stands out as the gold standard. It’s here…on a stunning ocean view lot surrounded by jungle-clad hills in Pacific Lots…that a small group of Real Estate Trend Alert members will gather this February 8-11.

Along Costa Rica’s Southern Zone the bright, thick, green jungle canopy rolls down to a coast of sandy beaches and rocky points. It’s truly stunning. While prices in the north soared…prices here stayed low. It was difficult to get to. A new smoothly paved coastal highway has changed that.

One project along this coast, rich in nature on land and sea, stands out as the gold standard. It’s here…on a stunning ocean view lot surrounded by jungle-clad hills in Pacific Lots… that a small group of Real Estate Trend Alert members will gather this December 8th-11th. They will have two price lists. One for all the inventory at the project. The other, a list of special pricing for our little group on more than 22 handpicked lots.

On February 1 you received my report from my scouting trip to Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. I gave you a heads up about a planned new phase at Grand View. I told you that we would be able to get in early at special member-only pricing and terms.

And today, you can get in.

As a member of our little group, you will know that we look for Path of Progress opportunities. I’m talking about infrastructure projects like a new road…or a new bridge that will make an area more accessible and desirable. When this happens, prices rise. Like we’ve recently seen in Costa Rica’s Southern Zone…and in Tulum, on the southern edge of Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

My colleague at Pathfinder, Margaret Summerfield recently returned from a trip to Costa Rica, where she investigated the impact of a newly upgraded road that stretches out from the capital, San Jose. She returned to her base in Panama excited about a project she had seen in the area.

Summer…180 attendees…and 23 of my trusted contacts…have all arrived in Toronto for the International Real Estate Investment Forum. The exhibit hall is buzzing. It’s great to see so many of those green badges that are reserved for members of our little group.

It’s been energizing and informative to share ideas and experiences with those of you who have been able to make it. It has also been exciting to see so many RETA members connecting. At member-only events in the past, friendships have been made that turned into business relationships. That’s what happens when you pack a room with smart people chasing the same thing: Undervalued real estate opportunities.

Costa Rica’s Southern Zone is a text book Path of Progress play. This is a beautiful place where price stayed low because it was difficult to get to. Now it’s easily accessible by road. And President Laura Chinchilla was in the area last November, lending her support to the new airport.

The week before last a small group of our fellow Members assembled on a stunning ocean-view lot here surrounded by jungle-clad hills. Price lists fluttered in the breeze. There were two. One was the price list for all the inventory at the project. The other was a list of special pricing for our little group on more than 20 handpicked lots.

If there’s a better lake buy in Central America than Lake Arenal, I haven’t seen it.

The final part of the Costa Rica leg of my recent scouting trip brought me to Lake Arenal en route to crossing the border into Nicaragua near Liberia.

This was my first visit to Lake Arenal. I left scratching my head as to how this place stayed under the radar. It’s beautiful and there are some amazing real estate values.

Costa Rica’s Southern Zone is a text book Path of Progress play. This is a beautiful place where price stayed low because it was difficult to get to. Now it’s easily accessible by road. And President Laura Chinchilla was in the area last October, lending her support to the new airport.

Pacific Lots is only a few minutes from the little town of Ojochal and its restaurants and cafes. It’s right in the heart of the Southern Zone and the finest project in the area—yet $65,000 buys you a half-acre oceanview lot (that’s a RETA members-only price).

Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed the holidays. I’ve just returned from an extended December scouting trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, preceded by some vacation time in Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio.