Costa Rica Realtor Kent Thompson in Manuel Antonio

Scott Oliver - January 2010

With a BA in Business Administration & Marketing at Colorado State University, Kent Thompson is a professional Costa Rica Realtor living in Manuel Antonio, on the Central Pacific coast.

Kent has lived there for six years, he's a legal permanent resident of Costa Rica with permission to work here, he is bilingual, and a member of the Costa Rican Chamber of Realtors (CCCBR) as well as the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

"If asked where I'm from, I always maintain my Colorado pride, though I was born elsewhere and have lived in several States in the U.S. My passion has always been natural beauty. After graduating from Peace Corps Guatemala in 1998, I moved to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, to work with Outward Bound. This experience gave me the opportunity to get to know a great part of the country, including areas which most tourists don't see. Without doubt, this geographical and biological understanding of the country is one of my greatest resources."

Having fun in Manuel Antonio.

"Between 2001 and 2005, I lived and traveled in several countries around the world including Thailand, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Spain, and Honduras with the intention of finding the 'ideal paradise' to settle. Not surprisingly, that experience and travel led me to return to Costa Rica. Since then, I have the good fortune of living in one of the most beautiful beach towns in the entire country, and working with many clients to help them achieve their own dreams."

Kent works in Manuel Antonio and represents a wide range of properties from homes, vacation rentals, to homesites, to condos, to development land--between the areas of Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Palo Seco, Dominical, Uvita, Jaco and Dominical. He is fluent in Spanish, and a photography and videography enthusiast. He lives with his Costa Rican wife, Estela, and their beautiful daughter, Amaya, who is the highlight of their lives.

Costa Rica Realtor Kent Thompson, his wife and daughter.

"Our company's philosophy is: 'Real Estate. Evolved.' Our strategy is based on superior service. We represent many different geographical areas in Costa Rica, and can therefore advise our clients as to the areas which seem most suited to their needs. Many of our clients are new to Costa Rica, and are not 100% certain what areas interest them the most. We work 'macro to micro', knowing that often the most important feature of a property is its location. Our goal is for the long run--by being 100% honest and professional with clients, we will build our reputation and client base on referrals."

The journey back to the office can be tough!

What was the last real estate book you read? 'Ethical Guidelines for Real Estate Brokers', issued by the Costa Rican Board of Real Estate Brokers (CCCBR).

How many properties did you sell in the last 12 months? 7

What is your favorite quotation? 'This above all: To thine own self be true. And it must follow - as the night the day - thou canst not then be false to any man... (William Shakespeare - Polonius' advice to Laertes, in Hamlet)

"The market is slower than last year, without doubt. However, we are also seeing prices for properties that haven't been seen here in years, creating amazing opportunities for savvy real estate investors and other buyers. Most of what we've sold in the past year has been 30% below market value, though in Manuel Antonio prices seem to be holding stronger than other parts of the country.

At the same time, a number of the country's largest and most important infrastructure projects are focusing on the central Pacific zone:

1. The new highway from San Jose to the coast, which will cut 45 minutes off the drive.
2. The new Pez Vela marina in Quepos, which will be the largest full service marina in Central America, and will open its first slips in February 2010.
3. The Quepos-Dominical coastal highway -- after years of promises -- is finally being completed!
4. Plans for the extension of the runway at the Quepos domestic airport, which will allow for private jets to land, and...
5. There are also plans for a new airport in Sierpe.

Kent is fluent in Spanish, and a photography and video enthusiast.

What makes you uniquely qualified as a professional Realtor to help your customers? "My greatest qualifications are my honesty and sincerity which, in the hyped up world of Costa Rica real estate, are fairly unique traits. However, in practical terms, I and everyone in my office are knowledgeable, fully bilingual, and permanent residents in the area with families. In other words, we're here for the long run. Furthermore, we maintain a strong network of professionals such as topographers, attorneys, architects, landscapers, etc., from which to draw upon in order to better help our clients."

"My wife and I had the opportunity to work with Kent Thompson during the process of purchasing a villa/acreage in Costa Rica. Kent was extremely thorough during the process and consistently went above and beyond to facilitate our needs and questions. His research and understanding of the various properties we reviewed was exceptional and he even went so far as to hike through a 60 acre forested property and photograph it at short notice, to enhance our awareness of the asset. He understands the intricacies of life, business and the language in Costa Rica and has in all cases provided guidance directing decisions in our best interest. Following purchase Kent has continued to provide superior service and support, never seeking remuneration for often large time commitment. Our experience has been extremely positive, largely a function of Kent's efforts, for which we are eternally grateful." Steve Harding.

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I've worked with Kent Thompson on several real Costa Rican real estate transaction over the past 2 years. Kent has been very good at finding interesting opportunities, developing fair and informed opinions of the contemplated transactions and goes well beyond the normal level of post transaction service. I highly recommend Kent Thompson and his firm." Rob Robinson. Waterloo, Nebraska"

Manuel Antonio is a very sought after area.

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Customer email received 15th December 2009 at 9:42pm

"Hi Scott. Yes my partner and I had the pleasure to work with Kent Thompson and Scott Cutter, in looking at real estate in the Manuel Antonio to Dominical area and we ended up buying two beautiful lots in the Hatillo mountains to be buildt on. When we decided to buy the two lots, we felt that we had been shown enough alternatives to be sure that we were doing the right thing. After the purchase Kent and Scott have been a big help in following up on a lot of projects that we had for the property and introducing us to the right people. We could not have asked for better real estate agents, they are both very professional and go that extra mile to help you out after the deal is sealed.., and by always looking out for our interest we feel that they have become personal friends here in Costa Rica." Christian Knaust, New York

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Customer email received 11th January 2010 at 12:43pm

"Dear Scott, after meeting and working with Kent Thompson, I had to congratulate myself on either my blind luck, or great intuition, for having picked the best of the best real estate agents, on line. It doesn't hurt that Kent is an integral part of his company, which I also have to say, is an exceptional agency here in Costa Rica. As Kent explained to us on our first day together in Manuel Antonio, his firm works to not just meet their clients' needs, but to present the whole picture of the real estate market in Costa Rica, and to not only show properties, but to provide their clients with all the related information that goes into making the right decision for themselves, whether that decision ends up being to buy or not. We bought, but nowhere close to what we set out to get, and we, to this day, feel we made a great decision based everything Kent told us, showed us, how much he listened to us and everything he, and his partners, have done for us since we bought our property.

We appreciated Kent, because he has incredible patience, and was willing to do it our way. Only after we all recognized that it wasn't working, did he ask to show us other options. He was not a hard sell, and for that reason, even if we hadn't found something we wanted, we would have come back to him the next time. He treated us with incredible respect, was fun to hang around with, great to talk to and someone we like having as a friend. The best part about Kent is that after all he has already done for us; he still is helping us, with things related to our property, as well as linking us with others in the community and sharing information with us. Like I wrote in the beginning, we picked a great real estate agent." Sue Krasberg.

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