A beautiful community of just over 35,000 residents is the southern Orange county city of Dana Point in California. This great beach community is well known for its surfing, fishing and especially whale-watching. Dana Point is known as the “Whale Capital of the West”, and in 1990, one of the very few known specimens of the megamouth shark was caught off its shore. The Dana Point real estate area is also designated as a California Historical Landmark.

Dana Point real estate was described as “the only romantic spot in California”, by its namesake, author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., in a visit to the area and neighboring San Juan Capistrano. Dana Point real estate began as a planned community by a developer. However, the economic depression of the early 1930s stopped the construction and by 1939, all the investors had backed out or sold their investments. That tragedy did not stop the future development, which was revived in the 1950s, as today there are more than 14,000 homes, and Dana Point real estate continues to be desirable to people seeking a beach front retreat.

In addition to the city, Dana Point is also home to Dana Point Harbor, housing more than 2500 boats within two marinas. Every major amenity is offered at the Harbor including guest slips, fuel dock, shipyard, and a myriad of recreational activities. The harbor is also home to more than 17 dining establishments and over 30 specialty shops to appeal to the diversity of residents, tourists and visitors.

Buying Dana Point real estate could be an opportunity for one to “get their sea legs”, as community class instruction is available in sailing, boating and other water-related activities. Of course, if you prefer to remain a ‘landlubber’ you can still buy your piece of Dana Point real estate and enjoy the harbor from a distance, with the magnificent views of Tall Ships and the whales at the Salt Creek Beach. Here you can sit on benches that overlook the gray whale migration routes.

Another fantastic opportunity once you purchase Dana Point real estate is the Tall Ships Festival held every September. The festival is considered the largest annual gathering of Tall Ships on the West Coast of the United States, and features an amazing array of tall ships converging in and around Dana Point.

The California State Parks system also manages a nearby State Park called Doheny State Beach. Owners of Dana Point real estate are just a few miles away from this vacation hot spot. Comprised of over 60 acres, its main feature is the mile-long sandy beach with the best surfing and swimming in the clear blue ocean. Bring the family along for a picnic as the park also provides one hundred picnic tables and BBQ grills as well as over 120 fully developed camp sites.

The Century 21 Real Estate company was founded by Art Bartlett and Marsh Fisher in California in 1971. In 1977, the two initiated a public offering on the stock exchange in order to raise capital to expand their company throughout the US. It was eventually purchased through a buyout orchestrated by The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1984. Like a lot of other companies of the 1980s, Century 21 Real Estate was the mark of big financial companies looking to expand their product lines to customers.

Eventually, Century 21 Real Estate was acquired by the conglomerate HFS, a company that had varied interests in other franchised companies. Subsequently, HFS and Cendant merged and the real estate division, was spun off. The new parent company, Realogy, would also control Coldwell Banker and ERA, as well as Century 21 Real Estate. This put Realogy in 25% of every residential real estate transaction conducted in the United States.

The Century 21 Real Estate system has more than 8,100 independently owned and operated offices that employ in excess of 140,000 real estate sales professionals worldwide. Practically every major city in the United States, and a large majority of smaller cities, has at least one Century 21 Real Estate branch office.

Each office is independently owned by the real estate agent, whom is licensed by their department of state to sell real estate. The Century 21 Real Estate franchisor provides company support along with the MLS (Multi-List Service) to help bring clients to the individual office in their location.

The advanced technology and state-of-the art system the Century 21 Real Estate utilizes in an effort to pair buyers and sellers through their web sites and internet presence makes the global challenge of buying or selling property much simpler than it did nearly 40 years ago when the Century 21 Real Estate company began.

Even though each office is independently owned and operated, the corporate office of Century 21 Real Estate has the right to cease an independent offices franchise if they violate the company charter (franchise agreement) or the local laws. This added protection for the consumer means that you have the backing of the corporate offices of Century 21 Real Estate.

The corporate offices are located in Parsippany, NJ in the United States. A recent press release shows the company has added more than 1500 new professional agents as well as 11 new branch offices. Although many would argue the home buying market is in a slump, the recent activity at many of these realtors would suggest otherwise. Further expansion into the Albanian and Hispanic markets also shows their forward-looking progress in the global markets.

Between the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean in Central America, lies the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish for Rich Coast). The advancing country is the recent subject of many people looking for Costa Rica real estate for retirement and investment, because of its beauty, recreational and economic opportunities. It also is home to the largest percentage of national parks and protected lands. In addition, Costa Rica offers a very high quality of life with its reasonable living expenses and well-built infrastructure.

Buying Costa Rica real estate will not cost much more than if you were buying the same type of property in the USA. The market in Costa Rica for empty lots to build on, or existing homes is fairly close to comparable United States properties. Regardless of your choice for the type of Costa Rica real estate you desire, from beach front, condos or luxury, your price will not be much different for the same type of property in the USA.

Buying Costa Rica real estate might seem like a difficult and expensive task to accomplish. In reality, it is quite simple and that fact has encouraged many people to buy Costa Rica real estate, in addition to the lower cost of living.

This cost of living is seen in the residents as well, since the average native earns about $500/month, which is sufficient to survive with a few luxuries. In comparison, the same lifestyle in the USA would require quite a bit more. The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 1/2 of that in the United States. An income of $1500 in Costa Rica will allow a person to live well above the average and afford luxuries not available to them in the USA. This is the very reason many Americans and Canadians have chosen to purchase Costa Rica real estate and retire there.

Costa Rica real estate is divided into seven regions, and each region offers many different perks. Costa Rica has more than a dozen National Parks scattered throughout the country, featuring a variety of recreation such as horse back riding, hiking and biking. Additionally, there are numerous water sports such as fishing the crystal blue waters, exploring the coral reefs, surfing and whitewater rafting the wild tropical rivers. Of course, camping and sightseeing neighboring countries such as Panama and Nicaragua are also opportunities for adventure.

If you get homesick and want to take a visit back home or bring friends to your new estate, Costa Rica has 2 International Airports with connections all over the world. Additional transportation in the country is by Taxi, usually a few dollars anywhere and by Bus. Although some people who have bought their Costa Rica real estate and moved here, have brought their car along with them