Matt Hogan came to Costa Rica in 2006, and after getting to know the Southern Zone of Costa Rica, he immediately knew that he wanted to make this place his home. The vibrant biodiversity, Tico culture being intact, and the authenticity of the area still amaze him after 15 years of living here. Matt is one of our most popular agents, thanks to his considerable knowledge of the area, his construction and development experience, and his ability to create long-lasting relationships with his clients. After the day ends, Matt is just like anyone else and goes home to the comfort of his family.
Read more about Matt Hogan in this candid interview:
1. What Was Your Dream Job as a Child?
Well, my dream job as a child was to be a professional skier and snowboarder. I did that from the time I was 16 until I was probably 28. I had a lot of injuries; I broke my back and my neck... I decided that I should go into something less damaging to my body, so I went back to college and got a degree in Business Administration and Recreation-Hotel and Resort Management. That’s where I kind of shifted from fun “work” to real work. A big reason that I moved from the cold weather of Colorado to Costa Rica was how much better I feel down here with all my old injuries (I think that the warm water and temperatures are a lot more therapeutic than snow and ice). ;-)
2. Why Did You Decide to Become a Real Estate Agent?
I’ve personally invested in and/or worked in real estate my entire adult life, and I started working in real estate as soon as I got down here in 2006. I’ve always enjoyed investing in properties and renovating houses; carefully evaluating and unlocking the hidden potential of properties is a fun process for me.
I started a conservation project down south called Finca Bellavista, where we bought 600 acres of rainforest to save it from a clear-cut, and then started developing it as a treehouse community. We did everything from start to finish, so we were selling lots, designing and building homes, doing property management for the homes, and growing food for our food and beverage services as well as providing tour options for our guests. Prior to moving to Costa Rica, I worked in economic development for the government in the US, so all of those experiences kind of carried over into Costa Rica, and once I had developed my own project, I understood more about the processes here, so it was an easy transition for me to go into more conventional real estate. For the last 5 years, that’s what I've been doing here with 2Costa Rica Real Estate, and I really enjoy working with such a great professional team.
3. What Do You Love Most About Being a Real Estate Agent?
I think what I love the most about being a real estate agent is helping people achieve their dreams. There are a lot of people who come here to retire, so they’ve worked really hard their whole lives to be able to move somewhere beautiful and simplify their lives and enjoy a new country, new culture, etc., and it's nice to be able to help them achieve those dreams. Sometimes it is retirees, sometimes it is younger families, but either way, it's a big move for people who decide to relocate to a new country. What I enjoy is the interaction, the information sharing, and just helping people overcome their fears and better understand why Costa Rica is such a special place to live. A lot of people have fears, and they get overwhelmed by the thought of moving out of their home country, home state, and sometimes even their hometown. I think that sometimes people just need a little help to realize that there are a lot of great places to live in the world, and Costa Rica is one of them.
Many come here as tourists on vacation and say things like “Costa Rica is beautiful, I love it, I’ve been on vacation here a bunch...” When they ask me how long I have been down here, and I say 15 years, they say things like “You must really like it...” and that’s when the engagement starts. They want to know the business side of making an investment here, or how to go from point A to point B, how to evaluate properties and decide on one, what the steps are to acquire it, the permitting process of building a house, how to find the best builders, etc. I really enjoy sharing that information because you’re helping them take a positive step toward realizing their dreams. Oftentimes, 6 months or a year later, I run into them on the beach or the supermarket, and they tell me all about their new amazing house and invite me for dinner, and I get to see how happy they are in their new environment... That’s the warm and fuzzy side for me.
4. What is the Biggest Challenge?
I think that the biggest challenge of being a real estate agent down here is the lack of a centralized MLS system. It’s not as easy as in the US: if you’re interested in a neighborhood, and you put a search in the MLS system, it shows you everything available, everything that has sold in the last five years, including prices, average time on market, etc. We have a great database of recent and past sales within our company, and we have a relatively small market, small enough to be able to keep our finger on the pulse pretty well, despite not having an MLS. We are able to give real-time market data to our clients, and they can evaluate things with real market values. In markets like the one we’re in right now, things are moving so quickly that time is also a challenge. It’s such a robust market, and there's so much activity that it is hard to keep up with the demand and to stay on top of all the offerings and opportunities, as well as all of the clients. It's really a juggling act some days.
5. What is the Most Rewarding Aspect of Your Work?
The most rewarding aspect is seeing people achieve their dreams. The financial side is a good motivator, but the reality is it's just fun. Maybe for me, it’s the fact that every day my work is fun and not monotonous; my “daily grind” is different each and every day. In my former life, when I worked for the government, I used to be an Economic Development Director, and I used to wear a suit every day and commute two hours each way in and out of the city, and that was a soul-crushing commute. It was 4 hours of my life, every day, that was just time wasted. I don’t care how many podcasts and audiobooks, or what kind of music you can listen to at the highest volume; it does not change the fact that you’re in a car for 4 hours a day in bumper-to-bumper traffic. So for me, the most rewarding part is that every day I’m out in nature, in beautiful areas, looking at beautiful properties, beaches, beautiful coastal ocean views, jungles, rivers, and waterfalls. A big part of my job is kind of like being a tour guide; it’s not just showing people properties that are of interest. I like to go macro-to-micro and show people the whole coastal zone and educate them about communities, areas with higher elevations, closer to the shore, views on the area, food production areas, best places to eat/surf/fish/etc. Being able to go out there and cover a lot of geography and share some of the magic of our area with my clients is a lot of fun... So I suppose that is the rewarding part- every day is different.
6. What Do You Do in Your Free Time?
In my free time, I like to spend time with my family, my amazing wife, and our sweet little three-year-old boy. We like to go to the beach, play in the pool, and work on our projects. When not enjoying time with the family, I also like to sneak in a little bit of surfing, scuba diving, and working on personal projects. But mostly just spending time with my family, I really enjoy our downtime when we have it.
7. If You Did Not Live in Costa Rica, Where Would You Want to Be?
To be honest, I have been lucky to have lived in a lot of places, and there is nowhere I like as much as Costa Rica. I’ve lived in Europe, Indonesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, all over the US, and really, Costa Rica hits all of the hot buttons for me. I don't know, I really don't think there’s anywhere else I’d move.
8. What is Your Most Ambitious Goal in Life?
To be the most amazing father and role model to my son and the best husband that I can be to my wife; family is priority number one for me. I try to focus on constantly improving and being better in everything that I do, and showing gratitude every day, and enjoying the ride for as long as I have in this life. Pura vida!
Find out more about our team in the next edition of our blog series: Get To Know Your Agent. Tune in every Wednesday!
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