I had been traveling in Nicaragua for a week, with David and Lydia Dell, scouting out a site for our new International Living office. That morning, we had  decided that Granada would be the place. Thus the question, posed by the gentleman having lunch with us, an American who moved to Managua from Pittsburgh four years ago.

We’ve chosen Granada as the location for our new office, I explained, because Granada is the most agreeable city in this country. A city with history and charm and a large central plaza surrounded by old Spanish colonial buildings. A city with little streets for meandering, neighborhoods for exploring, and style.

The people dress better here than in Managua or elsewhere. The buildings are painted bright blues and greens and reds. The women walk proudly to and from the market balancing baskets on their heads, smiling, and holding hands with each other. The children ride bicycles in the main square.

Granada is a place where you can settle in...on one of the long, breezy porches running along the main square. Settle into a white wicker rocking chair and soak up the scenery.

It’s 6 a.m. as I write this. I’m sitting on one of those long porches in one of those rocking chairs. Beside me, two gentlemen are doing the same thing. They’re Americans. Texans from their accents. 

They’re talking about the e-mails they received last night. Talking business…as they rock slowly and watch the square wake up.

Already young women in pretty skirts are crossing the square on their way to work. The tiled porch where I’m sitting is being mopped. 

The streets and the square are being cleaned. (The square was filled with people, even young children, until at least midnight when I finally went to bed.) They sweep up every morning, I understand.

Right now, Granada is still a good place for escape. This time of year, there’s nary a tourist in sight. The only ones I’ve seen are the gentlemen rocking beside me.

Yesterday was market day. Vendors at makeshift wooden stalls offered everything from watermelon to papaya...from ladies lingerie to children’s toys. One of the gentlemen next to me is boasting to his buddy about the leather belt he bought for $4 and the red polo shirt he got for $12.

A new point on the world map?

Word on the street is that Granada is on its way...a major international destination in the making.

I’ve heard this before. Mostly from real estate agents in beach towns where they were trying hard to sell beachfront property. Here, the claim is more credible because it’s not coming from the guys hustling property (at least not only from them).

You hear this from everyone you speak with…the Granadians, the tourists from Costa Rica and Guatemala, and the expatriates who’ve already made Nicaragua their home. They’ve been watching the transformation for the past few years. They say the changes are noticeable month by month.

Granada is unique in this country. It’s the only city of any size where you could live and be comfortable. Managua is bigger, of course, and offers more amenities and infrastructure. But it’s not a place most people would want to live.

Their city offers good restaurants, good hotels, a movie theater, four internet cafés, and decent shopping (there’s a big computer supply store, for example). 

Managua has these things, in greater abundance (and many Granadians make monthly trips to the capital to stock up on things they can’t buy locally). But what Granada has that Managua doesn’t is something that’s hard to pin down and impossible to manufacture. Granada has character.

Granada feels like a small town…friendly and safe. And, yes, like it’s on its way to becoming a point of distinction on the world map. Some say it’ll become Nicaragua’s San Miguel de Allende, the artists’ community in Mexico.

Wandering the neighborhoods, passing the houses with their balconies and ornate ironwork, you begin to believe these prophecies. There’s already an art school and a small art gallery.

Of course, there’s a long road from here to there. Right now, this is a Third-World city. In some areas, sewage still runs through the gutters.

A taste for free markets

There’s worry that next year’s election may interfere with the country’s (and this city’s) progress. Right now, there’s a lot of posturing, especially by the current president who is very unhappy he can’t run for another term. However, everyone we’ve spoken with agrees that the Nicaraguans won’t tolerate any serious troubles. The current battles being waged in the press are one thing. Real battles that might interrupt the flow of revenues or aid…these won’t be allowed. Nicaraguans (and Granadians) have gotten a taste of what capitalism can mean. And they seem to like the flavor.

The concern over the approaching election could work to your advantage as a would-be investor. Prices are holding steady right now. But the (reasonable) expectation is that after the election, assuming all goes peacefully, prices will jump and then continue to appreciate. Right now could be the time to buy. We’ve invested ourselves, as you know. About four years ago, we purchased, with friends and colleagues, a tract of land along the southern Pacific coast. Now we’re opening an office here in Granada. We’re committed to Nicaragua. We think with good reason.

Colonial mansions from $80,000

One more thing: If the old Spanish colonial structures in Granada appeal to you as much as they appeal to me…

Next time I visit I’m going to travel to the little towns just outside Granada. These are built according to the same plan as Granada, with a central plaza surrounded by colonial buildings with long, open porches. And in these towns, I’m told, you can buy these grand old houses for $50,000 or less. I’m interested to know more.

Una casa for rent?

The Dells and I came to Granada with the intention of finding a place to rent for the new IL office. Westarted by visiting the real-estate agents in town. One of them stood us up. Another had only his own house available for rent.

We had much better luck asking around in the local restaurants and hotels. In each case, someone knew someone who might know of a house for rent. Most rentals are never advertised as such and certainly never make it to the real estate agents’ books. The Nicaraguans are proud and private. Typically, if they want to rent or to sell a property, they tell a handful of people and rely on word-of-mouth to find a renter or a buyer.
To give yourself a chance to get to know the neighborhoods it’s advisable to rent before you buy. Three hundred dollars a month is a typical rent in the center of town. The locals may quote higher rents to you, a gringo.

The nicest streets in Granada, outside the central downtown area, are Calle Calzada, Calle Atraezada, and Calle Galdeva, known as “The Streets of the Millionaires.” These days, though, there aren’t any millionaires living along these broad, tree-lined avenues. The once-grand houses still standing are nearly dilapidated.

At points, near-shacks have been erected in between. Still, the prices can be right. We saw one colonial-style house with a gated entrance, a large front veranda, and some nice features inside, available for $400 a month. This place, though, like the others, needs serious renovation.
To rent in Nicaragua you need a standard rental agreement drawn up and notarized by an attorney and then filed with the proper government agency. Our attorney in Managua can help with this.

The easiest, safest way to rent, though, is with the help of David and Lydia Dell. They are packing as I write this, preparing for their move, and will be in residence in Granada by the end of September. They’re there on your behalf.

Where to stay…where to eat.