How much is it to build a house in Granada, Nicaragua?
John-Marc Gallagher - GPS Real Estate
The cost of building a
house in Granada, Nicaragua is a question I deal with daily because I build houses in and around Granada. Over 22 houses since 2004 for that matter. Several were for me, as "Spec" houses and the rest were for interested investors and folks looking to live and/or retire in Granada.
house in Granada, Nicaragua is a question I deal with daily because I build houses in and around Granada. Over 22 houses since 2004 for that matter. Several were for me, as "Spec" houses and the rest were for interested investors and folks looking to live and/or retire in Granada. In 2004 I was building for about $45 per square foot at mid level US standards. Now, with the increase in labor and materials costs,...
The cost of building a house in Granada, Nicaragua is a question I deal with daily because I build houses in and around Granada. Over 22 houses since 2004 for that matter. Several were for me, as "Spec" houses and the rest were for interested investors and folks looking to live and/or retire in Granada.
house in Granada, Nicaragua is a question I deal with daily because I build houses in and around Granada. Over 22 houses since 2004 for that matter. Several were for me, as "Spec" houses and the rest were for interested investors and folks looking to live and/or retire in Granada. In 2004 I was building for about $45 per square foot at mid level US standards. Now, with the increase in labor and materials costs, it averages about $60- $65 per square foot.
That isn't to say you couldn't do it yourself for about $50 per square foot or a little less and still be comfortable but you wouldn't have such things as A/C units in the bedrooms, plumbed hot water and redundant back up systems for the times we run out of city water or when the lights go out for a hour or two. Remember, we are still in the third world!
To go further into the question, building here is straight forward
and normal. You need plans approved by the city, a good contractor, a good foreman and a good amount of patience. I have completed all of my projects on time within a few weeks. A 3 bedroom / 3 bathroom, 2000 square foot home can be completed in about 6-7 months.
and normal. You need plans approved by the city, a good contractor, a good foreman and a good amount of patience. I have completed all of my projects on time within a few weeks. A 3 bedroom / 3 bathroom, 2000 square foot home can be completed in about 6-7 months. Posted February 9, 2014
Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties
If you find vacant land in Granada, Nicaragua,
you are not bound by having to maintain colonial architecture. In that case, you can build using the materials we do now: concrete, brick, columns, reinforced walls, metal roof, tile, etc. and you can build a swimming pool where you want. In Granada, you can do pretty much anything you want on vacant land. It’s much less restrictive to build on vacant land than to remodel a colonial house. (See my answer...
you are not bound by having to maintain colonial architecture. In that case, you can build using the materials we do now: concrete, brick, columns, reinforced walls, metal roof, tile, etc. and you can build a swimming pool where you want. In Granada, you can do pretty much anything you want on vacant land. It’s much less restrictive to build on vacant land than to remodel a colonial house. (See my answer... If you find vacant land in Granada, Nicaragua, you are not bound by having to maintain colonial architecture. In that case, you can build using the materials we do now: concrete, brick, columns, reinforced walls, metal roof, tile, etc. and you can build a swimming pool where you want. In Granada, you can do pretty much anything you want on vacant land. It’s much less restrictive to build on vacant land than to remodel a colonial house. (See my answer under “How hard is it to remodel in Nicaragua” for a discussion of the restrictions relative to remodeling in Granada.)
you are not bound by having to maintain colonial architecture. In that case, you can build using the materials we do now: concrete, brick, columns, reinforced walls, metal roof, tile, etc. and you can build a swimming pool where you want. In Granada, you can do pretty much anything you want on vacant land. It’s much less restrictive to build on vacant land than to remodel a colonial house. (See my answer under “How hard is it to remodel in Nicaragua” for a discussion of the restrictions relative to remodeling in Granada.) The price to build a home in Granada ranges from US $350 / square meter ($32 / square foot) to $600 / square meter ($56 / square foot), depending on the quality you want. Wood is expensive, metal is expensive, but labor costs in Granada are inexpensive. As a result, the overall cost of building a home in Granada balances out with materials and labor costs to be much less than building a home in the US.
For $350 / square meter, you will get a basic home; concrete with non-luxury finishes. However, you would be surprised how nice it could be, depending on the quality, competence, and connections of your builder. At $350 / square meter, a 2,000 square foot home would cost you roughly $64,000 to build.
For $480 / square meter, if you have a good architect with good workers, you can do a lot very well; you can have a very nice home. At $480 / square meter, the same 2,000 square foot home would cost you $89,000 to build. For $650 / sure meter, you would get a very nice home, with cedar and mahogany, good tiles, good finished floor, good appliances, good water faucets, granite countertops, etc. At $650 / square meter, the same 2,000 square foot home would cost you $112,000 to build.
All of these costs are without the land. The cost for land in Granada varies extremely, depending on many factors, including how far away the land is from the center of town. The lots in the center of town are the most expensive. I’ll give you some examples, starting at the center of town.
- In the center of Granada, it will cost you $50,000 to $60,000 for a 350 square meter lot (not even 1/10th of an acre). For $200,000, you can buy a 1,000 square meter lot (about a quarter of an acre).
- Seven to ten blocks from the center of Granada, it will cost you $50,000 for 600 square meters (about .15 of an acre)
- Ten minutes from the Granada city center in a nice, safe, tranquil area, $50,000 will buy you 1,000 square meters (about a quarter of an acre).
- Just outside the city of Granada, I’m buying a 15 acre piece of property $207,000.
In addition to having land that is much, much less expensive, the area just outside the city actually has a nicer elevation and a nice breeze, but it still feels close to the city.
Posted August 13, 2014
Miguel Moran
The cost to build a house in Granada, Nicaragua would depend on your taste and budget. Construction can go from US $350 to $700 per square meter (about $33 to $65 per square foot). This will depend on different factors. One of the factors for the increase in cost is if you hire an architect to do the construction. It also depends on the type of materials that you're willing to invest in.
You have to be careful in picking the architect or engineer to hire for the construction....
You have to be careful in picking the architect or engineer to hire for the construction....
The cost to build a house in Granada, Nicaragua would depend on your taste and budget. Construction can go from US $350 to $700 per square meter (about $33 to $65 per square foot). This will depend on different factors. One of the factors for the increase in cost is if you hire an architect to do the construction. It also depends on the type of materials that you're willing to invest in.
You have to be careful in picking the architect or engineer to hire for the construction. You wouldn't want to give them a lot of money upfront because there is a tendency for some people to start jobs, but not finish them.
Do not expect that you can run the construction by email. Some people come to Granada, buy a lot, and hire a local architect or someone to help with the construction. They would leave some cash with the architect and then go back to the States. When they come to Granada to move into the house, they would have a heart attack because they thought that they paid and the house would be built, but they come here and nothing is built.
A house for $300 per square meter (about $33 per square foot) is a decent house that would have porcelain floors, finished walls, and a ceiling made out of plaster or other materials. You would not expect to have granite countertops and carpeted flooring. The countertops would be concrete with tiles. You could get this kind of house with a budget of $50,000.
I've seen pretty decent houses that cost $35,000, which have two bedrooms, two baths, and a big single open floor area for the kitchen, living room, and dining area.
There are two nice projects right now in Granada. One is called Santa Fe. A house in Santa Fe would go for $120,000. The other project is more budget friendly and is called Vista Mombacho. Houses here run for $35,000 to $45,000.
You have to be careful in picking the architect or engineer to hire for the construction. You wouldn't want to give them a lot of money upfront because there is a tendency for some people to start jobs, but not finish them.
Do not expect that you can run the construction by email. Some people come to Granada, buy a lot, and hire a local architect or someone to help with the construction. They would leave some cash with the architect and then go back to the States. When they come to Granada to move into the house, they would have a heart attack because they thought that they paid and the house would be built, but they come here and nothing is built.
A house for $300 per square meter (about $33 per square foot) is a decent house that would have porcelain floors, finished walls, and a ceiling made out of plaster or other materials. You would not expect to have granite countertops and carpeted flooring. The countertops would be concrete with tiles. You could get this kind of house with a budget of $50,000.
I've seen pretty decent houses that cost $35,000, which have two bedrooms, two baths, and a big single open floor area for the kitchen, living room, and dining area.
There are two nice projects right now in Granada. One is called Santa Fe. A house in Santa Fe would go for $120,000. The other project is more budget friendly and is called Vista Mombacho. Houses here run for $35,000 to $45,000.
Posted December 22, 2017
Paul Daemen - Aurora Granada
What are the prices to purchase a condo and homes in Granada? 
This is not a simple question, since it varies by location, type of finish, square feet, renovated, age, historical district, for sale by owner. So if you take into consideration all these variables its basically telling you to shop around and analyze. Take note that the real estate market is not transparent as it is in such countries as USA, Canada and others that have a MLS (multi listing...
This is not a simple question, since it varies by location, type of finish, square feet, renovated, age, historical district, for sale by owner. So if you take into consideration all these variables its basically telling you to shop around and analyze. Take note that the real estate market is not transparent as it is in such countries as USA, Canada and others that have a MLS (multi listing... What are the prices to purchase a condo and homes in Granada? This is not a simple question, since it varies by location, type of finish, square feet, renovated, age, historical district, for sale by owner. So if you take into consideration all these variables its basically telling you to shop around and analyze. Take note that the real estate market is not transparent as it is in such countries as USA, Canada and others that have a MLS (multi listing service) system.
This is not a simple question, since it varies by location, type of finish, square feet, renovated, age, historical district, for sale by owner. So if you take into consideration all these variables its basically telling you to shop around and analyze. Take note that the real estate market is not transparent as it is in such countries as USA, Canada and others that have a MLS (multi listing service) system. As you notice in some of the posts, people talk about prices but do not provide square foot or size of lot. All that must be taken into consideration, as well as HOA fees and what the fees entail and who holds the money!
The picture is of a new spec home being built in Los Balcones, outside of Granada. We are using an architect to design and build, and we are using ADA standard to have wider doors, no steps, and easy access to bathroom. The cost of this approximately 1,650 square foot home with all the upgrades is slightly over US$100 per square foot, which also includes the 6% real estate commission and the lot price of US $40,000. As you can see this is a concrete block home. We will be adding a steel roof structure and roof tiles. There are no HOA fees at Los Balcones.
On this 1,650 square foot home, as is the norm here you calculate all the area that's under the roof as the square feer. In some properties, they even add the square feet of the garage or storage, or patio.
When we shopped for our home we noticed that the value of homes in Granada were very high relative to what we could buy outside of town with similar square feet and finish. I would say the difference was close to 30-50%, depending on land and home condition.
As you can see, I am not going to place a price point but advising you to check and ask around when you are looking for a property. If you see a price on a home on the agent's website, make sure you confirm with agent prior does the price include the sales commission, which can be anywhere from 5 to 10%. On top of that add another 4-6% for closing costs (attorney fees, registration and taxes) depending on value of home.
Land prices are also all over the place and will all depend where you are going to buy and if the property has access to utilities and views of property and if land is in a development like Club Vista Lagos where lots on the rim can be as high as US $80,000 for a quarter acre lot to inside lots go for US $40,000 for a 2 acre lot, Los Balcones where lots are $40,000 for an acre, or you can go to the Mombacho area and pay in the neighborhood of US $30,000 per acre, or you come out to the farm community and you can pay around from US $12,000 to US $30,000 per manzana which is equal to 1.75 acres.
Club Vista Lagos' HOA is approximately US $40 per year for security, road maintenance, access to lake and club house (under construction)
One item to consider when buying on Laguna De Apoyo is can you get a permit to build. Make sure you have this confirmed prior to buying, prior to signing a purchase contract. Do not listen to seller or his attorney. Get it in writing that a home can be built. In developments such as Vista Lagos you can build with no issues, but don't assume you can build around the rim or on the laguna, it's not that simple.
Best advice we can provide is ask and verify in writing!
Posted December 25, 2017