Aah! Aah! [ Laughs ] NARRATOR: Michele lives to work,
and Rich lives to play. Rich is the master of pushing me
out of my comfort zone. Whoa! Yes! Whoo! He's convinced her to buy
a home in Guanacaste. Having a place in Costa Rica
will really allow her to balance out her life
a little bit more. I consider this
a re-allocation of assets. Four bedrooms,
4 1/2 baths for $1,695,000. I'm out of here. I enjoy
a little bit of risk. Here we go, folks. Whoo! She doesn't like it
much at all. It gives me agita. [ Doorbell rings ] ♪♪ [ Seagulls squawk ] MICHELE: How far do you
want to go today? Uh...
no more than three. Really? Yeah, I've got one client
in the morning, and then I'm free
the rest of the day. Okay. We've been together almost
10 years now, married for 8. Each of us has children
from our prior marriage. Legs feel good. Yeah? RICH: I've been in the
fitness industry all my life. I was an athlete
through college, and then it's been
personal trainer, gym owner,
fitness videos, and now fitness retreats. I'm making smoothies.
You want one, babe? Yeah, no, I got to be
heading out pretty soon. I work in
the fashion industry. I'm an executive
with a large retailer. Always<i> extremely</i> busy. My work/life balance isn't
really where I need it to be. If you do your retreats
in Costa Rica -- which I think
would be fabulous, if you can make
enough money doing it. Well, it's less about
making money. It's more of a hobby job for us.
I'm gonna go down there. I mean, I certainly
don't want to<i> lose</i> money. The retreat business was,
really, just an idea for us of what we wanted to do
after the careers. And somebody suggested, maybe you'd want to start doing
a fitness retreat business<i> now</i> instead of
waiting till later. We started kind of
thinking about having a second home
somewhere. Costa Rica was
not on the initial list because I got married
to my first wife there. I was, "Absolutely not." [ Chuckles ] The last place
I want to go is the place where
you married your first wife and the person
that you planned to spend the rest
of your life with. No, I'm like, "There are so many
places in the world to go." It wasn't too hard
to convince Michele because I know
what she likes. [ Laughs ] He knows me quite well. It had all of the qualities
that I like in a destination. By the end of the trip,
we were looking at real estate. ♪♪ Warm, tropical weather,
being by the beach. A lot of other areas
we looked at had pieces of it, but Costa Rica
really had everything that we
were looking for. The reason we're looking
in the Guanacaste region is because
it's the Pacific. It's the drier part
of Costa Rica. My favorite thing about
Costa Rica is the attitude. We value quality of life,
exercise. We value friendships.
We value each other. So, what we need
is a house right here. [ Laughs ] RICH: We need a house that
really works well for retreats. I want to give the guests
a great experience. MICHELE: Retreats happen
maybe six times a year. It has to be a place
we can bring our family. But I think for me,
if we're gonna come here, I want to be
at the beach. I want to be at the beach.
I want to be<i> on</i> the beach. RICH: My goal is
to run fitness retreats, so for that, I need
at least four bedrooms. Okay. If I've got to be a little bit
further off the beach to get that view,
that's fine with me. I want a view from<i> everywhere,</i>
if possible. I need people around me. I need people.
I need social. I need
to be able to -- Otherwise, I'm gonna
drive him crazy. I will literally -- [ Laughs ] We want to stay married,
and being married, we need to have other people
around to talk to, to hang out with. Okay. What are you guys
willing to spend? Honestly, I've worked
really hard all my life, and right now,
to take all of our money and invest it
in a -- really, to me, which is really
an unknown, I would prefer that you keep it
under $1.5 million as much as
you can, 'cause that
would really -- that would, really,
pretty much clean us out. She's really worked hard
all her life. I mean, this is her nest egg. They're here in Costa Rica
because of Rich, so I feel like I'm gonna have
to really show her a wow factor to get her to want
to pull the trigger. So, yeah, this is
the area of Potrero. It's known for its,
like, flat land and its really
family-friendly beach. It's all very walkable.
You are in a community here. Can see the ocean,
so that's a good start. The beach
is right there. Yeah. Awesome. Great. So, it's four bedrooms,
4 1/2 baths for $1,695,000. I'm out of here. [ Laughs ] Oh, no. That is... Beachfront. Okay. Oh! Beautiful! Wow. The dramatic entry
is awesome for me. Is this
where we're headed? Absolutely. Let's check out
this living area. It just keeps
getting better. MICHELE: We're like
a magnet to the ocean. Oh, my God.
Look at this chandelier. And to have, like, house, pool,
water is just perfect. House, pool, water. Alright. So we got living and dining
and then kind of, like, the outdoor
entertaining down here. Absolutely. Absolutely. This is great.
It's definitely big enough. All custom hardwoods
here in the kitchen. Yep. It's a little darker
than normally my taste would be and maybe a little bit
more traditional. Mm-hmm. Yeah, the appliances work,
'cause I've got to be cooking for 12 people
at a time. For the retreat,
I think this will work. You have an outdoor kitchen
out here. Oh, here we go! A second kitchen. This is perfect. Yep. I love it. I want to check out
the bedrooms first, and then we'll
go out there. Okay. Alright. Okay, follow me. Ohh! Alright. I like these bedrooms
for you because they all have
their own bathroom. They all have their own
outdoor space that's private. Ooh. Really? And they all have
their own private entry. From the outside? From the outside. Wow! I want to take you to
the master bedroom and bath. That's nice.
That's a nice built-in. This is huge. It is huge. Yeah, except
for single sink. RICH: Why one sink
with a bathroom this size? And here we have
the master bedroom. MICHELE: Oh, my God.
I could totally see us here. Oh, there's speakers --
built-in speakers. A little romantic
music going. I was thinking more
of a party, but okay. You're having a party
in the bedroom? [ Laughter ] I want you to see
this terrace. Wow! Outdoor bar area. Come this way -- outdoor seating
for<i> this</i> bedroom. This is a nice bedroom.
It's a good size. Definitely good size.
I like that. Yeah, I think
the furniture is not representative
of<i> my</i> style. I want to show you my favorite
part of this home. Yes. This would be<i> my</i> favorite
part of this home, too. Yep. You can't beat the pool,
beach, ocean right in front
of the house. I mean,
that's amazing. And I can see also for classes
'cause we're covered in here. We can get a dozen people
in here working out. There we go. Come on, now.
Here we go, folks. Whoo! Yeah? Yeah? You feel good? Am I the only one
doing class here? You're doing great. Rich is a dreamer. Rich can make anything work. And I do agree with him. It probably works better
for a retreat, but the amount of work
that we'd have to put into it, it gives me agita. I think the house is big. I think there are
outstanding views. Furniture -- honestly, we'd probably need
to replace furniture. I'd probably demo
the kitchen, and all of that
makes me very nervous because we're already --
cha-ching, cha-ching -- at the high end of... higher than even what
I'm comfortable with. Remember, guys, this home is
beachfront, and it's massive, so I do think that will help
in terms of return for your
fitness retreats. MICHELE: For me,
if we're gonna commit, it has to be a place
we can bring our family. The kids are older.
They come with friends. Everybody can
enjoy themselves. So, this home is a four-bedroom,
4 1/2-bath home, okay? And it's priced
at $1.5 million. Alright! This house
speaks to me. One of the downsides
is that there's ongoing
construction right now, and it will be ongoing
for another year and a half. ♪♪ MICHELE: Rich,
I'm gonna be okay? RICH: You're gonna be fine,
babe. No problem. Okay. Dos, uno. Whoo! Adios. Whoo! As much as I respect Michele
as a career woman, I think that having a place
in Costa Rica will really allow her to balance
out her life a little bit more. Rich is the master of pushing
me out of my comfort zone. Michele has a lot
of stories that begin with "The one time Rich
almost killed me" -- paddleboarding
or we were mountain biking or we were hiking
or skiing. Yep, and by the way,
I am not the only one who has those stories. Whoo! Oh, my God! That landing literally... Come on, baby! ...scared the daylights
out of me! Oh, my gosh. Be still, my heart. That was so fun, Rich! I'm definitely pleasure. I'm definitely business. Yeah. But, Rich, I mean,
he's pretty focused on just the business aspect. I need a place where I can
hold my fitness retreats, but we also like the sense
of having a home. We're gonna be
empty nesters pretty soon. We want this to be a house
that we can buy it now, and then we've got
someplace to go to when we're
in retirement. I consider this
a re-allocation of assets, as long as our money
is safe in a certain area. It's all interpretation
of the word "safe." [ Laughs ] Okay. Yes, yes. Michele is really looking
at these homes for her and Rich and her family, so for the next home,
I'm really gonna focus more on Michele's
kind of modern taste. SARAH:
Las Catalinas is a beach town --
very high-end beach town. MICHELE: Ah. RICH: Okay. It's reminiscent of a
Mediterranean coastal village. It has the community
that you're looking for. Love it. Okay. So, this home is a four-bedroom,
4 1/2-bath home, okay? And it's priced
at $1.5 million. Alright! One of the downsides
is that there's ongoing
construction right now, and it will be ongoing
for another year and a half. Ouch. So you want to think
about that. But that is why this house
comes in at $1.5 million. RICH: Okay. [ Door closes ] Okay, guys, welcome to this main
living area of the home. Oh, wow!
Now, this is open living. RICH: The open living. The ceilings, too. We've got another 20,
30 feet here. I think the furniture
in this house speaks to me. The developer
actually brought in all this stuff
from California. It's got a great, trendy,
California vibe, and I thought you'd like it
for that reason. Yeah. Yeah. Big island -- beautiful. And I like if I'm here
chopping vegetables,
I'm looking at the beach. That works for me. And I'm sitting right here
while he's chopping vegetables, waiting for him
to serve me. Yes! [ Laughter ] [ Jackhammer pounding ] SARAH: An amazing
infinity pool. Now, what I'm seeing
with this infinity pool is 15 workers on top
of a roof, making noise. Yes. That's a tough one
for me. See if this is something
that you can live with for the next
year and a half, because that's gonna be
the reality for you. I'm also a little bit concerned
about the space. I don't really see a place
to hold a class. But remember, we're in a
beautiful, high-end development, and there are several places
to hold your classes, so they could stay here
as a retreat and then walk down to the city
for the classes for you. Okay, so, here we have
the pool suite. It's located directly off
the beautiful infinity pool. And all of the bedrooms have their own en suite bath,
so you know. Oh, great. Wonderful bathroom
with great features. Look at the shower. Oh, this is big! Yeah. I like that. Wow. Oh, man. Oh, that's really nice,
Rich. Like a little indoor-outdoor
type of experience. Great. Yeah.
It's a good-size shower. We're all in here. [ Both laugh ] You haven't seen
anything yet. These are not the kind
of parties I throw. Okay. [ Laughs ]
Good to know. I knew you'd
love this view, Rich. Looking right
at the beach. Right. Right. Follow me. Okay. So, here we have
the first master. You have a stunning view
and your own private balcony. And here you have
the master bathroom. [ Laughs ] Nothing says glam like
three chandeliers. This is incredible. This is... This is the men's. This is completely
over-the-top. [ Laughing ] Okay. This is, like... Would you like
your own private? Yes, I would, actually. There you go. SARAH: His and her
water closets. No more fighting
over that. This is your
true master. This is where
I see you guys. This is a view worth
walking up a few stairs for. I like this master,
too, because you have your own
private terrace out here. This is for you guys. That's nice. I can actually hear the waves
from up here. You're close.
You're close. [ Jackhammer pounding ] Well, maybe the waves over
the sound of the construction. Yeah, I know.
That is a concern. But I love the house. I love the style
of the house. It feels like somebody
just transplanted my California style
right here. I love the views
from all over the place, so, of course, that's
one of my most important things. There's some concerns. One, I'm not sure
about that exercise space. I haven't really
seen that yet. The one positive of
the ongoing construction is that we're getting a deal, but from a retreat aspect,
these are exercise groups. I want a place that I can
work out on-site. MICHELE:
This is all one house? I could see you totally --
Could you imagine doing, like, a class here,
putting the yoga mats down? Yep. SARAH: Welcome to your
new bedroom. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, this'll work. The one thing
that really does concern me is, really, the price. I don't want to love it
this much. ♪♪ Want to hop on
a tube with me today? MICHELE: What about just
relaxing here, like this? [ Both chuckle ] I think you'll really enjoy it.
How about doing it? Every day is an adventure
with you. This is both
a second marriage for us. Yes. And I think we learned a lot
about what we want in a relationship,
and I think we found it. It's been unlike
any relationship I've ever had before,
which is awesome. Are you having a moment? I'm not having a moment. [ Laughs ] ♪♪ Aah! [ Laughs ] There was a little convincing
going on with Michele to buy a home
in a foreign country. But I loved what I saw. Our kids are
getting older now, and I always wanted
to be the cool parent that had a place that they could
come down and visit. Whoooooo! Whoooo! Oh, I'd hate to have to choose
between family and business. I've been in the fitness
industry all my life. To have a house that doesn't
have the ability to accommodate
fitness retreats, it just seems like --
I wouldn't even want to do it. The retreats, too,
are not only about fitness. It's about well-being
and just living better. The locals have this great,
you know, pura vida outlook, that they love life
and they value each other. And then, as for the expats
that are here, you know,
it takes a certain mind-set. SARAH: Michele's really hung up
on the price point, but it's just too difficult
to find a home within that price point
that has everything they want. This is Ocotal. Ah. Kind of an upscale
suburb. Okay. So, you're closer
to the airport here. That's a plus. May be good
for your guests. There's the Ocotal Beach, and then there are all of these
houses up in the cliffs. And I think we're gonna have
some good views from there. Yeah. [ Laughing ]
Oh, my goodness. [ Laughs ] This is amazing. Wow! So, this home was
actually created by a very famous
architect. He's world-renowned,
but he's Costa Rican -- local. Look at that pool. [ Laughs ] [ Gasps ]
Oh! Look at this. This is all one house? This is all one house. So, I like this home
for you, Michele, because this is a brand-new,
modern home, move-in-ready -- four-bedroom,
4 1/2-bath home, and it is available
for $1.65 million. [ Laughs ] Okay. I feel like you know my taste,
but I think you actually have more expensive taste
than I have. [ Laughter ] Awesome. We're just smooth
indoor/outdoor living. Yeah, and cool, industrial,
chic elements, you know, with the concrete,
the glass, the wood. I can't even imagine having
a house like this. Floating stairs. Mm-hmm. Okay, Rich and Michele,
welcome to your new bedroom. Oh, my goodness.
This is -- [ Laughing ]
Oh, my gosh. I feel like
I'm in a tree house. Mm-hmm. Yeah, this'll work. Is this your Zen? Mm-hmm. I love this master bath.
I want you guys to see this. Wow. Oh. That's special. Yes. That is beautiful. You have a large
walk-in closet. And, of course,
your bath area here. And I think we might even
have ocean views from... Oh, my God.
You do. ...what I would call
the throne. Let's see. Oh, yeah.
[ Laughs ] That is actually
one of the things that you have
talked about. At some point
in your life, you'd like to have
an ocean view... Throne? ...from sitting
on the throne. Yes. Okay, so, here,
we're gonna have the second of the three bedrooms
in the house. And I know it's important
to you, so every bedroom
has its own en suite bath. Great. That's perfect
for retreats. Everybody needs
a little space. MICHELE: And perfect
for the kids. The view, again, from here
is spectacular. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right.
Right this way. So, here,
we have the kitchen, guys. RICH: Oh, yeah.
This is good. I mean, I could just line up
eight, 10 people, maybe, along here. Crossing the pool now. Okay, so, here we have
the casita. This is outside the home, and this kind of serves
as the fourth bedroom. This is amazing. Oh, yeah. Our kids
would fight over this. Who could be the furthest away
from us as possible? That was what
they would fight for. For me, the industrial chic,
the clean lines -- I love all of that. The one thing that really
does concern me is, really,
the price. RICH: It's a little over
what we wanted to spend, but I think from
an investment standpoint, I think
it'll work. Michele and I come from
the opposite ends of the risk spectrum. Yes, we do. I enjoy a little bit
of risk. She doesn't like it
much at all. And we're comfortable
kind of moving a little bit toward
the middle a little bit. Kind of. [ Laughs ] MICHELE: Retreats --
you're gonna run five, six retreats
a year. There's a lot of time left in
the year that<i> aren't</i> retreats, and so I think
we need to look at what works more for the
family than for the business. Well, you're putting me
in a tight spot. ♪♪ I got a fun one for us --
roll your mat our here, and let's get up
in a plank position. How's that? Okay. I think the biggest
challenge for this purchase is that the house
we're looking for has to do
so many different things. Yeah? How about giving me
a little high five? There we go.
How about the other side? SARAH: Rich and Michele
haven't reconciled what they need their second home
in Costa Rica to be -- part of his business plan or a place to relax
with the family. [ Groans ] Wow. So, that beach house
in Potrero? It was on the beach. Yep. That outdoor patio area was
gonna be perfect for classes. Come on,now.
Here we go, folks. Whoo! Yeah? Yeah? You feel good? MICHELE: It was great
indoor/outdoor living. Built-in speakers.
A little romantic music going. I was thinking more
of a party, but okay. You're having a party
in the bedroom? The most expensive home
we looked at. RICH: And then, it's gonna
need some reno. There's a lot
we'd want to do. It's not representative
of my style. The one in Las Catalinas,
what do you think about that? It was a really
beautiful house. I think the furniture
in this house speaks to me. And the house was close
to the beach, and that town sounds like
it has a lot to offer. I mean, the construction. Oh. Yeah. So, that was --
that's gonna be there for a bit. Now, what I'm seeing
with this infinity pool is 15 workers on top
of a roof, making noise. It'll be done
at some point, but what<i> wasn't</i> gonna change
was the space inside. Can I have my classes there?
Not really. How about that view house
in Ocotal? [ Laughs ] [ Gasps ] Oh!
This is all one house? The views, the expansive
glass everywhere. SARAH:
I feel like I know your taste,
and you're gonna love this home. But I think you actually
have more expensive
taste than I have. It's pretty far
from the beach. Yeah. But I can imagine
having amazing retreats there. And I think we might even have
ocean views from the throne. Let's see. Oh, yeah. ♪♪ ♪♪ That beach house
in Potrero? The most expensive property
that we looked at, and it would need
a lot of work. If you're with me, I think we have to eliminate
the beach house. Are you okay giving up
your beachfront dream? Oh, God! I think I'm okay with it.
It needs to go. I really want that
view property in Ocotal. Oh, and I really want
Las Catalinas. I thought you might. Well, for the Ocotal house,
the views -- unsurpassed. You can't beat that. I think it's
a beautiful home. It's far away
from the beach. I just don't see that working
for our family. There wasn't enough
social activity around there. And Las Catalinas --
come on, Rich. That is perfect
for our family. Retreats -- you're gonna run
five, six retreats a year, versus a lifetime
with your family. Oh, my goodness. Well, you're putting me
in a tight spot. ♪♪ Alright, help yourself.
There's beer in there. There's more beer in the fridge.
There's mixed drinks. It really means
a lot to me that Rich was able
to choose this house and really putting family first,
which I knew you would. There. Okay, awesome.
Perfect. The house is better than we
could have even imagined. We've already had
a retreat here. RICH: Now let's engage
that left leg, that left leg comes up
toward the knee. Got this great yoga pavilion
down here. That's been working
out fine. You're the one who pushes me
to go out of my comfort zone. I need to be hit over the head
with "slow" to slow down, [ Laughing ] so it is
exactly what I need. [ Imitates whip cracking ] [ Laughs ]
