Meet Our Team
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jim@remaxricorealty.com rene@remaxricorealty.com |
Jim and Rene Aoki, Owners/BrokersJim and Rene Aoki have been fulltime residents of the Lake Arenal area since 1994. Previously, they lived in Alaska for over 22 years. While visiting Costa Rica on a sun break, they decided to buy property and make the move to this lush paradise. With Jim’s extensive experience in Alaska as owner of his own construction company and Rene’s background in accounting and credit management, they decided to start the first real estate company in the area. Thus, Rico Realty was born in 1995. (Back then, if you wanted to buy real estate, you had to knock on a farmer’s door, or learn through the grapevine of someone who wanted to sell.) Jim and Rene have recently joined the worldwide network of RE/MAX franchisees, and they have two office locations on either side of Lake Arenal. The offices are near Tilarán and in Nuevo Arenal. They both speak Spanish – Rene is especially fluent in Español. Jim is fluent in windsurfing and fishing. She enjoys yoga, cooking, and playing with their 7 dogs. Jim also bakes remarkable sour dough bread and waffles from his 200-year old Alaskan sour-dough starter. |
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Mike Neal, Owner/BrokerMike Neal first visited Costa Rica 15 years ago when he hoped to land his first big Marlin. He did catch that trophy along with two sailfish, but he also found that he was captured by the tranquility and beauty of the country. Mike’s first insight into the Costa Rican lifestyle was the myriad of reasons that brought people to the country: windsurfing, big game fishing, cross-country biking, birding, hiking, camping, eco-tours, volcanoes, mountains, beaches, and the warmth of the Costa Rican people. In the U.S. Mike owned and managed an importing home décor and furniture company with over 100 employees. He has always been involved in commercial and residential real estate and leasing properties. Mike is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, where he lived for 35 years. After selling his importing business, he looked for the perfect place to eventually retire – discovering his paradise in the mountains of Lake Arenal. He has completed his quest for a calmer and healthier lifestyle on the East side of Lake Arenal. Mike works out of the Nuevo Arenal office of RE/MAX Rico Realty and is pleased to join a team that has been in the Lake Arenal real estate business for over 17 years. Mike’s interests include boating, offshore and lake fishing, tennis, and social networking. He is thrilled to be living his dream on Lake Arenal. |
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cell: (506) 8833-2631 Arenal Lake View/Tilaran Office: (506) 2695-8562 |
Elisabeth Lindermüller, Office ManagerElisabeth’s biography reads like a combination of several people: adventurer, world traveler, Wild West aficionado, wind surfer, mountain biker, state-certified cabinet maker and kitchen designer, construction contractor, cattle stock farmer, expert patisserie chef, bistro owner, property manager, multi-lingual translator, and proud Mom of two teenagers. She was born in Pfaffenhofen in the province of Bavaria, Germany where she longed to have horses, dogs, and farm animals. In 1991, she and her former husband booked a three-week windsurfing trip to Costa Rica, but Elisabeth spent most of her vacation riding horses and falling in love with the Lake Arenal area. She says she finally found her, “nature-farm-Indian-cowboy-animals-horse paradise,” and moved here fulltime in 1992. Elisabeth’s first real estate transaction was in 1994 when she helped friends buy a farm in the area. She built their dream home with pool and she was an independent broker and property manager before opening her restaurant. Elisabeth joined Rico Realty in 2006 as their Office Manager where she is the glue that keeps the operation humming. She is also the treasurer of the San Luis Water Department and volunteers her time to the local Catholic high school and animal welfare groups. Her interests include nature studies, her 6 horses, 4 dogs, and 2 cats, architecture, interior design, books, arts, and alternative healing methods. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and German. |
| Photos: David Forester | |





