El Salvador Real Estate: Inside BAMBU’s New Surf City Developments
For the fourth episode of The Goodlife Podcast, we sat down with Carlos Figueroa and Sergio Rodriguez of the BAMBU team to go deep into the developments taking shape in Surf City and the opportunities that are still open to invest. If you think everything has already been built, the message of this episode is simple: you’re not late, we’re early.
Carlos and Sergio walk us through the first projects we worked on together in El Zonte, the two new developments now open to buyers in El Zonte and El Sunzal, and why BAMBU was one of the first developers to bet on Surf City 1. They also talk candidly about land costs, labor shortages, and what buyers should expect from any new construction.
What Is BAMBU Building in Surf City?
BAMBU’s completed projects in El Zonte, a beachfront building and a three-tower complex, were also the first ones we worked on together. Carlos and Sergio look back at what they have meant for the area: new jobs for administrators, gardeners, and maintenance and cleaning crews, a steady stream of guests for local restaurants and coffee shops, and more places to stay during big surf contests. They also explain why they chose to build the beachfront project below the 15 floors its permits allowed, to keep it at a human scale.
Then they take us through the two new projects: a riverside community of 39 apartments in El Zonte, about 100 meters from the beach, and an oceanfront building of 30 apartments in El Sunzal, facing one of the best waves in Central America. Prices start at $220,000, payment plans are flexible, and both were designed with short-term rentals in mind.
During the podcast, Carlos and Sergio share what they have seen so far: short-term rental returns of 13% to 20%, and price increases of at least 50% at their first projects since they started. They also talk about why so many owners prefer to keep their units and how buyers from all over the world, including Bitcoin buyers, are finding their way to Surf City.
Why Did BAMBU Bet on Surf City So Early?
BAMBU was one of the first developers to commit capital to Surf City 1. Carlos shares how surfing in El Zonte and getting to know its people convinced him to take the idea to BAMBU’s board, even when land prices looked hard to justify.
Carlos and Sergio get candid about building in a hot market: a shortage of labor, rising material costs, and prices that can’t keep climbing when buyers can choose Costa Rica, Hawaii, or Fiji instead. On the buyer side, they explain how BAMBU applies the standards it has used on projects across Central America, stays involved in quality control and after-sales, and answers the phone when something needs fixing, because every new construction, anywhere in the world, has a few issues to resolve.
They also cover how BAMBU works with El Zonte’s community association (ADESCO) on projects that come from the community itself, like security cameras for the local lifeguards, and how its shopping center off the bypass brought a supermarket, a bank, restaurants, and artisan shops to the area, creating jobs especially for women.
Looking ahead, Carlos and Sergio explain why one word, confidence, sums up El Salvador right now, and where they see the country in the next 10 to 20 years. As always, we closed with our favorite question: what’s the good life? For Carlos, it’s waking up thankful, riding a great wave, and going to work with the people he loves. For Sergio, it’s building a life your family can be proud of.
Interested in BAMBU’s Surf City Developments?
If you’d like to learn more about buying into a BAMBU development in Surf City, contact our Goodlife team and we’ll be happy to share more information.
