Reports are sketchy at this moment, but according to sources last night Sean McGraw was killed last night in a tragic auto accident. Apparently, Sean was returning home last night and his car went off the side of the road in the Dominical area whereas his car flipped and he was ejected. Same source said, that police officers were traveling behind him were on scene moments later but he had died.

The highway along the Dominical – Cortez corridor is relatively new but has no shoulder along vast stretches of this highway and the drop is very steep making this road very dangerous to travel.  

Sean was the father of two young children, a girl and a boy and a husband according to his bio on realtor related site and was 35 years old.

Here is his biography from We Love Costa Rica:

Sean was born and raised in Wisconsin, U.S., and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Prior to real estate, Sean founded and managed a commercial fishing operation in northern California for five years. After arriving in Costa Rica in 1996, he began his real estate career by co-founding Dominical Realty. In 2001, the company obtained a Coldwell Banker independent franchise.

In 2004, they partnered with another Coldwell Banker franchise in Costa Rica to become the Master Franchise holder for the entire country of Costa Rica.

As a member of Costa Rica Real Estate Association of Realtors, Global Associations of Realtors, and U.S. based National Association of Realtors, the Master Franchise has already grown to seven offices throughout the country, with several more currently in process. Additionally, the Coldwell Banker Dominical Realty office has grown its commission revenue to over $2M annually.

Sean is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, camping, fishing and exploring. His favorite quote is from the movie A Bug’s Life: “First rule of leadership: everything is your fault.”

The last real estate books Sean read were The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller et al., and Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson.

Sean McGraw had many friends here in Jaco and around Costa Rica. He was a well liked guy and people had only good things to say about him and he will be missed. We offer our condolences and prayers to his wife and family.

Here is a link to Sean’s blogpsot

Wealthy nations should pay dozens of the world’s poorest countries up to $33 billion a year to preserve their rainforests, according to a report commissioned by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The cash would fund a scheme where tropical countries would be rewarded for preserving the stock of carbon in their remaining forests. Proceeds would go to local communities.

“We are living on borrowed time,” said the report’s author, Johan Eliasch, a Swedish multimillionaire businessman and deforestation campaigner who was appointed as Brown’s special representative on deforestation and clean energy last year. “Deforestation will continue as long as cutting down trees is more economic than preserving them.”

Rainforest destruction is thought to be a key contributor to global warming, accounting for one fifth of carbon emissions.

Eliasch, who owns a 400,000-acre tract of the Brazilian Amazon and is a former deputy treasurer of the British Conservative Party, said that the scheme would be monitored using satellite imagery.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4944675.ece

In Jaco, Costa Rica long time residents have many stories to tell and most of them know the subjects themselves. Larry Long is no exception, who has been here over 15 years has seen Jaco grow from a sleepy surfer town to the bustling international destination is has become.

Forbes, recently ran an article titled “Trouble in Paradise” which describes multiple rambling stories of investors seeking paradise only to get swindled by a local real estate person and the squatters on their land. This is a story all to often heard for those of us who live here which is surprising to find local Larry Long a victim.

I guess that goes to show you need a good attorney when buying real estate here in Costa Rica. Gerardo Calderon is the most reputable lawyer in Jaco and along the central pacific area of Costa Rica. He has built a business on his candor and honest opinion. Often you could get a response from Gerardo like “that is a stupid idea!” Gerardo lived in Canada for many years and understands north Americans business ethics and their thinking which is one of the reasons for his success. He shoots straight and does not over-promise unlike so many of other Costa Rican attorneys who promise you the moon and deliver a marble.