Hug a tree!
Now (early 2006) that we've made four or five trips to Costa Rica and worked on our partnership, things are just possibly coming together. There's still work to be done and I'll keep updating this site - we are becoming more a part of the Manzanillo community, and still have work to do before achieving our vision.
Back when we started, my friend Raines Cohen (who has been part of several co-housing projects) gave us good advice:
In my experience, the more the participants know one another, the better you can interpret each other and not jump to conclusions and create conflicts where they are not needed. The stronger systems you build, the less dependent on one another you will be, and the more modular (i.e. able to replace one person with another, as investor/participant), the more flexibility and adaptability you'll have.
The trick is: figure out what your core values are, and draw thick lines around 'em. You don't have to agree on everything, just agree on what to agree on. If you can spend more to get more private space, it can provide a helpful buffer for people to recover from issues with one another.
A vision of community can manifest on several levels:
General: there's a mile of beach, local and expatriate people who are already there. This brings forth multiple possibilities. What's the broad view?
Raines recommended the Intentional Communities web site, which has many resources and links. I also met the author of a great new book available on their site: "Creating a Life Together, Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities". It's required reading for anyone wanting to involved in community - well written and very comprehensive.
Specific: forming a group to buy a specific property requires those involved to be in tune with one another. And there's legalities and money issues as well. Here's one good legal article on buying property together in the US - there are similar considerations play out in Costa Rica.
Individual: on our first group trip, some people saw Manzanillo as a great place for kids, while others were ready for an all night rave. Some wanted a vacation spot, others to live there and start a business. All of this is somehow possible, but we've learned it was wise to sort this out a bit more first.
The adventure continues...stay tuned!