Author: Ivo Henfling

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Would you prefer Guaro or a Chiliguaro?

You’ll ask “what’s Guaro? And what’s Chiliguaro?”. Well, it all started with simple guaro. Guaro is a sugar cane – made clear liquor, similar to aguardiente. It was once the moonshine of Costa Rica. Now, it’s fabricated by the state-owned FANAL or Fabrica Nacional de Licores, in Grecia. It is marketed with the name Cacique…

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Smart Guide for buying property stress-free in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Buying property stress-free is like being a mom raising your first kid. It’s almost impossible to keep it stress-free unless you know what you’re doing. Just like parenthood, becoming a homeowner is wonderful, but challenging at first. But most of all, it’s exciting. If you know what you’re doing. It’s…

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10 ways to beat the urge of buying property in the wrong place

Buying in the wrong place can change your life tremendously. Honestly, I’ve met people who have wanted to hang themselves, because of it. I’ve written a blog about that before. Unfortunately, I get listing requests from people who purchased in the wrong place all the time. Of course, they are desperate to sell! You have…

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What is Qué Polada in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes If you want to get along with your Tico neighbors, you really don’t want to commit una polada. You don’t want those Tico neighbors or friends to think that you are a person of little culture and education. Because then you’ll be a polo. Polada = stupidity, an act of…

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10 Types of Expats in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Which type of expats in Costa Rica do you belong to? I saw an interesting survey about types of expats worldwide on InterNations. In 2018, Costa Rica scored # 7 on the best expat destinations. That’s pretty awesome if you see that we’re #7 out of 68 countries. Of course,…

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Awesome Costa Rican hand painted area rugs by Laurel

Most area rugs in Costa Rica have a problem with the humidity. Stop worrying about the area rugs in your house. You can now stop putting those beautiful area rugs away when you have guests coming in with wet feet. Traditional fabric rugs with fiber don’t hold up well in the tropical weather. And imagine…

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Meet your Marijuana friendly Real Estate Broker in Costa Rica

Yes, there is a marijuana friendly real estate broker in Costa Rica: me. I saw this article about Denver residential real estate agent Bob Costello. He launched a Marijuana friendly real estate broker advertising campaign in January 2014. That’s when the state of Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use by adults 21 and over. Great…

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All about kissing and greeting in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Let me tell you all about kissing and greeting in Costa Rica. Not that I’m a kissing expert… But I do know that people kiss a lot more in Costa Rica than you might be used to. The title of this blog should really be “how do people in Costa…

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Costa Ricans always smell good

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Costa Ricans smell good, at any time of the day. Costa Rican men and women alike, always smell good, as opposed to some other varieties of humans. Now, you will probably say that you always smell good too and that you’re not a Costa Rican. That means you’ve either been…

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What is so special about Atenas valley view building lots?

Did you know that Atenas valley view building lots are incredibly special? Let me tell you all about it, so you’ll fall in love, just like so many others before you. Atenas real estate is pretty well known to expats. That’s because they say Atenas has the best climate in the world. If you’re looking…

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61 Clubs in Costa Rica for when you are bored stiff

Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Single people often need to be a member of clubs in Costa Rica to stay entertained. Couples have each other but often have nothing in common. So they still need to be a member of clubs to have a good time. (last updated on 7/26/2019 – we now have 75…

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7 Reasons we live in a gated community or condominium in Costa Rica

Often, clients ask why it is necessary to live in a gated community or a condominium in Costa Rica. In other countries, residents are used to living in a neighborhood. Of course, we also have neighborhoods in Costa Rica, just like you do. And just like you, we have safe and dangerous neighborhoods. In most…

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The mangoes at my Atenas rental home are keeping me awake

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I read the complaint “the mangoes are keeping me awake”. This complaint was from a client who had signed an agreement on an Atenas rental home. Strange, I thought, I never have any heartburn when I eat mangoes. I get it from pineapple but not from mango. When I read…

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12 Insane Factors That Reduce Home Value

Sellers often forget to take into account the insane factors that reduce home value. I know, sellers don’t have any control over many of those factors. Therefore, I’d like to show you both external and internal factors that reduce home value. It happens that the situation around your house changes, for some reasons. Maybe you…

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5 Experts you need when doing a fixer upper in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes I have described in another blog why doing a fixer upper in Costa Rica is not so easy. Nonetheless, doing a fixer upper can be a profitable investment project, if you do all the right things. Sometimes, the perfect home for you can be in that older neighborhood that you…

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When the seller backs out of the property sale?

It’s time to tell you what can happen when a seller backs out of the property sale. In another blog, I’ve covered what happens when the buyer backs out of a property sale in Costa Rica. Today, we’ll turn things around. A real estate deal can be scary as hell, for both sides. Some people…

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