Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Are you planning to invest in a rental investment property in Costa Rica? Then you first want to know what profit you can make on this investment, right? The profit in rental investment property depends on many factors. As you know, income is important, but profit is what makes the…
Do real estate agents have to charge sales tax on real estate rentals and sales in Costa Rica? Do tenants now have to pay sales tax on top of their rental? Many real estate agents and their clients are not very clear about the sales tax on real estate sales in Costa Rica, so let’s…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes If you say no me toquen el pito in Costa Rica, make sure you’re sitting in your car. If you are not, this can become quite a misunderstanding, especially if you are a male. Tocar el pito means honking. Another way to say honking is tocar la bocina or tocar la…
If your property in Costa Rica has been on the market for 3 months or more, it’s probably time for a price reduction. Has it been sitting for a while without a buyer? Often, I hear sellers say “my agent is not doing anything”. Or “I haven’t had a showing in months”. Well, it’s time…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Jim asked about how realtors work in CR. Do real estate agents only show you their own home listings? Don’t they show home listings from other agents? Is it possible to use a realtor that will show you everything in a certain area even if it’s not listed by them?…
policemenTheWhen you move to Costa Rica, you should know how to recognize the different police forces, know what they do and recognize them. As you all know, Costa Rica has not had an army since Pepe Figueres abolished it on December 1st, 1948. The country needed a police force that came under the command of…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes Qué vaina is one of those expressions your landlord might use when you complain about a leak in the roof. Or when your coffee maker stopped working and you’re asking for another. In this case, the translation is “what a problem”. But. instead of qué vaina, it is also possible…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes An unfinished house in Costa Rica is as difficult to sell as a rented house. I don’t even know why I sometimes make the mistake of accepting to list an unfinished house anymore. I rarely do because I know they’re almost impossible to sell. Most of the time, it is…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Can you learn from other expat recommendations and their experiences? Of course, you can, those expat recommendations will help you tremendously to learn what they did right and wrong. So it won’t happen to you. A couple of weeks ago, I published an article Why Bill does not consider Costa…
I have decided to give sellers 8 dumb responses from homeowners they should NOT use if they’re really motivated to sell. First of all, I always recommend sellers to not even be at home when the agent is showing the property. But, I understand how difficult that is. It’s even harder to keep your mouth…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Bill, a subscriber on Ivo’s blog, does not consider Costa Rica for retirement anymore. Future retiree Bill (I changed his name), has been a reader since January 2015 and has read 30.5% of our weekly blogs. This is more than the average subscriber. His email, asking me to unsubscribe him.…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Are you afraid the buyer can back out of the property purchase? Don’t be! Just make sure you take the necessary steps it can’t happen. Or, if it does, you’ll be paid well for your efforts. If a buyer has put in an offer, and the seller has agreed to…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Are bathrooms in Costa Rica different than they are in your home? Maybe you expect to find a different bathroom in Costa Rica than you are used to? It’s important to learn all you can about bathrooms before moving to another country, isn’t it? Some might think that in Costa…
Looking for the best Indian food in Costa Rica? Then read on. Taste of India506 is an incredibly good choice if you enjoy the taste of Indian food in Costa Rica. Located in Escazu Village, just southeast of the Escazu toll on highway 27. Their phone number is, for any reservations 2208 8879, and you…
Have you ever tried to pull yourself a cake or jalarse torta? That doesn’t make a lot of sense in English, but it does in Spanish. You really wouldn’t want to pull yourself a cake, believe me. That’s why learning a new language can be so difficult for many. You cannot just translate word for word…
Can they steal your property in Costa Rica? Yes, they can! Sadly enough, it happens. Charles emailed me this question a week ago: Can someone steal your property in Costa Rica? A great question, which needs an even better answer! It’s sad this happens, and it’s bad for our business. We assist buyers and sellers…