Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes We have speed bumps in Costa Rica, lots of them. And often won’t even see them until you hit them at full speed. In Spanish, they call them “muertos”. The translation of un muerto is a dead person, but it is also a speed bump. I know, it’s a strange…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Did you know we might measure properties in Costa Rica differently than you do? It depends on which measurement system you were educated in. When in school, you might have learned to measure properties in yards, inches, square feet, and acres. In our beautiful country, all that is no good,…
Estimated reading time: 4 Minutes This picture got your attention, didn’t it? Well, that was exactly my intention. Further down the page, I posted another one for the ladies. They say that you learn basic Spanish best with a native. I can only confirm that affirmation because that’s what I did. Most people don’t pay…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you have a house in Costa Rica for sale, and do you have pets? Are your pets like a nice and cute Doberman that scares the hell out of most people? Or maybe a scary poodle that bites you in the ankles when you turn around? A lot of people…
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes Are you afraid to move to Costa Rica because you have a dietary problem or are disabled? Don’t be, although you should know a few things about it. I’ve tried to cover this important topic in this blog. I’m sure you’d like to cover this before you take the important…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Why is there so much razor wire everywhere? It seems there are security issues in Costa Rica, or not? Many clients ask if Costa Rica has security issues when they start their due diligence. Usually, that is because they see so much razor wire and bars everywhere. Most cities and…
Estimated Reading Time: 13 Minutes Often homebuyers in Costa Rica forget to check on nearby amenities before they fall in love with a house. Are nearby amenities important to you? Or is lots of sunshine enough for you when you move to Costa Rica? Are you unsure whether you’d like to live in the Central Valley…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Did you know that Law 8204 can freeze your property sale proceeds if you cannot show the origin of the funds? The sale proceeds are the funds received by a recipient from the sale. You might think, “What do I care where the buyer got the money.” But, unfortunately, you…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Before retirement in Costa Rica, you must determine if our country is your best choice. Only by doing your homework, you’ll learn which country fits your requirements to retire to. Before you travel, you can visit this site for the Costa Rica safety report. Once you have decided Costa Rica…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Having your doubts about what to do when hiring a maid or a caretaker in Costa Rica? Imagine never having to clean your house yourself again! Or doing the laundry and ironing shirts and pants when you have a day off. Stop worrying about cleaning the windows, doing the yard,…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Yes, squatter rights exist in Costa Rica. Absent landowners sometimes complain about it. Once you have squatters on your property, getting rid of them is difficult. Is it a risk to purchase a property anywhere in Costa Rica and lose this property to squatters? Here is what you can do…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Do we have zoning? Imagine buying a property and finding out later that you’re not allowed to construct, or install the business that you had in mind? In my opinion, that is a great reason to investigate first. Before you purchase real estate in our beautiful country, you first want…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Last week, I showed clients of another agent a property I recently listed and found the perfect home seller. This was probably the first time in my real estate career that I met a seller who really cared about her property, making an effort to want a buyer to fall…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Did you know that you’ll all be better off when you pay your household employees every week instead of by the month? Most of the time, I find new topics for my blogs while being with clients shopping for a home in Santa Ana. This time, my clients and I…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes Are you planning to hire a buyers agent? Then you need to read this blog, as it will explain how important it is you hire an experienced one. It is not so important whether this agent is a licensed agent or not. In Costa Rica licensing is not mandatory. Unfortunately…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes There is a large population of English-spoken expats in Costa Rica looking for English-language churches and religious services. I was born and raised a Catholic and I believe in God, though I stopped going to church many years ago. But I learned to respect the beliefs of everyone else. So…