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8 Important things to do before moving into your new home

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes The closing date is coming up and there is so much to do before moving into your new home. Getting nervous already? Don’t! Use this checklist to make it easier on yourself. We do this all the time and you don’t. There are so many things you need to do…

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Aguevado or Pura Vida, depending on your mood

Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes In Costa Rica, the word Aguevado is kind of the opposite of the well-known Pura Vida. This word is almost as much used as Pura Vida, tuanis, or Mae. So I thought it necessary you include agüevado in your dictionary when you live in Costa Rica. Moving to Costa Rica…

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Is double dipping common in Costa Rica real estate?

Double dipping is not only common in Costa Rica real estate, it is perfectly legal. Why is that? How can a seller or a buyer make sure there is no double dipping going on? Costa Rica real estate is quite different from how it functions in other countries. You can agree or not with the…

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How to get mail when moving to Costa Rica

Wondering how to get mail to Costa Rica once you’ve moved here? To get mail is really one of those tasks you should take care of BEFORE you move to another country. You have to take into account that we don’t have street addresses in Costa Rica. Getting a mailing address is another story. So…

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Do you want to learn Pachuco when you live in Costa Rica?

I learned to speak Pachuco before I learned Spanish. I didn’t have a clue until I started dating a local woman. She thought I was pretty vulgar and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I moved to Costa Rica in 1980, my brother and I started a window cleaning company. Our…

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Homes with a flower garden in Atenas

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Have you ever thought of buying a home with a flower garden in Atenas? Well, you should! We have plenty of homes with a flower garden on our inventory. Don’t worry; a home with a flower garden in Atenas doesn’t cost more than one without a flower garden. I grew…

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How to stop home buyers in their tracks during a showing

Did you know there are several ways to stop home buyers in their tracks during a showing? When selling a home, the first impression for home buyers is of utmost importance. Whether the initial impression is good or bad, it forms the home buyers’ opinion about the property. It is very well possible the first…

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What the heck is a casita in Costa Rica real estate?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you know what a casita is? If you’re looking to purchase a luxury house in Costa Rica, you really need to learn what a casita is. You’ll see the word casita used in many real estate listings. You will find a casita mostly on luxury home properties. The Spanish…

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Can you rent a furnished house without furniture?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Why not just rent a house without furniture? That was my first reaction to Claire asking if she could rent a furnished house without furniture. Claire couldn’t make up her mind when renting, although she really wanted a furnished home. Then I got intrigued. I was intrigued because we often…

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What exterior house color is the hardest to sell?

I’d love to hear from my readers which exterior house color makes a home hardest to sell. Feel free to leave your comments in the comment box at the end of this blog. I have listed hundreds of homes in Costa Rica in my real estate career and I’ve seen some seriously colorful houses myself.…

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