The rules for a lease agreement in Costa Rica are not as simple as you might think. I’ve seen 3-page and 10-page lease agreements. But if at one point during the lease there is a problem between the parties, there is no simple solution. Costa Rica courts are not known for being speedy. A lawyer…
I hate voicemail. Please don’t leave a message, call me back later. You can also send me an email, a message on Whatsapp, or even on Messenger. But don’t leave a voicemail, please! Oh, and I’m not complaining, I’m just saying. Communications are supposed to get easier, but are they? I’m not even a real…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes My husband and I were considering relocating to Costa Rica after one visit. So we signed up with Christopher Howard for a retirement tour of 10 days in January 2019. As part of the tour, we attended an extremely informative two-day seminar with ARCR. There, we were introduced to Ivo…
My husband James and I recently had to travel to Costa Rica from Virginia as tourists. And I thought I would share my experiences and tips that might help others. This is a reminder that these processes are evolving and should only get easier as time goes by. At this time to enter Costa Rica…
I know, you usually wouldn’t think of decorating your home in Costa Rica with an aquarium. That’s probably because Costa Rica’s natural beauty is a major draw for people moving here. And we have 763 miles of coastline, so we’re surrounded by an aquarium! When decorating your own property in Costa Rica, incorporating tropical fish…
Estimated Reading Time: 9 Minutes Not necessarily you need to have an eccentric taste to prefer to buy a building lot for your future custom house in Costa Rica. Even the budget for that future house should not matter. There are other more important things to take into account. There are various reasons for wanting…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes When starting a business in Costa Rica, you’ll need to make the decision of leasing or buying commercial property. The question is to buy or to lease? This may be a simple question. Nonetheless, it has posed a dilemma for many small business owners just starting a new venture or…
When moving to Costa Rica you’d want to settle down in one of the most amazing places, right? A nice aspect regarding Costa Rica is that it is a fairly small country. This implies that you can get to pretty much anywhere in a few hours. Costa Rica is split up into five regions: Central…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Before you purchase a renovation property, there are a couple of considerations you should take into account. The minimum cost of constructing a Costa Rican house from scratch is about $750 per square meter, according to American-European. Depending on your budget, you might think it cheaper to just buy a secondhand…
Some expats do miss access to American products once they’ve moved to Costa Rica. Expats who live in the beach areas often find a drive into the valley not worth the hassle. Shopping around for days to NOT find the American products you’re looking for doesn’t make sense. Others ask around on Facebook groups, such…
After buying a house, but there are some things you need to do soon after you have bought your property. Buying a new home, whether this is your first or ‘umpteenth’ investment, is an exciting experience. You can look forward to starting your new life in a house that you have dreamed about for so…
I feel I’m a lucky guy every day when I wake up. It’s another day in Paradise. Of course, sometimes I do feel unlucky. But that only happens when my wife’s car was hit by a taxi. Or when my internet connection doesn’t work for 3 days. There are also days that I’m just lucky.…
Buyers usually ask how long a property is for sale and why it has not sold. And why it takes so long in Costa Rica, while in some other places property sells in a matter of days. I wrote this article originally for the real estate section of The Tico Times. On request, I am…
I love galletas – cookies, I hope you do too. Because you know, GoDutch Realty is mucha galleta! To be mucha galleta, you have to be not only skilled, capable, and shrewd, but also competent. Fortunately, that is not hearsay. We can prove that many clients agree that we, at GoDutch Realty, are mucha galleta.…
Buying a home is like a love affair, you don’t want to see any red flags. Some buyers don’t realize that a love affair can turn into a money pit easily. An experienced realtor usually knows when buyers fall in love with a house as soon as they walk in. In my opinion, it’s important…
Not paying attention to the tree maintenance on your property before the rainy season starts can do a lot of damage. Costa Rica is a diverse country of plants and is home to about 1900 different species of trees. Many of them know how to thrive in Costa Rica’s tropical climate and fertile soil. The…