Ivo’s Blog by Godutch Realty

a Costa Rica real estate blog

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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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What is hasta el copete in Costa Rica?

When you are totally over your head in work, you can say “estoy hasta el copete de trabajo”. Then Ticos will understand you perfectly well. When you’ve had enough food, you can say estoy hasta el copete de la comida. Also, being totally fed up with someone’s behavior, you say estoy hasta el copete de…

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The cost of groceries Costa Rica vs USA 2019

In this blog, you’ll find the comparison of the cost of groceries Costa Rica versus the cost of groceries in Florida 2019. Diego Xavier, an expat in Costa Rica since 2014, shared this tremendous information recently on Facebook.  I’d like to thank Diego Xavier, for allowing me to use this incredible comparison between the cost…

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Reflections of a home invasion victim 

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes We were victims of a professional, well-planned home invasion. It is everyone’s worst fear of any crime because it happens in your home while you are there. The criminals were in our home for over an hour looking for a safe and money that was not there. This is not a…

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6 Reasons why 5 bedroom homes are impossible to sell

Lately, we have been receiving quite a few requests to sell 5 bedroom homes. The problem is, they’re impossible to sell. Unless the price is extremely attractive! There are several reasons why these 5 bedroom homes in Costa Rica are impossible to sell. Unless they’re a large luxury beach home that caters to the rich…

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Cheap Central Valley homes under $175,000

Are you looking for cheap Central Valley homes? Then you have arrived at the right place: GoDutch Realty. Real estate prices in Costa Rica have gone up so much that it is difficult to find any Central Valley homes under $175,000 anymore. BUT, you just need to know where to look. At GoDutch Realty, we…

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