Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Let me show how different things can be in Costa Rica. I am going back to an old theme here, but the culture of Costa Rica is a constant source of amazement to me. Here are a few differences I have observed. In Costa Rica, there are many things different…
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…
Firma Digital is a digital signature, which is used for making or signing an electronic document using the technology known as public-key cryptography. It allows you to digitally sign a document. Only as such will a document be received and accepted by the Costa Rican government or finance agency. The card is personal, and meant…
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…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I always try to keep track of important tenant requirements, so we can include them in the listings. For years, we didn’t pay attention to the fact that people who moved to Costa Rica wanted to bring their pets. Now we included “pets allowed” in our listings. We learn as…
A common question from Canadians is if Canadian home buyers can purchase property in Costa Rica or not? Our friendly partner in Vancouver Canada strawhomes.com often mentions property in Costa Rica is on the tips of their buyers’ tongues. Extended winters have led to an increase in Canadians affected with SAD. But the north’s frosty…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Life in the suburbs is changing, tremendously, with new condo towers everywhere. I remember like yesterday, that we had cows and horses in the street a while ago. Jeez, time flies. And the world has changed so much. And Costa Rica is now a whole different world than the one…