Ivo’s Blog by Godutch Realty

a Costa Rica real estate blog

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Rent furnished or unfurnished when moving to Costa Rica?

Moving to Costa Rica and you don’t know if you should rent furnished or unfurnished? I know that is quite a difficult decision. But don’t go crazy over it, that’s why we are here: to assist you. The very first question you need to ask yourself is if you will move to Costa Rica permanently…

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Go-Fish seafood in Distrito 4 Escazu

You don’t need to Go-Fish it yourself, and they’ll serve it cooked. We’re not family, although we sound like it. Go-Fish is not the same as GoDutch. Go-Fish does fish and GoDutch does … real estate in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. At GoDutch, we are incredibly good at doing real estate. Go-Fish is…

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Is there a severe water problem in Atenas?

The severe water problem in Atenas was in the news again, this time in the Diario La Extra. Before you decide that Atenas is not for you and close this blog, let me tell you: the severe water problem in Atenas is only in certain parts. The gringo communities don’t have any problems because they…

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8 Items not necessarily included in a Costa Rica property purchase

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Sometimes, buyers want strange things included in their Costa Rica property purchase. Other times, sellers want to include even stranger things in their turnkey property sales. What is included and what is not? Check on that before you pay. On your first tour of a house for sale, you might…

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7 Ways property sellers can be a pain in the butt

Are you a motivated seller? Help yourself and don’t become a pain in the butt. It’s amazing how some sellers become so desperate, they become a pain in the butt for everyone. They become a pain in the butt for everyone around them, not only with their real estate agent. Motivated or desperate Quite often…

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Any idea who Tica Linda is?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes   Any idea who Tica Linda is? You’ll probably say “something like a Miss Costa Rica”? You’re partially right. She is the queen of the “festejos populares de San Jose”, but more about that later. This was the start of the use of the word as a designation used by…

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8 Smart steps to buy a new construction home in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes   You’re looking at this incredibly well-designed promotion material of a new construction home by a builder. You instantly fall in love with what you see. This is the place you want to spend the rest of your life or your vacations. This new construction home looks just what you…

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Residencial Los Arcos de Heredia is more than just a great location

Just imagine living in a beautifully master planned community. Picture a large pond with ducks and huge arches at the entrance. Residencial Los Arcos de Heredia is a small community just off highway 1 with quite a few beautiful homes. The first things you see when you arrive at Los Arcos de Heredia are the huge…

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Stand back, I am having a creative moment

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Do you often have a creative moment, just like I do? If you are a creative person, Costa Rica is probably a good place for you. In fact, you need to be creative to be able to survive. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can make a living by being creative,…

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A cry for Grecia rental property investors

This is a cry for Grecia rental property investors. The reason I am inviting you to invest in Grecia rental property because you can make a smart and safe investment without running any risk at all. Our rental market in Grecia assures any investor of a 6% ROI as an absolute minimum, being very conservative.…

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The 9 things I hate the most about tenants in Costa Rica

I am a landlord myself. Dany and I thought it was a good idea to purchase a small 2 bedroom condo in Sabana as income property some years ago. Hey, I’m a real estate broker, so we should own some rental property too, right! First, we had several tenants from hell, one after another. Sadly,…

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What does Pa’l Tigre mean in Costa Rica?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes   Costa Ricans use animals quite a bit in their expressions. The tiger is one of them. Pa’l Tigre means not feeling well, feeling sick, or not having done well. Estoy pa’l tigre = I feel terrible. Something that is not usable anymore, out of order, esta “pa’l tigre”. Esta…

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Wow gardens and retirement in Grecia

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes   The year-round spring-like weather and the volcanoes are the best ingredients for an entertaining retirement. Are you wondering what you are going to do with all that free time when you retire? Gardening is a great option, isn’t it? Therefore, wow gardens and retirement in Grecia are a perfect…

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16 Magnificent terrace views of Atenas homes

As you have probably noticed before, I like to use visual materials to show our clients and readers what Costa Rica is all about. Visual materials show the magnificent terrace views of Atenas homes better than any beautiful write-up, even though our Atenas agent does a real good job on that too. That’s the advantage of…

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Ned Nossaman and another Costa Rica poem

Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes Did you read Ned Nossaman’s Costa Rica poem last year? The title of this Costa Rica poem was Costa Rica ~ Pura Vida! in which Ned shared his feelings for Costa Rica with us. Is moving to Costa Rica a consideration for you? Ned wrote another Costa Rica poem, with…

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Can you pitch a lowball offer when you need owner financing?

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Cash is king, but you already knew that I’m sure. If you are looking for an incredibly good deal, you better bring cash if you want the seller of a property in Costa Rica to even think about accepting a lowball offer. Of course, if you are looking for owner financing…

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