Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Let’s do something different today; let’s talk about reasons for NOT moving to Costa Rica. Thanks to Marian, our real estate agent in Atenas, and her almost-famous tenant, I’m able to write another blog. This story is about the tenant who has done us a favor by writing a 7-page…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Buying mountain property in Costa Rica is not difficult at all, as long as you do your homework. Many buyers do not realize that Costa Rica is famous for its microclimates and that every mountain in Costa Rica is different. First, climate preferences are very important, as well as rainfall.…
Of course, you want to find out about the 10 life changing facts or think twice before you marry a Costa Rican. I’ll tell you why. Most men who move to Costa Rica, except for the blind ones, agree that Costa Rican women are beautiful. In some cases, this can turn into a problem. For…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Many of you know that the cost of living in Costa Rica has gone up a lot in the past few years. One of the reasons is that the Costa Rican government decided to stop with the mini-devaluations in 2006. They then moved to exchange rate bands that kept…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Don’t we all love a house with pool? So why not have sexy thoughts about buying a house in Costa Rica? With a pool maybe? I always recommend our agents use a swimming pool photo as the first listing photo for promotion. Especially if there is a great view in…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Is it easy to terminate a lease agreement in Costa Rica? At GoDutch Realty we don’t do many lease agreements. The main reason for this is that many tenants feel that the agents are responsible for every detail until the tenants pass out or pass away. There is not much…
If you are buying a condominium in Costa Rica, will you be able to adapt to a new lifestyle? Those who have always lived in a single-family home might find a new lifestyle unacceptable. For your information, a condominium in Costa Rica can be an apartment building, a townhouse in a gated community, or even…
Cajón what? El Cajon de Grecia! Few imagine that is the name of one of the nicest communities to live in the Central Valley. It’s close to Grecia, not to be mistaken with Greece in Europe. I know El Cajón de Grecia reasonably well myself because I’ve joined Brooke Bishop, our Grecia agent many times…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes It’s amazing how many people get away with building a house in Costa Rica without getting construction permits. I’ve been in the Costa Rica real estate business way for over 25 years. And I have seen lots of constructions shut down by the local engineering department for lack of a…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Should you trust people you meet in Costa Rica just because they speak your language? At home, you grew up in a certain environment and you learned how to recognize the people you don’t want in your life and those you cannot trust. When you move to Costa Rica, it…
I’m sure you’ll love these grocery shopping tips that I have for you. Just to make grocery shopping in Costa Rica easier for you. Every culture has different ways of doing things and as soon as you move to Costa Rica, you will find out that a lot of things are different than they were…
Do you have faith in your home builder? I used to, I thought he was good and honest! Many home lot owners in Costa Rica, once they are ready to start building, do all the wrong things. That is mostly for lack of experience. Most of us only build one house in a lifetime, or…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Great news, now you can go bowling in Cariari, called BolCariari. When I was 12 years old, our neighborhood gang used to play baseball on a large commercial property under construction near my home. The owner of the building under construction invited us to keep visiting after the building would…
Are Costa Rica homes earthquake-proof? Should you be afraid the house will fall down on you during an earthquake? It was September 5th, 2012 and a 7.6 on Richter hit us. That earthquake was now almost 3 years ago and has been on the news worldwide. A 7.6 on Richter doesn’t happen very often. This…
In Costa Rica, almost all motorcycles are dirt bikes. And they come out of nowhere in traffic. Motorcycle riders in Costa Rica have no respect for traffic laws; double yellow lines and traffic lights are non-existent. They will get right in front of you at the traffic light, zigzag between cars, and use the sidewalks…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes I’m a Costa Rica listing agent myself but I am always surprised about the bathroom listing photos some listing agents post on their websites. Is the listing agent really interested in selling the property advertised or is it a joke? And what is the reason for some of my colleagues…