Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes A helpful homeowner is cool, as long as he/she stays out of my way during showings. When I list a Costa Rica home for sale, I always instruct the homeowner what to do and what not to do when we show their house to a prospect. At least I try…
“What about Deco Chunches? That can be a great name for your business” I told my friends. Years ago, I was just starting to work in Costa Rica real estate, I helped some friends who started a used furniture and decoration store to find a name for their store that people would recognize easier. Their…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Do you have any drinking habits like this? “Hon, grab me another cold beer from the fridge, will you? God, it’s hot today and it’s making me thirsty”. It is only 10:00 am and John is ready for his 2nd beer of the day. What else is there to do…
“Are you serious, you mean the homicide was right here? And you want me to live here?” This could be the reproach from a serious buyer who was at a showing with his realtor in Costa Rica. This is not from a suspense novel, written by a client. During the showing, he heard from the…
IVO HENFLING | MAY 29, 2015 When I moved to Costa Rica a while ago, the last thing that came to my mind were cockroaches in my house. The first cockroach I met in Costa Rica was in my house in the Santa Ana mountains and the animal was huuuuge. I’m not so crazy about…
Do you think there are Costa Rican homes for sale with too much storage space. After 30 years of selling real estate, I still have to see the first one. I’m sure you have all this “stuff”, we call them “chunches” in Costa Rica. El “cuarto de chunches” is the room where you stick all…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes It’s really easy to be an ugly American in Costa Rica if you want to be one. There is an ugly American in every country, (and I don’t mean physically ugly) not only in Costa Rica. The 1958 novel turned into the 1963 movie with Marlon Brandon has made such…
“What are the Local Construction Standards?” is an often asked question by expats who are considering buying a house in Costa Rica. Are the construction standards for building materials and installation methods that Ticos are accustomed to the same as yours? If you have not spent much time in Costa Rica, you may not initially…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes For your information, we have lots of volcanoes in Costa Rica When I started selling real estate in Costa Rica, roads were less crowded and we were very few real estate agents in Costa Rica. It was necessary to take listings that were within 5 hours drive from your real…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Making the decision for your spouse to move to Costa Rica is probably not a good idea. Maybe your eyes see a different Costa Rica than your spouse does? As we all know, men and women see things differently, though they’re both looking at the same thing. It’s one of…
Costa Rica News published The real reason behind Costa Rica’s high product prices on April 8, 2015. This is a really interesting article about the fact that Costa Rican produced products are cheaper in neighboring countries than in Costa Rica itself. This article explains that commercial protectionism of certain Costa Rican industries, the high import…
The Atenas vacation rental is the hottest item this season. If you are looking to rent a home in Atenas – Costa Rica, you need to reserve on time; please do so. If you don’t, you will have to sleep on a bench in the park of Atenas. Atenas has a very nice park, mind…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Recently, GoDutch Realty Costa Rica has been able to secure an alliance with us at Tranio. Tranio is the largest directory of overseas property for international buyers. This international property website offers property for sale worldwide in over 30 countries. This will make the Costa Rica real estate listings more…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Prohibition during Easter week in Costa Rica is something you should know about. I know, it’s like going back to the Stone Age, but we have this liquor prohibition or dry law here. Oh, and we also have a dry law, countrywide, on election day. The United States had Prohibition…
I was surprised to read a US Embassy security message from the U.S. Embassy in San José, forwarded to me by one of our real estate agents, who is an American citizen. You can read the US Embassy Security message at the end of this blog in case you haven’t received it yourself. In this…
You are here to learn all about tipping in Costa Rica. In most countries, you’re expected to tip, even if you’re not happy with the service. In others, tipping is simply not done. You just arrived at the international airport in Costa Rica. As soon as you walk outside arrivals, 10 guys jump on you,…