In this blog, and another one next week, I will provide some tips to turn your house into a successful vacation rental. These tips may assist you to increase your success rate if your intent is to purchase a property to rent out part or all of the time. This is based on my own…
Do you like my hairdo and tattoos? I try not to discriminate, quite the opposite. My parents have educated me very liberally, like good and open-minded Dutch. In other blogs, I have been quite outspoken about gay issues and racism. How important is it for a real estate agent in Costa Rica to dress well,…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes Que Pasa, the free-membership Grecia & Sarchi community information website started in 2014. This incredibly informative website serves the English-speaking residents and ex-pats who plan to live in Grecia and Sarchi. Debi Gedling, former Que Pasa editor, and co-founder said: “We felt that as a no-cost community information website serving…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Did you know that Costa Ricans never say no? There are many reasons for moving to Costa Rica. But the most attractive one is that Costa Ricans are nice people. They never say no. If you compare the Ticos, with their neighbors, the Panamanians and the Nicaraguans (Nicas), they come…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Nobody Stands Alone is one of InterNations’ slogans and the expat community in Costa Rica is no exception. Costa Rica has well-established expat communities in many of its towns and cities. For instance, as an InterNations member, you are able to connect with fellow expatriates and share the wonderful experiences…
Will the new visa fines stop or control perpetual tourism? In 2011, a new article of the immigration law was approved. The law came in effect on August 1st, 2014. This article fines tourists $100 per month after their tourist visa expires. Those who cannot pay or are unwilling to do so, will not be…
We decided to use our home as a Costa Rica vacation rental property. It has been some time since I reported on my experience with buying property in Costa Rica and living there. I thought it would be useful to give you an update. My wife and I are not yet at the point of…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes Are you ready to retire but you’re worried about your kids? and you are dreaming to do so in Costa Rica. You see yourself already walking the beach or sitting on your terrace at your pool, enjoying the views, while having piña coladas. But, there is one but……. Your kids.…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I’d like to tell you about the decision making process before we purchased an Atenas property. Walt Disney said that “dreams really do come true.” Now we believe it – or at least we are starting to. Ten years ago, Katya and I first visited Costa Rica. We stayed on…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Last week, in my blog on Machismo in Costa Rica, I told you a bit about piropos or catcalling. They are like pick-up lines in English. A piropo is the Latin American way of giving another person a compliment and they are a tradition in Costa Rica, like it or…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Why must MacGyvering be used in Costa Rica quite often? In this blog, I’d like to recount an experience I had recently that is indicative of the way you’ll find product availability in this country. Learn more about MacGyver in Costa Rica now. My story is about buying lumber. It…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Machismo is part of the Latin American culture and though education and travel are changing this gender gap, you will still see a lot of machismo in the lower and middle social classes in Costa Rica. But what is machismo? Machismo is a concept of masculine pride, associated with men…
Estimated Driving Time: 6 Minutes Did you know that you need a Costa Rican drivers license when you have been in the country for more than 3 months? Nearly all obstacles to our residency in Costa Rica are in the rear-view mirror except for the matter of getting our Costa Rican drivers license. If you…
Is smoking in Costa Rica becoming outdated? I grew up in a smoker’s family. The ashtrays were huge in our house. To quit smoking, was the most difficult thing I have done in my life. First I tried patches, gum, acupuncture, and other methods. I quit by using Champix (also called Chantix). By then, I…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Did you receive your Dimex residency card yet? Our “moving-to-Costa-Rica” travails are pretty much behind us. Our recent focus has been getting our Dimex residency card (cedula de residencias) making us official full-time retired residents of Costa Rica. It was the biggest item and the one that has also taken the…
Estimated Driving Time: 7 Minutes I’d like to introduce you to a couple of Orosi Valley real estate agents: Carol and BF Wilkinson of Land and Homes in Costa Rica. Not that I want you to purchase real estate from them! It’s quite the contrary to that. If you are not careful when you buy…