Double dipping is not only common in Costa Rica real estate, it is perfectly legal. Why is that? How can a seller or a buyer make sure there is no double dipping going on? Costa Rica real estate is quite different from how it functions in other countries. You can agree or not with the…
Wondering how to get mail to Costa Rica once you’ve moved here? To get mail is really one of those tasks you should take care of BEFORE you move to another country. You have to take into account that we don’t have street addresses in Costa Rica. Getting a mailing address is another story. So…
I learned to speak Pachuco before I learned Spanish. I didn’t have a clue until I started dating a local woman. She thought I was pretty vulgar and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I moved to Costa Rica in 1980, my brother and I started a window cleaning company. Our…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Have you ever thought of buying a home with a flower garden in Atenas? Well, you should! We have plenty of homes with a flower garden on our inventory. Don’t worry; a home with a flower garden in Atenas doesn’t cost more than one without a flower garden. I grew…
Did you know there are several ways to stop home buyers in their tracks during a showing? When selling a home, the first impression for home buyers is of utmost importance. Whether the initial impression is good or bad, it forms the home buyers’ opinion about the property. It is very well possible the first…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you know what a casita is? If you’re looking to purchase a luxury house in Costa Rica, you really need to learn what a casita is. You’ll see the word casita used in many real estate listings. You will find a casita mostly on luxury home properties. The Spanish…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Why not just rent a house without furniture? That was my first reaction to Claire asking if she could rent a furnished house without furniture. Claire couldn’t make up her mind when renting, although she really wanted a furnished home. Then I got intrigued. I was intrigued because we often…
I’d love to hear from my readers which exterior house color makes a home hardest to sell. Feel free to leave your comments in the comment box at the end of this blog. I have listed hundreds of homes in Costa Rica in my real estate career and I’ve seen some seriously colorful houses myself.…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Is a Do Nothing Retirement your future? Back in the day when retirement was mandatory at age 65 and one’s lifespan was much shorter, becoming a couch potato may have made sense. Or not. Currently, consider how many years you have for retirement. Doesn’t it make sense to set goals…
In Costa Rica, you will hear the expression Mas Tico que el Gallo Pinto. Literally translated, this means a person is more Costa Rican than a spotted rooster. Does that make sense? Gallo is rooster and Pinto means spotted. Gallo Pinto is the #1 food for the Ticos. It is the famous rice & beans…