Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Costa Ricans still dress quite conservatively in public, although they are not as prudish anymore as they used to be. Costa Rica is not that 3rd world country where I moved to in 1980 anymore. Although, of course, television and foreign influence have opened their minds tremendously. But there are…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I often get the important question “do I bring furniture with me or should I buy new when I arrive there”? The answer can go both ways; it depends on a few things. Once you have the correct information, you can decide to bring furniture or not much more manageable.…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Homebuyers often have different challenges to overcome, the reason we like to give you these 3 useful homebuyer tips. Unfortunately, foreign buyers need to be aware of the fact that you need to be a resident to obtain home financing in Costa Rica. I’ve seen a couple of banks who…
Estimated Reading Time: 11 Minutes These are the most read live in Costa Rica blogs 2021, of a total of 615 published since 2010. It all started when I realized how many questions our website visitors ask that I could respond to easier by writing a blog about it. The hard part of writing a…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes There is a fantastic amount of old information available online. But, how do you know if an online article or blog gives you excellent and up-to-date Costa Rica information or if it’s outdated? Google sends me messages when somebody writes a blog or an article about Costa Rica real estate,…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes In most countries around the world, employees do not receive a Christmas bonus – Aguinaldo in Spanish. For your information: it is mandatory to pay the Aguinaldo – Christmas bonus to all your employees during the first 20 days of December, even if they work only a few hours a…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes This week, we had the monthly ARCR seminar, part of the Christopher Howard’s Live in Costa Rica Tour. Elizabeth, one of the participants, asked me about Dutch cooking, and we ended up talking about vegetables and Tico Cooking. So I thought to re-publish this article. In 2015, I felt an…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Does a neglected house sell quickly? Let’s find out now! Dick and Jane del Valle – Springfield called me to check out their house for sale. They needed help in getting the house priced right because they already have moved to another country. Their 20-year old son is living in…
Estimated Reading Time: 10 Minutes Buying a rural home in Costa Rica sounds like an exciting plan, but is it so easy? Now, with Covid, some are looking to buy in a rural area. Others even go a step further: off the grid, Costa Rica has a varied topography. The Central Valley has smooth hills…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes No matter where you live in the world, you need tolerance to live in peace and harmony with your neighbors. Therefore, if you want to move to Costa Rica, YOU have to adapt to the local culture and not the other way around. To be able to adapt, you will…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Suicide Showers, Surfer Hotels, and Other Things to Avoid on Your First Trip to Costa Rica. Unless you want to go native and adapt to your new home country. In this blog, I’m trying to cover things you may not hear or read before you visit Costa Rica for the…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Getting around this relatively small nation is pretty straightforward, but you should know a few things. Costa Rica has more than its share of national parks, outdoor activities, beaches, wildlife, laidback lifestyles, and many cultural activities. You should be aware that driving times and speed limits are slower than you…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes We decided to start checkin’ out Costa Rica; this was in 2013. We have settled in our little community and still love it here. As stated in my last blog, “Movin’ On,” we were committed to an exploration holiday to La Suiza Centroamericana. The plan was to get to know…
Estimated Reading Time: 9 Minutes I was updating this blog about vehicle restriction or tag day and realized that the government started implementing this restriction on the 6th of April, 2013 for the first time. So, it’s about time for an update, especially with all the Covid restrictions. For a realtor, before Covid started, vehicle…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Would you like to learn how to handle culture shock when you move to Costa Rica? Did you know that culture shock is good for you? Honestly, I didn’t either. George Santayana explains in his article that you should try culture shock to keep the mind nimble, kill prejudice, and…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Flipping houses is a financially helpful pastime that isn’t done that often in Costa Rica. Nonetheless, in some specific areas of Costa Rica, flipping houses may soon become a very profitable business. Although it can be an expensive business to start on, the payoff can be hundreds of thousands of…