Estimated Reading Time: 9 Minutes Did you know that the standards in Costa Rican construction are probably different from the ones you are used to? The successful construction of housing in Costa Rica depends on the efforts of hundreds of tradesmen and thousands of building materials all assembled at the right time in the right…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes Will you be in trouble paying for expensive public and private healthcare as soon as you retire? Ivo Henfling of the American-European Real Estate Group gets loads of daily emails. Clients always ask for more information on healthcare in Costa Rica, so he asked me to help with this. Good…
Ever heard of Playa Hermosa Villas in Uvita? Of course not, but it is my job to tell you why the Playa Hermosa Luxury Villas are so interesting that I decided to write a blog about it.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Costa Rica has earned a worldwide reputation for being environmentally conscious, so it was time to show you some green updates. If you own an older house in Costa Rica, you can start investing in green updates now that will live up to that reputation and pay off when you…
Almost ready to retire and enjoy your retirement? Is there any retirement community in Costa Rica? Is Costa Rica a good place to retire? If you are an active adult, if you like to re-invent yourself and you are ready for the next adventure, if you’re full of energy, if you’re a nature lover, if you…
“Living Costa Rica IS Expensive – So What “. This is what I hear all the time, “we thought it would be much cheaper in Costa Rica compared to where we live…” My response always is “Really? What gave you that impression?” The first clue should be when you book your flights and see that tickets…
Are you reading this on your cell phone or iPad? If you are, you will see that our MLS is fully mobile friendly. You will still be able to use your desktop or laptop computer to look for real estate and read our articles. Google has been warning website owners that the growing percentage of mobile…
Is it a good idea for a buyer to make repairs prior to closing or not? In Costa Rica real estate, it is customary to buy a home for sale “as is”, but should you negotiate this or not? It is easy to include a home inspection contingency into your offer, which is not always…
Did you know that the sleepy surf town of Nosara is now a most desirable spot? Recently the Costa Rican grapevine has been awash with stories regarding renewable energy. The country has been powered solely by renewable energy for the past 75 days. This represents yet another victory in a long line of accolades bestowed…
Most sellers in Costa Rica want to set their own listing price. Even if every real estate agent in town tells them they’re wrong about setting the listing price. Should your realtor appraise your property before listing it or the other way around? It’s like the dilemma of the chicken and the egg. When going…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Johnny P. emailed the following question “We are planning a small remodel. We want to update our kitchen, bathroom, floor tiles, and windows in our 20-year-old condo. We are not planning any structural changes. Do we need a permit from the municipality for such a small remodel?” Don’t we all…
Why hire a surveyor before your property purchase? Maybe the fence was moved by a neighbor? Maybe the seller never made the effort to check the property boundaries by hiring a surveyor? Should you hire a surveyor before making a Costa Rica property purchase? A great example of why you should hire one is the…
While doing your due diligence before retiring in Costa Rica, you might read that you should rent before you buy a home. Though this might be a great option for some, I will show why this is not always true. Moving to Costa Rica, no matter if you doing so as a business person or…
Is it easy to get comps in Costa Rica? Visitors to our website often ask, “What is the price per acre on property in Costa Rica?” Or, better yet, “Will you send me some comps on that house so I can see what similar homes are going for in the South Pacific?” Yea, right. The…
Not every property buyer is interested in using the services of professional Costa Rica real estate agents for one of the most difficult investments most ever make: the purchase of your retirement home. Some have an aversion to all sales people which includes real estate agents. Reliable and knowledgeable real estate agents have a Costa Rica…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes A reader asks how what the options are to have property ownership for couples. Thanks to our readership for suggesting a great topic that is so important when you are buying property in Costa Rica as a couple. How can you divide the ownership between couples and what is prudent…