Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Is the cost of living in Costa Rica high or not? In May 2022, the Tico Times published an article by Christopher Howard titled “Why is the cost of living in Costa Rica so high?” Christopher and I have both been here since the 80s, so we’ve seen the Colon…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Do you need to send money to Costa Rica? Is it easy to wire money to someone else to make payments? You could give your realtor cash to make your payments some years ago. Money laundering laws have made that impossible. The whole process of moving to Costa Rica is…
Did you know that finding an address in Costa Rica is difficult because we don’t have addresses? We don’t have street names or house numbers. Google Maps calls the road where our office is Carretera John F Kennedy. Don’t try to ask a Tico for this street name, because they won’t know. They’ll only understand…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes It takes some guts to move to Costa Rica, but it’s a lot easier now than 45 years ago. For most of those years, I’ve relocated thousands of expats. Some consider moving abroad when a new president takes office in the USA or Canada. Costa Rica is usually pretty high…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Christmas is coming up, so your employees will receive the Aguinaldo, or Christmas bonus. Under Costa Rican labor laws, the Aguinaldo is an obligation if you employ a maid, a gardener, or any other employee in Costa Rica. The Aguinaldo, or Christmas bonus in English, is an “additional salary.” Any employer…
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes It is important to know, for all parties involved, what the role of the real estate agent is in the purchase process. When you plan to purchase a property in Costa Rica you will probably contact a Realtor to help you find the right property. Doing so makes you want…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes There are several great benefits to listing a property for sale on the MLS Costa Rica. When looking to sell, property owners often don’t know where to advertise their property for sale. Of course, you can try listing on For Sale by Owner or Craigslist. Nonetheless, buyers will find very few…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes A Boost for Vacation Rental Investment, Liberia, the capital of Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province, has become an increasingly popular gateway for tourists seeking sun, sand, and adventure. Its Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), now called Guanacaste Airport, offers direct flights from major cities in North America and Europe, making…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes The real estate agent, the closing attorney, and the buyer often forget about post-closing issues. Buyers usually assume these post-closing issues happen automatically. Well, in Costa Rica, nothing goes automatically. These post-closing issues seem so simple, and they are. You only have to wait until the property you bought shows as…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes To live in a condominium in Costa Rica is not for everyone. Some love the security and amenities you have when living in a condominium. Others want more privacy and don’t want to pay for security and amenities. Therefore, before purchasing a property in a gated community, you should decide…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes You must have heard about the famous marchamo in Costa Rica. If you own a vehicle in Costa Rica, you have to pay the marchamo once a year. This is paid before the end of December. Let me tell you what a marchamo is all about. Before you read on, check our…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes In Costa Rica, a considerable part of the population lives on property in a condominium. What exactly is a condominium? Is it any different than a gated community? Learn more now to wisely invest in property in a condominium or gated community here. For people who work all day or…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Is an HOA or Homeowner Association legal in Costa Rican gated communities? The short answer is yes if the gated community is legally constituted in the National Register as a condominium. In a legally constituted condominium, the common areas are shared by all the owners of the properties within this…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Before moving to Costa Rica, you better first decide if shipping your household to Costa Rica is what you really want to do. Maybe you want to put your belongings in storage first, rent for a while, and see if you like Costa Rica. Then, the next decision is to…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes If you have assets in Costa Rica, you should also have a will in Costa Rica. That’s the best way to save your heirs an incredible amount of problems. When you purchase a property here, get it done at closing so you won’t forget. If you use a foreign will…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Property buyers often wonder if they need a property inspection and why they should bother. If you’ve never bought a property here, you probably don’t know that it’s not common to inspect a property before you purchase it. Costa Rican buyers do not have any inspection done unless they feel…