On a Costa Rica living forum, someone asked “Do you have to live with gates, walls and fences in Costa Rica?” The best answer was Berni’s who has a great hotel in Alajuela:” Only if you want to keep your “stuff”. Berni is totally right, home security is one of the reasons for the condo trend…
Some say a Costa Rica real estate MLS will be a monopoly. In my opinion, it will be far from that. Is the creation of a Multiple Listing Service (MLS) be a smart decision or not? Let’s start with this statement: Costa Rica real estate professionals should put buyers and sellers first! Once again a…
Did you know about those great apps to make living in Costa Rica more comfortable yet? We’re all into phones nowadays. If you have a job, you’re retired or you are a Nini, for sure you’re the proud owner of a phone. We don’t have a phone to talk to each other anymore, we now…
Did you know that every property owner in Costa Rica has to present a property value declaration every 5 years? Probably not eh… In most countries around the world, property owners receive notice from the tax authorities that they have to pay their property taxes. Not in Costa Rica though! Like so many other things…
Have you seen the ad where someone posts on a wall the age a person should start saving for retirement and then the age when he or she actually started putting money away? Recently I learned that if a person starts preparing for retirement at the age of 18 and only saves money until age…
The new annual Corporation Tax Law (Ley de Impuesto a las Personas Jurídicas) # 9428 has been approved and published in the Official Newspaper La Gaceta. Therefore, you will have to pay Corporation Tax 2017. Some information in this article is not up to date anymore. For up to date information (made on 2/22/2018) go to…
Rent in Escazu can be a daunting task. Something that sounds so simple on the surface can be a very difficult decision, especially if you don’t know your options. So I decided to write a small tutorial to rent in Escazu. A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from José, a Costa Rican…
You might not have guessed it, but there is a remarkable amount of inspiring retirement homes in Costa Rica. On top of that, you have a remarkable amount of different places to buy a retirement home. The reason is that Costa Rica is an inspiring country, due to its diversity. Do you think you can…
Even though our affiliates on the Costa Rica MLS mostly specialize in residential property, bed and breakfast owners contact us often. They do so looking to sell their business. Unfortunately, most owners of a bed and breakfast for sale in Costa Rica dream of getting a ridiculous price for their property. From your hammock Many…
Have you been looking for a luxury home for sale in Uvita in the South Pacific zone of Costa Rica? Unfortunately, you cannot find a luxury home that fits your requirements. No worries, there are plenty of options for you. We can assist you in finding the perfect Uvita building lot for custom building your…
The Costa Rican real estate market has changed tremendously in the last couple of decades. While during the 20th century families in Costa Rica preferred to live in a single family home, now the condo is #1. There are quite a few reasons why the condo trend in Costa Rica developed in only two decades.…
Do you have corporation owned real estate in Costa Rica? Now you need the approval of your board of directors to sell or get a mortgage on it. On August 24th, 2016 a new law was issued and duly published at La Gaceta on October 4th, 2016. This new law # 9392 is called Protection for the…
When you are new to Costa Rica, and you need to rent office space, you probably won’t know where to get started. Just like everyone else, you will need a great location, good presentation without being flashy, at a reasonable lease price. Let me introduce you to Torre Mercedes, on Paseo Colon. Torre Mercedes is…
There are many different opinions on what qualifies for a mansion; we will discuss that later in this article. Do you want to know the cost of a mansion in Costa Rica? The cost of a mansion in Costa Rica depends very much on the location of the property. You want to buy a mansion…
Are you buying a house in Costa Rica and needing bank financing to purchase? In that case, you need to qualify for a mortgage first. And you will also need a bank appraisal. The Spanish name for a bank appraisal is “avalúo bancario” and an appraiser is “perito valuador”. There are many more steps involved…
Not always can the condominium owners afford themselves to contract a condo manager. Is self-management of a condominium in Costa Rica a good solution? The financial cost of hiring a condominium manager is quite high. Particularly when the condominium is a small one, it might be very necessary for a HOA to cut cost everywhere…
