Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Watch out for mud or landslide! A landslide can make your property disappear overnight; did you know that? The image on the left is in Cinchona, where an earthquake in January 2009 – Richter magnitude 6.2, took 34 lives and destroyed many properties. Buying a property in Costa Rica is not…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Although open house showings are not very common in Costa Rica, it is one of the most cost-efficient ways to do so. There are many reasons why open house showings are hardly ever done here, but we won’t get into that now. An open house allows buyers to observe the…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes With all the country’s rain forests and beaches, Costa Rica may not seem like the place to go for museum hopping. However, we happen to have more than 40 museums to explore. Quite a few of them are in San José, so I invite you to request a San Jose…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes If you don’t know where to start when searching for a real estate agency, this MV Realty’s Guide is your solution. Purchasing a property is one of the wisest investments you can make. The purchase allows you to enhance your equity, take advantage of tax breaks, gain more personal freedom,…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes For years, lawyers have recommended using a corporation for property ownership in Costa Rica for resident and non-resident foreigners. For many years, lawyers recommended a corporate structure to own a property because of personal liability, estate planning, tax planning, and a few other reasons. Also, real estate developers used to…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Taking a walking tour in Costa Rica, as long as you do it when it’s not raining, is a great way to get outdoors and enjoy life. Before you spend all your free time indoors playing online casino games when you move here, think about taking a walking tour first.…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Did you know that Tico construction is very different from US-built homes? I’ve seen opinions from expats who think they know but don’t. We DO have construction codes here in Costa Rica, BUT they’re only a bit different. If you don’t believe that, check out the INVU construction regulations. And…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes A gap year is a great opportunity for students to mature, explore the world, and learn new skills. Whether you decide to take it after high school, between graduate and postgraduate education, or after graduation – there are plenty of opportunities. A gap year can be especially helpful for those…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Is shipping a vehicle to Costa Rica a hurdle or not? When moving here, you might doubt shipping a vehicle. Should you shop for a car once you arrive here? We pay high import taxes on cars. So, when you bring a car, you’ll have to pay the tax. When…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes Even during the pandemic, some of you have fun things to do, especially those who don’t believe you have one. But today, whether we’re in a pandemic or not is not in discussion right now. This pandemic changed the lives of most of us around the globe, being obliged or…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes There are three primary coffee growing regions in the world – Central and South America, Africa and The Middle East, and Southeast Asia. These are along the equatorial zone, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, and widely known as the “Bean Belt.” In Costa Rica, eight…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Why do so many international students decide to move to Costa Rica these days? Is the very air good for brain functioning? Or did they leave studying to custom dissertation services and now enjoying life? To begin with, the country is attractive thanks to its warm climate, easy-going culture, and…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Have you achieved the desired level in life to start thinking about buying or building a pied-à-terre in Costa Rica? I can give you many good reasons first to visit our beautiful country. More and more future ex-pats are attracted to moving to Costa Rica for business or retirement purposes. But…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Does having smoking neighbors bother you with increasing awareness about respiratory illnesses and other health problems? Whether it’s cigarette smoke, general tobacco, or marijuana smoke, the smell from a next-door neighbor can be distasteful. Since 2012, we have had an anti-smoking law in Costa Rica. This law prohibits smoking in…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes When you’re looking at your garage, is it full of clutter? With that, I mean the tools and equipment you can never find. Do you have a bike or two stashed in there with no hope of getting them back on the road again anytime soon? Is your lawnmower taking up…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Costa Rica is still full of secret places you’ll love to explore. As fascinating as the ‘entertainment park’ offered by a Fair Go casino, tourists are slowly returning to visit countries like ours. But tourists are still looking to stay away from the crowds. So, finding some little-known spots may…