Author: Ivo Henfling

How to pack your dishes when moving to Costa RicaArtboard 2

How to pack your dishes when moving to Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you really want to pack your dishes when moving to Costa Rica? What makes you think you want to bring your dishes? I can only imagine what else you’re going to bring with you. You must really adore your dishes, but if you insist, here is how you can…

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Geriatric Care in Costa RicaArtboard 2

Geriatric Care in Costa Rica: Addressing the Needs of an Aging Population

Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes As the population of older adults continues to grow worldwide, the demand for quality geriatric care in Costa Rica becomes increasingly important. In Costa Rica, a country known for its natural beauty and welcoming communities, efforts to meet the healthcare needs of its aging population are gaining momentum. This article…

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Is Costa Rica paradise or hell?Artboard 2

Is Costa Rica paradise or hell?

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Costa Rica is hell for a lot of people that I know of. They tell me all the time: Hell, it’s beautiful here – hell, the food is excellent here – hell, the women are beautiful here – hell, I’m having a great time; Costa Rica is paradise. via GIPHY…

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Pet culture and stray dogs in Costa RicaArtboard 2

Pet culture and stray dogs in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Until recently, dogs were not part of most families in Costa Rica, nor was there any pet culture at all. Now, almost everyone has one or more pets at home. Some years ago, people were complaining that in their condominiums, dog owners wouldn’t clean up the poop their dogs leave…

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All About Costa Rica Property TaxArtboard 2

All About Costa Rica Property Tax

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes The annual Costa Rica property tax runs from the 1st of January until the 31st of December. You can pay the property tax quarterly. The percentage of the yearly property tax is 0,25%, as regulated by Law 7509. The correct way of calculating the Costa Rica property tax or impuesto…

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What's up with the Corporation Tax Costa Rica this yearArtboard 2

What’s up with the Corporation Tax Costa Rica this year?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes If you own an active or non-active corporation, you will want to know how much corporation tax Costa Rica (in Spanish: impuesto a las personas jurídicas) must be paid this year. The 2023 corporation tax 2023 must be paid before January 31st, 2024. Those who fail to comply with this…

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What makes Living in Escazu Unique?Artboard 2

What makes Living in Escazu Unique?

Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes Do you know what makes Escazu unique? Living in Escazu is different than it is elsewhere in Costa Rica, anywhere, really. I moved to Escazu in the 80s, when we had cows and horses in the streets. Now, living in Escazu is comparable to urban living in other parts of…

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Parking your car in Costa RicaArtboard 2

Parking your car in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes You’d say, “What is so difficult about parking your car”? It seems simple, but let me tell you a few things. It might save you from getting a ticket, having your tag taken, or getting your car scratched all over. Once you move to Costa Rica and drive your own…

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Back home we do things differentlyArtboard 2

Back home we do things differently

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes So, you did things differently back home? Well, guess what? They do things differently in Costa Rica than you are used to. Who says that the way you do things is the correct way? I see expats get mad too often in the grocery store, the bank, the hospital, the…

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What NOT to pack when you move to Costa RicaArtboard 2

What NOT to pack when you move to Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes What and what not to pack when you move to Costa Rica? Probably half the stuff you plan to pack you do not need. But there are other things that you don’t see the need to bring but you might kick yourself in the head later. The title of this…

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Costa Rica escrow and real estate closingArtboard 2

Costa Rica escrow and real estate closing

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes What is Costa Rica escrow, and why should you use escrow for a real estate closing? Is it really necessary? The Costa Rican authorities don’t want you to purchase a property with a wheelbarrow full of money. For many years, cash purchases happened all the time. Worldwide, authorities want more…

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9 More Crucial Points to NOT to become an Unhappy SellerArtboard 2

9 More Crucial Points NOT to become an Unhappy Seller

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes When selling your property, it’s crucial to NOT be an unhappy seller. An unhappy seller usually turns into an angry seller, which makes the sale of their property almost impossible.  After writing this article about the 5 crucial keys to NOT being an angry seller, I have come up with 9…

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In Costa Rica we drive over the dead - speed bumpsArtboard 2

In Costa Rica we drive over the dead – speed bumps

Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes We have speed bumps in Costa Rica, lots of them. And often won’t even see them until you hit them at full speed. In Spanish, they call them “muertos”. The translation of un muerto is a dead person, but it is also a speed bump. I know, it’s a strange…

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How we measure properties in Costa RicaArtboard 2

How we measure properties in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Did you know we might measure properties in Costa Rica differently than you do? It depends on which measurement system you were educated in. When in school, you might have learned to measure properties in yards, inches, square feet, and acres. In our beautiful country, all that is no good,…

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Learn Basic Spanish before you Move to Costa RicaArtboard 2

Learn Basic Spanish before you Move to Costa Rica

Estimated reading time: 4 Minutes This picture got your attention, didn’t it? Well, that was exactly my intention. Further down the page, I posted another one for the ladies. They say that you learn basic Spanish best with a native. I can only confirm that affirmation because that’s what I did. Most people don’t pay…

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How to show your house in Costa Rica for sale if you have a petArtboard 2

How to show your house when you have pets

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you have a house in Costa Rica for sale, and do you have pets? Are your pets like a nice and cute Doberman that scares the hell out of most people? Or maybe a scary poodle that bites you in the ankles when you turn around? A lot of people…

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