Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes My husband and I were considering relocating to Costa Rica after one visit. So we signed up with Christopher Howard for a retirement tour of 10 days in January 2019. As part of the tour, we attended an extremely informative two-day seminar with ARCR. There, we were introduced to Ivo…
I know, you usually wouldn’t think of decorating your home in Costa Rica with an aquarium. That’s probably because Costa Rica’s natural beauty is a major draw for people moving here. And we have 763 miles of coastline, so we’re surrounded by an aquarium! When decorating your own property in Costa Rica, incorporating tropical fish…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes When starting a business in Costa Rica, you’ll need to make the decision of leasing or buying commercial property. The question is to buy or to lease? This may be a simple question. Nonetheless, it has posed a dilemma for many small business owners just starting a new venture or…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Before you purchase a renovation property, there are a couple of considerations you should take into account. The minimum cost of constructing a Costa Rican house from scratch is about $750 per square meter, according to American-European. Depending on your budget, you might think it cheaper to just buy a secondhand…
After buying a house, but there are some things you need to do soon after you have bought your property. Buying a new home, whether this is your first or ‘umpteenth’ investment, is an exciting experience. You can look forward to starting your new life in a house that you have dreamed about for so…
Buyers usually ask how long a property is for sale and why it has not sold. And why it takes so long in Costa Rica, while in some other places property sells in a matter of days. I wrote this article originally for the real estate section of The Tico Times. On request, I am…
Buying a home is like a love affair, you don’t want to see any red flags. Some buyers don’t realize that a love affair can turn into a money pit easily. An experienced realtor usually knows when buyers fall in love with a house as soon as they walk in. In my opinion, it’s important…
Not paying attention to the tree maintenance on your property before the rainy season starts can do a lot of damage. Costa Rica is a diverse country of plants and is home to about 1900 different species of trees. Many of them know how to thrive in Costa Rica’s tropical climate and fertile soil. The…
Do I think there a science or psychology to pricing a property intelligently when you’re motivated to sell? Yes, I definitely do! In general, property in Costa Rica takes way too long in selling. Why is that? There are many reasons for a property not to sell for years. In this article, I will cover…
Of course, we love paying a referral fee. It’s an important ingredient in our real estate business. In my 30+ years of being a real estate broker, I’ve had people referring for a fee coming out of my ears sometimes. Everybody wants a share of the real estate commission in exchange for a name and…
Only those who move from another tropical country understand why a carport or garage is so important. For a buyer who comes from another country, it is essential to understand the importance of a carport or a garage. That’s because if you have a car(s) in the tropics, you will want it under roof. Because…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes The word is out! Grecia home rentals are among the most affordable in the Central Valley. It seems like lots of US citizens are running from something. YES, you can find Grecia home rentals for around $500 – $600/month already. Our agents don’t make much money on it, but you…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Are you dealing with home financing in Costa Rica or will you be soon? Then you will find this a very useful blog. Purchasing a home is a huge responsibility, especially if you think you can afford it but can’t find any home financing. Often, future expats start shopping for…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes A reader suggested I should do a blog about bad landlords. Recently, I did a blog on the 9 things I hate most about tenants in Costa Rica. Thanks, Molly for your suggestion. The fact is that no matter if you rent in Costa Rica or elsewhere, you’ll find bad…
In December 2019, the Costa Rica Tax office published a resolution that starting 2021, existing inactive corporations must declare their assets. This must be done between January 1st and March 15th, 2021. New corporations will have to do this starting 2020 but let your attorney worry about that when he/she constitutes a new corporation for…
It’s amazing how many people have enjoyed our bi-weekly Live in Costa Rica blogs 2019. What’s even more important is that blogs written 6 years ago get so much attention. Imagine that #10 was written in 2012. The #1 blog even had 32 views per day during 2019! I still enjoy writing Ivo’s blog and…