Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes Are you planning to hire a buyers agent? Then you need to read this blog, as it will explain how important it is you hire an experienced one. It is not so important whether this agent is a licensed agent or not. In Costa Rica licensing is not mandatory. Unfortunately…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes There are lots of retirees in Costa Rica, and in some way or another, they all communicate with their children, grandchildren, and friends back home. Technology changes faster than you want if you’re over 60 years old. I know because it drives me crazy already, and I’m computer savvy. My…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes When newcomers ask me if they can drink tap water in Costa Rica, I cannot just tell them a simple yes or no. I do drink the water from my water dispenser on my refrigerator. That’s more because it’s cold than I worry about water quality. My wife buys bottled…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Suicide Showers, Surfer Hotels, and Other Things to Avoid on Your First Trip to Costa Rica. Unless you want to go native and adapt to your new home country. In this blog, I’m trying to cover things you may not hear or read before you visit Costa Rica for the…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes If you have a business anywhere in Costa Rica, you could be using solar energy. As a business owner, your success relies on giving your customers what they want. Their needs are what puts you in business and make you thrive as a company. Did you know that over 80%…
I hate voicemail. Please don’t leave a message, call me back later. You can also send me an email, a message on Whatsapp, or even on Messenger. But don’t leave a voicemail, please! Oh, and I’m not complaining, I’m just saying. Communications are supposed to get easier, but are they? I’m not even a real…
When you move to Costa Rica, utilities are very important, if you purchase or even rent. Some just forget about it, others leave it for the last possible moment. How can you figure this all out? Imagine having to live without the internet for 3 days? Not ready to buy a house but planning to…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes The closing date is coming up and there is so much to do before moving into your new home. Getting nervous already? Don’t! Use this checklist to make it easier on yourself. We do this all the time and you don’t. There are so many things you need to do…
The severe water problem in Atenas was in the news again, this time in the Diario La Extra. Before you decide that Atenas is not for you and close this blog, let me tell you: the severe water problem in Atenas is only in certain parts. The gringo communities don’t have any problems because they…
Wondering if you can use your cell phone in Costa Rica while traveling? You need to be able to stay in touch with your family back home while having a good time, right? You live in Costa Rica and you have family and friends coming to visit all the time? Of course, they want to…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes When you live in the United States, as we do, you tend to take water for granted. In the 30 years we’ve been living in Washington DC we’ve had a water interruption only once. And the limits of our concern generally are the hope that the pipes won’t freeze at…
Did you know that water can be an issue when you request a building permit in an agricultural subdivision? Do you have a building lot in an agricultural subdivision in Costa Rica? Or maybe you are planning to buy one? If so, you better read this blog, so you can save yourself a lot of…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I’ve found out how to pay my utility bills. But I’ll start this blog with a disclaimer. My chosen topic for today’s blog, paying utility bills in Costa Rica, is a bit like an unfinished symphony: the final stanza has yet to be written. It also reflects my own personal…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Setting up Banking and Utilities after our real estate closing was a treat! During the two weeks we visited the country during our Costa Rica real estate closing, we enjoyed some downtime. Also, we did some touring and exploring and learning more about our newly-adopted second home. While meeting more…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Here’s something to think about: a significant number of all of the expats fail. This mostly happens within their first year in Costa Rica, then they return home. I have some ideas about why this happens, and how to avoid becoming a statistic. I’ll discuss the most prominent reasons that…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes The builder and we had agreed on closing in February. We only have to make the final payment for our amazing property in Costa Rica. As soon as we wire the payment, we can proceed with closing the deal. Of course, these situations almost always have hurdles. The best…