Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Let me show how different things can be in Costa Rica. I am going back to an old theme here, but the culture of Costa Rica is a constant source of amazement to me. Here are a few differences I have observed. In Costa Rica, there are many things different…
policemenTheWhen you move to Costa Rica, you should know how to recognize the different police forces, know what they do and recognize them. As you all know, Costa Rica has not had an army since Pepe Figueres abolished it on December 1st, 1948. The country needed a police force that came under the command of…
Estimated Reading Time: 3 Minutes Qué vaina is one of those expressions your landlord might use when you complain about a leak in the roof. Or when your coffee maker stopped working and you’re asking for another. In this case, the translation is “what a problem”. But. instead of qué vaina, it is also possible…
Firma Digital is a digital signature, which is used for making or signing an electronic document using the technology known as public-key cryptography. It allows you to digitally sign a document. Only as such will a document be received and accepted by the Costa Rican government or finance agency. The card is personal, and meant…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes An unfinished house in Costa Rica is as difficult to sell as a rented house. I don’t even know why I sometimes make the mistake of accepting to list an unfinished house anymore. I rarely do because I know they’re almost impossible to sell. Most of the time, it is…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Can you learn from other expat recommendations and their experiences? Of course, you can, those expat recommendations will help you tremendously to learn what they did right and wrong. So it won’t happen to you. A couple of weeks ago, I published an article Why Bill does not consider Costa…
I have decided to give sellers 8 dumb responses from homeowners they should NOT use if they’re really motivated to sell. First of all, I always recommend sellers to not even be at home when the agent is showing the property. But, I understand how difficult that is. It’s even harder to keep your mouth…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Bill, a subscriber on Ivo’s blog, does not consider Costa Rica for retirement anymore. Future retiree Bill (I changed his name), has been a reader since January 2015 and has read 30.5% of our weekly blogs. This is more than the average subscriber. His email, asking me to unsubscribe him.…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Are you afraid the buyer can back out of the property purchase? Don’t be! Just make sure you take the necessary steps it can’t happen. Or, if it does, you’ll be paid well for your efforts. If a buyer has put in an offer, and the seller has agreed to…
