If you are buying a condominium in Costa Rica, will you be able to adapt to a new lifestyle? Those who have always lived in a single-family home might find a new lifestyle unacceptable. For your information, a condominium in Costa Rica can be an apartment building, a townhouse in a gated community, or even…
Cajón what? El Cajon de Grecia! Few imagine that is the name of one of the nicest communities to live in the Central Valley. It’s close to Grecia, not to be mistaken with Greece in Europe. I know El Cajón de Grecia reasonably well myself because I’ve joined Brooke Bishop, our Grecia agent many times…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes It’s amazing how many people get away with building a house in Costa Rica without getting construction permits. I’ve been in the Costa Rica real estate business way for over 25 years. And I have seen lots of constructions shut down by the local engineering department for lack of a…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Should you trust people you meet in Costa Rica just because they speak your language? At home, you grew up in a certain environment and you learned how to recognize the people you don’t want in your life and those you cannot trust. When you move to Costa Rica, it…
I’m sure you’ll love these grocery shopping tips that I have for you. Just to make grocery shopping in Costa Rica easier for you. Every culture has different ways of doing things and as soon as you move to Costa Rica, you will find out that a lot of things are different than they were…
Do you have faith in your home builder? I used to, I thought he was good and honest! Many home lot owners in Costa Rica, once they are ready to start building, do all the wrong things. That is mostly for lack of experience. Most of us only build one house in a lifetime, or…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Great news, now you can go bowling in Cariari, called BolCariari. When I was 12 years old, our neighborhood gang used to play baseball on a large commercial property under construction near my home. The owner of the building under construction invited us to keep visiting after the building would…
Are Costa Rica homes earthquake-proof? Should you be afraid the house will fall down on you during an earthquake? It was September 5th, 2012 and a 7.6 on Richter hit us. That earthquake was now almost 3 years ago and has been on the news worldwide. A 7.6 on Richter doesn’t happen very often. This…
In Costa Rica, almost all motorcycles are dirt bikes. And they come out of nowhere in traffic. Motorcycle riders in Costa Rica have no respect for traffic laws; double yellow lines and traffic lights are non-existent. They will get right in front of you at the traffic light, zigzag between cars, and use the sidewalks…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes I’m a Costa Rica listing agent myself but I am always surprised about the bathroom listing photos some listing agents post on their websites. Is the listing agent really interested in selling the property advertised or is it a joke? And what is the reason for some of my colleagues…
Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes A helpful homeowner is cool, as long as he/she stays out of my way during showings. When I list a Costa Rica home for sale, I always instruct the homeowner what to do and what not to do when we show their house to a prospect. At least I try…
“What about Deco Chunches? That can be a great name for your business” I told my friends. Years ago, I was just starting to work in Costa Rica real estate, I helped some friends who started a used furniture and decoration store to find a name for their store that people would recognize easier. Their…