Ivo’s Blog by Godutch Realty

a Costa Rica real estate blog

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Everything about utilities in Costa Rica

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…

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Terrace homes in Atenas in the spotlight

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Did you know that we are the ultimate solution for terrace homes in Atenas? By we, I mean GoDutch Realty, your preferred real estate company in Atenas. Ever thought that a terrace home in Atenas would be your choice? Last March, I did a blog on terrace views but this…

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Why we do not take property listings outside our area code

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Some property sellers do not understand that we do not take property listings outside our area code. I decided on this blog because a property seller wanted one of our agents to take a listing outside her area code. Agent Brooke Bishop works in the Grecia area, but lives in…

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Is double dipping common in Costa Rica real estate?

Double dipping is not only common in Costa Rica real estate, it is perfectly legal. Why is that? How can a seller or a buyer make sure there is no double dipping going on? Costa Rica real estate is quite different from how it functions in other countries. You can agree or not with the…

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Homes with a flower garden in Atenas

Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Have you ever thought of buying a home with a flower garden in Atenas? Well, you should! We have plenty of homes with a flower garden on our inventory. Don’t worry; a home with a flower garden in Atenas doesn’t cost more than one without a flower garden. I grew…

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How to stop home buyers in their tracks during a showing

Did you know there are several ways to stop home buyers in their tracks during a showing? When selling a home, the first impression for home buyers is of utmost importance. Whether the initial impression is good or bad, it forms the home buyers’ opinion about the property. It is very well possible the first…

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What the heck is a casita in Costa Rica real estate?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Do you know what a casita is? If you’re looking to purchase a luxury house in Costa Rica, you really need to learn what a casita is. You’ll see the word casita used in many real estate listings. You will find a casita mostly on luxury home properties. The Spanish…

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Can you rent a furnished house without furniture?

Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Why not just rent a house without furniture? That was my first reaction to Claire asking if she could rent a furnished house without furniture. Claire couldn’t make up her mind when renting, although she really wanted a furnished home. Then I got intrigued. I was intrigued because we often…

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7 Benefits of renting an apartment in the Central Valley

Some of you are not even thinking of renting an apartment in the Central Valley when moving to Costa Rica. And others do. Why is that? Are there any benefits to renting first? Most our clients from up north and Europe are retirees, looking for a much different lifestyle than they were used to. No…

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Rent furnished or unfurnished when moving to Costa Rica?

Moving to Costa Rica and you don’t know if you should rent furnished or unfurnished? I know that is quite a difficult decision. But don’t go crazy over it, that’s why we are here: to assist you. The very first question you need to ask yourself is if you will move to Costa Rica permanently…

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8 Items not necessarily included in a Costa Rica property purchase

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Sometimes, buyers want strange things included in their Costa Rica property purchase. Other times, sellers want to include even stranger things in their turnkey property sales. What is included and what is not? Check on that before you pay. On your first tour of a house for sale, you might…

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7 Ways property sellers can be a pain in the butt

Are you a motivated seller? Help yourself and don’t become a pain in the butt. It’s amazing how some sellers become so desperate, they become a pain in the butt for everyone. They become a pain in the butt for everyone around them, not only with their real estate agent. Motivated or desperate Quite often…

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8 Smart steps to buy a new construction home in Costa Rica

Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes   You’re looking at this incredibly well-designed promotion material of a new construction home by a builder. You instantly fall in love with what you see. This is the place you want to spend the rest of your life or your vacations. This new construction home looks just what you…

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Residencial Los Arcos de Heredia is more than just a great location

Just imagine living in a beautifully master planned community. Picture a large pond with ducks and huge arches at the entrance. Residencial Los Arcos de Heredia is a small community just off highway 1 with quite a few beautiful homes. The first things you see when you arrive at Los Arcos de Heredia are the huge…

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A cry for Grecia rental property investors

This is a cry for Grecia rental property investors. The reason I am inviting you to invest in Grecia rental property because you can make a smart and safe investment without running any risk at all. Our rental market in Grecia assures any investor of a 6% ROI as an absolute minimum, being very conservative.…

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The 9 things I hate the most about tenants in Costa Rica

I am a landlord myself. Dany and I thought it was a good idea to purchase a small 2 bedroom condo in Sabana as income property some years ago. Hey, I’m a real estate broker, so we should own some rental property too, right! First, we had several tenants from hell, one after another. Sadly,…

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