Home › Forums › Costa Rica Living Forum › New to the Thought of Relocating to CR
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August 18, 2011 at 12:00 am #201758SeanDMember
We would be relocating as ‘Pensioners’ I guess thats what we would be classified as. We collect SS and a pension for income.
We are planning to visit around the end of January 2011 to look around and see if we like Costa Rica.
A Realtor-person has been showing us pictures of property’s available around the Pejivaye area/region.
So My few questions are:
#1. I have to bring my dog, he is a mobility assistant. How do I go about the easiest way for him (and Me) to get him in the country safely with out too much stress.
#2.We will be visiting Pejivaye where we will be looking at places to rent or maybe one day purchase. Can anyone give me info on this area? What should we expect and how can we prepare?
Thank you for any info, tips and hints…
Sean
I have edited this post after reading more of the forums.
August 18, 2011 at 3:07 am #201759waggoner41Member[quote=”SeanD”]We would be relocating as ‘Pensioners’ I guess thats what we would be classified as. We collect SS and a pension for income.
#3.We will be visiting Pejivaye where we will be looking at places to rent or maybe one day purchase. Can anyone give me info on this area? What should we expect and how can we prepare?
Thank you for any info, tips and hints…
Sean[/quote]
You would be classified as pensionados. I can’t give you information on anything except the possible climate there.
The altitude is around 1300 feet so the temperature should range about 65 to 90 degrees year around. You will be coming during the 4 month dry season so you might try to schedule another trip around September to November to see if you can deal with the 8 month wet season. The wet season is my preferred time of year.
[url=http://www.panoramio.com/photo/45377224?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com]This is Pejivaye[/url]
August 18, 2011 at 3:22 am #201760SeanDMemberWow, thank you for the response. Great link to show me a location. The visual helps a lot. Is the whole country rainy for 8 months or just this region?
August 18, 2011 at 3:49 am #201761SeanDMember[quote=”SeanD”]Wow, thank you for the response. Great link to show me a location. The visual helps a lot. Is the whole country rainy for 8 months or just this region?[/quote]
Ahh.. scratch the ‘Rainy Season’ question. I found my answers around the forums…
Any other info would be greatly appreciated
August 18, 2011 at 4:02 am #201762waggoner41Member[quote=”SeanD”]Wow, thank you for the response. Great link to show me a location. The visual helps a lot. Is the whole country rainy for 8 months or just this region?[/quote]
As far as I know its pretty much the whole country but you have to experience it. Although we can get some frog stranglers for the most part the rains behave pretty well. The vast majority are gentle to moderate.
Just talking about where I live, near Ciudad Colon, the mornings are generally clear and sunny with the rain arriving anywhere from 1 to 3 in the afternoons.
Do an internet search using the phrase “pejibaye perez zeledon costa rica” and you will find quite a few web sites where you can glean information.
Having made only one trip into that area I am not really familiar with it but I do suggest you do some research. My wife and I spent more than two years looking at Costa Rica alone before we decided to come down to see what it was all about.
August 18, 2011 at 10:35 am #201763baontheriverMember[quote=”SeanD”]We would be relocating as ‘Pensioners’ I guess thats what we would be classified as. We collect SS and a pension for income.
We are planning to visit around the end of January 2011 to look around and see if we like Costa Rica.
A Realtor-person has been showing us pictures of property’s available around the Pejivaye area/region.
So My few questions are:
#1. I have to bring my dog, he is a mobility assistant. How do I go about the easiest way for him (and Me) to get him in the country safely with out too much stress.
#2.We will be visiting Pejivaye where we will be looking at places to rent or maybe one day purchase. Can anyone give me info on this area? What should we expect and how can we prepare?
Thank you for any info, tips and hints…
Sean
I have edited this post after reading more of the forums.[/quote]
Hi Sean,
We brought two large dogs down with us and it cost a small fortune. Your dog is a service animal so I think that the airlines must accomidate it but there might be a fee. You will need to have a vet that can do the international paperwork that is required. Then you will need to take that to the USDA for there stamp of approval. It will need certain shots within 30 days of departure so I would start looking soon for the right vet. The vets down here are great and actually make house calls.
I would shop around with realtors and definetly rent at first. You might want to talk to Jimmy Drews and Coldwell Banker in Dominical and Columbia (Juan) at J&J Properties in Platanillo. Your realtor is very new to the area and I don’t know that much about them. The other comments are right about realtors in CR and it is not like back in the states. The nice thing is that you can rent and check out all areas of this incredible country. Just make sure that they allow dogs. I know yours is a service dog but they don’t always recognize that down here.
Where you are talking about is a beautiful area but quite a distance from San Isidro. That is the capital of Perez Zeledon which is great for supplies, the farmers market and a PO Box. We go once a week for everything that we need. You will have a couple of grocery and hardware stores and a few places to eat but it will be limited. You might want to think about the Platanillo area but stay away from the main road due to the truck traffic and their jake brakes.
The weather around 1,200-1,500 feet above sea level is pleasent year round. Days are around 80 and nights around 70. We don’t need AC or heat. Don’t let the rain scare you since the incredible flora is worth it. Ten inches of rain in the states is major flooding where in CR is just a good rain. The rainy season is when you plant everyting and it grows all by itself.
Hope to see you in January,
BrianAugust 18, 2011 at 5:23 pm #201764maravillaMemberyour service dog travels for free in the cabin. request bulkhead seating. depending on how long you are going to be here, we got our service dog back into the US without getting additional paperwork from CR after staying here for 4 months. all he needs to enter the US is a current rabies vaccination.
August 18, 2011 at 6:08 pm #201765watchdogMemberI would suggest not getting too interested in one limited area of Costa Rica, such as Pejivaye. Costa Rica is a Country of contrasts over very short distances and should be experienced as a whole, prior to deciding where to live. Also, services, such as hospitals and shopping, are in very short supply outside of the Metropolitan area of San Jose and indeed, the Central Valley as a whole. Depending on your requirements, this could be a significant factor in choosing where you would live. Costa Rica is a “Developing Country”, not a First World “Developed Country”, which I assume you are used to living in.
August 18, 2011 at 6:39 pm #201766SeanDMemberThank you all for the great advice. We have learned a whole lot more just from reading these suggestions and researching more based on your replies.
I am enjoying this board and becoming more excited about visiting CR and exploring the different areas.
Again all suggestions and pointers are appreciated.
August 20, 2011 at 2:40 pm #201767LaurellyeMember[u][b]Hi Costa Ricans,[/b][/u]
I’m needing your advice and opinions regarding moving to Costa Rica…Primarily…Bejuco and or Outside Manuel Antonio beach area.. I need to know if I’m dreaming or is it truly possible to own 2 to 3 acres of land w/ fruit trees near the ocean without being in a fenced development..
I used to live in Costa Rica 20 years ago when it was cheap to live!! You could build a 3 bedroom rancher w/ stone front and stone fireplace w/ Costa Rican beautiful front doors for only 23,000.00!!!!! We used to fly into Playa de Manuel Antonio area thru the banana fields on a dirt run-way! and had shrimp right out of the ocean, cooked on the spot!! the locals lived on 15.00 per month and I had a maid and gardener for a 1.00 per day!!!My Ex was an Engineer for Phillip Morris International.. we bribed local
Police w/ cartons of cigarettes….. Is this still going on…especially w/ Customs???Yes, from what I’ve been reading Costa Rica, I’m shell shocked with the land prices…These foreign developers are truly are asking premium prices over there!! I’ve shopped on
3 to 4 Websites for land… and it’s expensive. Can you help me find land or a source to find land that is not inflated near these areas?? Back here,(USA) houses have fallen dramatically, we are loosing our money here! I currently do not have any HOA fees and the avg. house here in MD is 165,000 w/ 4 bedrooms. even though people bought these homes for 310,000.00… taxes are craaazy.. 3800.00 year w/ no jobs in sight!Costa Rican laborers, correct me if I’m wrong is 2.00 colones… inexpensive laborers..is it still possible to build w/out the developers getting rich on me? and I plan on building my own home with the locals….is this possible now? Is there a better place to find land and what source can I go to.. The Internet when I search for Costa Rican land is outrageous in price!!! I don’t need HOA fees… Please let me know. I would like to build a 4 bedroom house.. reasonably.
Thanks for you active forum writers that live there!! I really appreciate your wisdom in buying land!!!!
ANYTHING YOU KNOW IS GREAT INFORMATION FOR MY FAMILY.
Laurel Kahn
PS:
In the USA, we are expecting our dollar bill to be de-valued to .20 to.25 cents when hyperinflation hits, that’s not including when our enemies (Iran and N. Korea)
plan on a full blown EMP Attack..It’s coming!!August 20, 2011 at 4:02 pm #201768baontheriverMember[quote=”Laurellye”][u][b]Hi Costa Ricans,[/b][/u]
I’m needing your advice and opinions regarding moving to Costa Rica…Primarily…Bejuco and or Outside Manuel Antonio beach area.. I need to know if I’m dreaming or is it truly possible to own 2 to 3 acres of land w/ fruit trees near the ocean without being in a fenced development..
I used to live in Costa Rica 20 years ago when it was cheap to live!! You could build a 3 bedroom rancher w/ stone front and stone fireplace w/ Costa Rican beautiful front doors for only 23,000.00!!!!! We used to fly into Playa de Manuel Antonio area thru the banana fields on a dirt run-way! and had shrimp right out of the ocean, cooked on the spot!! the locals lived on 15.00 per month and I had a maid and gardener for a 1.00 per day!!!My Ex was an Engineer for Phillip Morris International.. we bribed local
Police w/ cartons of cigarettes….. Is this still going on…especially w/ Customs???Yes, from what I’ve been reading Costa Rica, I’m shell shocked with the land prices…These foreign developers are truly are asking premium prices over there!! I’ve shopped on
3 to 4 Websites for land… and it’s expensive. Can you help me find land or a source to find land that is not inflated near these areas?? Back here,(USA) houses have fallen dramatically, we are loosing our money here! I currently do not have any HOA fees and the avg. house here in MD is 165,000 w/ 4 bedrooms. even though people bought these homes for 310,000.00… taxes are craaazy.. 3800.00 year w/ no jobs in sight!Costa Rican laborers, correct me if I’m wrong is 2.00 colones… inexpensive laborers..is it still possible to build w/out the developers getting rich on me? and I plan on building my own home with the locals….is this possible now? Is there a better place to find land and what source can I go to.. The Internet when I search for Costa Rican land is outrageous in price!!! I don’t need HOA fees… Please let me know. I would like to build a 4 bedroom house.. reasonably.
Thanks for you active forum writers that live there!! I really appreciate your wisdom in buying land!!!!
ANYTHING YOU KNOW IS GREAT INFORMATION FOR MY FAMILY.
Laurel Kahn
PS:
In the USA, we are expecting our dollar bill to be de-valued to .20 to.25 cents when hyperinflation hits, that’s not including when our enemies (Iran and N. Korea)
plan on a full blown EMP Attack..It’s coming!![/quote]Good luck on land prices near the beach especially Manuel Antonio. You will have to go way south for good land prices but you will need to buy it from a Tico. Then you really have to make sure to cover all of your bases and hire a good lawyer that knows what he is doing.
Depending on the size of house you can build it on your own. I heard a max of 50 square meters but that has been up for debate. Anything larger you will need to get drawings done and submitted. If you build out of concrete and block I would suggest that you do talk to at least an engineer since earthquake standards have really changed in the past few years. If you are thinking about wood be prepared to pay dearly. We did both and know first hand. If you keep it simple and do some of the work yourself you could probably build for under $50 square foot. Otherwise look at between $100-200 sf for existing homes.
If you can be a few minutes from the beach and up in the mountains they have several self-sustainable communities where there is always fresh fruits and veggies on hand. This way you won’t have to wait for trees to mature. I just visited one the other day and it was truly amazing.
Labor wise you can still higher a housekeeper for around 1,000 colones ($2)/hour a laborer or gardener for 1,200 colones but a skilled worker will run about 2,400 and a handyman 2,000. You do have to pay them for holiday’s if you work them full time and let me tell you that there are a lot of holiday’s. If they are working on your house then you will need to supply insurance for them while they are working. This is to cover your fanny.
Good Luck
August 20, 2011 at 6:31 pm #201769maravillaMemberi built my house 6 years ago for $38 a square foot. that didn’t include what i paid for land. today’s price in an area where you have easy access to materials is double that, or more, depending on your finishes. as for labor, the rates just went up, so i doubt seriously that you are going to get anyone to work for C1200 an hour. you can’t judge land prices by the internet. there are lots of people with land to sell but they don’t have computers and forget what was 20 years ago. the world has changed, even here. and i think they like bribes of money not cigarettes today.
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