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Agreed! It’s a terrific location but, the food is way overpriced and from what I can see from costaricajones’s comments, it’s double the price it was the last time I overpaid….
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comYou could write a book in answer to your questions but I’ll trey to answer them briefly here…
1. This is a BIG question and you must remember that to work here as a paid employee or independent business person, you MUST carefully think about your legal status (and your fiancee’s legal status) and how you live here. BEFORE making this kind of a move, I would strongly encourage you to consult with a Costa Rican immigration attorney AFTER you have decided what you ‘think’ you want to do…
Anybody that tells you that XX% of people that came to live in Costa Rica ended up returning to the USA is GUESSING! There are no real stats on this and it always amazes me how people quote these numbers and then when you ask them where they got their numbers from, they cannot tell you. They are pulled out of the air so don’t listen to them!
Like everything else in life, the better you plan, the better the result will be but sometime plans just don’t work out right and sometimes you just have the wrong plan.
2. It may seem like “every gringo” is “into real estate” but as in every business, integrity and quality will stand out. I try VERY hard to keep this site clean, to filter out 100+ websites (no kidding) that try to advertize their crap on this site through Google because “quality” is crucially important to me and although that has drastically limited my income, IMHO it’s better to make a little money honestly than to make a LOT of money and not give a damn about people, in this case our VIP Memberswho just don’t appreciate what dangers are out there.
If you offer something ‘unique’, if you can stand head and shoulders above the rest and can ‘renovate’ three houses per year in Costa Rica and can play the game right and legal in Costa Rica, I’m sure you will make a very good living and before you know it, you’ll have more business than you can handle.
3. The real estate market in many areas of the US is suffering – I do follow it closely – but if our area is anything to go by, the preferred real estate brokers that I recommend have NEVER been busier.
3. Yes! Unfortunately that is unrealistic in many of the hot areas but no! There are plenty of areas where that is still possible “if” you are willing to be located somewhere that is not quite the ‘in’ place at the moment and sorry! But I am not an expert in the best surfing beaches so could not pinpoint which areas would be best for you or not …
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comIt depends on what your definition of a “developer” is…. The last time we looked, Paragon had built four houses, I don’t think Costa Developers have built any yet have they?
So far I have only recommended experienced developers with a proven track record of delivering a quality real estate product in Costa Rica. Unless something remarkable happens, I will probably stick with recommending “experienced” and “proven” developers.
There’s a lot of land for sale in Costa Rica if you want to build your own home and if you want to buy a home that is already built, we obviously recommend a few projects on this site that have been built by developers I know and have visited on dozens of occasions.
These developers have been thoroughly researched and checked out both by myself and an attorney and where 90% of the time I am the person that even took all the photographs that you will see featured in their articles.
Best wishes
Scott Oliver
WeLoveCostaRica.comIf you search the site for ‘Randall Zamora’ you will find articles and the contact information for Randall Zamora who I know personally and who is our preferred tax professional and completely bilingual.
Randall is located in Heredia, not Escazu but being only 20 minutes away I don’t think that particularly important for what you need.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThere is a lot of BS to go through when you first arrive, immigration is total chaos especially at the moment and then you have to get telephone lines, cellular, your internet connection sorted out and your driver’s licens and car if you choose to buy one.
But ….
After you are here and have settled all that during the first 60 days, life is sweet.
I have never felt more free and content as I do now and nobody bothers you – I have received one telephone cold call since I moved here.
Keep it simple and enjoy the things that really matter in your life.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI’m not 100% sure but I don’t think that the schools here actually require you to show that your child has legal residency.
They will certainly want a copy of the passport but you might want to check by sending a simple (anonymous email account) email to a couple of schools and ask them what are their requirements.
Scott Oliver
PS. There are millions of bilingual children in the US no?
I don’t think it’s “crap” at all.
Since that actual catastrophic day, as I sat here in Costa Rica watching the television as those planes hit the WTC, I was one of the few people at the time (now millions of Americans feel the same way) that believed that this was a complete set up.
Every day since then, more and more evidence has convinced me and millions of others that US authorities were directly responsible for that tragic event that killed nearly 3,000 innocent civilians in New York.
Although it was not publicized much in the west, Osama bin Laden denied any involvement in the 9/11 attacks ( and ) > The “evidence” that has been brought forward for his involvement was a “confession” video by someone that many facial recognition experts believe to be an imposter
() states that:
“In the video Osama ‘E’ appears to write notes with his right hand, yet the FBI’s description of Osama indicates he is left-handed. Osama ‘E’ wears a ring on his right hand which does not appear on other confirmed photos of Osama (e.g. Osama ‘B’). Another man is seen wearing a large gold ring in the video. Since the wearing of gold rings is forbidden by Islam it shows neither he nor Osama ‘E’ has any devotion to this faith.”
You can see the video at
What I find “offensive” is that so many people don’t want to think for themselves, they accept whatever is easy to accept and refuse to look at the evidence. If you do so, as many people have done, there can only be one sensible intelligent conclusion and the most fantastic “conspiracy theory’ is the official version of the events.
You might want to take a look at 9/11 Statement Signed by 100 Prominent Americans at which is sighed by all sorts of people from Presidential candidates Ralph Nader and Green Party candidate David Cobb to Catherine Austin Fitts, a high-ranking member of the first Bush administration, as well as Washington veterans like Pentagon whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern. Other signers include former US Ambassador to Iraq Edward L. Peck and environmentalists like Randy Hayes and John Robbins. There is an ever increasing number scientists and very intelligent human beings that feel the same way as I do …
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. (1918)” Theodore Roosevelt
Scott Oliver
Can’t remember who said it but the human species tends to eventually destroy what it is attracted to and tries to protect.
It would seem from our track record so far that ‘beautiful environments’ here as well as everywhere else are indeed being destroyed.
Can we stop that? I think we can if we change. Can we change? No! I don’t think we can …
1. Costa Rica – “the last country the God’s made.”
2. Man is attracted to the beauty of Costa Rica
3. People in Costa Rica build more homes for the people that are attracted to that beauty of Costa Rica
4. More people come to visit and see the beauty of Costa Rica
5. Man cuts down some trees to build more homes for those people
6. North Americans who can’t by law make the money they used to make selling penny stocks start boiler room telemarketing operations all over the USA and in Costa Rica to sell land in Costa Rica to people all over the world. They send out HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of emails per WEEK selling the Costa Rica dream of a ‘tropical paradise.’ I can assure you that 98% of them they do not give a damn about Costa Rica, all they care about is making money and they’ll be long gone by the time you get around to actuallly building your home.
7. Many more people come to Costa Rica to cut down some more trees and build their own dream home
8. People start to complain about “over-development”I recently read a book about Chernobyl and did some research into the aftermath of that disaster.
“On a larger scale, however, there has been a dramatic increase in populations of wild mammals and bird species living in the abandoned lands. Wildlife in the vast majority of the Chernobyl Zone has not only recovered, but is now more abundant and diverse than it was before the accident. The area is now home to large populations of wild boar, wolves and many bird species. Though radiation levels in the exclusion zone are in many areas much higher than those considered safe for human habitation, wildlife has benefited from the absence of human disturbance and damage through, for example, agriculture, hunting and fishing.” (From )
So there is some light at the end of the tunnel because it would appear that after the US “with it’s coalition partners” starts the third and last nuclear world war and 75% of the human species has been wiped out, that many species will rejoice in knowing that they will have the place to themselves for while and it probably won’t happen again for a very long time.
Now there’s a cheery thought eh?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comWould you please email me privately and give me an idea what type of home you are looking for and what sort of budget you would prefer to work with?
Scott Oliver
I certainly do not know of any plans to “curb development” and would probably guess that this would be unconstitutional.
The problem with this whole idea is that many of us come to Costa Rica because it’s beautiful and and naturally we want it to stay beautiful forever but, because you are here, builders will build more to attract more customers like you and businessmen will build grocery stores and then there’s that gorgeous new Italian deli round the corner that you can’t live without.
Bottom line is it that it is because of us that they are building more. It’s actually our fault, would you not agree?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comYes! I have heard of her and no! She is not one of our preferred real estate professionals
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThis posted in the wrong place and reposted here by Scott
appropriate construction… simondg 9:42 AM Oct 17,2006
new Exactly, there are lots of newly approved, tower type proje . . . simondg 9:42 AM Oct 17,2006message Posted By
Posted Oct 17,2006 9:42 AM simondg
Exactly, there are lots of newly approved, tower type projects right behind the beach. I’m sure your clients are happy with these investments, but really it’s not about my taste or theirs, it’s about what’s appropriate, after all, if it didn’t matter why even bother having environmentally sensitive development here? Just build anything anywhere.The fact is that Costa Rica is popular because of it’s natural beauty, we can destroy it or defend it; the people building these places have made their choice and the end result of money in their pocket seems to be their guide. Perhaps they are locals and take their own country for granted and don’t appreciate the natural gift that this country was blessed with.
Let’s not kid ourselves about corruption, sure these guys went through the right channels, but let’s not deny what goes on here and how this country works. Things are still the same here as they were in the 80’s, nothing has changed, anyone can get anything approved with the right connections and enough grease.
If we want this place to look like downtown Miami then let’s all go along with this kind of construction and not say a word! Let’s support them in their efforts and then look at the results at the end of this decade and congratulate ourselves on a job well done! Where are the trees? Gone. Where are the little Tico houses? Gone. Where are the farmers, gone! Where’s the sun? Behind that tower block!
This kind of construction should not be allowed because it ruins the character of the country; it takes away the very reason that people want to come here. People will buy whatever they see, whatever is built, does that make it okay? Of course not. Have you ever been to the South of Spain? Is that the kind of – different – that would be okay here?
With regards to your last point, we are not selling land yet, however, it is our intention to do so but I truly would not want to sell to developers unless we had to. I am working on a different – modus operandi – that will still result in long term gains from land investment yet leave the land intact for people to remember why they came here in the first place. Ultimately we will develop one of our pieces in a manner that doesn’t blight the landscape.
CONCASA and One Jaco Place are just two of what will de dozens of new towers going up in Jaco including the 6 ten story towers of the new Ramada Hotel condos.
None of them are what I would personally prefer however, our VIP Members have bought dozens of these apartments and seem to be thrilled with their investment.
I prefer the solitude of the mountains but many other people prefer the ‘hustle and bustle’ of Jaco. Your taste in architecture and mine are probably similar however, we can not judge them and say that our taste is better than theirs, it’s different!
As for “greed and corruption”, I can not speak for the other developers but I am as confident as one can be in business that the developers we represent and have researched thoroughly are going through the permit process in an honest and legal manner and can also assure you that they have planned their projects very carefully indeed.
And lastly, I am a little puzzled by your reaction here because aren’t you in the business if selling land in Costa Rica?
Doesn’t your own website state that:@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
“Land is yours to do with as you please, we recommend buying for investment and if you decide to retire somewhere warm then it’s there for you. Does an investment get any better?”
“Prices in Cost Rica have risen on average by more than 15% per year for the last twenty years. With Cafta about to be passed by the Government we see the country benefiting from massive investment from U.S companies. The result&a strong market for land prices.”
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Is that not a direct quote from your very own website or did you sell that business?
With this posting are you saying that you would refuse to sell land in Costa Rica to a developer?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com
