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It’s good to try and do as much homework as possible before you get here and I am hoping that you will also be getting legal advice on how to operate a business here too…
Please bear in mind that labor costs here will be much cheaper than what you are accustomed so you will have a great deal of trouble making any money in the ‘service’ end of dog care and pet products. Most Ticos can only dream of earning the US minimum wage.
If I was to explore this idea further, I think I would offer something more ‘digital’ like a website that offers ‘custom made’ leather dog collars (TICOLLARS?) and other ‘luxury’ (but light) pet items.
If it was merely an internet business, your overall legal/tax and bureacratic ‘red tape’ problems would also be minimised. It’s when you start having a physical office, store, warehouse and any staff that life becomes very much more complicated.
In this way you are not limiting your market to Costa Rica – it’s the entire world.
Transportation costs of many products would make the business cost prohibitive but you can find many people that would be able to help you manufacture these leather items for a very low price and the shipping costs for these types of items would not be expensive.
Scott
Jose is a dear friend of mine and a trusted business associate but, he has nothing to do with the running of this website so I, Scott Oliver will reply to your email.
I, Scott Oliver am a Wall Street trained and qualified investment advisor with over 20 years experience in helping my clients with securities and sophisticated hedge fund investments.
Never in my career has there been a complaint filed by any client against me. Never in my career have I, Scott Oliver had any problems of any kind with any banking or financial services authority in the UK, in the USA, the Cayman Islands, in Costa Rica or anywhere else in the world.
With 20 years of professional investment experience and, as the author of Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore, some people consider me, Scott Oliver an expert international investment advisor.
As the author of the current #1 best selling book on Costa Rica real estate and the founder of WeLoveCostaRica.com, some people consider Scott Oliver to be an authority on Costa Rica real estate. We have always stressed that dozens of experts helped create that book so the credit should go to a small group of people and not just to me, Scott Oliver.
As you will see from the written testimonials about this book on Amazon.com at many of these people are established, real estate professionals in Costa Rica.
As a recognized source for information about international investments and Costa Rica real estate, I, Scott Oliver am often asked to comment on real estate in Costa Rica and where time permits, I try to help and educate my investment clients and the VIP Members of this website.
As you will clearly see from the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forum, I have commented on dozens of different real estate projects in Costa Rica. The most recent one on 10th March 2005 at
It should be stressed that I, Scott Oliver have not, do not and never will manipulate any forums or “positioning listings” and to the best of my recollection, I can not remember ever posting anything about Paragon or any of the people involved with Paragon in the other forums listed below or, in any forum other than WeLoveCostaRica.com
I, Scott Oliver do not have “associates” that manipulate forums. In fact, I do not even know some of the other people that were cc’d on the same email that was received from your attorneys Michael J. Fingar and Lic. Alejandro Montero.
I, Scott Oliver have no control whatsoever of what is posted on, or deleted from the Paragon forums on the other websites listed below to whom you have also sent this letter:
Until yesterday, I, Scott Oliver have not looked at those forums and what may be “very obvious” to you has nothing to do with me “disparaging” Paragon or any other company that is not my goal.
As a recognized expert in Costa Rica real estate, there is nothing “sinister and malicious” about educating people in the process of buying Costa Rica real estate which is the goal of both my book ‘How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa and the WeLoveCostaRica.com website.
To the best of my recollection, I Scott Oliver have never “rejected or deleted” any “neutral or positive postings” about Paragon or anyone associated with Paragon and, as you well know, the 20th May 2005 letter posted by username ‘grandpa,’ the Chairman of Paragon – Bill Gale remains on the website at
My response to your Chairman’s letter also remains at
After Bill Gale posted this letter at the forum became more active.
I have also posted photographs of one of the Paragon projects and the letter from attorney Michael J. Fingar on the website at
If there were postings made by other Paragon employees in the forum, we can only assume that they remain on the site.
It should also be noted that out of the hundreds of Paragon postings on the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forums, I, Scott Oliver have only posted comments on about 17 occasions during a period of over 12 months since the forum has been active, which would be in line for the moderator of a very active discussion forum.
I, Scott Oliver can also assure you that I cannot remember ever personally denying access to any Paragon employee. Automatic access denial does happen when someone logs on using the same username and password at the same time from different computers but, this is a standard security feature of most subscription websites.
I, Scott Oliver would never knowingly post “nowingly false” statements about anyone or anything on this website. However, the WeLoveCostaRica.com discussion forum is hosted in the USA, not in Costa Rica and it is up and running 24 hours per day and it’s physically impossible to monitor 24/7. I do, however, exercise to the best extent possible, my duties as moderator.
If you can please show us which statements you feel are “knowingly false” please email me with the specific location of those comments and if required, we will delete them immediately.
I, Scott Oliver have never stated that Tashman owns Paragon or made any demeaning comments about people at Paragon. However, if you can show us where this has been clearly stated about Paragon by Scott Oliver, these comments will also be deleted immediately.
I, Scott Oliver can not recall ever stating that Paragon is not “a major and legitimate developer in Costa Rica.” However, if you can show us where this has been clearly stated by Scott Oliver, these comments will also be deleted immediately.
It is “very obvious” to me, Scott Oliver that my reference to “television advertisers” does not specifically refer to Paragon Properties because as anyone who is familiar with me knows: A: I do not watch television and B: Since I live in Costa Rica and not the USA, I have not seen television in the USA for more than a decade.
In a recent article entitled “Recommended Real Estate Projects in Costa Rica” at I, Scott Oliver did refer to “Emails, direct mail and extensive television advertising…” However, this description could include a thousand different companies that use “emails, direct mail and extensive television advertising” to help sell their real estate. This could include hundreds of different companies that send CDs or DVDs to watch on television to try and sell their real estate. There was no mention or inference of your company’s name.
I, Scott Oliver appreciate your “standing offer” to visit your projects but, I will be focusing my time and effort on proven developers with significant real estate development experience in Costa Rica who have already completed successful projects.
I, Scott Oliver would like to assure you that I do not wish to offend, disparage or defame you or anyone else and will make every effort to try and ensure that this does not occur.
If there is anything that we can do to help you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comAlthough I have not visited his project and therefore am not in a position to offer a qualified opinion, I did recommend attorney José Rafeal Fernandez to Trevor.
Scott Oliver
I love the Zarcero area but it can get cold up there… There is quite a little community of Americans in and around Grecia area is not too far away from you but I don’t personally know too many in Zarcero.
Don’t wish to state the obvious but, the “tourist thing” isn’t just comprised of people coming to Costa Rica with a view to buying real estate, there are quite a few people that come here to vacation and have absolutely no desire whatsoever to buy real estate.
Scott
This letter is from the Paragon attorneys and as such, we will be responding to this letter AFTER our attorneys have looked at this.
Scott Oliver
Founder – WeLoveCostaRica.comI am GUESSING here but would have thought that it would be far wiser to declare them exactly as they are – tools for your hobby otherwise you would probably have to pay significantly more customs duties.
Having said that, if you’re a keen woodworker, you may have more tools than a professional Costa Rican woodworker in which case the customs people may want to take a closer look at your stuff thinking that ‘maybe’ you’ll be working here amd ‘maybe’ they should be charging you more.
Plan ‘A’: Would be to bring them in as tools for your hobby and hopefully not pay duties but what would plan ‘B’ be? I’m not sure…
You should have all your tool purchase receipts with you just in case they do try and charge you some excessive duties.
This is unfortunately one of those irritating little questions where you will NEVER get a concrete answer from anybody, even the customs people or import/export specialists – I know! I’ve tried.
Scott
Please see our article entitled “Costa Rica Attorneys Black-List” at
The Colegio de Abogados de Costa Rica website is at
As previously mentioned, the best attorneys and practically the best of every other profession are located in San Jose and not in Jaco.
Scott
I made a very good living whilst working on Wall Street and then had the big house with the swimming pool and many of the toys associated with ‘success’ when I lived in the Cayman Islands
Did they make me happy?
No!
Material goods and the tools that were supposedly going to simply my life and give me more leisure time, did exactly the opposite.
Today, I spend an enormous amount of time writing and doing things that will make not make me a dime. I make a fraction of the money that I used to make, have less toys and less complications than ever before and can honestly say that I have never, ever felt more free and content than I do right now and Costa Rica is a big part of that….
So if there was one thing I would encourage you to do it’s to simplify and downsize as much as you can before you get here and try to continue along that same path …
Scott
No! I am not saying that Dwayne…. I have a great deal of respect for both the author of that article Mr. Garland Baker who obviously does a LOT of research before he writes about anything and Jay Brodell – the Editor of AMCostaRica.
Unlike Randall Zamora who wrote our article, it should be noted that I am NOT a tax expert but, if I understand this correctly, what I am saying is that it would appear that real estate speculators will probably have to pay more taxes, but unless I am missing something really big, can’t see how this has any significant, bottom-line negative affect on your average expatriate retiree, and especially on law-abiding US taxpaying citizens…
I am pestering Randall to do some follow up articles on the exemptions which may help all of us to understand this better.
Is this Costa Rica’s best strategy?
No! I honestly don’t think it is. I think that perhaps doubling property taxes (from 0.25% – 0.50%) on homes that sell for US$250K and above would have brought in a lot of money and would hardly have been noticed by anyone …
Scott
We also have an article on: “Costa Rica’s New Tax Law – What’s There To Worry About?” Which you can find at
Randall is working on expanding the all important “exemptions” part of the bill …
Scott
As I understand it, Robert Shannon and Christopher Howard have worked together for quite some time. They seem to share a number of websites and Chris takes them on his retirement tours and Robert sells them real estate and they share commissions.
According to “Robert Shannon’s Property Scouting Tours start with Christopher Howard and Robert orientation session…”
Scott
Nobody in Costa Rica will give you financing unless you are putting down a substantial deposit and then, most will insist on you being a LEGAL Costa Rica “resident” and being able to show a good income whil a “legal resident” of Costa Rica.
Owner financing is fairly common but, it will typicall involve 50% down and the remaining to be paid over a five year period and yes! Most real estate transactions here with foreigners is 100% paid and not financed.
Scott
PS. Dropping out of the “rat race” means NOT having a mortgage or any debts!
I’m sure that there are but PLEASE remember there are MANY laws that will prevent a foreigner from coming to Costa Rica and working without the correct type of residency.
Think of how difficult it would be for a Costa Rican to fly to the US and start selling hotdogs on the beach in California….
Scott
I have rescued many, many dogs here in Costa Rica and after running out of friends and associates willing to adopt a ‘friends’- I have taken dozens of them to this shelter.
They are lovely people and try really hard to do their best for the animals.
If you ever have any spare cash lying around, givbe it to them PLEASE!
Scott
