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Perhaps it would be more accurate to state that most areas with the same elevation as Grecia have very similar climates.
I like Grecia & Sarchi (and especially Trojas where I have walked with my dog on numerous occasions) but, it’s now very much “in the news” for both the Tico and the Gringo markets and I’m assuming real estate prices will begin to reflect that increased demand.
You can practically choose your own climate in Costa Rica by choosing the elevation.
Scott
The problem is one of immigration.
It is MUCH easier for you to get legal residency in Costa Rica as a ‘pensionado’ than it would be for a younger person who wants to come here and maybe try and make a living.
For college graduates there are opportunities but normally only if you have truly UNIQUE qualifications and if you are completely bilingual – that would help big-time. But, even when you do find a job in Costa Rica, the wages will not be what you get ‘back-home.’
It is EXTREMELY difficult for a young non-US person to move to the USA work and it’s not easy here either …
Scott
Agreed – Expert help from a trusted professional locally is vital if you don’t know the four major problems when looking Costa Rica real estate – .
In my opinion, it’s also important that people have a VERY good plan (and preferably a LOT of experience) about how to run a restaurant before getting serious.
Sorry to be brutal but…
Too many people, who may have spent their lives in government service or corporate America, (experience totally unrelated to owning and running a restaurant) come to Costa Rica with a dream of starting their own little restaurant.
A year later – their entire investment is lost and they wonder why they failed.
The restaurant business is a tough business in your home country never mind in a country where the language, the people, the legal system and the Labor Laws are totally different.
If you would like me to recommend a trusted friend to Help-U-Search for a property or business in Costa Rica – Please visit
Scott
You said that “I am not interested in buying land or any type of property, at least not. I don’t even know where I would want to live. I’m only seeking advice on where to start for the purpose of relocating.”
** Please do me a favour and keep your replies here and do not start a new thread…
I would strongly suggest that you take a good LONG look around before making any serious decisions about living and retiring in Costa Rica.
I do LOVE this place but it’s NOT for everyone… And, since we do not know anything about you, your family and the things you all love to do, it’s simply not possible to make any kid of a recommendation as to which part of the country might be more suitable for you….
Scott
Sorry! I cannot help you with travel plans but if you would like me to recommend a real estate professional to help you find a home or land, please visit and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can…
Scott
I help my investment clients to manage a significant amount of money professionally (20+ years/ex-Wall Street) and place trades online practically every day.
I use Amnet cable internet and have been very happy with them.
Having said that, thankfully I no longer trade intraday (primarily managed money – offshore hedge funds) and don’t need to follow a zillion different indicators that I used to that might require much faster access.
T1 is available in San José, I honestly do not know the costs but yes! They are substantial. You should try the Amnet website at and please do let us know what you discover if it’s something new…
Scott
I don’t know how “local” you want it but the best place to go is the furniture capital of Costa Rica – Sarchi which can’t be more than an hour away from you in San Ramon.
There are dozens of stores/workshops there …
All I did six years ago was to take a long some glossy magazines with the King sized and Queen sized bed design I wanted and they made it for me out of gorgeous Guanacaste wood.
They also made a dining room table and six chairs, a mammoth ‘L’ shaped office desk for me, four bedside cabinets, a large coffee table and a an enormous wall unit big enough for a large television (for my girlfriend at the time) in the centre – (Since I don’t watch TV, I have since halved that wall unit and now have two).
All of that came to about $2,000 at the time. Not bad for custom designed, hand made furniture…
Scott
I’m not sure if your numbers are accurate either but I’m actually quoting form the newspaper reports in Costa Rica’s biggest and best newspaper – La Nacion
Scott
Negros, negritos, morenos, morenitos…
However, these are NOT considered offensive terms here.
Just the same as someone might call his friend “gordo” or “gordito” which for you and I would mean an seriously insulting “fatty” or “little fatty” but here, it’s more of a term of endearment.
They’ll call a girl “flaca” or “flacita” meaning “skinny” or “skinny little thing” but again it is NOT an insult.
Scott
Wow!
Thank you very much indeed.
Scott
PS. Just for the record though – I don’t actually sell real estate, I just write about it.
Sure there are African Americans here in the Central Valley area. I can’t tell you how many but …
I will email you privately the email address of Jeanette & Charles Owens who are a delightful African American couple who run a B&B.
They would be happy to speak with you and I’m sure if you came to visit Costa Rica and stayed in their B&B, you’d get a really good feel for the country
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThank you very much for bringing this to my attention.
The 2005 postings on Paragon were so extensive I had not realized that my system had failed to save all of them as one article. I have now rectified that and you will find seven whole sections on Paragon discussion postings.
In answer to your questions… No! I have yet to hear of someone who has not been given his refund by Paragon when it was requested however, there’s only been one person in the forum that was forthright enough to explain that he had requested one – and he received his refund.
I have never been to their projects and this is how I explained it to Mr. Gale in the forum on the 24th May 2005…
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“As a professional, Wall Street trained investment advisor for the past 20 years, a big part of what I do professionally is evaluate various investments on behalf of my clients.
After establishing what it is my clients are trying to achieve, I do as much research as possible first, trying to establish the track record and experience of the fund managers (or real estate developers) and then, “if” something looks as though it’s worth investigating further -I will try to visit the people involved or, more often than not, they visit me.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results but it does tend to give you a good idea…
So far, I have still not seen anything that would encourage me to actually visit your projects.”
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And eight months later, I still have not seen anything that would encourage me to visit…
It might be interesting to note that out of the 20 questions that were asked of Mr. Gale in the forum in that same email, after he took me to “task” (your words), Mr. Gale failed to answer every single one of them.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comMoving to Costa Rica is a HUGE transition for most people. It’s also an excellent opportunity to re-evaluate and simplify your life.
Say goodbye to the old world, to many of your old material attachments and you’ll be far more capable, willing and FREE to accept the riches of a new life in Costa Rica.
Scott Oliver
Founder – WeLoveCostaRica.com1. I looked at their website and saw lots of lovely photographs of Costa Rica but NONE of their development.
2. Their section on ‘About Salto Estates’ tells me absolutely NOTHING about them.
Who are these people?
What sort of experience do they have in real estate anywhere and in particular in Costa Rica?
Are they actually based in Boston?
Is that convenient to oversee a real estate development project in Costa Rica?3. For you to have proper legal possession of this land, you will need to have title to it…
Take a look at José’s Three Golden Costa Rica Real Estate Rules which you will find at:
In which he states his Rule Number One:
“If someone is trying to sell you any kind of Costa Rica real estate and can not, or will not provide you with the ‘folio real’ number (a property registration number) so that you can verify the ownership and physical details of that property then you must be very, very careful indeed.”
We would strongly encourage you to email them and ask them to email you the ‘folio real’ number of the property you plan on buying and see what they say…
You may also wish to see Costa Rica Title Search –
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.com
