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Hey, all bringing dogs down. If you don’t speak fluent spanish bring someone who does to customs to get the dog released; tell them he/she is your lawyer. After sending me five different places with paperwork and running me around I found someone that would “help” me and it cost some money to bribe my poor dog out of customs. There was another distraught woman there that had been there for two days with a bichon because she wouldn’t pay the exit fee.
You might check craig’s list once in a while; there is one on there now for sale. May not be exactly what you want but you can get some good deals. costarica.craigslist.org/
David, do you know about capitol gains? Is it the straight percentage like in the states or is there an exemption if it was realized out of the country?
Maravilla, the gas station scam is this: A person loads up with small amount of gas and then leaves. The gas station attendant collects his money then doesn’t reset the pump. You come along and are now paying for that gas again and more as you fill up. Moral: Always make sure the pump is reset when you fill up. I had this happen to me in a gas station in Quepos and if you didn’t see it, it’s difficult to prove that they’ve scammed you. I have nice things happen to me in this country every day; but this is just one you have to learn the hard way!
I would think your real estate skills could transfer nicely here. You don’t need a license to be an agent here. If you affiliated yourself with an organization that will teach you how Costa Rican real estate is sold, handled, and closed, with integrity, you could certainly make a living. Like in the states, it may take a while to build up clientele. So, I guess your choice is to stay in the states and make little money in a bad market, or try something new and see how it goes. As stated, you can always go back!
Here’s some other places to look; I too found having furniture made to be variable.
http://www.atocha.net
http://www.grupoakiro.com
http://www.laartistica.net
http://www.pacifichomefurnishing.comIf you’re into bamboo there is a bamboo factory outside of San Isidro de General that makes furniture at amazingly low prices. Quality is not top notch, but not bad.
I did the same thing Maravilla did and it’s worked out fine. First, I did A LOT of research on the different areas, home prices, amenities,and general climate. There are dozens of different climates here and you need to consider all the variables and what you specifically want. I narrowed it down to three different areas that I thought I might like and came down for two weeks and looked at all of them. I think if you also purchase with resale value and appreciation potential in mind, even if you decide to move in a couple of years you will be fine because you have a attractive piece of property that hopefully may have increased in value. Or, you can stay put and just enjoy it. Don’t go buying into one of the many get your money up front for an an acre of land type deals. If those projects ever get going you will have hundreds of people subdividing less than desirable lots and it will be a mess to try and resell if you decide you want to go somewhere else. Scott can also provide you with info on developments or land that is a better investment. So, the prudent thing to do is rent and wait, but it also works to follow your heart (with a little brain work) once in a while.
I brought my dog down from Illinois on Delta, which I guess is the preferred airline by breeders who do this sort of thing all the time. You want to make sure they arrive on a week day and as early as possible to give you time to get them out of customs. Because of this, my dog stayed the night in Delta’s Atlanta hub which has specialized animal facilities. He was fine when he came into San Jose the next day. The cost was about $200 and since I was already in Costa Rica I went and picked him up when he came in. I had to bribe him out of customs though, so I would fly into Liberia and not San Jose. So, maybe if you had someone either in the states who could handle keeping them for a few days and getting them on another flight if they can’t go with your flight. Or, try and send them on before you if you have someone in Costa Rica who can pick them up and take care of them for a few days. I have found in Costa Rica it is best to have a plan A, B, C, and sometimes D.
I would be interested in this also, or any recommended doctor/neurologist doing any kind of modern spinal treatments.
There is a place in Perez Zeledon (near San Isidro de General) that is like a bamboo furniture factory. The name is Sur Bambu S.A. 771-3756. I got three large nice bookcases with doors, a custom piece for under our stairs, and nice “banker style” bookcase with glass for $600. It was a fun place to go as they will make just about anything you want. Most of the rattan I’ve found here is very pricey, it’s difficult to find a good deal.
First, Dr. Molina in Escazu is a great vet. As far as dogs on leashes, the ticos just don’t do that; when people first saw my dog on a leash they thought it was because he was vicious and they were afraid of him.
Most airlines will only let two animals in the cabin, so you may need to make several trips or recruit some friends to come down with some of your cats. My cat did fine under the seat, and it was easy to get through customs in the airport as described above. My dog came cargo and was fine but I had a bad experience and had to bribe him out of customs. The cargo animals go into another building that is a customs warehouse kind of thing. Make sure if you put an animal in cargo that you take someone who speaks spanish with you to pick him up if you don’t speak it well.
I think Sprite is right. The anecdotal account I am hearing now (from contractors working in the area) is that Guanacaste is still strong but leveling off a little. The Central Pacific where I am is just getting started because of the road improvement projects. There are three new condo developments in the little town I live in and Jaco is still building like crazy. Again, from what I’ve heard, the western part of San Jose like Escazu and Santa Ana are still doing well. An investor I talked to says the Carribean coast is now the place people are looking to buy before prices go crazy over there.
It may take a while for the market in the US to materialize down here. The US market has obviously hit a major stumbling block but people still have a ton of equity in their homes if they have owned them for any period of time. Time will tell I guess……
I read an article in The Journal this morning that says 35 million has been alloted for the project. There will be seven new bridges and they expect completion mid 2009. So, hold onto your kidneys for a while longer.
Earthquakes really don’t affect daily life until they happen. Being from California, I don’t sit up and notice until it hits about the 6.0 level, which is rare. I’ve been in Costa Rica about a year and have felt 3-4 small ones roll through. Take precautions, make sure you live in a well built structure that is built to withstand earthquakes. Always, have extra provisions, water, flashlights, radios around. I guess your own personal fear of earthquakes is a factor; I’m scared to death of tornadoes (for no particular reason except too much Wizard of Oz) and wouldn’t live anywhere where those occur frequently.
Try Patrick Heinen, Adobe Construction
patrick@costaricahousebuilder.com
810-9233He just finished building our homes and did a great job; he may be very busy also but he is working up in that area.
