Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
[quote=”SanVito”]I know the basis of CR laws are different than those in the US. My questions are these: Are there subpoena laws on the law books in CR? Secondly, are there appeal courts available, if so, when can a person have his/her case re-heard if new evidence is brought forward?[/quote]
I have a friend that (as the PLAINTIFF) lost a criminal claim against an individual several months ago. He went to a higher judge and asked for a re-hearing – I guess you would call that an “appeal”. The higher judge heard the case and reversed the decision, and also admonished the judge in the lower court as being incompetent. In this instance, there was no “new” evidence, the higher judge allowed evidence to be entered that the lower judge would not allow.
So not being an attorney, my “legal” advice is that you find a good attorney.Grupo Q, the Hyundai dealer, has a large showroom in La Uruca, as well as a small one in Liberia. They closed the one in Sta. Ana.
[quote=”bogino”]What would you guess that the cost of construction per square foot is these days in the Central Valley area (Grecia..Atenas…etc) is for a house “built to American standards”? I’m talking about a modest size home (1300 – 1500 sq. feet). Not looking for anything scientific but just a general ballpark type number assuming the builder is one that has an solid and established reputation and positive referrals and has been in the community for awhile. $60 sq./feet…$75 sq./feet…more….less? Thank You[/quote]
Unfortunately there is no real answer to your question as you have asked it. No one can tell you the cost of construction until and unless you define what type of construction you want, and what you want it to include.
What are the characteristics of the property to be built on (terrain and subsurface conditions), what type of foundation is acceptable to you, will you need retention walls or beefed up structural columns, what type of walls (interior & exterior) do you want and how do you want them finished, metal roof structure or conventional framing, tile roof (concrete or clay), metal roof (tile-look, rolled zinc or architectural standing seam), interior finishes, built in cabinets and other furniture and closets (a wide range of prices), flooring (wood, stone or tile (both ceramic and porcelain are available in a very wide price range), number and quality of light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, appliances, windows, doors, etc., type of hot water system desired, wall heights, ceiling height and finishes, heating and cooling systems, pool or no pool, size and number of patios, fence or no fence, type and length of drive and walkways (stone, concrete, asphalt or pavers, etc.), exterior electrical requirements (how far are you from the closest transformer or power supply), is municipal water available or do you have to drill a well, do you need onsite domestic water storage and pressurized water system, septic requirements, storm water (how do you protect your property from surrounding runoff and get the water off of your property (unless you want to build a cistern), is landscaping included, will it need irrigation?????????
The questions never seem to end – – the above is only a part of the list I use when I sit down with prospective clients looking for someone to represent their interest (and be their advocate) on their new home project. But before a builder can offer you any semblance of an estimate you must be prepared to quantify and qualify answers to these questions and many more.
To me, you will be much better served by finding an architect that you trust and feel you can work (and communicate) with, and then educate him on the offsite and onsite conditions applicable to your property, and then give him your budget and hire him to design what you want to fit your budget. Your contract with him should specifically address his obligation to design to that budget and his continuing obligation to make all changes and redesigns until he accomplishes that task.
I want to give you an [u][b]extreme exaggeration[/b][/u] of what I am trying to say – forget about all of the questions I asked above and consider only this one:
how can anyone tell you how much a 1600sf house will cost when you can build it 40′ x 40′ and have 160 linear feet of perimeter foundations and exterior wall surfaces, or you can build it 100′ x 16′ and have 232 linear feet of perimeter foundations and exterior wall surfaces – almost 50% more of 2 expensive building components even though the roof area is exactly the same!As I said, that is an extreme exaggeration, but it accurately illustrates why no one can answer your questions until you give them all of the information.
Until then, your question falls into the same category as the rhetorical question: “How long is a string?”
[quote=”johnr”]Sorry Bill – I love Samara – bare bones and all! Especially the south end of the beach.
I just didn’t want to paint a picture that your lovely home town is a bustling tourist center and a quick trip to the mall will get you a swim suit in something over a 36″ waist.
:D[/quote]
Great! Now I understand your intent – – I just didn’t want him to pass on Samara because he might think there was absolutely nothing here!
crb[quote=”johnr”]Sorry Bill – I love Samara – bare bones and all! Especially the south end of the beach.
I just didn’t want to paint a picture that your lovely home town is a bustling tourist center and a quick trip to the mall will get you a swim suit in something over a 36″ waist.
:D[/quote]
Great! Now I understand your intent – – I just didn’t want him to pass on Samara because he might think there was absolutely nothing here!
crb[quote=”*Lotus”]It’s a small world, I just mentioned Belle in a previous post to someone that was looking for a wedding Planner. The fabulous Belle assisted us in planning ours and recently we emailed each other and she told me about her move and new restaurant.
She was a pleasure to work with and someone I would be happy to call a friend. Great spirit, laugh and energy and her new restaurant looks amazing!
Congratulations Belle! And we’ll see you soon![/quote]
Hey Lotus –
we get to enjoy Belle’s great restaurant here is Samara once a week or so. She is always happy and offers everyone a great attitude and beautiful smaile. I’ll be more than happy to make sure she knows you gave her a shout- especially because that means I get to go eat at her KaiBella thai restaurant![quote=”davek”][quote=”johnr”][quote=”davek”][quote=”johnr”]Try the trip from Samara to Malpais. The roads are “interesting” but the entire area has some great little hotel and eateries, the people are friendly and you will see some pretty fantastic beaches.[/quote]
John,
How far is the drive from Samara to Malpais? Also have you visited Samara and is it worth traveling to? As I said we were planning on driving from Monteverde to somewhere on the Pacific and was just trying someplace other than places we have been.
Thanks
Dave[/quote]As Lotus stated Samara is pretty bare bones although there are a few little hotels and restaurants right on the beach. I’ve never driven directly through (I usually spend a couple of days in Playa San Miguel) but I would guess around 3.5 hours during the dry season. Could be three weeks in the green season! :lol:[/quote]
John,
I am just looking for a fun place to go other than the real touristy areas that have nice beaches for swimming and snorkeling and a fun town to have a few drinks by the water and some shopping. I just don’t know where to go. As I said earlier, we are spending the first night in the central valley then heading to Monteverde for s couple days. From there we might spend a night on Lake Arenal but from there we are open for up to 4 days or so before heading back to the central valley to visit places like Poas and the LaPaz waterfall gardens as well as Sarchi and Grecia. I am just having trouble filling in the days on the Pacific coast. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dave[/quote]Dave –
Let me see if I can interject some reality into Lotus’ and John’s description of Samara. Having lived here for 3 years, I find it hard to believe that anyone with any knowledge of Samara would call it “bare bones”.
do we have high rise condos lining the beach – no;
are we overrun with tourists – no;
do we have drugs being sold openly on every corner – no;
do we have a night club known for its prostitutes – no;
do we have an environment where the locals and gringos are “segregated” – no;On the other hand –
do we have a simple, total tranquilo, laid back atmosphere and attitude – yes;
do the locals and gringos mix together, party together, work together to make our community better and safer – yes;
do we have a wide range of hotels, cabinas, B&B’s, hostels, etc. – yes, some right on the beach, some with beach & ocean view, others back up in the quiet hills and valleys;
do we have a wide selection of eating establishments ranging from local to fine dining “white tablecloth” restaurants – yes, enough that you can eat at a different one every night for over a month, (Argentine “Parillas”, seafood, Spanish, Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, Sushi, Chinese, typical (local), etc.)
do we have great beach bars – yes, several;
do we have a wide range of shopping available – yes, from the local ferias, sodas and even one of the “walmart” chain members (ugh);
do we have 6-8 surf schools where you can take lessons or simply rent equipment (surf boards, boogie boards, kayaks, etc.) – yes;
do we have great beaches – yes, Samara, Carrillo, Buena Vista, Barrigonia;
do we have an internationally known language school – yes;
do we have a respected massage school that sends graduates to jobs all over the world after they complete their 3 months of studies – yes;
do we have sport fishing/tour boats for hire, ranging from local pangas to first class offshore boats – yes;
do we have 2 banks, 3 bakeries, several reposterias, 2 hardware stores, a great zipline/canopy tour, a gas station, carnerceria, 2 farmacias, car rental agencies, a caja doctor, a private doctor, etc. – yes;;
do we have some of the friendliest locals you’ll ever meet – yes;
do we have a great expat community comprised of Norte Americans, German, Austrian; Italian, etc. – yes;With very, very few exceptions, the tourists and visitors we meet and talk to all say that Samara is the best place they have been to on their vacation or in their travels. Quite often, we meet visitors from the States, Canada and Europe that have returned to Samara for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time.
We are very happy here and it is great to meet people that have traveled up and down the coast and they say that our little community is their favorite place, and how lucky we are to be living here!
Come see us, Dave – I’m confident that you will be happy you did!
[quote=”maravilla”]how did i double post it?? huh??
yes, that is what i understand. i hope it means what it says, because i have been relying on that info for years. pero quien sabe??[/quote]
Hi Maravilla – when it first showed up on my computer it was posted twice, back to back. I read the first one, then without realizing that it was duplicated, I started reading the second one. After about the 2nd paragraph I was thinking that “OK, this one confirms the first one”, then I realized they were the same. I looked at the time/date and saw that they were the same, so I thought that maybe it was accidentally posted twice; hence my comment that it was a good idea to double post it because it contained typical IRS doubletalk.
After seeing your response, I looked again and it was only their once.Very cool idea, Maravilla – you double posted the IRS double talk!
So after reading it twice, my interpretation is that if you have a personal home that produces no income, AND you purchased that home with after tax income, then that “asset” is not subject to the offshore reporting provision?
Is that what you understand, understand?
[quote=”aguirrewar”]The Chinese built a stadium worth $100 million for FREE in exchange to sever ties with Taiwan and that was after more than 30 years of recognizing Taiwan and taking their $$ thanks to Oscar Arias a (Nobel Prize winner).[/quote]
for FREE, uh, I don’t think so! Have you seen the Chinese fishing fleet plying the Pacific coast? They are not here hoping to catch a futbol game or Shakira concert on TV, I can assure you!
[quote=”ihelpit”]Blue eyes, blond, in her late 30s, happily married Canadian Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience in Cardiac Care, Intensive Care Unit, all the certifications and training ( ACLS, BCL, triage, trauma,Critical Care, Coronary Care …etc), willing to help the ones who need medical care
2772 3728
Adriana[/quote]Hi Adriana, I am not blue eyes, blond, in my late 30s = oops, that’s you – – – but I am happlily married 41 years and counting. I have a “chest zipper” so if my wife calls you, the need is real. Welcome to Costa Rica!
[quote=”obe james”][b]Question: [/b]…….We itemize our federal return and deduct our property taxes on the Schedule A. ……..?[/quote]
You deduct your property taxes paid on property in Costa Rica on your U.S. tax return?
Is that legal?? I think this came up once before (I tried to search for it, to no avail), but I don’t recall if there was any certainty to the answer.
Sorry, my copy and paste didn’t come out exactly as the article reads, which is:
“The U.S. company Apple Vacations gave our country the award as the best tourist destination in 2011.”
[quote=”maravilla”]if you’re a resident you don’t need no stinking exit ticket!!![/quote]
And for Maravilla, you actually do not need to be a resident – as I am sure you aready know! You need only be “in process” or “expediente” with immigracion to avoid the 90 day rule.
Perhaps you were a little “into the cups” when you wrote your response as I have never seen you respond with such ferver(!!!)!.
Perhaps you can sleep it off tonight.
[quote=”xxyzzz”]The return ticket is an entirely different matter. It is not enforced by immigration, but buy the airline. They wont sell you a one way ticket without a return flight. Not all airline enforce this rule.[/quote]
Actually, it was [u][/u]immigracion in San Jose[u][/u] that stopped her and detained her until she was able to convince them that she indeed did have an “exit ticket”.
You are right that the question should have been asked Stateside by Spirit Airlines, but they did not ask. Immigracion in San Jose is the one that escorted her back to Spirit, then to Delta, trying to verify her “exit ticket”. I didn’t think it important to go into all of this in my first response, but as long as “xxyzzz” states affirmatively that “It is not enforced by immigracion” I thought it may be important to let folks know that even if you make it by the airline in the U.S., you may still be questioned by IMMIGRACION in San Jose!
