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Here is a link for vehicle importation, http://www.hacienda.go.cr/autohacienda/autovalor.aspx
Expect the unexpected, though…DavidCMurray, I think a lot depends on what is available where you want to live.
In built up areas, you may have lots of excellent choices and in a rural one, nothing much will likely be available, but when I see what is out there, very often fully furnished, the price may be hard to beat, with as you said, the over runs and the unexpected costs that arise.
Some people have a strict ‘budget’ and they don’t like/cannot afford surprises….
‘What do you mean I can’t get a phone for 3 years…?Our worker and his family have the ‘perks’ you mention.
He is paid about $360 per month(depending on the $$$ rate), which is above average, plus INS(just under $200 per yr), CAJA (just under $100 per month, which is a lot but this is what we must pay), aguinaldo, which is an extra months pay per year and due by Dec 1st, etc. So it soon mounts up. When you apply for the INS they determine the rate with housing etc. taken into consideration. You must ‘fill in the required form’ every month.
Do not provide a vehicle, else you will need to provide everything that goes with it, gas, insurance etc.I forgot to mention that a raise in salary is mandatory every January.
Sorry, another thought, if the wife is hired/working separately, she ‘may be expected to be paid separately’ as I don’t know about this. You will have to check this part out, since if she is ‘hurt on the job’ she will not be covered under her husbands INS/workmans compensation. CAJA covers the immediate family, with children under 18 or going to university but no adults still living in the home.
Edited on Apr 21, 2009 13:51
Edited on Apr 21, 2009 14:08
It means everything that is covered by a roof!!! Porch area, covered walkways as well.
The prices per sq.mt has gone down due to the drop in both cement and steel. But, every builder will give you his own price, obviously but many are very reluctant to due so with the dollar fluctuating. Plus the areas you are going to build in etc.
In some ways it is better to buy a finished house.Annelise, we have a love of plants in common, and my neighbors often bring cuttings and seeds. They also take many away…
They are amazed that when go ‘out ‘ I bring back seeds or cutting from plants in the wild…not orchids…then find out the scientific name and try to get them to survive in my garden, while they may consider them ‘solo monte’, if they have even seen them before.
You can only be accepted if you are an active participant of a community.If this builder, Jose Moya Leon is from Turrialba, I would not recommend him. His work may be good but in my opinion his ethics are not.
In Guanacaste, there are many good builders and we saw a few from Tilaran and Arenal with excellent pricing and finishing work.
Where are located?
Note: These comment were edited by the Moderator in keeping with the Discussion Forum guidelines….
We live in a Tico neighborhood, but we don’t have any neighbors! Our worker and family, live on site, but we all live just outside a small Tico town. Very few ex-pats, and we see them very seldom.
This is the third time we have done this, with no regrets.
While we like it, many ‘need’ an English speaking community. A lot would depend on your area of choice and lifestyle. I wouldn’t like to live in a Tico area of San Jose but I wouldn’t like to live in an ex-pat area either. Or anywhere near there.Two separate Canadian couples that we know, have both recently sold everything and returned to their previous provinces.
Both, said that costs has risen here, and due to be Canadian, the health system in Canada will work better for them.
Other folk that we know that have left, have said it was more ‘they missed their families’. Another reason given, was they have tried it, liked and now choose to return to live ‘the normal retirement life’, ‘back home’.
Many come with the idea that life will be one permanent vacation’, and of course those of us who actually live here, knows that this is a wrong assumption.
A real eye opener, we have been told, was after choosing the ‘perfect property’ maybe with a breeze, was that learning that they had been wrong, and that this had been a mistake. It takes time to live in an area and decide whether you can live with the wind ‘howling during the night’ so sleep becomes an issue.
Some have chosen a beautiful view at the top of a mountain and I can certainly understand that, but the failed to see the arid condition around them, that TLC failed to allow them to have that veggie garden that they thought was possible.
Many different reasons cause people to return, possibly one too many scorpions in there home….
I omitted this aspect, about the lack of telephone service and Internet access as many presumed there would be no problem.Edited on Apr 18, 2009 07:31
Actually, I was wondering about that statement as well “I do not personally sell real estate but the average sales price of the sales (over 200) that I have personally monitored since late 2006 has been just over $210,000 so I would agree Normita, a million dollar home is not a typical vacation home in Costa Rica and as far as I know, none of the regular contributors in this Discussion Forum live in a million dollar home”.
FYI although there isn’t right now a ‘million dollar’ home on this property, the land is worth much, much more.DavidCMurray, you are right! I didn’t take everything to consideration! I just thought of getting into the car on a hot day!
I agree with pweisel1, in that for a similar price a small ‘slide together cement home’ is a better idea. Especially if you didn’t like the container home and tried to resell.
Although, I do like the idea of the container homes, if, they consisted of more than one and lots of thought of placement and design went into it.I know on our previous home here, we added decks and railings, etc and applied multiple coats of quality marine varnish, but the wood needed to replaced after only a few years. I see that DavidCMurray, crhomebuilder and Imxploring have also reported concerns with using wood here in the tropics, on the post “Metal Building in Costa Rica”.
The developers may not have ‘advertised their lower prices’, but from speaking to others, are accepting lower offers. The private asking prices have sure dropped, as well.
But no-one can pretend it is ‘business as usual’ in Costa Rica.Here are 2 bus schedules.
http://www.trycostarica.com/s/costa-rica-buses/
http://www.liberiacostaricainfo.com/BusScheduleCostaRica.htmlWhen we had to take the bus in December, to Limon, the bus left on the ‘half hour’.
