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Without a doubt there is a new and stronger middle class in Costa Rica. It’s made up of highly educated people whose salaries are an average of $1800 per month and they marry equally highly educated individuals and achieve $42,000 a year household incomes. This makes them credit worthy for banks and therefore able to purchase items previously not available to them.
Many new middle class Tico’s were born poor and are now able to command attractive salaries with their degrees in higher education. This new middle class Tico financial upward mobility mirrors a social change in the US during the 1980’s when the term “yuppie” was created to identify a new upwardly mobile class of young Americans.
Costa Rica has always had a well-established middle class. The middle class has been and will continue to be the engine of Costa Rica’s economy and democracy.
Continued social growth is dependent on more of Costa Rica’s lower class becoming middle class and in order for the middle class to continue to grow, the country will need to improve public education. A better educated middle class will provide new economic and social opportunities for another generation of Tico’s.Change is inevitable as good and bad come with globalization and there’s no turning back since Costa Rica has entered the CAFTA-CHINA era. Whether we like it or not, the fact that a majority of Tico’s voted for CAFTA by democratic process is evidence of the growth of capitalism here. So get used to local yuppie’s blowing your doors off in their new luxury vehicles and long lines of Latinos with full grocery carts at the high-end retailers. Capitalism is addictive and it’s here to stay.
Before you determine how to proceed legally with any transactions in Costa Rica it would be prudent to seek a recommendation from a trusted legal provider at, https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department41.cfm
There is no yellow brick road in Costa Rica. Do your homework just as you would do anywhere else. Before you purchase construction materials or hire unknown workers, seek recommendations from a trusted Construction Inspector who has conducted business here since 1992 at, https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/department62.cfm.
I just bought materials for a remodeling project here in the central valley.
Here’s some cost comparisons for materials purchased at El Lagar.
Block, August 2007
40 x 20 x 12 = 246, $.51
40 x 20 x 20 = 466, $.90Block, November 2008
40 x 20 x 12 = 454, $.82
40 x 20 x 20 = 709, $1.28Re-rod, August 2007
1/4″ lisa 6mts. 659, $1.27
3/8 deformada 6mts. 1818, $3.51Re-rod, November 2008
1/4″ lisa 6mts. 1185, $2.15
3/8 deformada 6mts. 3024, $5.49Block, August 2007
40 x 20 x 12 = 246, $.51
40 x 20 x 15 = 331, $.64
40 x 20 x 20 = 466, $.90Cement, August 2007
Cement 50kg sacos 4165, $8.05Cement, November 2008
Cement 50kg sacos 5508, $10.00As David recommended, periodic inspections of the construction in progress will insure that your dwelling will be completed up to the specifications you have contracted for. You can view a Construction Progress Inspection Report that I have been working on for a client who is still living in the USA until his new home in CR has been completed. http://groups.google.com/group/housing–property-inspections/web/construction-progress-inspection-report
Specifications of the expectations you have imagined for your dream home in CR.
We all have expectations. However, some of us are not able to clearly envision how all the components need to be assembled to achieve the result we have imagined.
Photos help but detailed construction specifications are the best means you have to get your dream home completed to your expectations and the way you imagine it to be.
It’s a good idea to thoroughly communicate your expectations of how you imagine your residence to be to your builder so he can include the items you need in your construction specifications and provide you with the accurate cost to install them in your new residence. If you don’t have a good building contract, with detailed construction specifications you may end up spending more than you anticipated and perhaps become disappointed.
To avoid this inconvenience, visit http://www.costaricahomebuilder.com, and select the “documents” page, then review the “construction specifications” in order to begin the process of selecting the items that you need to discuss and put in writing so your builder can complete your residence within your budget and to your expectations. With a good set of specifications, you can be sure you will receive all the specified materials and labor, at the contracted price, to complete your residence the way you imagined it to be.
Moreover, if you select a builder with whom you can communicate and someone who understands the manner in which you’re accustomed to living, chances are you won’t be inconvenienced by the inconveniences that happen here in paradise.If you’re searching for useful information about building housing in CR, you can click on Inspection/Construction in the Trusted Providers section in the right hand margin on the WLCR home page.
Let your fingers do the walking on the CR Yellow Pages:
http://www.telefonicaamarilla.com/?criterio=INSTRUMENTOS+MUSICALES+&envio=Buscar
Look up: INSTRUMENTOS MUSICALES
Juan Bansbach Instrumentos Musicales Sa on Calle 11 Ave 1a, San Jose, Costa Rica
Phone: 25527676. On the corner, across from the Colonial Casino
They have a nice selection of pianos.I’m curious to find out from a knowledgeable legal advisor if, “squatters rights,” is also known as USUCAPION, the legal process to obtain possession of property during the time stipulated by the laws of Costa Rica?
If you have a Tico engineer on board for your new venture, I hope for your sake that he knows the answers to these questions.
Are there any rules or regulations concerning on-site waste water disposal concerning septic tanks and effluent fields?
Rules and regulations are lax except for large commercial projects.
Are the property owners required to hire an engineer to perform soil testing and design a sanitary system?
The architect or engineer that acquires the construction permits is responsible for effluent drainage.
Do you need a permit to install a septic tank and/or septic system?
No.What are the common materials used in effluent field construction?
Stone as a base and then gravel, 4″ perforated drainage tubes and plastic mesh to keep topsoil from filtrating into the drainage field.What is the solution where the soil is bad and a standard system will not
function properly?Excavate the trenches larger and install more rock, gravel and plastic mesh to keep topsoil from filtrating into the drain field.
Is there a market for alternative treatment systems that work in very poor soils and challenging topographic situations?
For large commercial projects there may be a market.
I have inspected several condominiums in Nativa for a wealthy American investor who cashed out of the US stock market and found Costa Rica to be a logical economic safe haven for real estate investments.
The condominiums that I inspected were large and definitely up to international construction standards. The project has not been without its ups and downs over the years, however the current developers are very well organized and have provided an attractive product in the $400 to $500K price range.
I can understand some readers prefer the convenience of English speaking news services. For those who prefer to increase their knowledge of Spanish, there’s a world of accurate information and statistics published every day in La Nacion. http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2008/octubre/18/economia.html. Here’s positive news published this week about Costa Rica’s growing economy.
Growth: The International Monetary Fund has stated that the output of Costa Rica will grow a little more this year than what the Central Bank had previously forecast. It also added that inflation will be lower than expected. In the recently published World Economic Outlook, the IMF expects growth of the Gross Domestic Product to be 4 percent this year, more than the 3.3% estimated by the Central Bank. This 3.3% Costa Rican growth is almost at the level of entire worlds projected growth of 3.9%.
Inflation: The IMF also predicts 13% inflation in Costa Rica during 2008. According to the Central Bank, predicted 14.2% inflation this year. During first three quarters of 2008, inflation was 11.83%. In 2009, both the IMF and the Central Bank agree that inflation will be 9%.
Production: According to the Central Bank, production has increased 3% in August as compared to the same month last year. This increase reflects the annual variation of the Monthly Economic Activity Index, which records the goods and services made or provided in Costa Rica. This Index indicates that production has slowed down since early 2007 when it increased to almost 8%.
Competitiveness: According to the 2008 global competitiveness index, published by the World Economic Forum, Costa Rica has improved four positions, from 63rd to 59th. This increase indicates that in Latin America, only Chile (28th), Puerto Rico (41st) and Panama (58th) improved greater than Costa Rica.Peanut. That’s good to hear you had a pleasant experience and were confident enough to purchase one lot and possibly more. I will be returning to Costa Montana this week to complete a Construction in Progress Report for a client.
I have been inspecting the progress of this home since the beginning of the year and have witnessed various stages of construction taking place. The construction of this client’s home was not without challenges. However, this prudent investor had the foresight to be patient and work through the challenges, in order to allow his builder to complete an attractive home. This new homeowner is about to take delivery of a well designed, large home inside a natural idyllic setting, where he and his wife plan to live peacefully for part of the year.
During every visit to the construction site, I have witnessed Costa Developers taking every possible precaution to complete an excellent subdivision. Anyone who has lived here for a while knows there are many challenges to overcome down here in the jungle. My hat is off to any developer who can complete a project to the satisfaction of the majority of its investors. With projects on the large scale that Costa Developers has taken on, I would say that they have done more than a good job of providing appreciating properties for their clients.
Retirees and baby-boomers continue to find CR attractive for living
and investing, and this year inspections of land and housing for foreign
purchasers has doubled from last year. It seems as the economy in
industrialized countries becomes unbearable, folks with money realize
that the stock market and certainly the real estate market in their own
countries no longer are safe investments. Smart investors look for new
emerging markets to invest their money.With the availability of on-line discussion groups like WLCR, investors
are kept abreast of housing and land development projects, providing
accountability for the average person that previously was not available.
