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San Ramon is a very attractive locale. Another, a bit closer to San Jose and its amenities, is Grecia where we are. We have a very vibrant gringo community here and are always happy to welcome newcomers. In Grecia, I can recommend La Terazza B&B. Tell ’em Dave sent you. http://www.laterrazab-b.com/p1.html
You can get fixed-price building contracts from Tico builders, but be sure that they have the financial substance to stand behind their guarantee. We built a guest house that ended up costing over $51 per square foot. Some of that was attributable to upgrades but most of it was due to unforseen circumstances that you, too, might encounter. For example, we ran into poor subsoil and had to extend part of our foundation down to about twelve feet.
First, I would strongly recommend you spend four days and about $1,100 for George Lundquist’s excellent tour of the Central Valley for folks who are thinking of a move here. George is a fountain of information and will give you a structured look at the options and choices. See http://www.costaricaretireonss.com/tours.htm
Next, I would consider three important factors. They are:
CLIMATE. Generally, the higher you go the cooler the climate. If you look at the data for the coasts, you’ll find consistently hot and humid weather year ’round. At 4,200 feet above sea level in the Central Valley, our overnight low has been 53 degrees F; daytime high – about 84. We have neither heat nor air conditioning, and rarely turn on the ceiling fans. Our windows are open 24/7.
COMMUNITY: If you are a social animal, you will probably feel better about your choice if you live in an area where at least some Americans and Canadians live. The Costa Rican people we have met have been universally warm, welcoming, friendly, helpful, and tolerant of our lack of Spanish, but it’s comforting to be able to have a conversation with someone you can really communicate with, and that’ll probably be English-speakers.
AMENITIES: Unless you’re doing a genuine “return-to-the-earth” thing, you’re going to miss some of the things that aren’t commonly available in every soda and pulperia in Costa Rica. So consider how you’re going to get to the larger food markets, malls, a variety of restaurants, etc to find the things you’re used to having. We met a woman in Escazu who was visiting from for a week. She was getting her Jaguar repaired (by the only dealer in C.R.) and buying things for her house under construction that are not available locally. Think about what you can do without.
Marilyn, I just posted a pretty comprehensive reply about moving your stuff on this forum. Take a look.
I would certainly second Scott’s reply. Driving here would be a nightmare and it might not save you any money. Even with three of you, on the road you’d be a lucrative target for bandits.
As for security in an ungated community in the mountains around San Jose, that’s exactly where we live, and so far we have had no problems whatsoever — in six months. We don’t leave doors unlocked, and we do not advertise our wealth any more than necessary. We’ve also just installed a high-tech film to the inside of our windows that is guaranteed to be vandal-proof. It’s an alternative to bars the thought of which we hate.
A couple of months ago, friends had their car (“fortunately” insured by INS) stolen. The bureaucratic nightmare of processing a claim for the loss has convinced us to take aggressive measures to see that it doesn’t happen to us.
We have made an effort to get to know as many of our neighbors as possible. They’re warm and friendly people, and we figure that they may be less likely to rob us if there’s a personal relationship.
We began with a local mover who walked through our home and did a complete inventory on a handheld computer. When finished, he gave us a very thorough inventory and a very accurate weight estimate.
Your household stuff weighs, on average, seven pounds per cubic foot. So if you divide the estimated weight by seven, you’ll have a pretty good idea of the cubic volume of your things. From that number, you can decide whether to get a 20- or a 40-foot shipping container. Remember that you can’t fill the container totally full to the top.
The cost of the container, including shipping, is fixed unless you include something very heavy, such as a car (which is a possibility), so you may as well fill it up. Don’t forget the volume of the packaging you’ll use.
Typically, you get about three hours to load the container, so be packed and ready before it arrives. We hired the local moving company to actually pack our container. We figured they had both the strong backs and the experience loading which we lack.
Your local mover can arrange to have a container delivered to you and then shipped internationally. Or you can initiate the process from Costa Rica, which we did. We felt that the local companies might have a better feel for the Customs process here in C.R.
As you pack, you must keep careful lists showing each item and a value for it. Each item must be numbered on the list and on the box, etc. We found it useful to get some heavy paper tags with wire ties to put on things that didn’t fit into boxes (stuff like hoses, tools, etc),
The first list is for U.S. Customs who wants to know what you’re exporting. Make it vague and undervalue each item; remember, everything’s used.
The next list is for C.R. Customs. Make it vague, too, and DO NOT include a value.
The third list is for insurance. It must be more detailed than the other two, and it must have a declared value for each item. If you don’t want to insure something, don’t value it.
The fourth (optional) list would be a sequence for delivery. We planned to be in temporary quarters while our permanent home is being built, so we gave the mover a list of what we would want to be delivered in the first phase and in the second. You may not need this list.
Two Costa Rican companies who do a lot of moves from the U.S. are SG Global (jsueiras@sgglobalcr.com) and ABC Mudanzas who advertises in A.M. Costa Rica.
It will take about six weeks to get your container to Costa Rica from the U.S.
There’s probably more. Don’t hesitate to e-mail me: daveandmarcia@racsa.co.cr
There are officially three options. Two are health care plans offered by INS. Both exclude pre-existing conditions, and both are more expensive than the Costa Rican social security system’s program – CAJA. You must be a legal resident of Costa Rica to enroll in the CAJA program. The INS plans offer some options as far as coverage, deductibles, limits of reimbursement, etc are concerned.
The cost of the CAJA program is based upon your ability to pay and it is more comprehensive than the INS plans. Care is provided by physicians, hospitals, etc that are within the program; not all providers are. Drugs, dental care, vision, etc are all covered, but the plan does not provide each and every drug that’s available.
Like manged care plans in the U.S., each person is afforded primary care at a clinic local to his or her residence. From there, referrals are made as necessary. I have heard (but I do not KNOW this to be true) that you can change your primary care source to one where English is spoken, if you do not speak Spanish.
You can enroll in the CAJA plan at a local social security office or through the Association of Residents of Costa Rican in San Jose.
There are also plans offered in ads in Tico Times for what appear to be offshore plans. I can’t comment on those.
