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One shouldn’t be too hard to find either in San Jose or another larger town. The hardware store in Jaco “Lugar” has both a riding mower and self propelled mowers. I am not sure of the pricing.
We had heard something similiar and checked with the attorneys at ARCR. They said there is no remewing of passport/visa stamps for an extension in Costa Rica. We were told, you must leave the country every 90 days for 72 hours, and that there are no exceptions. I think some people assume you can get extensions because they are offered in many of the surrounding countries. Panama you can get a 3 month extension before having to leave I believe.
davidc, I agree people can spend a lot here. I tried to look a little deeper into what koty was saying she wanted. A lot of those luxuries will go by the way side I think once they move down here. It is almost impossible to come here and not have a change in attitude about some things. I will admit though, I do not have experience with having to budget for private school, two possible new cars with the expense that goes along with that, etc. So my thoughts on how much it takes to live here and include some of those things in your budge is merely based on some estimations. Which a lot of the advice is here. That isn’t a bad thing. It is always good to get different and even opposing views on subjects. It struct me that you were being negative, but I may have misinterpreted your thoughts. No direspect was intended. I have told friends and aquaintences that are considering moving down here that I would encourage anyone to give it a try if they really think they want to, but I would never try to talk them into doing it.
I don’t see anything wrong with out sourcing design plans, as long as you have a qualified builder and are doing your due diligence on all aspects of your lot you are building on. You want to make sure the soil is right, that utilities are accessible, etc. Those are your responsibility, not your architects, although it’s nice if one takes that close of an interest in your project. There are no regulations here that require the architect to visit the site their plans are being used to build on, at least to my knowledge, and many seldom if ever visit a site. That is at least my experience so far. One of the real problems with many businesses here in CR is the real lack of customer service, especially after the sale. Once they have their money, then there is no vested interest in your project, and no reason for them to visit and in some manner help oversee the building process. I think building a long term relationship with clients is still somewhat a foreign concept with many business here in CR. I think Dave has some excellent plans on his site and you can still contract with a local architect to help oversee the process and sign off on the plans. It’s an added expense, but a viable option.
I thinkn Dave has a wealth of information that can help people. What I have liked about Dave and Isabel is that they are willing to share thier own bad experiences and mistakes they have made along the way. Simply living daily life down here is a learning experience. There can be many aspects involving someones bad experience with a person or business. If you had a bad experience then it is understandable to not recommend someone. Personally I would recommend at least talking with Dave and getting some of your questions answered.
I have contacted Terry via e-mail and we will discuss the matter further if she wishes. I stand by the point that the original postings by terry are very calculated fishing exhibitions for new clients. If Scott would like any further details on any matters then he is free to contact me.
you can leave every 90 days. You can take in expensive trips to Panama or Nicaragua. It seems though at least for now you would have the income to travel back to the States 3 or 4 times a year, which takes care of the 90 day visa requirement.
whoa, David, what Costa Rica are you living in? Sure someone can come down and spend $4000 to $5000 per month, but what Koty is looking for can be had on much less than that. You sound more like someone trying to scare new comers from coming down here than someone answering questions and giving advice about a move here. I think almost everyone simplifies their life once getting down here and living here for awhile, and that will make a big downward adjustment to the monthly budget. I have to vehemently disagree with your cost analysis. It just doesn’t hold water.
You can definitely do it. It’s been addressed here but not explained about the job situation. You can not come down here and work. It is prohibited by law. It sounds like that is not a problem. If you have $3000 per month you have soooooo many options. Renting in an area for at least 6 months is important. You may find something you like right away and buy it still. If you buy at a decent price it will be an investment if nothing else if you decide that is not where you want to live. Renting for 6 months lets you find out if you like that particular area, town, neighbors, etc.
I don’t think you are looking to live in a bubble at all. Real life here is not dirt floors. I’m not sure which Costa Rica scottbenson is living in. Yes there may be some very poor families with a dirt floor. That is far from the norm and I think is rare. Ticos for the most part do live a simple life style and do not have fancy things and what most might consider some luxuries. You are seeking many of the same things most people are looking for that make a move like you are considering. My wife and I came to the conclusion that “life’s too short….don’t waste it”. It is the motto on our website where we share our experiences of the move we made and our daily lives here. http://www.dktreadway.com
One thing is certain, after only 6 months here you will almost certainly change your philosophy on some of those things you thought you wanted or were important.
There are areas such as where we live where your children ride their bikes and walk to the local school without fear of getting run over by cars. We live in Esterillos Oeste, a small beach community of mostly gravel roads. There is no traffic that you would find in even small towns.
A very viable and rewarding option on the schooling is home schooling your child. We have friends here that moved down two years ago with 10 and 12 year old girls. They are homeschooling the girls. The mom also volunteers and teaches an after school English class and her husband teaches a computer class. My wife has started helping with an afternoon art class. I just mention these things to point out there are a lot of things you can involve yourself and your family in that you will find rewarding and fufillment of many of the things you mention you are looking for. Participating in things like that in the community is an education in itself. I admire people that take risks. One of the most common comments we got from friends and family when we were ready to make our move was “I wish I had the guts to do what you’re doing”. It’s not for everyone, but the experiences you and your children will have, money really can’t buy. Traveling and living in a foreign country is an education in itself.
as to budget……wow! $3000 a month will more than cover most of what you think is important. You almost certainly won’t need two cars. A nicer used car with ac and 4 wheel drive is good for exploring the country. We live on about $1000 to $1200 per month and don’t really budget ourselves. We eat out several times a week and frequent our favorite watering hole for drinks right down by the beach.
One thing I would suggest is that you nix the raising your own chickens idea. It’s not as simple and glamorous as it seems. The expense and hassle to raise them properly to really produce enough eggs for your family at least to me is not worth it. Eggs are not expensive. Having a garden will be easy as long as you have some extra ground where ever you are living. We by all our fruits and veggies at the farmers market on Friday mornings. We get all we need for the whole week for about $10.
I hope some of this is helpful. Feel free to contact me if you need any ideas or want to bounce ideas off someone. Don’t let anyone steal your dream.
Pura Vida
The Tico Times typically has several adds for one or two pieces for sale as well as ads from people leaving the country and basically selling everything.
a good inexpensive trip for your 72 hours out of the country is down to Bocas Del Torro. We have done this twice all the way from Jaco on the Pacific side. We take the bus out of Jaco at 5:30 am and are able to arrive on the Island by that same evening. It’s a long day of traveling, but not uncomfortable. We are able to make the trip including buses, cabs, and water taxis for less than $50 for both of us. Once in Bocas we stay at Dos Palmes right on the water for $28 a night. Nice clean room with AC and satellite tv. Our trip report is on our website if you would like to check it out. http://www.dktreadway.com/Trip%20Report.htm
Terry, being rude has nothing to do with what I said to you and I do not apologize. You blatantly attempted to fish for business with how you presented your postings. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist I actually have dealings with you indirectly in the past and I suggest we leave it at that. I doubt you seriously want to get into a further discussion as to ethics and honesty in business. This is not the forum for it and I will not discuss it further here with you. It is also not the forum for you to fish for clients…..period.
Terry, I’m sorry but I don’t buy it. In just the few postings you have placed or responded to you make sure you point out that you are a realtor. Especially the one that starts out “for future reference” Why do we need future reference that you are a realtor. What you are doing in your postings goes against the spirit of this and most non commercial forums.
If you are in the Parrita area then why don’t you just go check it out for yourself? You’re asking a very general question with no information as to what the name is on the ads you saw. Sounds like a vaguely desguised post fishing for new potential clients for yourself. Sorry, but that is just the way it seems to me.
The buses are fairly comfortable, but not air conditioned. They are not the feared “chicken buses” you hear about or may have experienced in other Latin American countries. It is a great way to see the country and travel economically. I think though you are looking more in the 6 to 8 hour range for that trip depending on the route. We have twice taken the buses from Jaco on the Pacific side all the way to Panama on the Caribbean side and enjoyed it.
