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I will 2nd Scott’s recommendation, however, it is a bit outdated with respect to immigration laws unless there is a newer version than 2004. Another good book is The Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica by Christopher Howard, also on Amazon (our Seattle based company).
It seems that HughesNet could give Skylynx some competition in CR. They dominate the satelite based internet market in US for those of us that live in the “country” outside of metro areas with no DSL or cable availability. The central valley is the only place I have found true high speed internet.
They make appliances in Costa Rica; Atlas is the company. Mexican appliance giant Mabe made an offer for them, but not sure if it ever went through. Intel makes 90% of their server processors in Heredia with Tico engineers and labor so they have the ability and know how. Sounds like a good business idea to start an electronics manufacturing company.
I agree. Your chance of being a victim of crime is definitely related to where you are (high risk area), what lifestyle behaviors you exhibit (drinking, drugs, prostitution) and the people you associate with, whether on purpose or by default based on your lifestyle. Random crimes are rare in comparison to non-random crimes, but when they do occur they are sensationalized by the media. When a crime happens in an area not know for crime, it is also sensationalized. Drugs and alcohol significantly increase the probability of crimes and criminal activity.
The US media is extremely biased. A drug dealer gunned down in the Little Haiti neigborhood of Miami might not even make the paper, but an American college student in Italy accused of taking part in a sexual murder in a small Tuscan village would make world headlines.
As an architect and contractor in the US and a CR traveller of 5 years, I have gone to extensive lengths to undertstand the CR design & construction system. Architects and engineers pretty much operate as a closed system, just as lawyers and doctors do. You would have to be a resident and meet all the requirements of the Colegio Federado. The US is the same, with each state having requirements for Registered Architects or an NCARB certification, which more easily allows reciprocity between states.
Tom Rosenberger is an excellent source for developing, permitting and construction means and methods information and has numerous articles on this site. His own site is crhomebuilder.com. Another good site for an insight ito architectural fees, see CRPlans.com.We travel to CR every 6-8 months and actually paid more for our last trip than our trip in November. Kayak.com or sidestep.com will monitor the fares for you. I have found it does not pay to buy them too far in advance and the fares typically reset on Sundays. We pay from $650-$700 RT from Seattle. San Diego fares are always significantly higher because it is not a high traffic airport and does not have much competition. You might be better off leaving from LAX.
However, 3 years ago we were flying for $450 RT. Fuel costs for airlines are more than 50% of their total costs and we all know what gas prices have done. Jet fuel is similar to diesel and diesel has been impacted the most.
I agree with you Maravilla. In the US we go to great lengths and great expense to cater to other languages and cultures and expect the same for ourselves in other countries. The ATM machines here in Washington State are in English, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish and Russian. There are entire classes in our public school system that are nationality specific at the taxpayers expense. If you are going to live in a foreign country….leran the language!! (no capital letters as per Scott)
A significant part of the beauty of CR is the process of assimilation. Thank God I have a latin mother (Argentine) and the gift of being fluent in the 2nd most spoken language in the world. I truly adore the latin culture and have never considered myself to be 100% “American”. Can’t wait to call CR home.After 63 years of a relationship with Taiwan, Arias decided to forge an alliance with China in June 2007. CR is the only Central American nation with such formal ties to China. China has agreed to purchae $300 million in CR bonds, $150 million this year and $150 million next year. China is also building the new national stadium. It is widely belived that Arias cancelled the Dalai Lama visit due to pressure from China.
Read La Nacion and InsideCostaRica.com. I also see that Laura Chinchila, the current VP is resigning and will run for President in 2010.I have a much bigger concern given their track record. It appears that Costa Rica will be “owned” by China.
I suggest you contact an attorney (Scott lists several very reputable ones) and set up an S.A. (Corporation) and buy the property in the name of the S.A. That would avoid any residency issues and it would limit your liability too. Figure it is going to cost you between $400-$650 to set-up and take up to 3 months. This will also allow you to open a bank account, however, some banks will require an electric bill that matches the address of the S.A., which is typically the attorney’s address and a letter of recommendation from a Costa Rican (also attorney).
It is true for most of the country, however, the Central Valley has seen much less of an impact than coastal communities. We ave been travelling to CR since 2003 and now return every 6-8 months. We have been actively looking for property for two years and are in a position to make a cash purchase. Our CR attorney has advised us to wait out another high tourist season for there will be significant bargains if there are two declining high seasons in a row. We tend to always heed the advise of legal counsel, however, the wild card for US buyers looking to leave will be the upcoming election. Historically, the financial markets tend to favor a republican in office and the impact of the democratic ticket is a big unknown, which makes the investment community quite nervous.
Read a very intersting article on how the dynamics between the US and Latin America/Caribbean nations are changing. The article is titled “A New Cold War in the Caribbean?” found @ insidecostarica.com. With less power comes less influence over the governance and economies of these countries and increases their ability to decide what is best for themselves without the interference of “big brother”.
Maravilla. Check out forbes.com list of the 10 most dangerous places to travel. Unfortunately, Pakistan is on the list. I grew up in Libya and Egypt as a child. We lived in secured “compounds” and my father was always driven in armored cars to the embassy or other government installations. This was during Khadafi and Nasser in the 60’s & 70’s. As an intersting side note, Anwar Sadat was one of Nasser’s chauffer’s at the time. Good luck!
Cobano is the commercial center of the southern Nicoya Peninsula and is equidistant from Mal Pais and Montezuma, both of which are very international with a disproportionate italian population. What is most frustrating to us in the US is how rediculously expensive it is to eat healthy. We can get 3-4 fresh avocados at the feria in Cobano every Saturday for $1 and they are as creamy as yogurt. Here you get an unripe (looks ripe) one from Mexico for $1.25. Farm fresh eggs are also difficult to find (Pipasa is full of hormones), but we finally made a local connection there after persistently inquiring. We are fortunate that the staples of our diet are prevalent in the area, such as seafood, fruit, vegetables, beans and rice. We prefer not to eat mammals or poultry. All of the above are a fraction of the cost in CR and locally grown or caught. When we move permanently within the next 5 years, we plan on a San Jose run every month to buy the staples you cannot find locally and visit all of our friends.
