Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I third david and maravilla. “Inactive” is the operative word and purposes set up that way just to hold real estate. My Escazu attorney, who is quite prominent in CR and virtually limits his practice to real estate and associated SA’s states the same as previously mentioned.
I would never rent anything other than a 4WD anywhere outside of the Central Valley having traveled 3,000 km of CR roads in the last three years. You cant go wrong with an SUV and they are competitvely priced with sedan in a relative way (150%+ of US rental costs).
If you are getting out of the valley you need to have an SUV with some guts, so it is best to tie up your choice ahead of time. Our experience has been that out of San Jose, your car could save you a lot of anguish and it is best to stay with main line companies with new vehicles.
The easiest way we have found is to go to a Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) branch and pay the exit tax there. They are the only bank that does it and eliminates the stress of having to wait in line at the airport if you are in a time crunch.
We live in the woods 50 miles N of Seattle and happen to have a concrete tile roof. Since clay and terra cotta like roofing is prevalent in CR, I would ventur to guess you might run accross this issue also. They like to live in the triangular gap craeted by the overlap of the tiles on the roof eaves. Since we live on a lake, they are fantastic insect control, however, they have gotten into the house on ocassion and approximately 1 in 20 are rabies carriers.
Do the mortgages include raw land too? Would appreciate any contact info since we are returning for our 4th time in 2 weeks.
According to a news report I heard this morning, the average turnaround is now 17 weeks. The most expedited way to get a passport is wait until 2 weeks prior to your deaparture date and make an appointment at the nearest Passport Office (typically a federal building in a major city). Bring proof of your departure date and apply at the passport office. It will cost nearly double, but you will get your passport within 5 business days.
We rented from them once and would stick with the regular rental car companies with new, dust free, reliable vehicles with working A/C and live batteries. Was not worth the minimal cost savings.
Continental from Seattle via Houston has always had the best fares and is the shortest route. We have been coming down for less than $500 w/ all taxes.
We have visited there 3 times over the last 3 years and the change has been quite dramatic; to the point we would not return. Tamarindo will become what Cabo San Lucas has become eventualy…hotels and condos for foreigners only and all the drugs and crime that go with high density development. Playa Grande to the north is much more pleasant.
Thanks Scott. I asked a question earlier in the forum about Tropishpere in Mal Pais and whether they are a recommended real estate professional, since we have narrowed our retirement search from previous trips to CR to the south tip of Nicoya. Our S.A is set-up (used Roger P), we are visiting regularly every 6 months and ready to make an educated purchase based on all the knowledge we have gathered over the last three years, including the pertinent, unbiased information in your forum (some people are blindly opinionated). I am a construction professional with an education in architecture,fluent in spanish by birth (Argentine mother) and have a grounded understanding of the latin/tico culture, which should serve us well. Appreciate your web site very much.
All veteran CR travellers assume ou will spend some time in San Jose, however, you can see everything worth seeing in 2-3 days.
Corcovado, Manuel Antonio, the entire Pacific Coast of Guancaste and Nicoya Peninsula, Montezuma, Arenal & Tabacon Hot Springs, Rincon de la Vieja, Orosi Valley (trout fishing) and Turialba we have found the most enjoyment from.
The best snorkeling is Puerto Viejo and south but it is much more of a “free spirit/rastafarian” locale.
The least desirable (my opinion) is Limon, Golfito, the far southern Pacific (Pavones – surfing only for the most part and not much civilization). Tortugero in the NE corner we have not been to, but it is very remote and only accessible by boat or plane.
Keep in mind that the roads to get to some of the above are not passable by anything by a 4WD SUV or truck and usually require fjording rivers.
I have banked @ Washington Mutual for 10 years now and have their WAMU Free Checking which does not charge me anything for wire transfers. Many Credit Unions do not charge either. The usual charge from WAMU is $40 per transfer. If you do a lot of wire transfers, I would check with your bank on upgrading your account to eliminate wire transfer charges. Also, I receive and pay mortgage statements, credit card, telephone, power, satellite TV, drinking water bills, etc. all electronically.
Slab on grade foundations are commonly used in warm weather areas such as Arizona, however, the perimeter of the slab should be thickened to support any load bearing walls. Footings are typical in colder climates due to the fact code requires the footing to be below the freeze line. The colder the area, the deeper the footing. Many homes with footings and foundation walls still have interior slabs. Seismic considerations really have little to do with the choice between footings and slab for the forces caused by earthquakes are lateral; the same for wind + uplift. The weight of the foundation itself is what creates the ballast for uplift, however, everything must be firmly anchored to it – rebar, straps, tie-downs, etc. Shear walls, which are required by the International Building Code (IBC) in seismic zones (1-4, with 4 being California and Alaska). Costs Rica would be considerd at least a Zone 3 similar to the volcanic Cascadia region in Washington and Oregon where I live.
