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You say you “have written a research paper on the origins of the Viet Nam war and know we were lied to. We are lied to even to this day. ALL governments lie and I never stated or believe otherwise, so moot point. You have set up a false dichotomy — believe everything or believe nothing. And still my question goes unanswered, I suspect because the answer bothers “those who have some insight”
So do you know for sure this fleet has been deployed, then where are they, on the Pacific side? Steaming toward Limon as we wait? When do they arrive in Costa Rican waters? Are they going to dock somewhere? This smells inaccurate…too many ships with nowhere to dock? How can we check the facts? Someone thinks excess gas pressure from the BP blowout will cause catastrophic earthquakes? And something related to big pharma? Come on, there are better comments than these…sure would like to know.
Yeah, these guys apparently have a professional sales call center, and I got a call the other day from them. The guy insisted that I made an online inquiry and he was following up to sell me. Well, I told him that I did not inquire, but he then said he had my email address, which he recanted correctly. Now I am not losing my memory yet, since I have a policy of not responding or giving personal information to internet CR real estate ads, but I am concerned about the data mining that is going on. Sometimes I peruse a CR real estate site or two out of simple curiosity, and apparently these guys figured out a way to scrape my email address? Hmmmmmmm. Anyone else have an experience like this from these guys?
Anyone know when the “open” market for insurance competition begins? I am hoping for an alternative to INS soon.
Amen CRF. Finishing the job is the most difficult part for the owner to manage. Make sure that in the end you get a “finiquito” from the builder that indicates the project is over or the contract is complete, so that you are completely off the hook for potential CAJA issues of the maestro de obras or the workers. Very important… Also get a guarantee which states that the builder must come back and fix items like plumbing leaks, etc. so you are protected from additional charges or refusals to return…congrats on your progress so far!
Searching for information on the new airport, I found a link to the Edward R. Mercer Foundation. Sounds glamouous but may be a hint to finding your answer… mercerfoundation dot com
Valuable post, I think you are hitting it on the head. I tried to say close to the same on the original post by my question,
What are the most important aspects for a long term move for you at this time?
Every one of the places is different. Sounds like you first should go to Samara and see that part of the coast. Staying there for a month should give you a good flavor of the heat and what is available in a beach community. For the central valley, of course I prefer Grecia, but I have been in Atenas (a bit hot for me) Palmares (great craftsmen there but not many gringos) and San Ramon (brilliant views but much cooler). For me, Jaco, Playa Hermosa, and Manuel Antonio have their own distinctions but are not primary places to settle. Much of this boils down to: what do you think are your daily plans if you move here. Will you and fiance be working somehow? Will you be traveling much? What do you mean by strong community? Focusing on location is important, but what other items are important?
Ms. O, your 8 year old daughter’s education may be one of the highest priorities. Assuming you are visiting on summer break, you will have time to visit and ask questions about suitable schools. Many expats choose to home school, however, that’s not for everyone. What are the most important aspects for a long term move for you at this time?
Also notice that the public service charge has now increased fourteen percent from 3.0 colones to 3.42 colones for each KWH used.
This public service charge (for road lighting, intersections, public areas, and night security lighting) now costs you 3.42 colones for each KWH used in that monthly period.
This makes it easier for me to consider solar hot water heating and also photovoltaic panels for critical needs.
Thanks for opening this important topic…all depends on your personal situation…however I am leaning toward leaving most everything in the states and only bringing essentials. After living in CR part time (some trips for one week, other trips for one month at a time) you get a feel for what you really need. If your plan is to retain a place in your homeland, then consider leaving most of your stuff there. In round figures, the current estimates of moving household goods to Costa Rica from the USA varies between about $8000 for a 20 foot container to $9000+ for a 40 foot container. If you are pulling the plug and moving all your stuff here, then filter through all your stuff to get down to the essentials, and as others have recommended, take only the durables. Remember that many parts of Costa Rica are rain forest, therefore many items can mold and get ruined pretty quickly. Things such as leather goods, camera lenses, artwork, papers, heirloom photos, etc are going to take a hit, if not become destroyed. Folks try and combat this by using dessicants and dehumidifiers, but results can vary, meaning it is hard to get humidity under control. Getting down to essentials is an interesting exercise, as you realize how much excess you really have, and how much did all this cost over the years??? Hard to justify spending another $10 grand moving it south…it’s a balance of “needs” which only you will know…however this is a great exercise to consider carefully before making a committment. It may be better to use that $10 grand as a budget for new “essential” purchases in Costa Rica. The way I’m looking at it, the big categories are furniture, electronics, housewares, linens, appliances, books, movies, clothing and automobile. Actually, if all fails and you must move everything back, your budget is now $20 grand. Interesting…
Please share the contact info for the supplier you had good luck with? I have heard good about Palmares craftsmanship, and this would be very useful to hear about real experience.
PuraVidas got a labor bid: “4,500,000 colones for a 52 square meter completed Tico style home of either regular standard block or prefabricated slabs. Materials should cost anywhere between 3,770,000 – 4,250,000 based on the quotes we recieved at the Belen housing Expo in Herredia the other day. How much do you guys pay per hour for a bulldozer to get the site ready?”
So about $9000 for labor and $8500 for materials, same if you use standard block or prefab slabs? Sounds fishy to me, since the two systems would be different prep and handling methods. Recent experience has shown materials have been two times the labor cost, but this considers everything, not just the block walls. For site prep, I am hearing about $30 per hour for backhoe work, or around $250 per day. Hope this helps.
OK good. The point is nobody can give you the “correct answer” of what it costs to build a home per square anything. PuraVidas may be satisfied with the information, and the tips about what to consider when thinking about designing and building a home. The only rule of thumb is sitting in your back pocket…
Doesn’t appear that Puravidas will be a customer for Cali, but that’s OK. Cali says “The question asked by PuraVidas was “Construction Cost”, which is different and separate from Site Prep, Design, and Furnishing the home.” Who cares about this opinion when the bills keep coming in? Final cost is what is important. You really dont want to fool yourself into thinking that Site prep and Design are not part of the real construction costs. You really want to have enough money to add furniture when you are done…
Cali says “Actually construction costs in Guanacaste are more expensive, so if anything costs in the rest of the country should be lower…” so costs in Guanacaste can be closer to $100 per square foot, no? What really matters is quality of living at a reasonable cost, yes?
