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Seems the anchor baby path to residency isn’t just for folks looking to stay in the US anymore…. boy how times have changed! LOL Funny how having a child has now become the means to an end rather than why our parents had children… but I guess it’s just a sign of the times… and who am I to question it… after all the taxpayers in the US are now paying for the “Octo-Mom” to have kids… 14 in all now… all through invitro with no visible means of support!
Here’s a good one… Denny’s has a new breakfast special named in her honor… it’s called the “Octoslam” and consists of: 14 eggs, no sausage, AND – – – the guy at the next table pays for it!!!!
Edited on Mar 05, 2009 05:39
And in a few years Scott those coming now will be thanking you that they didn’t buy at the peak and made out buying at a lower price with a much better selection of completed inventory. Time is a funny thing… it’s like kids… it changes everything!
Edited on Mar 04, 2009 20:43
Scott… there might be slightly less than 10,000 “legal” permanent US residents in CR… but I’ll bet there’s three times that many living the PT life or flying under the radar all together. But as you pointed out… hard to back up numbers and opinions. Migracion can provide a hard number based on those that have legally relocated and obtained residency, but it’s anyone’s guess as to the real numbers.
With such a small number it’s no surprise the pending changes to the residency laws show such little concern for folks looking to relocate or those who are currently residing in CR. With such a small number it’s a solid statement to make that the majority of money that has been invested in CR is by folks that don’t live here. As such, why would the CR government care. The big money has already come in… and the flow has slowed or stopped now.
Just read Derek Dodds article… “There are supposedly over 100,000 North-Americans living in Costa Rica and the number is growing daily.”
Perhaps my guess was much too low! LOL
Edited on Mar 04, 2009 09:33
Well David… I guess I’ll defer to your experience and amend my advice since I can’t quantify my numbers… but then again can anyone as Scott points out? It’s advice David not math… advice that has to take into account so many different variables… all unknown to us… if it were mathematics we wouldn’t be discussing it. 🙂
So then…Simple answer Porkychop6…. MOVE everything you have down with you… no matter what the cost and possible damage in transit. Don’t concern yourself that when you unpack you’ll be wondering why you paid to move half the stuff you brought with you…. it will pass. Time allows us forget our mistakes more quickly than our successes. Don’t worry that your things might not do well here… or fit in your new surroundings. Don’t give yourself an option with this Costa Rica relocation… jump in both feet… don’t hesitate…damn common sense… throw caution to the wind! Don’t worry that storing them in the states for a while doesn’t cost much… pay to have them moved… after all you have a money tree in the yard don’t you? LOL
While you’re at it… don’t rent for a while somewhere in CR as many (whoops not sure I can back that up either) people advise… buy a home right away… just like the move… jump in both feet… in fact buy the first home you look at… I’m sure it will be everything you dreamed of, you’ll never want to move again! LOL
Hey it’s only money… and your life… if you have to pay to move your things twice… so be it! And hey… if you have to move back… you can always post your ad on A.M. Costa Rica’s classified section with all the other folks selling the entire contents of homes and apartments that aren’t moving back home either!
Hope I made my point… or at least made you smile! Please let us know what you plan to do… my risk/reward scale might be different then yours… but giving yourself options is never a bad idea!
David… we’ve all seen folks come and go for various reasons. I can think of several, and I’m sure you’ve witnessed it too. While I don’t have a firm number (don’t even know how you’d calculate it) perhaps rather than “large” I’ll use the word… “apparent”. LOL
Depending on how prepared this poster is (ie past visits, extended stays, age, income, Spanish ability, personality, and all the other factors that effect one’s ability to adapt to life in CR) they might become one of the “apparent” folks that don’t last here. Most folks advise renting for a period prior to making the move… and for good reason!
Storing the items in the US will be cheaper (depending on how much they are planning on moving) than the risk of damage and the cost of possibility moving them twice. I know of one person that sold most of their belonging in the US… kept the “important” stuff… moved to CR… jumped in both feet… and lasted less than two years! And the BIGGEST regret was… selling the stuff they didn’t bring (guess they were more important then they thought!)… and having to have their REALLY important things suffer a second move (normal problems on the shipment down, minor damage)… as well as absorbing the expense of a second move back to the states.
Given the choice I think most folks moving to a new country would be best off to error on the side of safety… but once again that would depend on the person.
Simple answer… store them in the US for a year (or two)… see how your relocation to Costa Rica goes… then have them shipped if you stay! If these items are important to you… don’t sell them, make the move…. and then have to kick yourself in the rear end twice. Once for parting with them, and two for not lasting in what you felt was paradise. The cost of storing them will be nothing compared to parting with them or shipping them here and finding you’re part of the large percentage that don’t last more then a couple of years here and then having to pay to ship the same things back to the states again!
Besides… depending on what you have… replacing it here during your trial period might be rather less expensive than you think. And the stuff here is more suited for this climate, your things might not do as well. We didn’t bring a thing from the states other than some ceiling fans, electronics, and assorted stuff we couldn’t find here. All of which was transported in our luggage over several trips.
Edited on Mar 03, 2009 08:28
All part of the government’s big plan to collect property taxes! Or perhaps they’re looking to increase all the other fees associated with building. Not really sure why they could be so far off! Perhaps they’re taking a few pages from the playbook government has been using in the US!!!
They started with the “new” much higher fees on concession properties… and now… they’ll be TELLING you what your home will cost before you even build it… charging fees at that rate… and taxing you at that rate even if the project comes in cheaper. But with the cost of this house… I’m not even sure the most recent real estate tax plan would touch this project. Get an attorney and challenge the valuation!
I’m sure there are any number of members on this site that could give you quite a long list of developers/promoters that fall into the catagory that Scott detailed in his article. Some might be opinions… other’s based personal experinces… yet others will be from folks with an axe to grind for one reason or another!. The whole idea is… if you apply the points that Scott mentioned when making a choice to invest… you have a better chance of having a good outcome.
Take the time to read the “back mumbo jumbo” on this site and the forums… both the good and bad… you’ll be better informed and very happy you did!
I think you’ll find that even the most sucessful people in any field that have come from humble roots will describe themselves as “average”. Warren Buffet comes to mind as someone that fits that bill! These folks may be “average” in their minds… but have the desire and drive to work hard and make good choices while staying focused on on their goals.
As Jose states above… these are some of the “rules” for landlord/tenant arrangements here in Costa Rica… and the reason I said you’re best off if you rent to folks that don’t know them and become professional tenants making your life a living hell!!!!! For all those folks that think such situations are a nightmare in the US… they can be worse here!
Edited on Feb 24, 2009 18:25
Kimball… I’d have to agree with you, like yourself, I’ve been around a while (I’m not old… I’m “seasoned”)LOL….the “new” reality in this world… and the mentality of our leaders (LOL) and society overall is quite a mess and VERY disturbing. Terms like personal responsibility and ethics have somehow been removed from the vocabularies of our citizens…. replaced with an attitude of entitlement and blame that people now use to explain their bad conduct and choices in life. Capitalism is not synonymous with making money (at any cost). Something we’re now seeing on a daily basis as one bank after another comes apart… and financial “masters” are exposed as nothing more than thieves in $2000 suits!
These stimulus plans (and mortgage assistance programs) that are nothing more than reward programs for folks that KNOWINGLY made bad choices because they wanted their piece of the pie. As well as banks that saw a cash cow to be milked until the she went dry! Welfare programs that are taking our tax dollars and rewarding those companies and people that made a number of really bad choices. And when that bill comes due… God help us all! And I will STRONGLY agree with you that the lack of faith and a belief in God has only accelerated the demise of our society.
If they’re not familiar with the laws of Costa Rica you should be fine with the same type of arrangements you’d make in the states… if they DO know how the system works here… you could be in for trouble… either way… take David’s advice… see an attorney! Using an attorney for such matters in CR is SO much cheaper…. and SO much smarter than doing so in the US. You’ll save yourself a bunch of trouble for the cost of what a tank of gas cost you in the US!
acmilan40… You need to spend a bunch more time reading the articles and forums on this and other sites. Most of the questions you’ve asked will be answered quite completely by doing so. I’m not sure they’ll be answered the way you want… but at least you’ll have more knowledge in making whatever decision you come to.
As David said… working and making a living here, even with great skills in your field, will not really be possible. Your goal of moving here is a great one… it’s just going to take a bit more time and perhaps a new direction to make it happen!
Best wishes in making your dream a reality!
I hear you! But I think you’ll find that this site offers so much more than that! Not to say that now and then someone doesn’t get slapped around a bit…when it’s deserved! 🙂 Take a good look at the articles here and these forums… you’ll find them to be the most objective, comprehensive, fair, and informative out there! The vast majority of the folks posting here are people that have something to offer and are willing to share their knowledge and experience… and for me… it’s been the best free education I’ve ever gotten! I’m sure you’ll agree!
