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good points, everyone. I think for the cost of buying a car in CR and all the unpredictable elements of that, I’ll probably prefer to ship one and just figure that’s the expense involved. So sorry about your accident costaricafinca–sounds awful. I drive a truck for these reasons. Last summer a kid hit me because he was texting and driving and my truck bumper had a grape sized bump and his car was totalled.
Anyone have thoughts on best vehicles to bring? I understand parts aren’t always easy access there. Any vehicles for which it’s easiest to get parts? Jeeps? I’d like to get a vehicle that’s good for a lot of purposes so a truck would be ideal. Or a jeep?
Cost of car insurance?
Really appreciate this forum.
So sorry:( What a frustrating situation. I wish I had more to offer but to say I’m sorry this happened. Maybe you can make an alternate arrangement and let someone live there at no cost for a few months if they will do the repairs for you? What area is the property in?
I’m starting to follow the CR news more and more as I plan my move and was surprised to see this proposed law. Now, you’re right and I see how these efforts were shut down and it is reassuring.
[quote=”Imxploring”]It’s easy to be progressive when things are good. When the winds shift and things get difficult that’s when politicians and dictators like to start suppressing the media, your rights, and go after your assets. In a country like CR that has always been rather open about things you have to make these moves in very small steps. Having no army it’s difficult to make big sudden moves against your people. Thankfully this latest attempt on the part of the politicians to erode free speech and the power of the press was discovered and made public which caused it to be dropped immediately!
The fact that this even occurred was troubling. The response and subsequent reversal are reassuring!
[/quote]
Always helpful costirica finca–when I am ready to move there my dogs are little rescue twerps. I’ll use United and book way in advance so one can travel with me and one with my son.
Keep us posted on how things go for your babies and their trip coming up.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]When flying United, unless you have a ‘in cabin’ pet, they fly [url=http://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/animals/petsafe.aspx]’Petsafe'[/url] not so with all other airlines where they can be considered ‘excess baggage’.
Traveling as ‘cargo’ on other airlines, [i]usually[/i] is because the animals are over 100lb including kennels, plus additional expenses since you are not on the same flight.
Expect the brokers fee to be in $$$’s.[/quote]yes!
[quote=”Scott”]Humans who regularly walk on the grass/earth with bare feet and are therefore truly connected with Mother Nature also feel this but ‘modern man’ has lost the ability to ‘connect’ with Mother Nature which is just one of the many reasons why we are blindly destroying our home…
Dontcha’ think?
Scott[/quote]
confusion, agitation, headaches, restlessness and hyperactivity—we should perhaps be expecting a big one in Chicago if my system is as sensitive as that of the Costa Rican animals:)
[quote=”pharg”]Ciencias del dia.
A recent article in ‘Physics and Chemistry of the Earth’ (you know that journal, right?)discussed the strange reactions of a number of ground animals in a Peruvian National Park. They were filming day/night activity, and 23 days before a major earthquake(intensity 7.0)most of the activity and the presence of animals dropped significantly. For 5 of the 7 days immediately before the quake, it ceased entirely.
So what was going on? It seems that when the Earth’s surface experiences stressors, electrically charged molecules cause elevated serotonin levels in the bloodstream. This in turn causes animals (and humans?) to experience confusion, agitation, headaches, restlessness and hyperactivity. Animals will naturally depart an area in which they experience this kind of discomfort.So, keep an eye on your coatis, camarones & cows. The Big One may be on the way.[/quote]
Hi Sue,
Thanks for your ideas:) Upper end of $120-$130 per square foot to build, including or not including land and septic. Still for $195K, I could get 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I want that with a pool and a fenced piece of property to keep my animals safe:)
[quote=”sueandchris”]Lillian:
I LOVED living in Costa Rica for three years and was so sad to leave. That said, you need to know that the cost of living in Costa Rica has been seriously on the rise for many years. I believe that ten years ago it really was fairly cheap to live there.
We lived a modest life there and when I returned to the States (Tucson), I discovered that my cost of living was actually about the same (or maybe only slightly more) than the cost of living in Costa Rica. Plus, the CAJA rates seem to be really on the rise for newcomer expats.
We considered building a home and had great meetings with a wonderful Costa Rican architect Gloriana Meija (Dott Architecture) who has done several wonderful houses for expats on a real budget. I have been in construction all my life and I think that realistically you should plan on spending somewhere in the $120-130 sq. foot range for new construction. Do NOT use wood! Lots of other great choices that wouldn’t give a single woman extra hours of maintenance.
I think that your idea to do lots of travel to wonderful places (including some stints in Costa Rica) is probably a great idea. You could continue to be in your son’s life, perhaps volunteer in some wonderful projects around the the world and really get a feel for your heart’s desire in your new, retired life.
Good luck, Sue[/quote]
For good or bad, I don’t have much family in the US. My mom was a Dane and we have no family in the US. I don’t have much family in the US at all. A sister I’m not close with. My only real family is my son who loves CR as much as I do and he’s still a young peep. I can float his expenses there for a couple years while he decides what he wants to do with college. Flying RT from Costa Rica to the US isn’t that expensive. For as many times as he can come to me, or I go to the US, I’ll be able to afford it. I don’t want to pick some state to live in in the US and then my son is busy with his own life anyway. I have to live my dreams and have enough money to go see him and pay for him to come see me as much as I’d like. Once I leave the Chicago area, I will never come back to this cold. That would be depressing for me.
What I have to figure out is how to design the home I’d like to live in, and then to figure out how close to live to others. I’d like to find a somewhat academic, artistic community. That’ll the the real tough one;)
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Lilian, one of the most common reasons of those returning ‘home’ is missing their family. Going back on vacation is harder when you have a variety of animals and require someone to take care of them ‘like you do’ is not so easy.
We have been here for nearly 15 years, and our ‘kids’ are beginning to telling us [i]”…we think it is time you came home …[/i]”:roll:
[/quote]I am taking costaricafinca’s words to heart more and more. I keep thinking of my health and needs as being static/unchanging but that’s obviously not the case. I will retire early, travel a lot and rent for a year or two in CR before making a big decision. It is cheaper to live in CR than it is here in the US and I would not expect to live as I do in the US, but what if I can’t see my son as much by virtue of living in CR, or have to worry about getting my animals back and forth, etc. I just crave a more beautiful and simple life surrounded by nature and simplicity. If I can’t get Doritoes, a certain wine, who cares? But, until I live it, I can’t know what it’s really liketo live in CR. I’m always worried about those folks who just do research and decide to move to CR without having really spent much time at all there. We are going to Bali, Thailand and Cambodia for Xmas this year. Maybe I’ll spend my first five years of retirement just travelling to beautiful inexpensive places and then decide what to do:)
[quote=”costaricafinca”]No, after two years, you/he would have to deposit a further $60K. These two deposits provides the ‘source’ of his ‘income’ of $2500 a month. After approx 5 years, you should have applied and received Permanent Residency, and hence pay lower CAJA premiums. As a [i]Pensionado [/i]you must show a guaranteed pension of at least $1000 after taxes, for your living expenses…at least at this time, but I think this will rise as will CAJA premiums.
Information on your financial income is not required for Permanent Residency
I still [b]strongly[/b][i][/i] suggest you rent for an extended period before purchasing anything as it is very easy to buy but very difficult to sell. Many are ‘stuck’ here as they can’t sell their property.[/quote]these are super important points. My dogs are family members. What steps can a person take to keep their animals safe? I’m thinking an 8 foot fence, motion activated lighting, video cameras? I would rather have people think I was a bat ass crazy northerner than think my dogs could be preyed upon.
Will do, costaricafinca,
You think $11K-20K is too low of a price estimate for installing solar? Another member said she was doing it for $11K but I don’t think she posted any updates.
Thanks
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Expect to build for $11-$20K is indeed wishful thinking.
Termite resistant and other hard woods are much more expensive.
The cost of permits are decided by the College of Architects based on what [u]they[/u] think it will cost to build.
Read this article today on [url=http://www.qcostarica.com/high-costs-challenge-construction-in-costa-rica/]qcostarica.[/url] regarding the high cost of build here.[/quote]Helps tremendously, Scott and costaricafinca! Thanks so much.
It looks like I could pursue residency on a number of levels and don’t want to end up with such a high CAJA payment each month.
If I bought a piece of property that is already electric and septic ready, it seems like I could get everything built to my liking. I don’t want a crazy big home. I just want something very nice and rustic in appearance. I do hear about the bugs and termites in particular but also believe there are wood varieties there that are pretty resistant? Last time we were there we stayed in a beautiful Balinese style house in Playa Avellanas and I loved that house but don’t need anything quite that large. I also want to go solar so I minimize my monthly expenses to be as low as possible. My estimate for the house I want is that this will probably cost somewhere between $11-$20K up front.
If I have an architect design a plan for me, is a year enough to build? I want at least 2 acres of land and plan to build a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom house, fully gated (to keep my animals safe). I’d also like a little casita on the property so friends can visit.
I work in oncology (a heart attack of a job) but am also an artist (glass) and plan to have a glass and ceramics studio on my property. I want to do animal rescue, set up some charity where folks with cancer or some other awful disease, can come stay at my property rent/expense free for a week to disconnect from their worries/stresses. I have been all over the world and Costa Rica is my peaceful, joyful place.
I will be 55 or 56 when we make my move. I have to get my son through school for now;)
Can’t even describe how much I appreciate this forum. Thanks:)
[quote=”Scott”]Congratulations on thinking this through…
My comments below [i]are in italics[/i]…
1 – “Something rustic but pretty, lots of natural woods, etc., probably about 1500 square feet” [i]should certainly not cost more than $100 per square foot.[/i]
[i]Land costs obviously vary widely depending on the area… And yes! Buying land[/i] “that already has electric and septic or some water system already in place” [i]is a sensible idea… [/i]
2 – [i]$200K is the number for the ‘inversionista’ residency status but, as CostaRicaFinca has pointed out “the property required for residency purposes must be in the National Registry valued at least $200K” so the renovation idea may not work for you[/i] …
3 – I did read in the forum here that I build a house, land costs do not count toward the $200K. Does that sound right? [i]I believe that is correct! [/i]
4 – And until I’m a resident, I need to travel in and out of Costa Rica every three months? So this could include visits to Nicaragua, Panama and the US? I expect to have my son with me for a couple years and he will be 18 so the same is required of him? [i]Yes! He will be required to follow the same steps as you although I am not certain whether an 18 year old can be your dependent, you would need to verify that… [/i]
5 – If I have $ to last me 15-16 years (assuming I have no debt and my house in Costa Rica is paid for), plus gain social security well before that, am I wrong in assuming I’ll be ok with residency with enough passage of time? [i]It sounds great to me but if this is a solid, income that can be easily verified then you might want to consider ‘pensionado’ status (I have no idea how old you are) instead of ‘inversionista’ which would probably save you thousands a year just in CAJA payments… [/i]
6 – I’ve been to CR five times and will go back again by the end of the year. My plan is to choose my three favorite places and then live in each of them for three months, then choose the one I most like and spend another 6-9 months before buying property/a home. I’ll rent during this time. Any thoughts on this? [i]This is what everybody should do…. [/i]
Hope that helps….
Scott
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I also appreciated the article. I work with folks with cancer and am too in tune with the potential for loss every day.
I am definitely concerned about the Chinese scrounging their way into Costa Rica. A very close friend of mine lives in HK. The value placed on human and animal lives and ecology is non-existent. It worries me for Costa Rica.
[quote=”Imxploring”]Looks like another “Deal” with the Chinese that creates reasonable questions.
Lawmakers could approve $395 million Chinese loan to expand Route 32 as early as this week
Forks over Knives–awesome film. I can’t believe all of the crap that’s in our food and the cruelty involved in factory farming.
[quote=”Lotus123″]Choose organic, support organic. Funny in the USA they charge farmers to certify their crops as organic, subsidize the rest.genetic modification, inserting pesticide into the genetic make up is different than what Dr. Welsh for example did with grapes. by the time they provide you with scientific proof, you’ll be poisened. Want a list of the stuff that the scientific method gave the thumbs up to? Watch forks offer knives or http://www.thefutureoffood.com otherwise eat as you wish, it’s a free country :)[/quote]
