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[quote=”soldier”]We have seller financing for our beachfront, we placed 50% down, and pay the sellers corporate trust every six months. The owner is only charging us 3% interest on the outstanding balance.[/quote]
Good work Soldier!
We own 5100M2 and the HOA has people who tend to the grounds. I just paid the taxes myself in Jaco and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was…took 5 minutes! Total with no house for taxes was $35 dollars. HOA is $50 per month.
[quote=”pebo1″]Apologies for repetition but cannot seem to locate information/contacts for agency that sell/import fully prepared and licensed vehicles to operate in CR.
I seem to recall couple of recommended people who do this for expats here. All the work was done for you once you provided them your requirements etc.
Any leads?
Thank you[/quote]
I think you are referring to Russ Martin. There is an ebook on the site somewhere.
[quote=”sprite”]Perhaps it is possible for me to adapt to life without a car, but I am going to try to avoid having to do that. All the other things you mentioned sound very reasonable to do.
I would forsake owning a house before giving up a car, though.
Mobility on a whim for me is very important.[/quote]Hey, maybe sprite should get a Winebago?:wink:
This thread was started for people who have actually looked into “prefab” construction. So here is some additional information for those who like to go on without any practical knowledge.
The majority of companies that offer prefab are selling you the reinforced concrete building system. This consists of the walls with the window openings, door openings the electrical/plumbing tracks set in the structure. What this primarily does is save you time as all the walls of a small house can be assembled in about a week. This is great for those building that don’t live there full time.You can be here for the completion of the “shell” on your foundation.
It is also a bit more cost effective as you save labor hours(yes I know labor is cheap) and since it is pre-built/cured you save some money on the overall basic structure.Now you have a solid basic structure. You can hire local people to complete your home, including roof, tile work and all other finish work. In our case, if we go this route as we are currenly comparing prices, we will do the majority of the finish work with the assistance of tradespeople we know in our area. We have been going to this part of CR for over 7 years and have many good relationships and dear friends, gringo and Tico.
In my case I have the experience of having already built a vacation home myself with trades people doing some of the work like electric(i hate dealing with electricity). Some of the prefab makers will refer you to a builder familiar with the technique, but since the factories that make the cement panels can be a distance from your home site you usually have to work with an experienced local builder/tradespeople. You can then install any quality fixtures, windows, mechanical systems you wish to.
So please get the idea out of your head you are buying one big “kit”! You sound like so many big mouth North Americans who speak first, get the facts later. This is not a double wide trailer you buy off the lot. And if you read the technical data you will see some of these structures have higher seismic ratings than ground up block construction. Don’t shoot the messenger, its what I was told by an engineer and is available to read on some of their sites.
If you don’t want to use this construction technique so be it. I know this is just a weblog, but lets try and substantiate what we say with actual data. I was not looking to argue about this type of building,start your own thread. I was looking for people who have done some research or had actual experience’s that they could back up with some facts, like a link to the company they used etc or the builder they used.
Pura Vida.
$40-$50 F2 at the beach..not.
Nice Maravilla. I see us living in CR 3-6 months a year in say 10 years. I think a big part of our being able to live comfortably will be to own our home outright. We have the land and perhaps in a year or two we will have our house built. We live in a 900F2 apartment in Manhattan, so living in a similar if not smaller home in CR will be no problem. I do plan to have a car, but will pay cash for something rugged. I am able to handle most basic maintenance.
I am glad to hear Maravillas account, it wont work for everyone, but it is similar to my life style in NYC, except now we splurge a bit on Travel and occasional restaurants. I have been “green” since 1981 and to date live a simple life. I am certainly not looking to complicate it in my later years. Simple living…high thinking. I think a paid in full house is key to living a comfortable life on a small budget.
There was something in AMcostarica about protests in San Ramon, it blocked El Presidente from passing.
Would love to hear a first hand account of a trip from SJO to Jaco via the new highway. We were on parts of it in December, paid the toll and all….
[quote=”cmcintire”]We are also exploring the possibility of building a prefabricated home on the land we bought in Uvita. We are looking for a company that does more of a modern design. If anyone knows of a place they can recommend (I have reviewed the ones identified on this website)or has any comments regarding the pros and cons of doing a pre-fab would love to hear from you.[/quote]
@cmcintire I recently found this in another weblog, they have some interesting designs.
http://www.idscasas.com/v1/galeria.phpTo each his own. I could care less if one chooses to live in a gated community, luxury high rise, city or farm. I think when we sound so judgmental it can cause unneeded hard feelings and conflict.
If its not hurting you or anyone else, why not simply live and let live…
I’ll accept you don’t care for prefabricado. But check out Garbage Warrior, either way it’s an interesting film.
[quote=”sprite”]It sounds crazy to me….moving away from your country with concerns about safety so that you end up living behind a wall with a xenophobic mistrust and armed guards segregating you from the larger society and culture. Besides the pretty scenery and somewhat less expensive cost of living, what is it about Costa Rica that is left to enjoy once you cut out the people from the picture? Maybe gated communities are thought of as big cruise ships permanently docked from which day excursions can be safely made.[/quote]
Not sure if this matters to you sprite, but he does say its an all Tico neighborhood.:D
