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[quote=”camby”][quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”camby”]Just got back from CR Friday and already down in the dumps about sitting in this windowless cube, home for looks like next 20 yrs….
Had a great time, despite the rain at times…[/quote]So where did you go and what did you do?[/quote]
Stayed in Playa Hermosa and mainly toured and looked around that area, plus Coco, Liberia and Palo Verde National Park, reserves,etc…..some upper end, some very humble….[/quote]
You do sound ‘down in the dumps’. You were so looking forward to your trip but you haven’t said much about your thoughts or if you plan to go back, etc. Was it what you expected?
Like you, I have many years to retirement, but it didn’t stop me from purchasing land (I could only imagine how expensive it would be in another 10 years). Owning that property gives me a goal to work toward and it’s fun working on the land while I’m here.
We’re here now and it feels SO good! This place revitalizes me.
[quote=”john c”]Thanks David,
I haven’t dug into the 5471 form…but it looks ridiculous….
http://sherayzenlaw.com/corporations-in-costa-rica-and-u-s-tax-reporting-consequences/
and more at ..
http://sherayzenlaw.com/form-5471-general-overview-of-the-required-information/
In fact, Turbo Tax doesn’t even produce this form.
I’m a guy who runs a small business and always do my own taxes. Some years my returns produce over 100-200 pages of documents, but this 5471 looks overly complex.
I think ultimately I’m going to take it out of the corporation and into my own name. Yes, there are transfer taxes when you sell, but I’m paying $200-300 a year now on passive corporation registration fees.
Using a corporation to hold title was sold to me as a way to have privacy and no transfer fees when selling. But lets face it…in 2012 in the US, there is NO privacy. You can forget about that. Costa Rican government has dropped the transfer fee from 3 to 1.5%…so I’d rather deal with that fee sometime down the road than the threat of filing a late/inaccurate/incomplete 5471 form and hit with a 10,000, up to $50,000 fine.
The IRS is even hitting people with 10K automatic fines just for filing the 5471 late…
http://www.groco.com/readingroom/intl_form5471penalty.aspx
“The instructions to Form 5471 state that it could take over 32 hours to complete this form”.
“The form requires that you supply the IRS with the corporation’s income statement, balance sheet, and data on its loans, operations and other shareholders. It also requires information on dividends and managerial payments made to shareholders, officers and directors”.
http://www.expatattorneycpa.com/id79.html
[/quote]I looked at the forms, and they don’t look too bad. What happens, though, if one shareholder of the inactive corp has less than 10% ownership? I think I read somewhere, that if one holds less than 10% of that corp, then that person does not have to file the form. Is that correct?
[quote=”camby”][quote=”pharg”] PEH 🙁
[/quote]Sie note, plenty of plagues and disease on its way…..as any Trad-Catholic will tell you, God is soon to chastise, some prophecies state anywhwere between 3/4-2/3 of population not long for this world (see articles on 3 Days Darkness,The Great Chastisement, Fatima, Garabandal,etc….)[/quote]
Hmmm…what Catholic church are you referring to? My church doesn’t ever talk about plagues and diseases and punishment for sin. We’re taught that anybody can be forgiven for their sins, regardless of what the sin may be or who the person is. Our homilies are often about love, tolerance and forgiveness. Interestingly, it is the Catholic Charities who bring in many, many people into our cities from all over the world such as Sudan, Somalia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, etc. They help them get jobs, affordable housing, etc.
No need to judge the Catholics, especially if you aren’t one or a former one. This post did not seem to have anything to do with religion–
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”loraine”]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country![/quote]
I have a life sized picture of real estate agents in Dominical & Jaco trying to make a living by telling people they don’t want to live at the beach! Now, if you said to them “I don’t like hot weather” then I can see them saying that to you and then privately asking each other “If she doesn’t like hot weather why did she come to the beach to look at real estate?”
I have neighbors who lived in Manuel Antonio for a year and after being here in Samara now for 2 years they are always saying how much cooler it is here than down there, especially at night. But honestly, don’t you think that if you are within 10 degrees of the equator and you are at sea level, wouldn’t a reasonable adult expect it to be hot? That surely should not have come as a surprise.
As I sit here right now, it is 81 degrees in my house. The doors facing the ocean are open, the windows and doors on the opposite side of the house are open, the small windows in the cupola are open and the ceiling fans are on. The sun is bright with a few clouds in the sky. 81 degrees may be unbearably hot to some folks, but to me it is quite comfortable.
I assume your wishes for a good trip in October were addressed to Camby, not me.
I live here year round and have for 4 years now. It is indeed a beautiful country and after traveling to several different parts of the country the only place that I would absolutely stand not to live is San Jose proper. Certainly could live in Atenas and Grecia and even Heredia – and maybe old Sta Ana, but not down “in the valley”.
So where did you end up after you were dissuaded from living at, on or near the beach?[/quote]
I never said I didn’t like heat to anyone. I actually said I liked the beach (that’s why we were going to look at beach parcels). They just told me to be mindful of budget/expenses and then mentioned how high the a/c-electric is and how hot it is, and told us of their repeat customers.
81 is lovely. I was in the Brasilito area last November. It was stifling. 90+ with hot air blowing during the daylight hours may be fine for some, but not for me.
I live in NY but I recently purchased land at Lake Arenal. 1 1/2 hours to the airport, close to town but still in the country, with full volanco and lake views/access…and on a paved road. I’m happy with my decision.
To each his own, I guess.
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”loraine”]
A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said that it is very expensive to live at the beach plus it’s very hot nearly all year long. They told us it can run $500 a month to run the a/c 24-7 and it’s too hot to even go outside during the day. Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach (and be careful of titles and how close to the water you are). The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.
If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first and see if it is all you imagined plus verify what it would cost to live there.
There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains. I love the beach myself, but gave up that ‘dream’ quickly. I figure, once I’m living there, I can just drive two hours and stay for a weekend at the beach to get my ‘fix’./quote][i][b]”A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said…….”[/b][/i]
Hmmmmmm – a couple of realtors said….. let me take a wild guess and say they probably worked in the Central Valley or up in the mountains. Are you really gullible enough to base your choice of location on what you heard from “a couple of different realtors”?
[i]”[b]Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach…”[/b][/i]
I’m sure that you expressed your heartfelt gratitude for that extensive bit of “market research”. Did they also mention that there is a full array of properties from “a” to “z” at the beach (just like in the Central Valley or in the mountains) or were all of your questions answer by that one simple minded hasty generalization?
[i]”[b]The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.[/b]” [/i]
Let me make another guess and say I bet this was one of the original realtors you spoke with about properties in the Central Valley or in the mountains! Likewise, I am confident that he provided you with statistical data to verify his statement. Otherwise a person as shrewd as you wouldn’t have accepted that (and other) statement carte blanche’. You know, I find it hard to believe all these people that I have seen on a daily basis for the past 4 years actually moved to the mountains and then drive back down here to the beach everyday. And some of them lived in this area for 10-15 years before I got here!
[i][b]”If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first…..”[/b][/i] Finally, a smidgen of common sense! But wouldn’t you say that is true for any place in Costa Rica? Isn’t the best advice for people planning to move here to come and try it first. If you aren’t sure about living in the Central Valley after a few weeks or months, pack up and go try another area.
[i][b]“There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains.”[/b][/i]
Now there’s a brain f^*t for you! First of all, I think most of the people that live “in the mountains” live there because of the weather and the lifestyle, and they are happy because “the mountains” is not where “most of the population lives”. As far as the Central Valley is concerned, please do tell me what you think that reason is. Could it be because that is the Capitol of the country, and because it is the hub of the country’s economic activity or maybe because that is where most of the jobs are? Or maybe it is because that was the chosen place to settle way back “a long, long time ago” (language you may understand). That’s like saying “there’s a reason most of the people in Egypt live in Cairo because most of the rest of the country is nothing but a sandy wasteland!” duh!
Maybe “most of the population” have no choice but to stay in the Central Valley because of family, or job, or economic reasons that prohibit their consideration of relocation. One thing I can promise you is that down in the Valley (where “most” of them live) they sure there because of their attraction to the air quality! Sure, the temperature “in” the valley and “around” the valley, and “in” the mountains is more pleasant to those who prefer that climate, and I can’t blame them for feeling that way. It is their choice, just like it is my choice, along with many others, to live at or near the beach. And most of us that live on, at or near the beach were smart enough to do our own research before making that decision![/quote]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.
Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country!
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Their house was burglarized, while they were in it….
No, the culprits were not caught.[/quote]Yes, that happened nearby at a friend’s. There was a band of boys burglarizing houses in a neighborhood while the people were in their houses. That is so bold.
It can happen anywhere. Imagine…my next door neighbors are Catholic nuns. They were burglarized on Christmas Day while they were out. They stole gold jewelry and crosses! Can you imagine that Karma??? Stealing crosses from nuns on Christmas Day!
[quote=”camby”]Thats what we did, look, but mainly its location and what speaks to you, esp condo vs apt vs house. For us, we moved 2+ yrs ago, we liked the downtown area and older home, plus we could afford it by then, as opposed to our starter home.
Dont like yard work, but its nice to have a yard and some privacy. Dog likes the fence.
Initially, lost the bid and looked at other homes, something was not right in each and some good, then house came back up on market and we moved, quickly…..
We did get more confused the more we looked and started jumbling what house had what,etc…
SOme people think I am nutes for wanting to have property in CR at the beach, have been told “hey thats too hot, everyone lives in teh valley” etc, but if buying a 2nd home, retirement home,etc, why not go where you want to?
Instead of over priced homes in NC at coast, that I could never sell, why not in CR?
Plus other reasons to move and get out,etc…but……wife nad I are more beach people, some are mountain people and move I guess to the Arenal lake area,etc.[/quote]
Yes, you should live where you want, but are you looking to save on expenses or do you mind spending as much, if not more, to live in CR?
A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said that it is very expensive to live at the beach plus it’s very hot nearly all year long. They told us it can run $500 a month to run the a/c 24-7 and it’s too hot to even go outside during the day. Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach (and be careful of titles and how close to the water you are). The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.
If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first and see if it is all you imagined plus verify what it would cost to live there.
There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains. I love the beach myself, but gave up that ‘dream’ quickly. I figure, once I’m living there, I can just drive two hours and stay for a weekend at the beach to get my ‘fix’.
Just booked our tickets…can’t wait to get down there in 5 weeks!
[quote=”elindermuller”]Wait a minute. There are people who consider moving to a spanish speaking counrty, and they are too lazy to learn even basic Spanish ! Why do they expect that there will be a number of Locals who speak English, and/or a number of expats who speak Spanish, (and who, in both cases, were NOT too lazy to learn the foreign language) in order to help and be of their service all the time ? It is o.k. for a while, but not forever. Move your butts and go to language school! No matter who much talent one has, anyone can learn the Basics.
[/quote]Absolutely. Same can be said of those living in the US who don’t speak English. Wherever you choose to live, it’s up to YOU to fit in to the host country.
[quote=”maravilla”]there is a lot of speculation that gmo’s which were not always in the food supply are in fact responsible for the obesity epidemic — at least in part. of course, it all boils down to personal choice and responsibility, but when cheap, fast, and unhealthy food is cheaper than an apple what do you think poor people are going to buy? on top of that, HFCS is made from gmo corn — we don’t even know what the long term effects of consuming these products are going to be but since their introduction, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have risen exponentially. when i was growing up i never saw a fat person. there were no fat kids in my school, my mother had no fat friends, nor did my grandmother. now look around — it’s just amazing to me what has happened to society — more than 2/3 of the entire population of the US is either overweight or obese. they didn’t get that way eating healthy food. these two documentaries are all about the manmade epidemic and the worldwide consequences it is wreaking on healthcare systems.
http://documentarystorm.com/the-weight-of-the-world/
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/weight-nation-consequences/
There’s another really good doc called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I can’t find the link now, but you start to see how the additives and bastardized ingredients in our food-like products (basically anything in a box or can or package that has been processed and is something other than whole, real food) contain gmo’s with questionable value. and yes, Bloomberg was right to ban those drinks. if i were him i’d expel all those fast food restaurants, too. ugh
[/quote]
There weren’t a lot fat people around 20-30 years ago because they were more active and they ate moderately proportioned meals. Kids were out riding bikes, playing basketball, etc. There weren’t sitting on their butts with a bag of chips in one hand and playing video games or texting in the other. This has become a very sedentary society.
I know quite a few people (of all age groups) that are thin, some too thin, that eat junk food but are very active and keep the pounds off…and take no medications of any sort.
We should all eat right and exercise. But it doesn’t explain why a half brother of mine who ate right and exercised his whole life died at 64 from a heart attack compared to a 86 year old future MIL who still sneeks cigarettes, eats KFC and Oreos or my ex MIL who is 80, still smokes like a chimney and has had two heart attacks. I look at each of those people (not to mention my own blood family) and I see they are following exactly in their genetic history.
Yes, I agree that we should watch additives in food, not drink from aluminum cans, etc., etc., etc., but genetics and lifestyle play a huge part.
As far as Bloomberg, what about cigarettes, red meat, ice cream, fruit loops, even whole milk which is very high in calories and fat? Where does it end? Why doesn’t he just initiate requiring people to exercise one hour per day and everyone will drop a quick 20 lbs. in one year?
I agree we should be mindful of what we ingest and I, too, don’t like what it does to our healthcare costs. But there are many other variables to account for why things are the way they are. Thank you, again, for forwarding the videos.
[quote=”maravilla”]The 3 year French study condensed to a 12 minute video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njd0RugGjAg
[/quote]
I watched this short video and it was quite startling. Thank you for posting it.
The only thing I have to take a little issue with is some of the posters’ blame on it for obesity and sickness. Doesn’t lifestyle and genetics play a huge part in obesity and sickness? 25 years ago we didn’t have cell phones, texting, internet etc., and kids were outside playing with their friends rather than sitting on their beds texting, playing on the computer and watching tv (all at the same time). People have become very lazy. Plus, fast food and take out have replaced home cooking.
Genetics play a part in sickness. Unfortunately, in many cases, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are hereditary. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take care of ourselves. But some of it is beyond our control. My father lived to be 86 and ate red meat his whole life and smoked for 2/3 of it, and 5 of his 10 siblings are still around who are going to be 91, 90, and the others are in their 80’s. None of them have really lived a ‘healthy’ lifestyle but are still going strong. Genetics.
Thank you again for posting that video. It was very informative. I think we should all do what we can to take care of ourselves and our kids. I also believe moderation is key.
BTW, has nothing to do with anything, but what about the 16+ oz. surgary drinks ban in NYC? They can’t stop people from buying 3 Big Macs, or from spending $10 a pack on cigarettes. It all comes down to personal responsibility and making our own good or bad choices.
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Near Aguacate.
In today’s amcostarica.com it states ” [url=http://www.amcostarica.com/morenews2.htm]Costa Rica leads hemisphere in rate of robberies “[/url]
Just saying, that living in a rural area doesn’t mean that you should be less strident in protecting your property. Neighbors can be thieves, too.
[/quote]I agree. Crime is everywhere. Better to be safe than sorry. Were your friends actually robbed or was their house burglarized? Robbery is very scary. Did they ever catch them?
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Victoria, our friends up near you was robbed on Christmas day a couple of years ago… as were their neighbors, around the same time. So, crime is there, so don’t let your guard down.[/quote]
Lake Arenal is a big area…in which area do your friends live?
[quote=”lisamarie6987″][quote=”maravilla”].[/quote]
Maravilla…you maske perfect sense. I am deep in Rosetta Stone Spanish presently and learning more and more each dasy. My daily telemuda news is getting easier for me to understand. I won’t be perfect but I will get by and be able to learn more as the months go on.[/quote]
Another good idea is to buy some children’s books written in Spanish with the English translation included so you can see how the sentence is structured. They were kind of pricey in the bookstore, but I was able to get some on Amazon for a really good price.
[quote=”Versatile”]Years ago when i first started buying houses, i read a book and it told me to look at at least 100 houses in my market before i purchased anything at all. I don’t think i looked at nearly that many. I sure knew the market before i purchased.
Why not combine this strategy with the look around trips etc; before deciding on a move or a purchase?
Spread this over a 3 month stay and surely you will see quite a bit of Costa Rica and you will know a house values etc.[/quote]
Wow…whatever happened to a gut feeling and having a house speak to you? If you’ve got the area narrowed down, won’t the right house or parcel just feel right when you see it? There are only so many things with which to compare. And, as the others have said, how many areas even have 100 similar houses to compare?
I have been up and down the coast many times. Out of the blue and during the recession, for me, it seemed a great time to buy. My main critera were climate, view and water, and since I wasn’t moving down for many years that eliminated a house and I concentrated on land. Since I didn’t want extreme heat, that eliminated much of CR. And I wanted water without the hot climate, which led me to Lake Arenal. The second piece of land spoke to me. I looked at a total of probably 15 parcels in a matter or two trips. But I knew. When some ‘thing’ speaks to me, I go for it! It’s worked all these years in all aspects of my life.
FYI, when looking for house here in the states, I chose the second one. I’ve been in it 10 years and never second guessed my decision. Seems to me, I buy the second of whatever I see! Haha
[quote=”Versatile”]I don’t understand the plan.Special treatment for Chinese? Why?
http://insidecostarica.com/2012/09/13/costa-rica-far-from-goal-of-50000-chinese-per-year/
In January 2011, a guideline that allows Chinese with visas from Canada, the United States, the European Union, or a Schengen country (26 countries in Europe that have agreed to create a common area) to enter Costa Rica freely, came into effect.[/quote]
A few years back, didn’t the Chinese build the stadium in CR as a ‘gift’? And didn’t they ship most of the materials from China as well as use Chinese labor which is in direct violation of the Costa Rican labor laws? Why were the Chinese allowed to work there and take away jobs from the Costa Ricans? And the Chinese treat their workers very inhumanely.
Why the preferential treatment? There must have been great controversy when that happened.
I really don’t understand why the Chinese would come all the way to Costa Rica when they have plenty of similar places far closer to where they are if they wanted to relocate. Plus, as the OP pointed out, it’s just not as glamorous as some of the world’s major cities.
