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My sister and brother in law had their baby in CR a year ago, and continue to reside there. They are both US citizens. The baby was granted CR citizenship immediately, but it took months of paperwork and waiting before US citizenship was also granted. They did not leave CR to visit the US until citizenship in both countries was finalized. They have submitted documentation, with lawyers assistance, to become residents based on their child’s CR citizenship. They have not expressed any concern that residency wouldn’t be granted, but I’ll post here if it isn’t…
I agree,
Orosi Valley is beautiful, quaint, and affordable. My wife and I spent several days there, and we liked it quite a bit. Tranquillo all the way. Definitely a family/community atmosphere is prevalent. The expat community is very small, so this is a place for folks interested in forging relations with their mostly Tico neighbors. No ocean views or access. Worth a look and kind of on your way to the Southern Pacific Zone. Good Luck!
The area between San Isidro de General and Dominical may suite your needs, including around the village of Plantinillo. Distant ocean views, higher & cooler elevations, yet close to both the beaches around Domincal and the full service city of San Isidro. Competitive prices and a good supply of both finished homes and building lots are available. Search “Dominical Real Estate” to find several sites with property info and photos. I just got back from my 5th trip to the area, and continue to believe that it is a solid investment and a desirable place to live. Good Luck!
I understand that there are several companies that build prefab concrete homes in CR. Search this site and the web, preferably in Spanish as these homes are marketed to ticos. Some relatives had a 1 bedroom, 600 sq ft. home built for under 20K a year or two ago, included were appliances. Essentially turn key. Land was extra…
Terry,
I just sent you an email with some info, but then saw that it may be more than you want to spend. I think you are best to just show up. it’s off season and vacancies everywhere. You can go real cheap and camp at Dominical Beach Campround. Bea carefull with bed bugs on those super cheap places! Good luck!Agreed. I go to Uvita every year and it rrainns in the llate afternoon. Occasionally you get a full rainy day, but not usually.
Best Prices in General:
BTW, except for Christmas and Spring Break, I find the best prices to Costa Rica (and perhaps most other places?) are to be found in the window 6-8 weeks before you want to travel. Earlier than that and they are jacked up for people who must definitely have tickets for specific dates, and closer to departure day they slip upwards again as demand increases/# seats decreases… During that window cheap(er) fares pop up and disappear quickly – so you should check a few times a day and when you see that fare snag it immediately. Fares under $400 have been available (from Portland OR) every spring and fall, for the last 2 years, using this method. Don’t know what the fares this fall will be, but I will be shopping!
Spirit Airlines (spiritair.com) just started service from Ft. Lauderdale to San Jose. RT prices are from $129 to $199, depending on time of day and “size of seat.” Good prices if accessing Ft. Lauderdale makes sense for you. I just recently heard of spirit air – it looks like they have other good fares as well. Good luck!
I drove past it with my father in June 2006 on our way from Uvita to pick up a friend landing at Palmar Sur. At that time the steel framing was being erected. Do a search on this site – know I read somewhere that it would be done in 2007… not sure where I read it or how accurate the info is. Anyway, the construction is well under way but it might be a few months to a few years before it opens.
I and other members have just posted a somewhat lengthy dialog on Costa Rica’s south pacific coast development, which perhaps could be helpful. See the “Uvita area info” post if interested.
pweisel
Here’s a video link (home made) of an ultralight flying trip up and down the south pacific coast between Lagunas and Dominical. It references a development at the end, only by listing a web address. Fun to look at, shaky camera work, cheery sound track. Have a great weekend!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaHG-dGQ6E
pweisel
I spoke with my folks today, who retired to Uvita 4 years ago. They report that the community is very much in upheaval over the construction permit issue, and not just the big developers.
Prior to the rapid growth in the area, beginning perhaps 5 years ago, job opportunities were very limited for the tico’s living there. Now, perhaps an upwards of 70% of the ticos work in construction or to provide services that the newly arriving residents are willing to pay for. One thinks this situation should result in pressure being put towards resolving things in a timely fashion, as so many livelihoods are at stake. We’re about to find out.
That being said, they report that there clearly have been problems. Rumors abound, including that large developers have been bribing local govt. to approve construction that should not have been approved. My folks feel that it has been especially bad in the higher elevation developments that are destroying primary rain forest to gain top of the world views and prices.
So for many individual lot owners in the area, like myself, the question is how will we be impacted when it becomes our turn to want to build. Too soon to know. My folks do have an investment lot and expected it to be permitted for building in the coming month. At this time they think that they will somehow still be allowed to proceed, but that the permitting process will take longer (as opposed to halted) I’ll post here if they are allowed to proceed and/or what happens if they are not.
Hi Scott,
More info/strategies on how to legally generate income (other than via pensions or pre-existing investments) while in CR would be helpful. Perhaps “how I generate income from abroad” or “how to legally run a tourist biz” articles. Links to the related residency rules, etc.
I know if one digs far enough, one can find a partial answers to these questions (and many others), via both articles and posts. This site has produced a such a wealth of information over the years – often the answers are already here. It is searchable, which is helpful when you know what you or looking for.
Some kind of directory of relevant search terms might point people in the right direction sooner, and expose people to topics they had not thought to inquire about (yet).
Stunned by this ‘positive’ news. This is my knee jerk post after reading the article. I have emailed several people I know in the region, and will post anything of interest when they reply.
Ultimately, I feel this is very good news for the region – the environment, the community, the investors, the builders, all. It’s a short term crisis for some developers and real estate agents, and will be financially painful for those who have been building illegally.
It’s true that some environmental damage has happened. Personally I have heard about a few homes & pools sliding down the hill due to poor engineering. Environmentalists (a positive term in my book!)have been concerned about increased sentiment from the rivers choking Marina Ballena and killing tropical fish at that reef.
Protecting this region is of vital concern for all, except for shysters who don’t care and are looking for a quick buck. Perhaps it is they who will leave the area while safeguards are put into place.
As long as I feel confident that the situation will be resolved and proper safeguards will be put into place, I prefer to look at the current situation as a potential buying opportunity. If land prices take a big dip this could be the perfect time to make a purchase for the future. Too soon to make that leap, however. I advise to watch and wait, and not to trust developers statements on face value. If your shopping in Costa Rica your going to need an independent attorney anyway – so perhaps you should secure one to confirm any developers claims…
More to follow,
pweiselI haven’t heard about this. I met several people (gringos) in various states of home construction in and around Uvita, all properly permitted. The area isn’t so remote that the authorities aren’t keeping an eye on it’s development. I think I would have heard about construction restrictions right away from family I have there.
I seriously doubt that the CR govt. would want all construction in the area to halt.(then again, I’ve been wrong before!) Could this be at/in the Park/beach areas? The poorest (in a material sense only) of the ticos do sometimes live in marginal tin shacks with concrete floors – so perhaps the focus is on those buildings. They also tend to live closest to the beach. Almost all gringo construction is happening away from the beach, up in the hills.
Perhaps if you post or reference the article you saw, someone fluent in Spanish here could translate it? Thanks.
pweisel
