Hello all !!, I have been thinking about traveling to Costa Rica, and possibly buying a house down there. I don't have much money or know the area but i think i would probably like to live within an hours travel to San Jose, and near a river o...r lake (safe to swim in) would be awesome, within an hour from the beach. Hoping for a place with beautiful scenery, and that is a relatively safe crime free area. Since I have never been i was wondering if anybody here might be able to help me with suggestions, comments, etc. also in starting a business and a non-profit down there. I understand costa rica is possibly the ';greenest'; country in the world. I have a construction business now, and would like to get involved in renewable energy. I would imagine solar power is big down there.Where should I buy a Home/House in Costa Rica?
If you do not have a lot of money Costa Rica is the wrong place for you. In any area you described, safe, 1 hour from San Jose, scenic, and 1 hour from a beach, the land will cost more than any comparable place in Florida, California, or Arizona. Costa Rica is very expensive. A lot of gringos are starting to get out, especially the ones that try to live on their social security.
That warning aside, you should look west of San Jose. Avoid Grecia and Atenas, they are the priciest areas and flooded with foreigners so everything is already priced for them. Smaller towns nearby are a bit cheaper, San Mateo, Orotina, San Ramon are a bit cheaper, have good bus service, and 1 hour from the Pacific coast or less, and about 1 hour from San Jose. Plus they are close enough to the gringo infested areas for your to try to have them as clients for construction work.
COsta Rica reputation for being 'green' is due to the large national park holdings. Outside of the parks Costa Rica is actually pretty dirty, most of the green is lip service and government funded tourism publicity.
SUn power is starting to catch on but most of the country is cloudy for almost half the year. The Atlantic side has about 330 rain days./ year.
As a resident you are allowed to own a business but you are not allowed to work for a wage or salary. So, set up your business, hire some people and pay them legally to stay out of trouble. THe total pay is about twice what the stated pay is, by the time you pay all the payroll taxes, 13 month, insurance, and so on. People get in a lot of expensive hassles when they cheat on these things so pay up front properly.The last thing you want is getting into a labor fight and having to hire a lawyer. Hari kari (seppuku really) would be cheaper and less painful.
You should look at Panama and Guatemala before deciding.(And other places too, of course.) UNless you're really rich and ready to spend COsta Rica is no longer the good deal it was when I got here.Where should I buy a Home/House in Costa Rica?
There are two things you need to do before buying a house in Costa Rica. First is become a citizen, second is get a real estate law degree from a university down there. From what I read and heard both first hand from friends that have moved there and second hand from various sources, without both, you'll end up with a bad deed and eventually lose your property when you go shopping or to the beach. The laws are extremely convoluted and are geared towards the existing land owners.
I have visited Costa Rica many times and love it.
But my feedback as a U.S. citizen is to rent and not buy.
Unless you are very rich, it is very hard to make the real estate laws work for you.
It is a great place to visit for extended periods of time and CNN called it the ';happiest place on earth.';
Here is another website, you can look, is really good:
http://www.welovecostarica.com/
Good luck!
I have been to Costa Rica over 20 times since 1992, and have to mostly agree with the other responders to your question, that I have read so far anyway. In general, Costa Rica has become just too expensive and risky. How is it risky ? With all '; the haves '; that have moved there in the last ten years, there have followed the '; have not's '; to prey on them. And I include in this crime surge, the white collar criminals, the shady and downright illegal antics engaged in by disreputable abogado's, ( lawyers ). Getting a referral is not enough, as I was referred to a guy who cheated me out of $2K at my closing when I sold my last lot, then he closed on an acquaintance's home, and delayed the closing for over 3 months because he used his deposit money to buy a Mexican CD and was reaping the big interest for as long as he could stall. Stuff like this is not uncommon in Costa Rica.
My recent searches have uncovered the Sierpe area, on the lower Pacific coast, as the last area for inexpensive real estate. The last frontier for sure, a bit remote but like Costa Rica was 30 years ago, and adjacent to the Osa Peninsula as well. '; The most bio-diverse place left on earth, '; according to National Geographic. How long it stays relatively cheap is anyones guess. Just stay away from the realtors at Grupo Amigos de Sierpe S.A., ( don't ask )
while not necessarily as bad as the foregoing poster said, he's not far off the mark.
unless you are wealthy, there are some steps you need to take first:
take at least three month long vacations in CR, rent a car and scout the country. rent a flat and see how you like dealing with the the little daily items - shopping, mail, papers, etc.
read up on the property laws in CR - they differ from just about anywhere!
then learn to speak Spanish, then hire a lawyer you can trust - referral is a must!
check out the website below- tons of good info.
Beware that when you step off of U.S. soil, you better take your time on investment. It sounds like you worked very hard for your money and there are many opportunities all over the world to take candy away from a baby. Please rent a home in Costa Rica. It is not expensive to do and it will give you a good idea if it is really right for you. There are mountain homes, central valley homes, and beach homes. Some places are even condo style where there are guards. Hopefully you are fluent in the language (not really a requisite) and understand laws and contracts and the difference between a resident and citizen. Do not take all of your valuables down to any country until you really know if it is right for you. God Bless.
I would consider Nicaragua.
But if you are set on Costa Rica then buy this map and study it. Run routes on your PC. I would study the map then pick three places that fit your criteria. Then visit for a few weeks to see if you like it.
Interesting about solar- this company is a GREEN company - site runs off of solar, they produce no paper in marketing and do not ship products - no fossil fuels burned in the process.
Costa Rica GPS map -
http://www.gpstravelmaps.com/costarica.p鈥?/a>
or
Nicaragua GPS map
http://www.gpstravelmaps.com/nicaragua.p鈥?/a>
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