Real Estate is an important part of retiring or moving to Costa Rica. Everyone has to have a place to live whether you rent or buy property. When I originally started my relocation/retirement tours in the 1990s I took my clients to traditional tourist destinations like the volcanoes, Tortuga Island and the Britt Coffee Tour. However, more and more of my clients asked me to show them homes to get an idea of what housing was like here. At their request I decided to include a sampling of properties in the best areas to live.
The most recent book from Christopher Howard, an complete guide to real estate in Costa Rica
Although I have been very successful with my own real estate investments in Costa Rica and recently authored a book on the subject (Christopher Howard’s Guide to Real Estate in Costa Rica) I don’t sell property. Consequently, to avoid a conflict of interest I found a real estate company to select homes we view on the property portion of my tours. I also wanted to connect my clients with a reputable company that would look out 100% for their interests and not pressure them into purchasing property until and if they were ready.
This process was not easy since the real estate scene here is akin to the wild west. My primary interest has always to been to protect my clients at all costs before they fall into the hands of an incompetent or dishonest agent or lose money through a bad investment. I would not be doing my job correctly if I did not provide this service for my clients. If they are successful, I am too. Eventually I found Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties who have done a fantastic job for my clients and helped scores of people find their dream homes in paradise.
Don’t get me wrong! The emphasis on my retirement tours is on lifestyle and providing my clients with the best possible unbiased information and contacts and information so that they will be successful if they decide to move here. By the end of my tours people will know whether they want to move here or not.
Although Thanksgiving is not a Costa Rican holiday, it widely celebrated among the country’s expat community, especially in the Central Valley. A few weeks prior to the festivities the the Automercado (the county’s grocery store with the most products from the U.S.) begins to sell Thanksgiving related products: frozen turkeys, Stove Top Stuffing, cranberry sauce and all of the other goodies. Several casinos, hotels and restaurants which cater to Americans host their annual thanksgiving dinners. When my son was younger we used to go to the Marriot Hotel’s annual Thanksgiving buffet. It has to be seen to believed. They used to have a separate room for all of the desserts!
Many expatriates host Thanksgiving dinners for their friends and families. For the last six years I have attended my friend Joe Brennan’s annual party at his home overlooking San Rafael de Heredia. On an average about 40 or 50 Americans and their Costa Rican friends and family show up for Joe’s dinner party. Everyone brings something so there is more than enough food to go around. I really look forward to visiting Joe every year.
This year I was doubly blessed. I was also invited to a second dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My old neighbors Dan and Geri Spitzer invited about 25 close friends and neighbors to their home in Lagunilla de Heredia. The food was delicious and the I enjoyed reminiscing with all of my old friends and neighbors.
As you can see, if you decide to relocate or retire in Costa Rica you won’t miss out on many of the activities and holidays from home. There are hundreds of interesting things to do like the one I mentioned above to stay busy and happy in Costa Rica.
Many are asking this question especially with other countries in Latin American coming into the picture, the rising cost of living in Costa Rica and an increase in crime. Let me address these issues below and then talk about why Costa Rica is still the best choice.
First none of the other countries has as much to offer as Costa Rica. It is still proven product. I traveled all over Latin America before I moved here in search of a better place and couldn’t find it. Every country had something nice but as a whole Costa Rica was by far the best. As far as the increased cost of living here, you really get what you pay for: better health care, great weather, a better quality of life, a user friendly country for Americans, the only country south of the border with a resident’s association to help foreigners, a proven track record as a place to retire with more American residents per capita than any other country outside of the U.S., first-world medical care at a reduced price and so many more intangibles. Furthermore, costs are synonymous with development. The country has experienced a real come of age over the last 20 years and is also the most popular travel destination in Latin America. As for crime, sure it has increased as in most other places in the world. When compared with Mexico, the other countries in Latin America Costa Rica’s crime is much lower. There is NO crime-free society in the world. Costa Rica is a peaceful country with NO army. How many times do you here negative about Costa Rica in the U.S. News? Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries seem to be making the news in a negative way, but not Costa Rica.
What still makes Costa popular and Latin America’s top relocation haven? The year-round spring-like weather, the country’s unparalleled beauty and above all lifestyle. The country has been the subject of countless documentaries on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic channel and entertainment programs. However, lifestyle is the main draw. The following catchy phrases reflect the way of life here: The national motto Pura vida (Pure Life), solo bueno (only good things happen here) and Aquí se cura todo (Costa Rica cures everything). Once you have bitten by the lifestyle bug found here, you will become enamored with the country. As one person who took my retirement/relocation tour and eventually moved here stated , ”My days are so rewarding and filled with interesting activities that each day seems like a whole lifetime. You couldn’t drag me back to the States for all of the tea in China. What a country!”
The term Gringo is a noun which is usually synonymous with a person from the United or any foreigner. We have invented a verb from the word gringo which is “gringoed. “What does it mean?
A lot of foreigners complain about the Costa Ricans taking advantage of them in some cases. A lot of these complaints are based on a lack of understanding of the culture and above all not knowing the language. By not learning Spanish you will always be an outsider and never be able to get the most of out living in a foreign country. You will lead sort of a half-ass existence.”
Unfortunately most Americans and Canadians who come don’t speak Spanish and logically gravitate to fellow English speakers because they are the easiest to met. This is good because people can make a lot of new friends this way. This problem is that many of their fellow English speakers are in business here and some of them are dishonest. Just because he or she speaks good English does not make the individual a good person. Over the years, many unscrupulous individuals have set up shop here. We have heard of naive foreigners losing their hard-earned savings to ingenious schemes. Con men prey on newcomers. One crook bilked countless people out of their money by selling a series of non-existent gold mines here and abroad. The guy is still walking the streets today and dreaming up new ways to make money.
One “dangerous breed of animal” you may encounter are a few foreigners between 30 and 60 years of age who are in business but do not have pensions. Most of these people are struggling to survive and have to really hustle to make a living in Costa Rica. Some of them are desperate and will go to almost any means to make money. They may even have a legitimate business but most certainly try to take advantage of you to make a few extra dollars. The majority of complaints we hear concerning people being “ripped off” or pressured into buying real estate are about individuals who fit this description.
So if you decide to retire or invest here be careful of some of the English-speaking expatriates or you may end being “Gringoed.”
