This week I sat in on a private consultation to provide feedback and advice to a couple who wants to retire and buy a home here. They visited with their 32-year-old daughter to check out Costa Rica. Fortunately their daughter knows Costa Rica well. She live here for a couple of years and worked as a teacher.

Her father had an accident a few years ago and became disabled and can no longer work. He received a good disability pension and settlement because of his injury but it really isn’t enough to maintain his lifestyle in the U.S. So, his daughter recommended that he and the wife move to Costa Rica. Since she had lived here previously the information couldn’t have come from a better and more trusted source.

It looks like the couple will make the move in a couple of months.

Recently I had a couple of well-to-do gentleman from Malibu and Newport Beach on a private relocation/retirement tour. They represent a new breed of person with money who wants to leave the madness of United States and move to Costa Rica.

Both of the men are millionaires, live in very exclusive areas and have good incomes. However, they are tired of the upscale life they are leading and want to downsize so they can have more time to enjoy what is important instead of being caught up in the rat race.

One of my clients told me that he was having trouble living on $15,000 per month. I almost choked when I heard this. I gave him a sample budget of what he would have to spend here to maintain his current lifestyle and still meet his financial obligations in the States. Even living in an expensive area like Escazú, my client can live on less than half of what he does now. He was amazed at the numbers.

Most people who move here do not have the income that my client does but can also reduce their expenses significantly and not give up their lifestyle by moving here. In fact, they will probably have a much better lifestyle here and enjoy themselves more.

When people move to Costa Rica to live or retire, they have to either rent or buy a home. Recently, I was interviewed by a reporter from the Tico Times newspaper about the country’s current real estate market. As most of you probably know the downturn in the global economy affected real estate markets around the world. Costa Rica is no exception.

People interested in buying property here became more cautious than they’d ever had to be before because of recent events. A lot of people from the U.S. and Canada lost some of the funds or equity they’d saved in hopes of buying property. The crisis changed their plans and left a lot of people holding off on buying a second home or a vacation home in a foreign country.

Nevertheless they are some encouraging signs. The Costa Rican real estate market appears to be reviving after taking a hit during the recent worldwide recession. Now there a lot of good values because some prices have been slashed and a lot of people are anxious to move their properties. Costa Rica continues to be a popular warm-weather destination and tourism is one of the motors which drives the real estate market. This coupled with the country’s stellar international reputation as a nature lover’s paradise and a stable peace-loving country will continue to make Costa Rica a good investment. How often does one hear bad things about Costa Rica on nightly newscasts? Never!!! What you hear is negative news about drug wars in Mexico, Venezuela’s President Chavez and other problems in Latin America. On the other hand Costa Rica is associated with programs on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic and retirement.

In addition, 70 million Baby Boomers, many of whom have their sights set on retiring abroad, will continue to fuel the country’s real estate market. Add to this the scores of people of all ages who are disgusted with the direction the U.S. is going and who will want to jump ship and move to a country like Costa Rica as a solution.

Due to all of the reasons above, Costa Rica will continue to be an excellent place to invest in real estate.

Photo Courtesy of Costa Rica Retirement Vacation Properties

Every day more and more people chose Costa Rica as a place to live or retire.

The process goes like this. Usually people come here as tourists and then fall in love with the country and its lifestyle. While others read about Costa Rica or see nature programs on TV which extol the country’s beauty and all it has to offer.

After doing their research on line and reading all of the guidebooks people then decide to make the move. They usually contact a relocation expert or take a retirement tour prior to making the definitive move. Smart individuals also attend the monthly seminar given by the Association of Residents of Costa Rica or ARCR. I include this informative seminar on my monthly relocation/retirement tours. With the information and contacts from the seminar and my tours, people now feel comfortable and have the confidence level to make the big move.

After finally moving here and getting settled in their new home or apartment, the question always arises, “What do I do now?” I am in a new country with a lot of free time and have to find out how to use it. This shouldn’t be a problem since there are hundreds of activities here to stay busy and happy. There is usually a period of adjustment where you have to get use to the way things work in your new country. This is usually the point at which the honeymoon starts to end and you begin to confront a variety of daily situations. Having network of friends and getting involved in some hobby or activity can make all the difference in world in adapting to life in a new country. Your friends will be your support and your activities will keep you occupied.

I would be lying through my teeth if I said Costa Rica was for everyone. But if you make an effort to understand the culture, go with the flow, make friends and most of all have a good sense of humor, you should be able to adjust after the initial honeymoon ends and take advantage of Costa Rica’s incredible “ Pura Vida” lifestyle.

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.