Everyone has needed directions at one point of their lives, especially in foreign countries. We have stopped and ask for a location many times in our life and have probably gotten the correct information. In Costa Rica, addresses are not so easy to understand. There is a very unique issue in Costa Rica: locations such as streets and avenues are not named. According to some people they were named at some point, and some people will claim they now their street number and aware of which avenues go by where, but it may not be true.
There are specific ones that everyone knows, most of them in down town San Jose: avenida 10, avenida central and avenida segunda are the ones people know the best, not because they are named but because is common knowledge in Costa Rica to know this information. If you happened to need directions for a restaurant they will use key points to guide you: a sleeping dog, a famous building or store, a library that went out of business so you can no longer see the sign or a cut off tree, very weird things like that, Costa Rica directions are definitely priceless.
One tends to get used to it just because it comes with being a Costa Rica citizen and because people don’t really know any other way to give directions. But now, all of those freaky directions will be over! Grupo Corporativo M&M designed a project that will begin installing the first street signs in the municipalities of Tarrazú and Limón in the coming weeks; San José will follow as the next municipality to get street signs on its roads before the end of the year. Costa Rica was the only Latin-American country without street signs and people just got used to it somehow.
The iniciative and project will help postmen and regular citizens a lot; sometimes giving directions was a struggle, especially for people in rural areas where there are not so many key points. Other municipalities in Costa Rica that will get street signs will be Nicoya, Pococí, Siguirres, Alajuelita, Curridabat, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago.
When looking for a property in Costa Rica, I am sure you all are aware of the things you need to consider “building wise”, yet Costa Rica has a wide variety of locations and although it is a small country, the diversity of advantages and disadvantages from one location to the other can make a huge difference: Access to commercial locations, safety, type of area, access to main cities, culture and much more.
The more secluded areas in Costa Rica may be the most peaceful and beautiful ones, yet that same seclusion can translate into big expenses in gasoline and car repair, not mentioning that the farther the location, the more security you will need both against wild animals and perpetrators. The available real estate listings in Costa Rica may not include this type of information, so make sure you ask the realtor before hand.
Lovely home for repairs: Say what!
If what you have in mind is a big property or hacienda like home, consider the cost of maintenance. In Costa Rica, weather can be a relentless enemy: rain, humidity, heat, dust and any kind of natural disasters such as earthquakes and storms will deteriorate your property. Proper maintenance may be pricey on big properties, especially if the location is too far away from main cities.
Cost of property in the main cities of Costa Rica can be pretty similar to beach homes. Costa Rica has a very neutral price range when it comes to real estate; main differences are seen depending on the location and the size of the property. If you are planning on living in the city, check for quality of services (electricity, water, telephone lines, etc). Telecommunications are very good in Costa Rica, yet some places do not have access or the coverage is a bit poor.
In cities such as San Jose or Heredia, there are very nice neighborhoods, but also some dangerous towns may be close to those neighborhood, ask questions about the surrounding towns and do not be afraid to investigate by yourself just in case; Costa Rica realtors will explain most of this information to you, but it is good to get second opinions as well.
In Costa Rica, real estate is a legal term like in many other countries. It refers to any type of property that involves land and/or buildings or in a fixed in location. Every country has its own real estate laws. Costa Ricafor example has a very well marked differentiation between local real estate business and foreigner acquisitions. In previous articles I referred to the common requirements for a foreigner to purchase Costa Rica properties.
The real estate market around the world includes a variety of legal formalities that may be similar, but depending on the jurisdiction and the local laws, some formalities may change. In Costa Rica, real estate agents do not need a license to operate, but the transfer of property requires a lawyer to be processed. Also the easiest way to purchase real estate in Costa Rica is through an enterprise or company that includes a Costa Rica citizen as an associate; although there are other ways that will make the process easier depending on the property you wish to purchase.
The Latin American market for properties is considerably cheaper than it is in the United Estates or Europe, also tropical locations are considered an impressive investment since the value of property rises quite often. Costa Rica has the advantage of having lovely beach properties as well as rainforest areas and mountain side land, which opens up the variety of listings offered in real estate.
One good thing that is going on in Costa Rica is the improvements that will be made in transportation and roads, this will increase the value of some locations and open up the market to secluded areas in Costa Rica, expanding the choices of properties every where in the country. Real estate in Costa Rica has also begun to include apartment buildings in downtown areas that include luxury properties and amazing views.
Today we are experiencing the beginning of one of the most expected sports events of this year: The Beijing Olympics. The best Athletes from all over the world will compete for the most important sports honors in the next few days and Costa Rica has send its most impressive performers to show and prove their skills.
In Costa Rica, athletes have been very successful in previous Olympic Games, and nothing less is expected from the group that is participating this year. A total of 8 athletes are right now waiting for their competitions that will take place during the next couple of weeks. All the competitors come from different parts of Costa Rica. These are the athletes and the schedule their competitions will be on:
Kristopher Moitland: Black belt for Tae kwon do. Competition will be held on August 21st at 7:00 pm
Henri Raabe: Cycling Road. He will be the first Tico to participate this year: Competition will be held August 8th (today) at 9:00 pm
Federico Ramirez: Cycling Mountain bike. Competition will be on August 23rd at 1:00 am.
Nery Brenes: Athletics 400m Men. Race will be on August 17th at 7:00 pm.
Allan Segura: Athletics 20km walk Men. Race will be held on August 15th at 7:00 pm.
Gabriela Traña: Athletics Marathon Women. Race is scheduled on August 16th at 4:30 am.
Mario Montoya: Swimming 200m freestyle Men. Competition will be on August 10th at 4:30 am
Marianela Quesada: Swimming 100m freestyle Women. Competition will be held on August 13th at 4:30 am.
All the schedules above are given in Costa Rica time. These athletes have participated for Costa Rica in many world championships and have returned to Costa Ricawith good scores, medals and trophies; they traveled with their coaches and some with their family as well. As you can see Costa Rica treasures are not only in real estate or the beautiful beaches ad rainforests: people are quite valuable too. Good luck for all the athletes in the Beijing Olympics 2008.
As you probably already know, there are only two airports in Costa Rica: Juan Santamaria in Alajuela and Daniel Oduber in Guanacaste. The Daniel Oduber airport was built only a few years ago to comply with the high increase in incoming visitors to the area and to help with the huge load of work the Alajuela airport was receiving. Since a big percentage of visitors were actually coming to Guanacaste, it was a great addition.
The Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA) is estimating an average of 530,000 tourists will be expected to arrive in Costa Rica via Liberia’s DanielOduberInternationalAirport by 2010. There has been quite an increase in arrivals between 2001 and last December, when the number of visitors showed a big 574% increase rate. Although the numbers of these projections will call for urgent expansion plans, yet estimated changes won’t be occurring until 2010.
According to The National Concessions Council an international public bidding packet, No. 01-2007 was published for this project. This bidding packet establishes public infrastructure concession terms for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new DanielOduberAirport. Guanacaste can expect big changes, yet it will have to wait a little bit to see them happen.
In Costa Rica, Guanacaste is one of the most chosen destinations for tourism, mostly because of the beautiful, pristine beaches and natural reservations: volcanoes, forests and amazing sites. Also Costa Rica real estate market includes many properties in the Guanacaste area, vacation villas, hotels and residential properties are always at the top of the list. Costa Rica has been promoting their ecotourism everywhere and people like me, that have moved to the country looking for a better, healthier and more peaceful lifestyle are also encouraging others to do the same. Soon, Costa Rica will need to make even more changes to comply with the high demand.
After a while “in training to be a Tico” I have come to realize that, when you have a house in Costa Rica, there are certain items that you are almost required to have to be a real Costa Rica homeowner, or least prove that you are living the Tico lifestyle. It is part of the necessities of the area, small details that are not included in any Costa Rica real estate guide or listing, small thing you didn’t think you would need until the time came for you to find it out.
The first thing you find out is that in Costa Rica, mosquitoes come out in evening and when they come out they are hungry and you are fresh blood. Bug repellent might be kind of awkward, but there are also ambiance repellents, make sure you get some of both.
While you are at it, in the supermarket they also have the two main ingredients for a regular Costa Rica meal: rice and beans; you will need these especially if you like to invite your friends over, they will always expect these two legumes to be part of the meal. To cook any Costa Rica traditional meal you will need Salsa Lizano, it is a cheap home made sauce found anywhere, quite tasty if I may add. Fruits and vegetables are bought at La Feria as I explained in previous posts, so you will need your own shopping cart to run this errand.
While in the US, we are more used to wearing slippers at home, let’s remember that Costa Rica tropical weather is warm, for this matter Ticos wear flip flops, yet they call them chinelas. Costa Rica homes do have lots of windows, but if your home doesn’t have air conditioning you will need to get fans for every room.
When it comes to having guests, there are certain items that in Costa Rica are well known: Imperial beer, Guaro Cacique and Tapa de Dulce, these are regular beverages of the area, be careful with the Guaro, since it is basically industrially distilled moonshine. As per snacks, there are many delicious items: pejibayes, deviled eggs and home made dipping souces are always part of the deal, yet my favorite one is the Yuca, which you can make deep fried or just boiled, either way, it is one of Costa Rica’s most tasty meals. In Costa Rica, home owners always take care of their yards and the land is very rich, so if you have any fruit trees take good care of them, because whatever grows on them, you will consume. And don’t forget the Chorreador, although you will find coffee makers anywhere, Costa Rica coffee tastes better if it is made in a chorreador.
If you are planning to relocate to Costa Rica, there certain things you should keep in mind: inflation rate, useful laws, education and common subjects that will come up once you move in. Costa Rica properties are usually the most important matter I refer to in my articles, yet there are some other things that need to be considered:
In Costa Rica, economy grew nearly 5% in 2006 after experiencing four years of slow economic growth, yet it still has the fourth place among Latin American inflation rate.
The government in Costa Rica offers tax exemptions for those who are willing to invest in the country.
Electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development, and ecotourism are the prime industries in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica coffee beans are one of the most important gourmet beans in the world.
Costa Rica is an active member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
There is huge race diversity in Costa Rica: population includes 94% white (including) castizo, 3% black, 1% amerindian, 1% chinese and 1% other.
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is of 96% and public education is guaranteed in the constitution. Primary school is mandatory.
Costa Rica government is democratic and there are claims that the country has had more than 115 years of uninterrupted democracy.
Costa Rica has not had an army or anything similar since their civil war in 1948.
The main language in Costa Rica is Spanish, yet there are some indigenous dialects spoken in small secluded areas; In Limon it is common the listen a Jamaican dialect called Patois and also a big percentage of the population speaks English. Finally due to the high immigration rates from all over the world it is usual to find people speaking mandarin, Italian, French or German.
As you can see, Costa Rica is not the regular Latin American country, I was definitely not aware I was moving into such a rich culture, with high standards of education and hard working people myself.
Every year, on August 2nd, Costa Rica embraces its catholic roots and begins one of the most impressive acts of faith I have ever seen in my life: La Romeria. People from all over the place and even other countries nearby walk from their homes towards La Basilica de Los Angeles located in Cartago to pay tribute, thank or ask for favors to the Virgin Mary or La Negrita, as they have nicknamed her.
The story begins in the year 1635 when a young Indian girl named Juana Pereira left her house to pick up wood and run chores. While she was walking in the woods, she found a small stone figurine that look like the Virgin Mary. She picked it up and took it home. The next day, she found it again and when she went back home she noticed “the one she picked up the day before” was gone. This continued happening for a few days so she spoke to the local priest who confirmed Juana’s story. Costa Rica is in fact a very religious country, so the priest, understanding that what the Virgin wanted was to live there where Juana found her started building a church in her honor, which is now the beautiful Basilica de los Angeles.
This act of faith proves that Costa Rica traditions do cover a huge variety of topics and it very interesting to experience how close everyone in the country is to their beliefs, how strong minded they are about keeping their roots and the power of faith that holds Costa Rica. Highways have been full the past few days because of all the Romero’s walking towards Cartago. Costa Rica celebrates this special date every year and lots of activities take place in the church surroundings. One of my favorites is the dressing of the Virgen de los Angeles: during the year, lots of dress makers from all over Costa Rica send in a specially design dress for the small figurine and one is selected as the most beautiful one and she wears it during the official Mass on August 2nd.
If you are in Costa Rica right now and were planning on driving through any of the main highways, be careful with the Romeros, move aside and let them through and be aware that some main roads near the Cartago area will be closed today after 2:00 PM.
Because of its location on the map, Costa Rica goes through several weather changes not only throughout the year, but also it varies from location to location. The weather you feel in the Caribbean coasts is definitely no the same you will see in Heredia or Cartago; Costa Rica actually takes advantage of all these differences and uses the natural resources as they have developed in each area. When you are checking real estate, Costa Rica weather must be on your check list as a priority, so I have come up with a small explanation about the different types of weather you may find depending on the location.
North Side: Limon and the Caribbean: The weather on this specific area of Costa Rica is very humid, most of the rain forests are located on the surroundings and it rains a lot in the area. The humid weather type is stronger the closest you get to the coast, since the sea breeze merges with the rainy ambience.
East Side: Guanacaste area: This area I am beginning to know like the back of my hand. One of the most impressive things about weather in Costa Rica is that it does change very drastically from one place to the other. Costa Rica rainy areas are only a few miles away from Guanacaste and yet, this is the driest place in the country. The weather in Guanacaste during the summer can be compared to dessert hot and the scenery resembles this accurately.
South Side: Puntarenas: This is where it all comes together. Although the temperature is mostly warm, Puntarenas does get a bit humid, especially on the rainy season. Some areas do experience dry weather depending on the altitude and believe it or not, Monteverde is extremely rainy and cold. Let’s say it has something for everyone taste.
West Side: On the west side of Costa Rica there are different parts of both Limon and Puntarenas, yet the weather is very much humid, like in the Caribbean side of the country.
Middle Side: As I have explained before, Costa Rica weather changes depending on the location. The middle area of the country changes its temperature depending on how high o below sea level each location is. Heredia has a quite fresh sunny weather, while Cartago is cold and rainy, Alajuela has awesome temperatures and San Jose tends to be a mixture of everything.
Once you have found a place you like and enjoy. Costa Rica will now be a whole new adventure to you and, to take advantage of any new adventure, you will need a “how to survive list. Although, living in Costa Rica is relatively easy there are a few things that will come in handy.
Hospitals: Costa Rica has very good and reliable health services. Yet if you are not a resident, state hospitals will only provide assistance in case of emergency. These are a list of the best hospitals you can reach while in Costa Rica: Hospital Cima: In Costa Rica, Hospital Cima has one of the biggest varieties of health professionals, so they are most likely to help you with any problem you may have. Emergencies: 2208-1144. Tel: (506) 2208-1000 Fax: (506) 2208-1001You can check out their website www.hospitalcima.com.Hospital Clinica Biblica: This is another well staffed hospital and they are very used to having patients from different countries. Their phone numbers are (506) 2522-1000 and toll free: 8000-911-0800. You can check their options for international patients following this link http://www.clinicabiblica.com/esp/departamento_internacional.html
Public Transportation: As I have explained before, public transportation in Costa Rica is quite reliable in most cases. Buses are well marked and bus stops are usually well located. Taxi cabs in Costa Rica are red and have marks on the side doors with their plate and province. Only airport taxis are orange. If you are going to use a taxi to move around make sure you check if their plate in the side door is real. This is what it should look like:
Banks and Currency exchange: Costa Rica has two types of banking entities: estate banks and private banking, yet both are managed by the Banco Central de Costa Rica. If you need to check on exchange rates, check theirs first since it is the most accurate. For business, Costa Rica has different choice on different banks regardless the type of bank, my recommendation: use a bank that has international affiliates you are familiar with.
This information is just to get you started. I will be adding more tips as the blog goes along and help you get around easily so you can be comfortable on your knew environment, also to help you find the best Costa Rica property you can have.
