Costa Rica-Real Estate Condos for sale in Guanacaste

Since last week another great advance in the film industry for Costa Rica has hit the movie theatres: El Camino is another film that depicts the struggle two young immigrants go through trying to find their parents who migrated to Costa Rica in search of a better life.

The lead actress herself, 14-year-old Sherling Velásquez strongly identified the plight of her character: She never got to know the mother who left her and her younger brother with their grandmothers more than a decade ago to come to Costa Rica in search of a better life for herself and her children.

Every year, hundreds of Nicaraguans trespass the Northern border of Costa Rica due to the high level of poverty they have to live with in their country: once they arrive they get low paid jobs as security guards, construction workers and house maids in the best case scenario; some end up selling goods on the streets illegally. Although in Costa Rica education is free, these immigrants cannot complete their studies since the low salary they receive is hardly enough to get by and send back to their relatives in Nicaragua, so very few of them find better jobs than those, not to mention some might be staying illegally in the country.

In Guanacaste, Costa Rica has the biggest immigration rate of Nicaraguans, being the proximity to that country. Just like in the United States immigrants not always get to taste that so called better life they searched for and end up hanging out with the wrong crowd in some cases; you could say that the issues created are very similar to the ones we North Americans are used to living with Mexican immigrants in our country: some are real honest hard workers, some may be blinded by frustration and end up being a burden to society.

It is not good to assume that all immigrants will create problems or become criminals, the way Costa Rica handles the immigration problem is actually helping those who care staying here legally granting them the same benefits a regular Costa Rica citizen has so they can succeed, of course not everyone is willing to go through all that paper work and working illegally in any country is of course a problem.

Costa Rica weather can be quite weird. Lately I have no idea if we are in the summer or the rainy season and most of these climate changes are part of the very scary tropical storm Hannah and devastating Hurricane Gustav. Right now Costa Rica appears to be far away from Hannah’s or Gustav’s ways: Tropical storm Hannah seems to be heading to the Bahamas right now and as for Hurricane Gustav residents of the Mexican Gulf and Louisiana were told to be prepared for anything and as matter of fact, Officials in New Orleans and nearby locations are already considering evacuate very soon.

Although I am miles away I am very concerned we may be facing another Katrina, hopefully it won’t become as terrible but one never knows. Here in Costa Rica, buildings are more prepared to deal with natural disasters specially storms and earthquakes, they do plan ahead. Costa Rica has gone through quite a ride when it comes to emergencies due to weather, just a couple of months ago the entire town of Perez Zeledon was incommunicado when a storm caused a road to be blocked by dirt and a bridge fell down.

The way Costa Rica homes are built take into consideration the tropical weather changes: materials are stronger, structures are meant to survive earthquakes and even paint is developed to last longer because of the rain and this is probably why buildings in Costa Rica are a little harder to maintain than US constructions for example.

Right now, we all hope that both that tropical storm Hannah and Hurricane Gustav move away from towns and that any possible damage they cause on their way can be controlled. Otherwise I assume that just like in any other natural disaster people unite to help those who get their properties damaged.

A lot of people that come to relocate to Costa Rica are not only retirees looking for a place to rest and enjoy life. I have also noticed that a lot of youngsters come here looking for work opportunities to gain experience and in some cases, immigrants from other Latin-American countries come to Costa Rica to look for better living.

In the case of immigrants from neighbor countries, most of them end up working in low pay jobs: cleaning houses, babysitting, as construction workers and such. It is very hard for them to get a job in Costa Rica besides those, mostly because of the background they come from: Most of the countries that surround Costa Rica are in war, or a known to be very violent, so employers do hesitate on hiring them. Yet if they prove to be knowledgeable and have good recommendations they do get a chance. Costa Rica has opportunities for every one but they do take good care of their people.

Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty

It is also very common to see immigrants from Europe and USA teaching languages: English, French, German and Italian are the top languages taught in Costa Rica. English is however very well spoken and high percentage of inhabitants is at least bilingual. That is actually one of the perks of buying property in Costa Rica: there will always be someone that speaks English nearby. French and English are taught in high school, there are also some schools that teach three languages to kids which they will fully speak by the time they graduate. Education in Costa Rica is taken very seriously and you notice this as soon as you sit and chat with a local.

Now, although there are several call centers in Costa Rica, you need to have labor permission to apply for a job there, so make sure you have all your documentation organized. In Costa Rica listings for jobs are found on the newspaper or online so you shouldn’t have trouble searching for a job. For young people who just want to gain experience or earn college credits, a lot of companies in Costa Rica will hire foreigners as interns for a few months, all you need to do is contact them.

In Costa Rica, real estate agents can al so help you with the requirements necessary to work in the country,  they will not be able to find you a job per se, but will make sure you are fully aware on how it works, the documents you need and such. Do not be afraid to ask.

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.

These past few days I have not been able to keep up with the weather changes we have been having: one minute the sun is shinning like we are in the middle of summer and the next we are having a rainstorm.

Because of its location, Costa Rica weather changes drastically and constantly.  This is due to the location it has on the earth. Although it is a geographically small country, Costa Rica has many different weather types: from cold windy places up in the Alajuela mountains to extremely humid and hot in the Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica has what I like to call “wild weather swings”.

Atenas is a town in Alajuela, Costa Rica’s best weather can be experience there, although I have also heard that, that weather is the best in the world and not only in Costa Rica: very sunny and a fresh breeze blows all day long.

Limon, located in the Caribbean coast holds wonderful rainforests, Costa Rica’s most precious jungles. The weather is of course very humid due to the raining and very hot, I would compare it with Miami’s weather if ask me.

Puntarenas, is located in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and there is something very intriguing about this province: it is a long land strip full of coasts and beaches, yet a gorgeous place called Monteverde is located there and is one of the most wonderful rainforests I have ever seen; how can it be so close to the coast and be so incredibly windy and cold? I am actually doing research on that one, I will show you my findings later.

San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital is not so humid, it does rain a lot during the rainy season but the sun shines brightly during the summer time which is nice.

Now, my home, Guanacaste: Costa Rica has amazing California like weather here: sunny, dry, breeze, perfect for vacationing. Random rain may come along sometimes and makes everything fresher. I just love it here.

As a follow up from yesterday’s article I would like to bring a certain issue to your attention, just for commenting or considering. Although the car plates restriction was implemented in Costa Rica as one of the solutions to save gasoline, the owners of different companies are stating that they are actually spending more money on it.

Small companies that own only one or two cars are actually losing money since they cannot complete routes or make them anyways and get tickets for not complying with the restriction. In Costa Rica, economy is some sort of conjunction between a lot of different factors and small companies are a huge part of it, since there are so many. Big companies, such as Florida Ice and Farm (Coca Cola Co.) are also stating that although they have many trucks, arranging routes to follow the restrictions has become a very expensive issue.

Come to think about it, Costa Rica is in fact a small country, meaning that although the restrictions considers only the “Casco Metropolitano”, the majority of the people need to drive by this area no matter what to get to their jobs, schools, etc; there is no way to go around it and those who can o want to adventure themselves trying, end up spending twice o thrice as much money in gas, not to mention the condition the Costa Rica roads are in. At this moment and after reading about all these issues I cannot help but think that maybe, the restriction solution has worked for other countries, bigger countries and Costa Rica may be too small for this. As I have explained before, in Costa Rica, transportation is not well settled, neighbor towns cannot be connected by any bus route in some cases and people are obligated to go all the way to San Jose downtown only to come back to get to the next town. In Guanacaste, most people drive, yet there isn’t as much traffic as there is in San Jose.

Another big issue, has been the public transportation: bus drivers are demanding a raise on their prices to pay for gas, yet more and more people need to use buses to get to work and public transportation in Costa Rica was never set up for the increase of users: people are left behind I bus stops because they can’t get into the bus. The train could be the most reasonable solution yet the schedules set up can’t cover the high demand. I wonder how the Costa Rica government is dealing with this matter. If you ask me, instead of trying to convince people to move downtown, they should be encouraging people to move outside of San Jose. I live in Guanacaste and have the exact same facilities that people have in San Jose; Costa Rica is just not arranged properly in my opinion.

Real estate in Costa Rica is big and if the government would only provide more opportunities and chances for people to relocate outside of the capital, maybe a driving restriction that makes companies lose money won’t be necessary.

To continue providing you guys with small guides to relocate or move to Costa Rica I came up with a few short tips about well developed Costa Rica beaches. These locations have everything right on sight and are also the easiest beaches to visit. Most of these are located very close to main cities and not only are you able to sit at the beach and sunbathe but also, you can find many activities such as spa treatments and shopping.

Jaco Beach: This is the most developed one. Some people in Costa Rica even compare it to San Jose as a joke. In Jaco, Costa Rica has a small downtown with an ocean view. You can find everything from a Pizza Hut to a couple of Malls and hardware stores; great shopping and tourist information offices. Even a Hilton hotel is being built right now.

Tamarindo Beach: This beach is known because of the great surfing. Tamarindo Beach, is located in Guanacaste, only 45 minutes away from the airport. The ocean side is filled with amazing hotels, some of them very luxurious. The main street has a lot of bars, discotheques, bakeries and grocery stores, also a few massage parlors and information desks. If you come to Costa Rica looking for surfing and nightlife, Tamarindo is a place you should consider visiting.

Manuel Antonio Beach: This one has a plus: It is also a National Park and not only you will be able to find nice restaurants where you can enjoy extremely good cuisine; you can also experience the breath taking beauties of Costa Rica nature. At Manuel Antonio National Park you can see wild animals and five different beaches extremely well preserved.

At all these Costa Rica beaches you are able to find the exact same things you would find downtown: supermarkets, pharmacies, stores, and even browse Costa Rica real estate at designated offices that have great property listings from each area. I will try and get more information about other well developed Costa Rica vacation destinations for you to take a look later on.

Lately I have read a lot of articles about how Costa Rica and Latin America in general are losing their jungles and forests. It worries me mostly because the articles were written from outsiders and they actually don’t have access to the true Costa Rica living. They can’t really see the amazing paradise in Costa Rica. I have to admit that there are huge hotels in Costa Rica and that bigger building and tourist facilities are being built everyday, yet I can see for myself that at the vacation retreats in Guanacaste, Costa Rica main tourist destination, are built in areas specified to hold building projects without harming the natural beauties of the area.

People in Costa Rica are very careful with their treasures and the jungles and forests in Costa Rica are their more valuable asset. They actually fight to keep their natural resources intact. In Costa Rica, rain forest is synonymous to richness and although it is shown as part of their main tourism activities it is being taken care of. I don’t think they are going to allow some rich man come and mess up what people in Costa Rica value the most.

On an article I read today, the writer was saying that there was a “rampant construction that environmentalists fear could balloon into noisy, sprawling resorts”. I would say there should be more investigation on the matter, since the Costa Rica tourism chamber is quite harsh whenever a new development project is offered. Just a couple of miles from my own house there is a natural resource that holds hundreds of hectares of Costa Rica jungles, animals, beaches and much more and I know for a fact they are not going to allow any kind of building going on there or in any other natural reservation unless the natural environment remains intact.

I am not saying that the articles are lying about Costa Rica, upcoming projects or anything but I do think they should be more assertive about the increase in real estate Costa Rica is experiencing and the fact that such a rich country will not compromise the value of having many of the most impressive natural locations in Latin America.

I found out something very interesting today: U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) will be opening a new health center facility for the Caribbean Coast. Costa Rica does have a very nice health plan itself yet; some areas are a bit neglected mostly because they are so far away.

The United States Southern Command area of interest includes: The land mass of Latin America south of Mexico, the waters adjacent to Central and South America, the Caribbean Sea, its 12 island nations and European territories, the Gulf of Mexico and a portion of the Atlantic Ocean. They will be building a 345-square-meter clinic in Limón, Costa Rica’s main port and also the most problematic province. This new clinic will be built in the community of El Bambú starting this month. This is specifically located in Talamanca, near the Panama border.

In Costa Rica, Caribbean locations are very well known for their amazing beaches and food, yet a lot of the main cities like Puerto Viejo or downtown Limon seem to be having a lot of health and security problems, the fact that this clinic will be open in a far away location will help the access issues in the clinics down town and will provide assistance to the population in the nearby areas.

A lot of people get vacation packages in Puerto Limon. Costa Rica is really lucky to get this kind of assistance from the U.S since it will help increase tourism on the area. I wonder if they are thinking of expanding health facilities on the Guanacaste area as well. That will certainly sky rock the real estate business here, specially since in Costa Rica, Guanacaste is one of the most fancied areas for people who want to retire in a peaceful and paradise like location without losing any of the facilities and “luxuries” they had back home.

Yet, I do believe that this clinic is in fact a huge improvement for the entire Caribbean Coast. I will not be surprised if this area becomes a nice location to move in a couple of years.

I woke up this morning really early I went straight to get a cup of coffee to drink it on my porch. While sipping slowly I looked up and realized what a lovely view I get at home: the color shading between the darkness and the sun light, all the amazing shadows of the dawn the palm trees, everything was like a really peaceful picture, moving towards daylight.

In Guanacaste the weather is usually very dry and breezy, but due to the past storm, the ambience was getting kind of hectic. Now that it is over, we can actually enjoy the cleanliness of the air. It is really good to know that there was actually little damage on the area after all that rain, now everything is really back to normal.

Moving to Guanacaste was definitely not an easy decision to make, a lot of people told I should look further into Costa Rica real estate choices and move to a location closer to the city, they could not be more wrong, I found that out since the first night at the hotel. Guanacaste is a wonderful area, you can see cattle is one of the most common activities since the first day and, along with tourism, Guanacaste is the next big city in Costa Rica (at least Liberia is for sure).

Flamingo Beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Once you find the exact location you like, relocating to Guanacaste is relatively easy: make sure your property has access to supermarkets and stores and look on the ads, garage sales ads are everywhere and also in Guanacaste, real estate agencies often have information about places to buy furniture and household items. Also, one of the biggest perks about moving to Guanacaste: beaches you will have access to many different and wonderful beaches. A beach house in Costa Rica is one of the best purchases you will ever make.

Hotels in Guanacaste seem to prosper more and more, yet there are many residential areas around and since Liberia is becoming a main city, housing projects are big right now in Guanacaste. Costa Rica has many other wonderful locations for you to browse around for properties, I’ll make sure to provide more info once I visit more places.