Un Techo Para Mi Pais (A roof for my country) is an organization that should be admired. They have helped giving a real home to those who cannot even afford a small room to sleep with the help of Costa Rica companies and people’s donations. Costa Rica is in fact a very rich country, unfortunately there is an ugly side to all the beauties this country has: Poverty in Costa Rica has increased over the years and more and more families suddenly find themselves without a place to live.

Another big issue that contributes to these people’s dramatic lives are the natural disasters caused by earthquakes and storms, the poor planning on some housing developments in marginal areas of Costa Rica have left hundreds of families on the street. 

Little kid in Los Guido, Costa Rica and volunteers building Un Techo Para mi Pais

The organization was created in Chile and has grown over the years by including more and more countries with a successful rate. Costa Rica is now part of the organization and this week, hundreds of volunteers will be conducting a massive collection of money with a campaign called “Un rojo por un techo” (a red for my country: 1000 colones bill is red). A lot of Costa Rica university students and middles youngsters have enrolled as volunteers and will asking passers by to donate 1000 colones to help built homes for all those people who need it. They set up a display in downtown San Jose of small room-like structures made or zinc, carton boards and old wood that resemble very accurately the type of homes these people are forced to live in.

Costa Rica properties in these neighborhoods are usually donated by the government to help families, but although they receive a small piece of land; they have no resources to build a home. Some other families just arrived on the area put together a wood and steel structure and hoped not to be removed from the area. In Costa Rica it is very common to find non-lucrative organizations to help those in need and the success rate of these campaigns is quite promising.

Lately there have been ongoing issues regarding prices on properties in Costa Rica. A few days ago I was commenting that prices in Costa Rica real estate are quite cheap for us foreigners and that it is possible for us to purchase a nice luxury villa in a paradisiacal location for a lot less a normal home costs in the United Estates. Which is great for all of us ex-pats looking for a nice place to retire and rest, but it is a nightmare for people in Costa Rica who want to rent or buy their own place.

Rent prices in urban locations have gone crazy high and not at all affordable for the regular mid-class Tico. In Costa Rica, apartments and homes for rent in locations near usual work places for mid-class professionals will cost as much as one person’s month salary in the best case scenario, some regular sized homes will cost even more than a regular Tico makes a month, especially in the San Jose areas where most people go to work.

On one side Costa Rica gas prices have created a new mentality where people are trying to use less gas, so people try to get a place near their work places which has become impossible. I have learned that some people feel that real estate prices in Costa Rica are thought out for people that earn US salaries while Costa Ricans struggle to get by with salaries that do not match the Costa Rica real estate market.

According to some information I read, even real estate sales in Costa Rica beaches have gone down in the past couple of years, which incidentally matches a crazy increase in prices on properties. Costa Rica beaches and natural retreats are one of the most wanted locations for foreigners yet, for some reason, the prices on downtown locations has become very similar to Costa Rica luxury villas even though the ones offered are regular homes. Owners and realtors have excluded local market by offering mostly all furnished homes, which makes sense with the prices offered but turns into a hassle for Costa Ricans who need to move since in most cases they already own their furniture and appliances.

If you happened to live or plan to move to San Jose, Costa Rica and get a chance to use their buses there is a huge issue that cannot be miss: the poor planning on bus routes. In Costa Rica, public transportation has been going through several changes in the past few years, mostly because of the several efforts the government is making to safe gasoline and put an end to the very bad traffic jams in the metropolitan area. It is obvious that in Costa Rica there are more cars than the roads can manage, therefore traffic jams and huge ground holes are a common issue in down town areas.

One of the solutions was the addition of the Tren Urbano, Costa Rica’s old train back in business has become a great solution for people who need to travel from the east to the west and viceverse, cutting up traveling time by half and giving a choice for people who used their car on these route. They are actually considering including a route from San Jose to Heredia to help with traffic problems in the Prospero Fernandez highway, although it appears that including this route in Costa Rica transportation between provinces might cost more than expected.

Another awesome resort (still in the works) is the fist Interlinea buses in Costa Rica. This was offered a while ago and unfortunately there has been quite a lot of planning and several discussions about it, yet it appears that the issues preventing the route to begin operations are resolved and it might start running next month. Costa Rica business expectations with this new route is to avoid having people waste time going downtown to otherwise close neighborhoods.

This change will be very beneficial to properties in Costa Rica that are not so easy to access in the main cities and for sure will show a price difference in real estate. Costa Rica is now on great path with all these transportation improvements.

One of the most difficult changes one has to get used to when moving to Costa Rica is definitely the very weird weather. Costa Rica is located almost in the middle of the earth so there are a lot of differences between the seasons and temperatures here than the ones people who come for up north, like me, or people who come from the south of the continent. Tropical weather is in fact a bit warm, yet it does not mean that I will get cold; another thing is that is does rain a lot and that is exactly why all these tropical countries have such beautiful forests, beaches and mountains. Costa Rica is basically the best example of this type of weather.

Properties in Costa Rica are of course built to last under these conditions and more. Because of the volcanoes located all around the area, tremors an earthquakes are very common, so every single home or building in Costa Rica is designed to remain intact as much as possible in case of any of these natural disasters. Costa Rica constructors are used all kinds of weather swings so, no need to worry on that issue.

There are only two seasons in Costa Rica: Summer season and Rainy season. Although they are not so different from each other, there are certain details that separate one from the other:

Summer season: The hottest Costa Rica season for anything to do. During the months of November through April the sunny weather is enjoyed by thousands of people. There might be an occasional rain, yet it only makes things better for tourists and Costa Rica vacationers all over the place. The main difference is that during these months it is definitely raining in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, for some reason, they have the seasons backwards.

Rainy season: This goes from May through October, being September and October the rainiest ones. Costa Rica takes advantage of this weather promoting the many pristine and beautiful rainforests in the area, completely worth to check out.

It is very common and necessary that your Costa Rica home has proper ventilation, also air conditioning and fans are a must. Make sure that when you are browsing Costa Rica real estate listings all those little details are taken into consideration.

When I finally made the decision of relocating to a environment my main goal was to find peace, although I was never looking to get away from learning new exciting things. Costa Rica caught my attention when I friend of my brought pictures of his last vacation: there peaceful sceneries as well as great variety of fun things to do, so I began my research about all the possible locations I might like in Costa Rica. Guanacaste was of course the winner.

I fell in love with the views: Guanacaste Mountains seemed like another dimension to me, being so close to the ocean, the way the colors looked and that calm sensation was priceless. I first came to Costa Rica to get an idea of what it may feel like to live in such place and it was exactly what I wanted. Then I visited possible areas in Guanacaste: Flamingo beach was nice, but the nightlife was a bit overwhelming for an old guy like me; I liked the marina, so I knew I did not want to be too far away from it. Next stop was Tamarindo: great for youngsters and surfers, my children would enjoy it and it was a pretty neat town, although I was not a fan of the tourists (ironic, isn’t it). Playa Panama was so beautiful I honestly thought it was the place, until I realized I was going to be too far away from commercial places like supermarkets and drugstores. One of the most impressive beaches in Costa Rica is Carrillo it has one of the top ten sunsets in the world but again, not so close to urban areas.

Yes, this could be your everyday sunset for the rest of your life…

It was a hard search and it took a lot of work to finally come to the conclusion that if I was going to enjoy Costa Rica, Liberia was the best choice: every single place I loved was close driving wouldn’t take me more than an hour in most cases and it had every single service and facility necessary to live comfortable. Costa Rica was exactly what I was looking for.

In Costa Rica, luxury villas a lot cheaper than they would be in the US, and a lot more luxurious if I may add: a four bedroom, 2 bathroom villa with air conditioning, nice size swimming pool and a very decent piece of land could cost from $225000 to maybe $900.000 and that doesn’t even count the incredible views, weather and variety of activities. Guanacaste also has many residential projects and a condo can be purchase a very fair price anywhere in Costa Rica. Schools are available anywhere and the most prestigious private schools have branches in Guanacaste as well, so if you have children, no matter if they are in elementary school or college, education is nearby and accessible.

As you can see, there was really no reason to hesitate on my decision. My only recommendation is to be completely sure of what kind of property in Costa Rica will work best for you and you half way there.

To some people Costa Rica is a just a huge rainforest in the middle of the continent where it would be nice to take a nice long vacation. To some other people, it is an island with pristine beaches where surfers go to hide (It is not an island by the way) and to some of us Costa Rica has become our home and we are happy to embrace everything that comes along with becoming a Tico.

I am fool for culture and arts, so I take my time to indulge myself with local crafts and let me tell you, Costa Rica arts are quite impressive, it actually amazes me that they don’t get more spotlight around the world: paintings, photography, music and believe it or not, film making. There have been a few films made in Costa Rica, yet there was no school for film production up until a couple of years ago. This month there are three different film productions from Costa Rica featured: El Cielo Rojo (100% Tico Pop Corn movie), El Camino (several countries from Central America and mainly Nicaragua and Costa Rica were part of the production) and Ta Tau (a documentary on psychological views on tattooing). Most of these films were made with very little budget but the talent has given great critics to the pieces.

I have checked newspapers and seen interviews on television and Costa Rica artists are very proud to showcase their work, according to reviews I have read the audience is very amazed and thankful. Although there have been some difficulties young people have raised their voice claiming to be taken seriously in the industry, which I must admit: I admire. Costa Rica has shown potential and the carriers of that potential are here to stay.

It is definitely worth to check that cosmopolitan side of Costa Rica treasures, the insight of the culture itself and how technology is becoming a huge part of the evolution of the arts industry in Costa Rica. Soon Costa Rica real estate will not be one of the most important markets in the country and arts such as photography, film making and music will take its place. I strongly recommend you try to get a glimpse of these pieces of work; they are definitely amazing pieces of art.

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.

This information really makes proud about choosing to move to Costa Rica. Reading the news yesterday I found a little piece of history that supports my idea of how wonderful a world without an army (like Costa Rica has lived in for over 50 years) could be better.

Since 1980, Costa Rica, the first country in the modern world to abolish its army, was chosen to become head quarters of a very important institution: Established by the United Nations, University of Peace is an independent university for postgraduate studies. From Costa Rica, University collaborators have been establishing programs in Africa, Central Asia, the Asia Pacific region, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and North America where they aimed to teach inhabitants to do things based on the UN Charter, the Declaration of Human Rights.

One of the main reason why Costa Rica has become a top destination for both vacationing or relocation is the fact that the way of life in this country is based under a “peace comes first” ideal and this view of the world has catapulted Costa Rica destinations to be part of the most important in the world.

The University of Peace was established in Costa Rica because of that view and because that view is exactly what they want to portray and teach the world. From Costa Rica, they have managed to expand missions defending peace and human right all over the world. At this moment, John J. Maresca, the Rector of UPeace is beginning the expansion of the University to take detailed care on Human Rights issues that may have been neglected in the past. Graduates of the University of Peace are now leaving Costa Rica to become spokes persons for peace and the respect of human rights all over the world.

Now, this reassures me that relocating to Costa Rica was a great idea. Sometimes, real estate in Costa Rica focuses too much in the cold areas of property selling and forgets that buying a property in Costa Rica not only includes a piece of land, but also includes learning to live a place where guns or fights have never had the last word.

The old Costa Rica National Stadium is gone for good

Apparently not only the Costa Rica athletes are working hard back in Beijing Olympic Games: The National Olympic Committee of Costa Rica (CON) has confirmed that on Thursday they finished up negotiations to receive help from the Chinese government to create and developed sports medicine clinic plans to exchange efforts to train athletes and coaches.

The help was requested by the president of the CON Mr. Roberto Verdecia and the idea of a sports clinic in Costa Rica has been projected by the CON since this pat June. The project was supported by the National Counsel of Sports and the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS), entity in charge of health issues in Costa Rica. The idea was proposed on a meeting between Mr. Verdecia and the deputy head of the General Administration of Sports Mr. Feng Jianzhong, who agreed to provide all the requested help.

The government of China has been helping Costa Rica developments for a while now, including the reconstruction and remodeling of the Costa Rica National Stadium in San Jose. The sports clinic will be an addition to the current support the Chinese nation is providing to Costa Rica athletes, encouraging young people to practice sports and find better ways to live and  be successful.

The good thing about these projects is not only the wonderful upgrades made to the stadium and the very necessary addition to the clinic, but the fact that China is caring for the status of sports figures and athletes in Costa Rica. The country itself has been so grateful with the Chinese nation that plans of building a little “China town” in San Jose is being developed by San Jose’s mayor Johnny Araya to pay tribute to all the given help China has provided.

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.