Relocation Tours

We are planning on moving to Costa Rica. I have seen relacation tours (basically two)that are advertised in books etc. They are expensive so I so not want to spent money maybe better spent another way. Anyone have experience with them?

I would like the same information,please

I could help you. I have a great English speaking lawyer and have moved lock, stock and barrel to CR. We have helped friends to do the same. Prices would be dependant on what you want (a condo in Grecia or a B&B in Puerto Viejo). Real estate can be tricky here and visas take time. We can help you with how and what to move down here. Let me know.

Instead of taking one of the tours, we rented a car and did a LOT of homework (books, emails, websites, blogs.)  On our first trip, we stayed at some cabinas in San Ramon and met some great folks there.  All of these connections were made because I emailed George Lunquist who offers tours, and just asked him for some email contacts.  We've been twice now and haven't taken an actual tour yet.  We've been through a lot of the country too and never had any problems.  Having said that, I can tell you that buying real estate is tricky, tricky.  Let me recommend that you check out a few websites to get you started. They are:  welovecostarica.com, retireforlessincostarica.com, boomersoffshore.com, and actionalliancecr.com

Don't do anything on the advice of just one person.  There are a lot of things you need to know before you make the leap.  Good luck!

Know that as soon as you open your gringo mouth to rent/buy/negotiate anything, the price will go up exponentially. THAT is where you need a good lawyer. I called on a lot and they quoted me $85,000. I had my lawyer call and say he was representing a Tico and the price dropped $30,000! These are things you do not learn on those web sites.  When my stuff was shipped down, he was right there at Customs moving my stuff along making sure they took pictures of everything when they did the inspection. I know of people who moved down without having a lawyer locked in and things got real ugly. Regardless of what you decide to do, you NEED a good lawyer in CR. Maybe even more than one!

I couldn't agree more.  That's why I like these particular websites.  They tell you what you really NEED to know.  On the We Love CR site, there's a book you can buy called "How to buy real estate in CR without losing your camisa."  It saved my butt from making a really big mistake buying property from a gringo I thought I could trust!

Ha! I had a list of properties I was interested in and my lawyer checked off nearly 80% as being illegal! I was stunned! There were so many little things he had to educate me on and so many properties had complex issues. He's a US educated Tico so he has great grasp of what I needed to accomplish. It can be a challenge to find someone to trust, so definately cross check your information. I have heard many, many heartbreaking stories of people losing thier shirts. Be very careful!