New members of the Costa Rica forum, introduce yourselves here - 2020

hello, I have been to cr many times and my wife is costarican, we r just seeking opinions when shipping some items  in a crate  of some size what was expectations and results of such

we are planning to build shortly south of Uvita.  But we have been heading down for over 14 yrs.   looking for deals on landscaping materials, security shutters etc...  hope to buy our appliances in Golfito .  Perhaps a silly question but could you bring a 55" tv  in a box on the plane and pay extra?

Hello! 

Just a quick note to introduce ourselves.  Gary, Kimberley and Max the dog.
I retire (at 55) in 12 months and we plan to move to Costa Rica from the UK.
Over the next 12 months we will be asking LOADS of questions so please bear with us - but in the mean time we leave for 3 weeks touring the country in a few weeks.. fingers crossed for blue skies and warm winds.

I am starting a none commercial travel and retirement blog that will cover our deliberations and decisions regarding the move - I'm unsure if I can share the URL here It is advertising free - and really simple - first ever website etc.  So let me know if I share I am breaking the rules.

First question is - rent or buy first?  I have heard it can take years to sell a property and it can become a millstone around your neck ?  But is it easy to rent with a dog?

Anyways ... thank you

Gary

Definitely, rent first. Many rentals will accept dogs, so be sure to get a fully fenced yard to keep him from wandering.

Very easy to purchase property ...and very often very difficult to sell. Also makes it easier to move around the country, if you feel that your original choice was not the best for you all.

Hi everyone,
My name is Beatrice and we live in Colorado. Our family of 6 is moving to Guanacaste in June and will be staying there for one school-year. Our kiddos will be attending Educarte near Tamarindo and we are currently remotely looking for a place to rent in the area but after having thoroughly roamed the Tamarindo, La Garetta, Santa Rosa, Playa Grande areas, we realize we will have to be on-site to find the perfect place : )
We are looking forward to our move and would welcome any advice!
Thank you!
Beatrice

busybea wrote:

Hi everyone,
My name is Beatrice and we live in Colorado. Our family of 6 is moving to Guanacaste in June and will be staying there for one school-year. Our kiddos will be attending Educarte near Tamarindo and we are currently remotely looking for a place to rent in the area but after having thoroughly roamed the Tamarindo, La Garetta, Santa Rosa, Playa Grande areas, we realize we will have to be on-site to find the perfect place : )
We are looking forward to our move and would welcome any advice!
Thank you!
Beatrice

Check Facebook for a group in Tamarindo. Don't know if there is one or not but it seems there are facebook groups for many areas of Costa Rica and there you would find local people who might know of rentals.
Check back here as well but the fact is I don't think many on here live in that area. We'll see if anyone responds...

Thank you, I will check the Tamarindo Facebook pages.

It may not be important to you, but I don't think that this school is Internationally Accredited,  meaning it has been validated and is accepted by other countries and associations internationally as a mark of quality assurance.

I am not saying, by any means, that this school is below standard.

Thank you for your comment! It is a good point! Yes, we are aware of it but our stay in Costa Rica is so exceptional to us and so short (one year) that we are ready to have an out-of-the-box experience and the benefits will certainly out-weigh the mishaps. Our kiddos are homeschooled already so we are used to not fitting the traditional mold ; )

That's good that it still 'fits the bill' for a good learning experience, for all   

Hello!

This is my first time on the Forum, so please forgive any egregious errors.  I'm a librarian officially retiring in April and I believe I'd like to relocate to Costa Rica.  First, it seems like a good idea to travel around the country a bit and decide where.  I'm hoping to spend at least two weeks visiting and SO don't want to use Vrbo or Airbnb.  My budget is limited and it would be great to spend what I might spend on rent when I live there.  So, $400-600 a month?  Is that possible?  I am grateful for any/and all suggestions.  (Habla muy pocito espanol, but I'm learning)
Muchas gracias!

I'm not quite sure of your comment 'I'm hoping to spend at least two weeks visiting and SO don't want to use Vrbo or Airbnb' so where do you want to stay? Rental costs vary throughout the country.

Hello,

I'm not too particular about what province I stay in; i do have a preference for the Caribbean side and more rural than not.  I don't mind bloodsuckers like mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but I try to avoid  Vrbo and Airbnb.  I've used them in the states on multiple occasions and they're so overpriced.  And getting worse. 

Thanks!

Hey! My name is Brandon. I am currently living in Heredia. Currently I am here until June but I would love to make my stay here permanent. I am a digital communications expert looking for remote work or a job for a company here in Costa Rica.

I don't want you to think we're ignoring your post so even though I have no ideas for you I wanted to say, good luck! And maybe someone who knows something will answer.

It is - generally speaking - hard to get a job in Costa Rica because so many Costa Ricans (Ticos) are out of work. And a company who might hire you, as I understand it, would have to get approval to hire you and go through a process to prove you have skills they need that they can't find a Tico who can do.

I'm not an attorney so this is anecdotal information based on things I think I've heard.

I do know this: unless a company does hire you and vouch for you, and get you a special Visa, you would have to leave the country for at least a few minutes every 90 days, which we call "making a border run" in order to be a "perpetual tourist".

Right now, due to the Coronavirus one is not allowed to leave the country and come back in, so that may or may not change in the next 90 days. I am writing this on 04-06-20.

I also suggest that you ask any specific questions you have on the main forum with a title of the post explaining clearly what it is you are asking.

This Thread is just to introduce yourself, yet people always ask questions here and often the questions are not seen.

Personally I think this thread of introductions is worthless. You can introduce yourself at the beginning of your main post in the main forum.

Hi everyone!
My boyfriend, Chris and I (Andrea) will be moving to Tamarindo this June. We can't wait to start our Costa Rican journey. We will be renting a place in Tamarindo for 6 months while we look at properties to purchase. We'll be bringing our 3 giant Maine Coon cats with us so any advice on cat supplies would be greatly appreciated.
My boyfriend has a UX/UI design firm, working with other nomadic designers around the world. I have a jewelry business which I plan to sell online and find some sort of markets to sell at, if you know any! Going to try and contact the farmers market in Tamarindo.

Can't wait to join this wonderful community!
Pura Vida
Andrea

I am so excited for you!  There is also a farmers market in playa nosara on Tuesdays. Hit that too. You will love and be very happy in this area!  Be blessed, have fun and keep an open mind!  Muah!

Thank you for the recommendation! I'll check it out! <3

Hello Expats (& like me, wanna bes)

I am planning on moving to Costa Rica (Atenas area) within the next 18 months. I've spent a great deal of time there over the last couple of decades and love/enjoy most things Tico (although I'm still struggling with the concept of time especially when it comes to meeting someone ;-).

I will be retiring this summer at a relatively young age - I just got approved for residency (as an investor). I have a home there and want to try my hand at being a cook (restauranteur) - nothing like a care-free retirement trying to make a go of hospitality service in the age of COVID ;-). I've always been a bit of a risk taker.

I've experienced a lot of the country (excl. South/Osa), Guanacaste isn't for me (too hot/dry) and I haven't had the best luck in Limon (too much open drug use/sales).

I hope this forum allows me to connect and learn from others, and share my relevant experiences.

-Kevin

Hello,
We are seniors from Fla. considering moving to Costa Rica. We are looking for a 2BR+
home in a gated community with tennis and pool. Not sure of area but not in San Jose city, need some water view, not too far from a hospital. Dont speak much Spanish so U.S. expat community is ideal.
Does this exist for under $400,000? Would appreciate any help advice etc. This forum is a godsend. thanks so much.
Leia

Leia1 wrote:

Hello,
We are seniors from Fla. considering moving to Costa Rica. We are looking for a 2BR+
home in a gated community with tennis and pool. Not sure of area but not in San Jose city, need some water view, not too far from a hospital. Dont speak much Spanish so U.S. expat community is ideal.
Does this exist for under $400,000? Would appreciate any help advice etc. This forum is a godsend. thanks so much.
Leia

Better to ask your question in the main forum instead of here. Most people don't see stuff posted here in this thread, it seems.
Yes you can def. do it for under $400k, probably under $200k.
First rent here for 6 months or so in parts of the country where you THINK you might like it. Regions are very different here, weather wise. They call them "micro-climates" because you can have very different weather just a half mile away, depending on wind channels, forests, mountains, humidity, fog etc.

Ask in the main forum for recommendations but give more details on what kind of weather and experience you are looking for, if you want better answers.

Right off the top of my head, I'd say look at Playa Tambor. It's over towards Montezuma on the Nicoya Gulf. My ex attorney has a place there and he loves it; not sure if they have tennis but pretty sure they have a pool. Gated community.

Hi!  I live in Baltimore, USA  and just starting the process of looking to move to costa rica.  I am hoping to visit during christmas holiday if Covid allows

See *** and search topics of interest.

Richard Wooten

Hello All

After living abroad for 28 years, in Europe and Asis, I am now back in the U.S, since 2012 and missing the life style that I enjoyed for so long, and Las Vegas is not at all close to a substitute. I have been doing some research and Costa Rica appears to be what I have been looking for. Have never set foot in the country and would like to know where to start. I am looking for a location t. good medical facilities, close to the water and a community that is expat friendly. If some one could suggest a good location to land and start my search, it would sure help. I am single and not dead yet and still enjoy a little entertainment. I want to live this last chapter of my life in luxury and happy.
Thanks in Advance.

Hi, I'm Mike, currently living in Fort Myers FL.  I'm looking at moving to Costa Rica sometime in the middle of next year (I'm held up by a lease).  I'm looking at Ojochal or the area around it as it sounds pretty safe.  There are a bunch of Facebook pages for Expats in Costa Rica and I follow them pretty closely.  Everybody is taking a watch and wait attitude about moving right now until the post-covid economic situation in CR plays out.  It might really change the nature of the country.  So I think by the time I'm ready to move I'll have a clearer picture.  Anyway, glad to be a part of the group and I will keep in touch!

My name is Barry and my wife is Jamie, we are looking into moving to Costa Rica.  We want to relax enjoy our retirement.  Need a slow pace, some amazing weather and food.  any help or things we need to look into, Any help would be great

Hi, just a quick not of introduction. I am Lynne. My husband and I are considering re locating to Costa Rica. We are nearing retirement age, both in our early 50's and have a developmentally disabled adult son. I am a registered nurse and my husband is a tile and marble mason, but the plan is for me to work and him to care for our son.
We are happiest living in the outskirts of a city, preferably not a large one. I am interested in suggestions of a good area to live in, and how likely it is that I may be able to find work. I have been a nurse for 20+ years.
Thank you.

Lynne, suggest you read the 'rules and reg's'regarding living and working here.

Until you are a  Permanent Resident one cannot legally work here, which will take approx. 4-5 years from your initial application.. Especially in the medical field, where you will be required to be fluent in Spanish and must be prepared to retake you your exams. You can open your own business, however, you can't perform any 'physical' work.

There are many well trained Costa Rican  nurses looking for work and wages are much lower here..

No offense to the Expat.com owners/managers but this Introduce yourself thread is misleading.
People feel they need to come here to introduce themselves, then when they ask their first question no one is here, often, to answer it.
My suggestion as a user of forums for 30 years is that you get rid of this thread and just let people ask their first questions and introduce themselves on the main forum.

Hello samramon,

Thank you for your message. 

This thread helps us get to know the new members better in order to be able to guide them.

For example, if someone is looking for a job, we know exactly where to redirect him/her.

I thank you again for your suggestion and will definitely take it into consideration. 

Cheers,

Cheryl
Expat.com team

As you know I come to this forum regularly and what I see is that it just wastes people's time. I personally will not be following this thread any more.
People always ask questions here which they should just ask in the main forum. IMHO.

Hello,

We are new to the forum! In fact, I am not really sure how the forum works. My husband, Tim, and I are building a home in Playa Pelada, Nosara on the Guanacaste Peninsula. My sister and her husband are involved in the project as well. We are from Philadelphia, PA, US and plan to be spend our winters as snowbirds in CR when we (me) finally retire from teaching in a few years. We are set to break ground in March if all goes well with permitting and the drafting of the construction documents. I would love to connect with people who have furnished a home about the best way to do it. Because it is a new build intended to be used part time as a rental property, it will need everything from mattress to couches to silverware. This feels like a very daunting task. Has anyone ever hired a company to do this? I have read that Pacific Home Furnishings offers this service. Is it better to purchase in CR or ship?

I am looking forward to connecting with other expats - and really looking forward to being one myself!
Kristen

Hi Kristen! We moved down to the Pinilla area a year and half ago. We shipped all our furniture mainly because we thought it would make the transition easier for our young kids. But honestly, it's super easy to design and decorate a place here. There are loads of incredibly talented interior designers. My friend Carrie Bratton at Indigo Home is awesome but I bet there are some fantastic folks in Nosara also. Depending on size, prices vary between $30k-$50k for whole house. Ours was 4 bedroom and would have been $40k. Just to give you a ballpark.

Hi All,

My husband, Emmanuel, and I are relocating to Costa Rica in the spring of 2021!  We are relocating from Atlanta, GA in pursuit of a more simple way of life and we have our sights set on the Central Valley!
We have our own real estate redevelopment company and will continue remote investing and rehabbing in the states to support our life in CR.  We felt that it would be beneficial for us to connect with other expats to stay in-the-know on various topics relating to relocation and the country, itself, and we're looking forward to connecting with everyone!

Pura Vida!

We did exactly what you're doing..........buy what you can in CR.  Shipping is very expensive and who wants their home in paradise to look like their home in the States.  We had lots of furniture made locally.  One thing I would suggest is do not put anything too expensive into the house.  This is a mistake we made.  High end appliances, espresso makers, blenders, etc. - Expensive bedding, towels, etc.  House was broken into twice and all that stuff was stolen.  This is very common in the country.  People break in and steal your coffee makers, toasters (all those kinds of things).  Our last break in they actually stole our washing machine!!!  Another word of advice - if you're building, you need to stay for the duration of the constructions.  Our home cost us double what was quoted in the beginning and once you've started it's very difficult to go backwards.  Be very cautious of building.

Where in the Central Valley?