Protect Yourself While Buying Property in Costa Rica

August 15th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Gringo Owned Business, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Protect Yourself While Buying Property in Costa Rica

Real estate investment in Costa Rica is quite a project, but by keeping a couple of helpful tips in mind you can successfully venture jump through all the hoops and end up purchasing your own little plot of land in paradise.

In recent years more and more fradulent real estate dealings and investment scams. Therefore, it is important to keep your wits about you and don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Many foreigners come to Costa Rica expecting things to run just as smoothly as they do in the States when it comes to business dealings, and sadly, that’s just not they way it is down here.

So, how can you protect yourself from being subject to a Read more

San Pedro Mall in San Jose

May 23rd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap | 2 Comments »

San Pedro Mall is one of the largest malls in the San Jose area. Though many people feel that this is one of the greatest malls in the area, in my personal opinion I find this not to be true. My feeling is this mall has nothing more to offer than cell phones, video games and clothes. If you are looking for a variety of stores, than this is not the place for you to go. For a four level mall I was surprised that they didn’t have more to offer.

I did find three nice things about the mall first of which is on the fourth floor they have a complete workout center. It has spinning Read more

Using a Credit Card in Costa Rica

April 22nd, 2009 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Often people think it is better to pay everything with a credit card. This is true in many cases because most credit cards have reward systems. So there is a benefit to paying with a credit card and then paying off your statement each month.

In Costa Rica you may find using your credit card to be a little more complicated than using it in your country of origin. When paying for different items in Costa Rica one reason you may not want to use a credit card is because most credit cards charge you a foreign transaction fee. What this is basically is your credit card company is going to charge you a percentage of your Read more

The Gringo Shares His Little Black Book…

April 17th, 2009 | Costa Rica - Adults Only, Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Gossip, Costa Rica - Gringo Favorite, Costa Rica - Gringo Owned Business, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Nightlife, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Places to Stay, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

There are a ton of different ways to go about getting information regarding traveling to and living in Costa Rica. But how do you know the information is reliable? Plenty of you have e-mailed asking for information, but as you know… I don’t always find the time to answer, and sometimes I just don’t have the answers! I can, however, connect you with the people who do have the answers!

I, together with all the other Gringo writers (see my blogroll for affiliate sites) have worked to create a database that puts you in contact with the people you need to reach in Panama (and Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and more!)

If you are looking for legal services, real Read more

Residency in Costa Rica – Important Information

August 4th, 2008 | Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are coming into Costa Rica, you can plan on staying for up to three months. After that, you have to leave for at least 72 hours before you are allowed to legally enter the country again. As a tourist you can own vehicles, property, businesses, and generate income from self-employment. Many spend their winter months here as tourists, owning their own home and everything.

For those who plan on making the move to Costa Rica a permanent one, it is highly recommended that you apply for your residency. As long as you have the correct documents and don’t have any major criminal history your residency is practically guaranteed. The processing of the documents generally takes about Read more

Relocating to Costa Rica?

July 31st, 2008 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Nightlife, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are thinking about relocating or retiring in Costa Rica, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when trying to decide where to live, and I’m talking in addition to finding something that fits into your budget. Sometimes people don’t think enough about what they need out of their surroundings, and what their personal preferences are.

You may automatically think that you want to live on the beach, but the temperatures in costal Costa Rica differ greatly from those in the interior. Also, the farther you get away from the main city of San José, the farther you are from cultural activities, such as museums and the symphony, and entertainment, such as movie Read more

Costa Rica Casas!

July 6th, 2008 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Tourist Trap, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are looking to settle down or at least have a nice vacation home in Costa Rica, there are a few things you need to do first. Even though ownership of land is protected by the law for locals and foreigners alike, it is good to contact the Costa Rican Chamber of Realtors, or AMCHA, as they have a great reputation for being honest. The Association of Residents in San Jose and a trust worthy lawyer are also great assets, as they can guide you through the process of obtaining land.

Deciding where to settle is a whole other issue. The province of San Jose is one of the most populated, with the neighborhoods of Santa Ana Read more

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