大咖福利影院

Redokieus wrote:

My husband and I are retired US military and looking to move to Costa Rica. We are interested in learning more about moving and the different locations.

Hola Redokieus,

Welcome to 大咖福利影院!聽 Hopefully you can find the information that you're looking for here.

I would suggest that you first peruse through the many post in the Forum section.聽 You can get a lot of information here.聽 After that, if there are questions that you still have, feel free to post your specific questions.

The first step is doing what you're doing now.聽 Obtain as much information about any country that you are considering relocating to.

Just my personal observation from your saying that you are both retired military.聽 Many ex-military people are a Type A personalities.聽 And no, I am not saying this as a negative in any way, just how we are all wired differently.聽 Costa Rica being what it is, can be very difficult for this type of personality.聽 You have to change for it - it's not going to change for you.聽 聽Very difficult to explain, it just has to be experienced to "understand it."聽 馃�撀� 聽At the same time, there are Type A people who do live here - including retired military.聽

Good luck on your quest! 鈽�锔忦煂�

- Expat Dave
大咖福利影院 Team Member

kohlerias wrote:

Finding decent and inexpensive accommodations in a rural area, could make it harder for you to get reliable internet connections which I am guessing you require, according to your 'name' however it is no longer cheap to live here....and you can't legally perform

I have noticed internet connection is scarce in rural listings.

kohlerias wrote:

Finding decent and inexpensive accommodations in a rural area, could make it harder for you to get reliable internet connections which I am guessing you require, according to your 'name' however it is no longer cheap to live here....and you can't legally perform

My name is actually a reference to reverting to a time before everything was digitized.

That being said. Limited service will be fine for us as there will be needs to communicate. We just want to be sure a message or a phone call is never far away.

We have decided we are going to airbnb around the country for a few weeks/months looking at homes and sampling all the regions.

Thank you ExpatDave, you seem to be a reliable source.

ssmith338 wrote:

Hello..I moved from Georgia December 30, 2016 retiring from the public school system and teaching here.聽 I actually bought a home that is 300 meters from the beach.聽 Be very careful with housing for the following reasons:
1.聽 Not all realtors are actually realtors and will sell you ANYTHING to get a commission.
2.聽 Most homes under 300,000 are Tico homes which are concrete and very basic.聽 No P-traps so your bathrooms stink, and a list of ongoing upgrades required.
3.聽 There are no plumbing codes or plumbers
4.聽 There is no guarantee that your home is in the condition stated, so "buyer beware".

How do I know this?聽 I bought a home and, while it is only 300 meters from the beach, it is in constant need of upgrades.聽 We have been fixing and repairing each month and are actually considering selling because it is too big for us.聽 Four bedrooms and two bathrooms and a fenced backyard and it is just the two of us.聽 Anyone interested in moving should really rent and give yourself time to really find an honest realtor and the best buy.

So, we sound a bit bitter, understandable in cases like yours but not all of what you state is actually factual.
First, I'd agree on realtors.聽 But to be fair, there are no licensed realtors here.聽 There are no requirements to becoming a realtor.聽 So if you feel the need for a realtor - BEWARE.

Homes for less than $300,000.00 are Tico homes?聽 Again, understand the frustration, but this depends entirely on the area that you select.聽 Yes, if you choose a high end resort area along the beach you will be paying for it.聽 If you buy a home inland you'll pay significantly less.

There are actually are plumbing codes - now.聽 With the construction of older homes there may or may not have been plumbing codes but they certainly were not enforced.聽 When I built my home the requirements for meeting the codes were right there in the planno/blueprints.聽 Here, it is up to the architect to make sure those codes are followed.聽 I actually disagreed with some of their codes and went by San Francisco code as it's more applicable, and strict, for earthquake prone environments.

You are SO right about buyer beware.聽 Just the same as you should be in your home country.聽 The big disadvantage here is if you need to sue someone, it will take several years to reach an actual hearing.

As SSmith states, RENT BEFORE BUYING - please!聽 Over the years I've heard many stories like this.聽 If you're not familiar with construction, find someone who is to inspect the building, the electrical, the water, the plumbing, the walls, etc., etc.聽 AND, there are no "licensed" home inspectors here either.聽 My recommendation would be to find an honest Gringo who was a contractor or a Tico who worked in the States for a number of years to inspect the home before considering purchase.聽 I would not depend on a Tico who has only done construction work in CR.聽 For lack of a better way to say it, Ticos simply do not understand how picky North Americans are.

An soon-to-be expat purchased a house down the road from me.聽 The realtor used her "home inspector" to inspect the home...a Tico that charged the buyer $400.聽 I somehow managed to get involved and agreed to inspect the home after he did.聽 The "inspector" missed every single thing that I pointed out.聽 None of it too serious but it still cost her about $4,000.00 to correct all of the minor issues.

Good luck to you Mr./Ms. Smith.聽 I sincerely hope that it all works out.聽 聽