Buying Property In Costa Rica...Continued

After several months of looking at properties that made me want to swoon because of the views I continued to find problems with availability of water, electric or price. I had actually looked around for about 6 months before this just seeing what might be out there, but really just dreaming. I had my area pinned down to where I absolutely wanted to be, but was having a hard time. Then one day I took my friend, George Lundquest, and my architect, Laura, to look at a property. When it was determined it was not going to work George mentioned a property in Galavista in Grifo Alto. I had friends that all lived there, which was why I was looking in the area in the first place, but never imagined I could afford a lot up there. The developer was wanting to sell it to get money to do some improvements to the area. I stepped foot on the lot, looked back at George, and asked him again how much the lot was and just simply said, "SOLD!"

Believe me when I say I bought this lot on faith that it really did have the view George and Laura told me it had. It was overcast that day and every day I went up there until I purchased it. They told me it had a lovely view of the Bay of Nacoya and the mountains on the three sides of the lot. I could see the mountains, which I was thrilled about, but just had my fingers crossed I'd have a peek of the bay. Mind you, I took George's word since I met him when I was 17 years old. He worked for my father at Haggar Slacks Company, and they remain friends to this day.

I actually still have not seen the view in person. They needed to finish the cement road going to my lot, and I just had not been going up there because of everything else I needed to do like actually purchase it, find a builder, work with my architect on the style and layout I wanted for my home, etc. Then one day my friend, Kristi, who lives right down the street from my lot walked down and took this picture of my view. It was still a little cloudy, but wowzers! The bright shiny part just above the mountain all the way to the horizon is the bay.

Normally, in Costa Rica, the seller pays for the contract. But in this case, he gave me a much reduced price, I was to handle the extra costs. My attorney, Gerardo Madrigal Acuna, drew up the contract in the name of my new corporation. And yes, I had to wait several weeks for my corporation to be registered before we could do the contract. From there it was easy sailing. We got the contract, all the legal descriptions and papers from the county, the Uso de Suelo, and my money cleared the transfer into my Costa Rica bank account with no problems. That alone was a miracle. We met the seller at the bank in San Jose and closed the deal.

From that point it has not been so easy. Everything is done on Tico time. Not a slam to Tico time. Things are just so laid back in the country, and tomorrow usually means yes, some day.

I will continue the trials and tribulations on the new money transfer laws and other fun things in my next blog. It's really not all bad. Things always work out in the end. It's just getting there sometimes.

Pura Vida!

Buying Property In Costa Rica

After living in the United States and knowing how to buy and sell property there who would have thought just a few countries south it could be so different. The only thing in common would be what pleases your eyes as the buyer, and don't get too pleased too fast!

I sold my darling Victorian home in Greenville, Texas in February. I came back to Costa Rica with money burning a hole in my pocket excited to purchase either an existing home or land. When I moved here I had a vision of exactly what I wanted. I wanted at least an acre with plenty of trees for privacy, maybe some water and a majestic view. After looking at all kinds of properties I had to come back down to earth and face the facts. What I wanted and what I could afford did not match up.

Next I started having friends tell me horror stories of people buying property here without doing their due diligence. I did not even imagine you needed due diligence past being offered the property and paying for it. That was actually when I first moved here. I quickly learned not to do anything here without the advice of friends and a local attorney.

In Costa Rica very few properties are listed on the few websites for the area. Each of the 3-4 sites would have not more than 8-10 properties and the same properties on each of the sites. The thing I found the most helpful were the Ticos I have met and become friends with. It's like small town USA in the 40s and 50s. The neighbors know where the properties are that are for sale. Not to mention, I went with my friend, Luis, and he just started knocking on doors around where I wanted to look and started asking. Without his Spanish I could have never done that.

I was finally locating some properties I was interested in, and it was time to get my corporation. In this country it is recommended that you put your home in a corporation you own rather than in your personal name. It makes it easier for inheritance, and if for some reason you get sued they cannot go after a corporation. I hired, Gerardo Madrigal Acuna, as my attorney. He was wonderful. He speaks Spanish, but his wife, Yorleny, can speak English. She was present for all meetings, so everything was made clear. The type of corporation I decided on is called a Sociedad Civil Corporation. It is for one piece of property and is not taxable. There are other types of corporations, but those are larger to enable you to add a business or other properties. This was far more than I needed.

The first thing I learned before purchasing a property was to get what is called an Uso de Suelo. This legal document tells you exactly who owns the property and if you will be allowed to build a home on it. You would think if it said you can build a home on it then you would have electricity and water. Not true. This is not the city or the United States. You have to check with the company or community (Asada) that supplies the water and find out if they will allow you to have any. Not to mention, Puriscal and Barbacoas are not allowing any new builds that require water because the demand is too much for the available supply.

I found a beautiful piece of property. The views were beyond majestic! When I checked with the Asada I found out that the nearest water to me was the last house before the many pastures going up hill from it. In order to get water from that distance the asada would have to supply a new pump to get it up the hill. The Asada did not have the money. I could pay for one myself if I wanted to. Then because it was so uphill once the pump got it there the flow would be very weak going into the house. That would call for another pump. Due diligence!

ICE (pronounced e-say) controls all the electricity in Costa Rica. I have friends that started their house over two years ago. It has been finished for 8 months. They still do not have the electric poles to their property. The moral of this lesson and others I heard of was do not purchase property unless the electricity is already there or on the street next door!

The knowledge of water supply and electricity narrowed down my choice and areas I would continue to look at.

Next blog I will continue my journey with you....

VIEW FROM THE PROPERTY I COULD NOT GET THE WATER TO

Pura Vida

Christmas in Costa Rica

December was a very busy month. Unfortunately, at the same time I had to learn to live without my laptop. The repair people here had to order the part from the States. I tried to get on my blog from my phone, but it would not let me in from there. Lesson learned. If you move outside the US and want to stay in touch with all your amigos and needs I am of the opinion you need either a tablet or spare computer. The ability to repair your electronics is here, but the supplies have to be ordered.

I flew in from my visit to Texas on Nov. 30th, and the first Christmas party here was Dec. 1st. Believe me when I say you do not have to worry about moving to Costa Rica without your friends. I cannot remember a Christmas season ever with this many parties and events to attend. There was my first CR high school graduation, Chichirones Festival with Christmas music as the theme, three birthday parties with one being a quinceanera, four Christmas parties and a New Year's Eve party.

The high school graduation here in Costa Rica is very different. Students here only go to school for 11 years not 12 like in the US. They do not graduate by alphabetical order. It was pretty random. They have entertainment! They had singers singing popular pop songs from the US sung in English, belly dancers that performed two numbers and at the end a really great mariachi band played. It was fun but took two hours with a small class. Two of my favorite Tico teens graduated.

Then there were all the parties.

Because I had to go home in November to take care of my house I was not able to turn around and go right back for Christmas. My sweet neighbors and family here in Costa Rica invited me to spend Christmas with them and their family. It was wonderful. They are so much like my family. They love each other, never argue over anything and laugh and laugh. They are just pure joy as are most of the Tico people. When they say "pura vida" they mean it. It is a way of life here.

I did make my homemade eight dozen chocolate chip cookies to give as gifts to my neighbors. I also made my annual Christmas photo with my dogs Gigi and Arianna, but was unable to post my Christmas wish for all of you this year. I hope everyone enjoyed a very blessed Christmas. Now to see what 2019 brings!

Pura Vida!

Rent or Buy in Costa Rica

As of the last six months I've been toying with the idea of either continuing to rent here and keep my house in Texas, or sell my house in Texas and build here in Costa Rica.

When I moved here I decided to keep my house in Texas and use it as a rental property to give me an extra income. It would be very tight living just on Social Security. I can do it, but it would be painful. It also turned out to be painful trying to have a rent house while living out of the country even with a management company. That in itself is another story. Just be warned on how good management companies are not. Really, no one can protect you from a bad destructive renter.

As it turns out it is very tricky buying property in Costa Rica. For me, I think I would have made some really bad mistakes or financially disastrous mistakes if I had moved here and bought immediately. You really need to know all the rules and laws and to feel out your area to decide where you want to make your permanent home. This includes climate, convenience, closeness to your friends, views and all things that might be important to you. Then there is the fact that nothing in real estate in Costa Rica works the same as in the States. First of all, just because a person says they have lived on a property for the last 20 years and want to sell it to you does not mean they own it at all. Many a person has moved here and excitedly bought their dream property only to find out that it was not a legal sale. The person never had the land legally put in their name, so they could not legally sale it. It would still belong to the person they bought it from even if totally paid off. There is a legal search and document called a Uso de Suelo that will prove the ability of the seller to actually sell it, you can build on it and you are able to bring utilities to it. If a property is within a certain amount of meters from a water source you cannot build on it. The city I live in now is water short. No one can build new here. Once again, you really need to have an attorney to make sure everything is on the up and up before you sign or give money.

After living in Costa Rica for a year and half I have come to the decision that I am very comfortable here. My stress level is 98% less than it was in the States. The weather here is so comfortable. The never ending views make my eyes happy every day. I have made some very nice friends and the Costa Rican people are truly the sweetest. Not to mention, with the cost of living in the States being what it is, if I went back I would have to get another job and work until I die. That is not what I want for my life.

So, I went to Texas in November after my renter moved out in the middle of the night with no notice and made the decision to repair and fix my house to go on the market. It officially hit the home listings on Monday. Hopefully it will sale quickly and I will move forward.

After looking around for months I have come to the conclusion that it is less expensive to build new rather than to buy existing. I am losing the extra money per month from the rent which has played into my plans on what I want to do here. Once my home in Texas has sold I will be on the active look for a nice piece of land to build on. It must be large enough to give me some privacy and above all it must have a drop dead view. All of Costa Rica is a drop dead view, so that is actually the easy part. I have already talked to friends that have built here and have decided on my builder. I know that I want to build a comfortable home for myself, but I am going to build a story and half. The half will be a short term rental for people on vacation. I will advertise through Airbnb. This will cover my loss of the extra money from my rent in Texas. I have several friends here that do this in my area and have been very successful with it.

There are so many things to consider if you are thinking about moving to Costa Rica. My personal advise would be to rent for at least a year. Get comfortable with your needs and wants, and above all talk to people that have already been through it and hire an attorney.

Pura Vida!

My First Doctor's Appointment At The Caja

I had my first appointment with a Caja doctor, and everything went swimmingly. I had heard horror stories of having an eight o'clock appointment and not getting in until eleven or later. Everything with my appointment went off like clock work. My appointment was for 8:00 AM. I weighed in, had my blood pressure taken, saw the doctor and was out at 8:45.

My new doctor's name is Dr. Carolina. She looks like she might be 25 years old but, of course, she is older and so sweet. She is a general practitioner but wants to go into internal medicine when she can. She has to work in the Caja for at least a year first. She asked me a little about my history, but told me she would talk more in-depth after she got my blood tests and mammogram back. We went over the medicines that I take on a regular basis. She was able to prescribe everything except medicines for menopause until she gets back the mammogram. In the mean time, she told me to just go to an outside pharmacy and purchase my Estradiol. No prescription needed! After our visit was over I went to a check out window where they stamped all the prescriptions she had written for me three times with dates and other information. I took these to the pharmacy in the CAJA, and they were all filled for three months for FREE! When they handed me the bag full of my medications I had the urge to run just in case they made a mistake in giving them to me at no charge!

Dr. Carolina also gave me prescriptions for blood tests and the mammogram which I was to take to another building called CISA and make my appointments. It also turned out to be a very easy process. Luckily I ran into my friend, George Lundquist, who speaks Spanish. I would have been in a little trouble with this part of the process if he had not been there. In the end, I now have appointments in November for all my free blood tests and mammogram. In January I return to my doctor to go over all the results and finish my physical.

Yesterday I ran into my new doctor in the grocery store. It made me so happy. It was such a warm feeling like being back in my small home town of Greenville.

Doctor's Office and Free Pharmacy

Pura Vida!

How To Make A Doctor's Appointment In Costa Rica

I did it! I guess it is silly to always be amazed when I accomplish things here, but I always am. It is a different country with a language I understand very little of. It has different customs and the medical system is Social. It is the opposite from what I am familiar with. So, today I walked into the Ebias, found the window for Ebias number One which is the area I live in, and made my first doctors appointment.

I thought I could just walk into any doctor's office, hand them my Seguro Social (Caja) card and make an appointment. Wrong. First I had to find out what area I was actually in. I called my neighbor, Manuel, and he told me I was in Ebias number one. From there I found out I had to go to the Seguro Social office, find the number one area, and make an appointment with a doctor. Then there's the problem of trying to ask if there is a doctor that speaks English. The guard at the front door did not speak English, so through my terrible broken Spanish he finally understood I was needing area one to make an appointment. The girl at the window for my area did not speak English, and I could not get internet service on my phone for Google Translate. Somehow, again with my words not sentences in Spanish, she figured out what I wanted and started making the appointment for me. As she was almost finished she called a very pretty and very young girl over. She was asking her something, so I asked the girl if she spoke any English. She said yes, some. I told her what I was trying to accomplish, and she said it had been understood and my appointment would be on Thursday with her. She was the doctor! I would have guessed her at 18 years old. Seriously, the Ticos really age well here.

I am not sick. I need to first see a doctor so I can start getting my medications through the Caja for free. It has not been the smartest thing on my part having not taken care of this 5 months ago when I first got on the country's insurance program. I think I was just exhausted from all the other legal things that have to be accomplished when you first move here. I've spent money I did not need to on meds. I am really excited to start getting them FREE!

If you did not read any of my past blog posts my full coverage medical insurance with free medicines and free doctors appointments is $44.00 a month. That's correct, $44.00 a month! I may not get in to see the doctor as fast as I want, or may not get into a surgery right away if it is not an emergency, but it's free when I do. If there is an emergency, and you cannot wait to make a doctor's appointment, you just go to the emergency room and are taken great care of. I can live with this!

I will let you know how my first appointment goes and the thrill of receiving free prescriptions.

Pura Vida!

Effects of The Rainy Season in Costa Rica

I am still pinching myself and in awe that I actually live in this beautiful country called Costa Rica.

We are deep into the rainy season. October is supposed to be the wettest. Last week we had 3 full days of non-stop rain. No sunshine that long is not fun, and I am one of those people that needs the sun. The country, however, is lush and green from all the rain. I have not heard last weeks rain totals, but the week before was 43".

Now for a little warning. I noticed at the beginning of last year's rainy season I was coughing. Then I came down with bronchitis. That is not unusual for me. I had it chronically as a child, but out grew it. I did get it occasionally the last few years in the States, but it seemed to be viral not just me with bronchitis. Now this year...shortly after the rain started I began that little hacky cough off and on. Then I came down with a light case of the flu followed by a 5 week hard episode of bronchitis. I am beginning to think the rainy season may be the culprit. We all know with a lot of wetness comes different molds, and some people are very allergic to mold. Some nights, not many but some, I step outside to let the dogs out and it is so foggy/cloudy in the mountains that I almost feel like I'm breathing water, and my lungs are not in favor of that. So, I will see how it goes next rainy season. I am going to beef up my immune system during the months of April and May to get ready. My warning would be if you are a person with lung issues you may want to think about this before moving to Costa Rica. Since I am in the mountains where the air is cooler and the clouds, when it rains, are at the same level. There may be other areas of the country you would want to consider.

As a side note, my daughter, son-in-law and his whole family were here in August. We spent five days in a beautiful mountain top villa overlooking the Pacific in Manuel Antonio. We had the most wonderful time and visit. On the sixth day my daughter, son-in-law and two friends that came with the family came back to my house with me. I immediately fell sick with the flu. Before they got out of here to avoid the plague my son-in-law hooked my Roku up and loaded Netflix on it for me. My I just say, that may have been the best gift I have ever received. It saved my sanity during those weeks I was shut in trying to get over bronchitis.

View from our villa pool

Look who came to play

The girls snorkeling in the Pacific off the catamarin

The whole family on the catamaran off Manuel Antonio

That being said, I still love it here. I love the lushness, all the incredible birds, nature nature nature, and the sweet Costa Rican people. I still recommend it as a great place to retire.

Plants growing on the trees

Living level and above the clouds

Pura Vida!