Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Rosewood Resorts coming to Costa Rica
Exciting news as more upscale resorts come to Costa Rica. Click on this link to read about the latest - Rosewood Resorts This is a great time to buy before the hoards of retirees hit the shores of paradise. Pura Vida!
Thursday, March 17, 2016
I taught I taw a putty tat!!!
Here is a rare sighting and rare photo taken by our worker's cousin while driving from our nearby village San Jorge to the town of Guayabo. Jaguars are nocturnal and to see one during the day is rare and to have one pose for a picture is even more rare! Closely related to the leopard the Jaguar is the king of the jungle here in Costa Rica. These big cats and can take down any animal in Costa Rica. We have been told one of their favorite prey and favorite foods are dogs! So we keep our two pooches in side at night. Here is a you tube video of a Jaguar taking down a caiman in Brazil. Just click on the link. Amazing to see! Great swimmers as well!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
At Last - Easier Banking for Foreigners!
The Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) reports the opening of 15,000 new accounts in the three weeks it simplified account opening, that included foreigners in Costa Rica without a residency cedula.
The bank says majority of the new accounts were by Costa Ricans (86%) and 13% were foreigners. The majority, 92%, opened a savings account, with 48% of the new customers women.
The BCR was the first institution to allow opening of an account online, immediately issuing an account number, followed up by a visit to the local branch.
The BCR is also the first, since reforms to the banking system were made several years ago, starting on January 19, to allow foreigners in Costa Rica without legal residency to open a bank account in their name.
Up to January 18, foreigners could not open a personal bank account at any of the country’s financial institutions unless they were either a legal resident or become nationalized. The option for many, and expensive, was the creation of a corporation and opening a business account in said corporation.
In addition, many a foreign resident – ie foreigners buying property in Costa Rica or visiting the country occasionally, preferring to have a bank account for use while in the country – found their bank accounts suspended (legally the banks cannot close them) for failing to have “ties” to the country, ie owing property or legal residency.
“It contributes to facilitating access to bank accounts,” said Kattia Morales, brand manager at the BCR.
The process is simple and unique. A visitor to the BCR website clicks on the link to open a new account, in colones or U.S. dollars, at a branch of the user’s choice, and within minutes is issued an account number, confirmed by an email and follow up by a personal visit to the chosen branch a few days later, and receive their personalized Visa debit card linked to the account.
Opening the account online requires a cellular phone number, for the bank to send the confirmation messages and notify its new customers when to make a visit to their branch. The notifications are also sent to the new customer’s email.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Dole Bananas in Costa Rica
Click here to see a very interesting video on how bananas are harvested here in Costa Rica. DOLE BANANAS You will be that much smarter about how you get your tasty bananas back up North.
Pura Vida!
Pura Vida!
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Hard Rock Cafe - Playas del Coco
The Hard Rock in Coco is now open. Click here to see the REMAX crew get together this past week. A great addition to our sleepy little fishing village - Hard Rock Coco Look for me I am the old white guy who can't dance:-)
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Cost of Living Comparison - USA vs Costa Rica 2015 - Interesting!
United States and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison!
The cost of living is one of the main considerations when contemplating moving to Costa Rica.
Did you know, Costa Rica’s cost of living is substantially lower than that of the United States?
Did you know, Costa Rica’s cost of living is substantially lower than that of the United States?
Please don’t shoot the messenger!!! If you think the price is wrong you can edit it yourself below.
The information below is from the good folks at numbeo.comNumbeo is the world’s largest database about food prices worldwide!
Do you live in Costa Rica? We need your help: Add data for Costa Rica
…
Indices Difference
| Consumer Prices Including Rent in United States are 42.35% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in United States are 107.57% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in United States are 46.90% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in United States are 27.42% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in United States is 108.12% higher than in Costa Rica | |
…
Costa Rica Cost of Living
| Costa Rica | United States | Difference | |
| Restaurants | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 6.58 $ (3,500.00 ₡) | 11.00 $ (5,855.30 ₡) | +67.29 % |
| Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 33.82 $ (18,000.00 ₡) | 50.00 $ (26,614.99 ₡) | +47.86 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 6.76 $ (3,600.00 ₡) | 6.75 $ (3,593.02 ₡) | -0.19 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 2.25 $ (1,200.00 ₡) | 3.50 $ (1,863.05 ₡) | +55.25 % |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 3.57 $ (1,900.00 ₡) | 5.00 $ (2,661.50 ₡) | +40.08 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 2.37 $ (1,259.30 ₡) | 3.74 $ (1,988.81 ₡) | +57.93 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.52 $ (807.97 ₡) | 1.65 $ (877.49 ₡) | +8.60 % |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.32 $ (703.97 ₡) | 1.34 $ (711.94 ₡) | +1.13 % |
| Markets | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 5.23 $ (2,783.24 ₡) | 3.76 $ (1,998.83 ₡) | -28.18 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 1.61 $ (857.05 ₡) | 2.26 $ (1,204.05 ₡) | +40.49 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 0.94 $ (499.39 ₡) | 1.50 $ (796.71 ₡) | +59.54 % |
| Eggs (12) | 2.74 $ (1,456.06 ₡) | 2.48 $ (1,319.69 ₡) | -9.37 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 2.82 $ (1,499.63 ₡) | 4.48 $ (2,384.76 ₡) | +59.02 % |
| Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1 lb) | 3.17 $ (1,688.74 ₡) | 3.83 $ (2,038.80 ₡) | +20.73 % |
| Apples (1 lb) | 1.82 $ (969.84 ₡) | 1.84 $ (981.79 ₡) | +1.23 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 1.11 $ (591.50 ₡) | 1.82 $ (966.95 ₡) | +63.47 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 0.94 $ (498.65 ₡) | 1.79 $ (952.40 ₡) | +91.00 % |
| Potato (1 lb) | 0.81 $ (433.16 ₡) | 1.18 $ (630.34 ₡) | +45.52 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 0.84 $ (446.05 ₡) | 1.58 $ (839.70 ₡) | +88.25 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 2.42 $ (1,288.10 ₡) | 1.76 $ (936.56 ₡) | -27.29 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 11.27 $ (6,000.00 ₡) | 12.00 $ (6,387.60 ₡) | +6.46 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.93 $ (1,027.59 ₡) | 1.76 $ (936.92 ₡) | -8.82 % |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 2.74 $ (1,461.14 ₡) | 2.37 $ (1,259.76 ₡) | -13.78 % |
| Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) | 3.19 $ (1,700.00 ₡) | 6.15 $ (3,273.64 ₡) | +92.57 % |
| Transportation | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 0.75 $ (400.00 ₡) | 2.00 $ (1,064.60 ₡) | +166.15 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 56.36 $ (30,000.00 ₡) | 64.00 $ (34,067.19 ₡) | +13.56 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 1.20 $ (640.00 ₡) | 3.00 $ (1,596.90 ₡) | +149.52 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 1.93 $ (1,029.98 ₡) | 2.50 $ (1,330.75 ₡) | +29.20 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 13.15 $ (7,000.00 ₡) | 30.00 $ (15,969.00 ₡) | +128.13 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 4.89 $ (2,602.26 ₡) | 2.86 $ (1,523.28 ₡) | -41.46 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 24,891.98 $ (13,250,000.00 ₡) | 21,000.00 $ (11,178,297.90 ₡) | -15.64 % |
| Utilities (Monthly) | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 74.63 $ (39,726.36 ₡) | 157.23 $ (83,694.50 ₡) | +110.68 % |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local ( No Discounts or Plans) | 0.06 $ (34.27 ₡) | 0.16 $ (83.55 ₡) | +143.80 % |
| Internet (10 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 52.21 $ (27,790.09 ₡) | 47.97 $ (25,536.24 ₡) | -8.11 % |
| Sports And Leisure | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 42.57 $ (22,658.24 ₡) | 37.22 $ (19,809.67 ₡) | -12.57 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 17.11 $ (9,108.64 ₡) | 18.20 $ (9,685.61 ₡) | +6.33 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 6.58 $ (3,500.00 ₡) | 10.00 $ (5,323.00 ₡) | +52.09 % |
| Clothing And Shoes | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 68.16 $ (36,281.80 ₡) | 41.14 $ (21,896.94 ₡) | -39.65 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store | 51.24 $ (27,273.14 ₡) | 35.78 $ (19,045.92 ₡) | -30.17 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 103.15 $ (54,905.09 ₡) | 76.97 $ (40,972.49 ₡) | -25.38 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 94.74 $ (50,430.40 ₡) | 87.05 $ (46,334.16 ₡) | -8.12 % |
| Rent Per Month | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 428.51 $ (228,093.24 ₡) | 1,006.62 $ (535,826.19 ₡) | +134.92 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 361.47 $ (192,409.67 ₡) | 786.88 $ (418,857.12 ₡) | +117.69 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 879.62 $ (468,224.08 ₡) | 1,727.44 $ (919,515.19 ₡) | +96.38 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 669.14 $ (356,182.24 ₡) | 1,333.84 $ (710,004.95 ₡) | +99.34 % |
| Buy Apartment Price | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 129.07 $ (68,706.08 ₡) | 204.19 $ (108,692.80 ₡) | +58.20 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apart. Outside of Centre | 118.58 $ (63,117.85 ₡) | 132.28 $ (70,413.71 ₡) | +11.56 % |
| Salaries And Financing | [Edit] | [Edit] | |
| Average Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax) | 903.18 $ (480,762.31 ₡) | 2,675.72 $ (1,424,286.23 ₡) | +196.26 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly | 13.25 | 4.19 | -68.41 % |
| Last update | August, 2015 | August, 2015 | |
| Contributors: | 199 | 11052 | |
| Data from past: | 18 months | 18 months |
Thursday, August 27, 2015
An Interesting Take for Canadians Looking to Buy a Vacation Home in Paradise!
Changing lifestyles affect the decisions Canadians make on
how and where they choose to live. Second homes are very popular for winter and
vacation getaways. Good news; it is possible to finance a second property with
owner-occupied (best) interest rates and rules.
A Primer on Getting a
Mortgage for a Foreign Property
Understand that Canadian lenders will only provide you a
mortgage if they can register their mortgage against a Canadian land title or
deed in a Canadian (not foreign) land title system, using Canadian lawyers in
order to enforce the contract in a Canadian court, if ever required.
This rule holds true for lenders in other countries as well
- they will only lend on properties within their legal jurisdiction.
So a Canadian lender mortgage on a foreign property is a
non-starter.
Here are some options:
Option 1 - there are a number of Canadian banks operating in
foreign countries, and a borrower typically must deal directly with the foreign
bank office, not a Canadian branch.
For the USA, where language and rules are quite similar to
Canada, this can be fairly straightforward.
In other countries, getting a mortgage locally can be time
consuming, exhausting, and expensive
Ask us for a referral if you would like to try this option.
Option 2 - for many, refinancing your principle Canadian
residence and using the equity to purchase your foreign home is by far the
simplest finance solution.
Up to 80% of the value of your home can be refinanced, for
example: if you have a home worth $500,000 and only hold a mortgage of $250,000
you can refinance to $400,000, payoff the $250,000 mortgage and use the other
$150,000 to buy a vacation home.
The interest rate will be lower because you remortgaged your
permanent residence and have no mortgage owing on the vacation home.
Makes it simpler and faster to buy in the foreign location.
There are no restrictions on the use of the vacation home,
such as if used for a rental
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