Costa Rica summary

What I left out of our detailed description of the Costa Rica trip was a summary of our Costa Rica experience and how we feel about having land down there.

What I Liked

1) The natural environment. At our lot, the water has 50% fewer contaminants than Evian. Everything is raised "organically" - just because they don't need to use chemicals, etc. All of the food we tried really tasted great. Costa Rica protects the natural environment so that everyone can enjoy it.
2) The people. Everyone was incredibly friendly. Apparently it is a fairly conservative Catholic country and they even like Americans. Can't get much better than that for international investing.
3) The way of life. Costa Rica is very laid back and family-oriented. I can't think of a better culture to spend time relaxing in (not that I know that many cultures...).

Why We Want to Live There

1) It's Costa Rica! I have yet to meet anyone that visited Costa Rica and did not like it. If you are one of those people, I would love to hear why it wasn't for you.
2) The natural food (and water). See above.
3) Plan B. In case something goes wrong in the states - economically (Social Security crisis, anyone?), socially, politically...who knows. I just like having someplace I can go if necessary.
4) The climate. Although it is slightly humid for my tastes, it is not bad. Anyplace that you can essentially go without heating or air conditioning year-round and still be comfortable is my kind of place!

As with anyplace, it is not perfect - the roads leave a lot to be desired, cars are very expensive because of duties/taxes, etc. I strongly recommend checking it out sometime. We might even have a rental villa that we can give you a deal on :)

To find out more about the properties that we invested in, check out: http://www.best-costa-rica-real-estate.com. Unless you want to spend a lot of time learning the culture and finding someone down there you really trust to help you, I think Ventana del Pacifico is a great place to buy (I suppose that's obvious since we bought property with them).

If you are serious about learning more about Costa Rica real estate, I am also happy to answer any questions I can about travelling down there, etc.

Pura vida! (means "pure life", the unofficial motto of Costa Rica)