Boomers In Costa Rica's Real Estate & More

Angel Valley Farm B&B Off-Season Specials!

Crave a great getaway this summer?  How about Costa Rica during it's lushest time of the year when there are less tourists, beautiful scenery and only some afternoon rains?  The come on down!  Angel Valley Farm B&B, "the place to stay" in the San Ramon area, is offering two specials, beginning June 17th through October 31.  Here they are:

1. Stay 5 nights or more, receive one night free, AND dinner for free one night!*
2. Stay 10 nights or more, receive two nights free, AND two free dinners!*

For more information, click here: Angel Valley Farm B&B or send email to: avf1@hotmail.com but make sure you mention you saw this promotion on "Boomers in Costa Rica Blog!"

*Free night applies to either standard double or single room rate.  Dinner includes appetizer/salad, main course, dessert and drinks.  Alcoholic drinks are extra.

News & Notes from Costa Rica

1. Banco Nacional now accepts direct deposit of U.S. social security and pension checks.  To get your check directly deposited with Banco Nacional, you must open an account and fill out an authorization form.  For more information, call them at: (506) 212-2290 or (506) 212-2499.
2. ICE to offer new & advanced cell phones and lines by April, 2008. ICE, the government run electric, telephone and Internet company, will offer advanced cell phones next year, with high speed Internet and email.
3. Consumer confidence up 13.5%.  A new survey of Costa Ricans shows that they are satisified with the pace of the country's economy.
4. High temps continue.  Costa Rica's northern Pacific coast and Central Valley continue to experience higher than normal dry season temperatures, largely attributed to  El Nino.  This has also resulted in heavy rains on the Caribbean coast.  Last months, temperatures were at a 10-year high in San Jose, hitting 28 degrees celsius.  This could result in a delay of the rainy season in the Central Valley according to local weather forecasters.

Crime in Costa Rica?

There was a recent report of a foreigner being assaulted while getting off a cruise ship in the Caribbean port City of Limon.  Yes, there is some crime here but it is no worse than anywhere else--and even better than many other places.  I've been in and out of Costa Rica for almost 20 years now and live here full time and have had no problems!  Just like anywhere else, just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine!

Costa Rica considered Peaceful & Very Friendly--New York Times

A recent article by the New York Times had excellent comments about Costa Rica.  See the article here: New York Times article

Today's Weather:
Blizzard in Colorado!
Warm & Sunny in Costa Rica!

Down here in the tropics we hear it's snowing like crazy in Colorado. In fact, I just read on CNN.com  that the entire state is covered in snow with 40 MPH winds!  I know of at least one friend who's dying to leave Colorado and get down here to the dream house she recently built.  She'll be my neighbor, and hopefully, she'll be here soon!  We miss you T!

Like most of us, she needs to sell her home in order to make the move more affordable.  With stagnant real estate prices and an oversupply of inventory in many areas, it's not easy right now to sell one's home.  Hopefully this will change in the coming year, but for now, it's "sit and wait" for many people hoping to move down here.

In the past few days, I've been spending time on Zillow, a terrific site for people interested in finding out the value of their home, selling their home, or buying a new home.  Zillow, started by my friend Rich Barton (former CEO and founder of expedia.com), is a terrific resource for everything involving real estate.  One of Zillow's new features, the "Real Estate Wiki," allows users to provide information, articles and other resources on real estate.  So, when you have a moment, check out Zillow, and it's terrific resources.

Speaking of resources, I recently came across an interesting guide to selecting a retirement community for baby boomers.  Download it here:  Download babyboomersretirementcomm.pdf

Have fun and keep warm!  Or better still, come join us in sunny Costa Rica!

Some Recent News From Costa Rica

1. Corrupt Traffic Cops.  If you get stopped by a police officer in Costa Rica, know your rights.  Click here for more information: Corrupt Cops
2. More gates at SJO airport.  San Jose's Juan Santamaria airport has more gates, easing crowding at this busy international airport.  Read more here: More gates!
3. Ticos study more but earn less.  Education and salaries don't correlate, especially for women in Costa Rica.  Read more here: Education in CR
4. Want to buy in island? Read about the legalities (or illegalities) of buying an island off the Costa Rica mainland.  Here: Island buying

News & Notes

I found an interesting article the other day on living abroad.  Here's an excerpt:

Live better for less in Thailand! Retire to Costa Rica!

Breeze through magazines aimed at retirees and you'll find headlines just like these, urging regular folks, not just the very wealthy, to consider foreign residences.

The allure is clear: lower living costs and warm climates. And as Baby Boomers retire with more foreign travel experience under their belt, they already may have acquired assets, homes or even spouses overseas....

To see the entire article, click here: Overseas Retirement

Also, check out this terrific website on handling tax matters when living overseas:

TaxMeLess!

Enjoy!

News & Notes!

1. More rainy now, like last year! This October was starting out pretty good with fairly limited rain.  Well, the past week has changed all that with the quite the deluge of rain in the past fews.  The good news is that the dry season is only about a month or so away!
2. Online gambling big in CR.  Despite the investigations and arrests in the U.S., online gaming is still big here.  Article here: Online Gambling in Costa Rica
3. Fixing roads to cost $170M (USD).  Finally, CONAVI, the road authority in Costa Rica is getting some much needed funding to repair roads:  See the article here: Road repairs
4. Ticos send money home to invest.  Ticos living abroad send money home to help their families and perhaps unlike some other countries in the region, to invest in real estate, according to a recent article.  Here's the article:  Ticos sending money

News & Notes

Highway between San Jose & Limon Closed.  Heavy rains recently shut down one the two main highways between San Jose and the Caribbean city of Limon.  This is on the reasons living on the Caribbean side can be difficult.  Always check road conditions before traveling there.  More here:  Road Closure

Andrew's Personal Blog Updated.  Read about this blogger's life in Costa Rica here: Andrew's Blog

Flat Tax in Costa Rica?  Read about how other countries' implementation of a flat tax have led to success in their economies.  Could it work here?  Article: Flat Tax in Costa Rica?

More Potholes in San Jose.  An on-going condition in and around the capital.  Read more here: Potholes Even in Paradise! 

News & Notes

Nicaraguan presdential election comes to Costa Rica.  Nicaragua will hold is presidential election on November 5 and candidates are actively courting the many Nicaraguans who live in Costa Rica.  For the full story, click here: Nicaraguan election comes to CR

Limon getting back its routine after a work slowdown.  Workers at the docks in Limon, concerned about the government's efforts to privatize the docks/export facilities in Limon conducted a work slowdown recently leading to tensions between the government and workers.  More here: Limon getting back to normal 

Orchid Thief in Costa Rica! Read about the Orchid thief here: Orchid thief

"Don Pepe" Remembered.  This past week would have been the 100th birthday of "Don Pepe," whose real name is Jose Maria Hipolito Figueres, the founder of Costa Rica's democracy and president several times.  Read about this famous leader here:  "Don Pepe"