Archives for May 2017

Costa Rica Expat Living Idea: Live in the Mountains – Visit the Beach

May 28, 2017 by Costa Rica Guy 6 Comments

I realize that ocean views are really…really…nice. Don’t get me wrong, I like’em too! It’s also nice to be able to grab your board (the surfing variety) and be out in the waves in minutes.

Sure, I get all that.

But, for me, I prefer the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach.

I know what you’re thinking. That I have some particular economic, or other, bias, in leading you up the hill rather than down. Truth is, however, I really don’t. I’m a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker in Dominical. That’s the beach. I live in San Isidro. That’s the mountains. I cover both and can just as quickly sell you a house down there as I can up here. I want you to be where you will be the happiest.

I am simply suggesting the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach.

I know I’m repeating myself, but that helps with SEO and also to get the point across.

I think the best way to convey this idea is to take it through the screen of the 4 C’s framework. That is, to evaluate the idea based on the 4 C’s of Costa Rica expat living: Climate – Culture – Convenience – Context.

Climate

Unless for some weird reason you just like to sweat, all the time and not just when at the gym, then perhaps the beach heat and humidity will be just right for you. As for me, I prefer the cooler and less humid temps one finds at elevations above 800 meters. For that you need the mountains. Where I live in Quebradas, a mountain community just minutes from downtown San Isidro de El General, the altitude is in that “Goldilocks Zone” of being not too hot and not too cold…it’s just right. There are many other mountainous communities in the area where you can have the same.

Culture

This is a more subtle one than climate. It might not become apparent right away. However, for me anyway, the culture of the mountains wins hands down over the beach. For one thing it’s decidedly tico. In San Isidro, while we do have quite a few expats who “get it” and live up here, the tico culture still predominates.

Many expats come to Costa Rica wanting to immerse in a new culture, only to run as fast as they can for a gringo enclave and its corresponding “bubble culture.” For instance down along the Costa Ballena there is somewhat of a bubble culture. That is, the expats down there tend to live in a “bubble” that separates them in many respects from the locals. That can give rise to cultural resentment. And that can give rise to culture clash. Like I said, up here in the mountains we just don’t have that…yet…and hopefully never will!

Convenience

The ocean view is great. Finding what you might need at the beach isn’t always. Sure there are some nice shopping places down there…with prices that will lighten your wallet faster than you can whistle dixie. San Isidro de El General is the second largest city outside of the GAM of the central valley (the area that includes San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago). Here you can find anything you need. We have the largest farmer’s market in the region. Expats at the beach find it necessary to make frequent trips to San Isidro for provisions or services they cannot find at the beach. In short, living within minutes of San Isidro, in a charming mountain community like Quebradas, or one of the many others, is simply much more convenient than living at the beach.

Context

Now here’s where the decision becomes harder. I believe the mountains win fairly decisively with regard to the above 3 C’s. However, this one is much more subjective.

What do you want your life to look like in Costa Rica?

Do you want to live the “bohemian” beach life, or a more rugged and authentic tico-like existence? If you want to be that “surfer dude”, yogi, or open a vegan bakery…you catch my drift…then maybe the beach is a better choice for you. If you want to eat, drink, shop, pay prices, and essentially live like a tico and immerse in authentic tico culture, then, in my opinion, the mountains are a better bet.

To conclude on a very bright note, here’s the coolest thing about Costa Rica’s southern zone: you can have your cake and eat it to! Here the highest mountains in the country are only an hour, or even less, from the beach.

Therefore, the following Costa Rica expat living idea: live in the mountains – visit the beach, is one that can become your reality in the southern zone of Costa Rica.

Now all of the above simply represents the opinion of one lowly expat…and you know what they say about opinions…like a part of the anatomy that I’ll neglect to mention, we all have one.

A Great Time to Make Your Expat Exit to Costa Rica

May 21, 2017 by Costa Rica Guy 1 Comment

It’s still a “buyer’s market” down here in my beloved Southern Zone of Costa Rica, but who knows how long that will last. We are seeing more and more people ready to make that expat exit to Costa Rica and away from life in the politically-charged rat-race up north. We like to call it the “Trump effect.” Like him or not, he is shaking things up and his name is often mentioned when we ask clients about motivation.

I noticed an article in the Tico Times this past week about the Costa Rican colon to U.S. dollar exchange rate recently reaching a 7-year high (of around 580 colones per dollar). That means dollars are going further in Costa Rica these days than ever before.

Now that doesn’t bode well for the economy of Costa Rica in general, as costs for local folks could eventually rise as a result. However, it can be a good thing for U.S. expats and vacationers looking to stretch the value of their dollars in Costa Rica.

How about for Costa Rica real estate prices? Well, prices are on the move, simply as the result of higher demand. Good deals are still out there, don’t get me wrong. Supply still is high, especially here in the southern zone. Just drive around an you will notice “for sale” or “se vende” signs on every other home or lot. It almost seems as if everything is for sale…and I guess for the right price, it is! But inventory levels in high demand spots, like the popular beach community of Ojochal, are thinning. I have noticed homes getting sold only to later reappear on the market at dramatically higher prices. If people start “flipping” properties in that manner, that’s a sure sign that prices are going up…and how! Especially in the southern zone, growth is underway and that will likely put upward pressure on prices.

In Costa Rica virtually all real estate, especially of the sort that appeals to expats, is priced in dollars. So the change in the colon to dollar exchange rate really won’t have an effect. The prices are going up due to increasing demand, pure and simple, and that trend is likely to continue as noted above.

However, it does effect most every other aspect of the expat’s existence. Many expats are living off their U.S. dollars, flowing down from pensions, retirement accounts, investments back home (like rental properties), or businesses that get paid in dollars. With the colon depreciating, or losing value, against the dollar, those funds will buy more in Costa Rica, again, pure and simple.

It’s called math. $1,000 dollars at an exchange rate of 550 will buy 550,000 worth of goods priced in local currency. If the exchange rate jumps to 580, then all a sudden your $1,000 will buy 580,000 worth of goods. Your dollars just gained an additional 30,000 colones worth of buying power. That will buy you quite a few extra Imperials!

The current outlook thus provides two compelling reasons to make your own expat exit to Costa Rica, now rather than later. First, property prices are rising and that trend is likely to accelerate due to the “Trump effect”, as well as property inventory depletion in high demand areas. Second, the price of living in Costa Rica, while not the cheapest of Latin American, is still comparatively good for those who learn how to live (and buy) like the locals. And if you’re relying on dollars to pay your day-to-day living expenses, the burgeoning value of those dollars can make things even better for you!

So, what are you waiting for? Now is perhaps the best time ever for that expat exit to Costa Rica.

And I am here to help!

A Few Ideas for Making an Impact as a Costa Rica Expat

May 10, 2017 by Costa Rica Guy Leave a Comment

As a realtor and expat consultant in the southern zone, I often notice that expats come to Costa Rica in search of a less materialistic and more sustainable way of life. I commonly hear from those searching for that perfect place and/or property of their desire for a simpler life, to immerse with the culture, and live off the land.

And that’s all well and good. I’ve been an expat in Costa Rica for going on 16 years now. I also came in search of that simpler quality of life. However, at some point I began to ask the question why? Why did I want to be more sustainable? Was it simply a lifestyle choice, or were there deeper reasons? And the reason I began to think hard about is impact.

Let’s face it, the choices we make, or don’t make, have an impact. They have an impact on people and on our planet. When you supply the why with impact, you began to be mindful of those choices. You begin to exercise impact mindfulness.

Now impact mindfulness is not reserved for expats alone. Anyone, anywhere, can be more mindful of their impacts on people and planet. However, I believe the expat, a person who’s decided to take the bold risk of living in a foreign country, is in a unique position to make an impact, not only on the country they move to, but also on the one they left. An expat is a person on the outside looking in and can gain deep perspectives about how the world works that those confined to the borders of their birth just aren’t exposed to.

Long ago I began to write about impact mindfulness in a blog entitled Revolutionary Misfit. I developed a three-prong framework for the concept. One that places impact over self-interest, embraces the concept of the Big Us, and seeks to remove and eliminate impact blinders. If you’d like to learn more about that, you can check out my blog, or eBooks I’ve written on the subject. Lately, as a realtor and expat consultant, I’ve been trying to expand the concept into the realm of Costa Rica expat living via a related concept I call “expat mindfulness.”

In light of all that, I thought I’d write this article with a few basic ideas for making an impact as a Costa Rica expat.

Idea #1…

I notice that many expats, even though they want to live sustainably, tend to import into Costa Rica non-sustainable notions about what that means. For instance, they tend to buy or bring in imported goods rather than support the local economy by buying and consuming what is actually produced in Costa Rica. Not only is buying local a great way to achieve a sustainable impact, but it can also help bring down the budget quite a bit.

Costa Rica is fast becoming a country that pays a 3rd-world level of living wage to its citizens, who then have to pay 1st world prices in order to actually live. That’s just not sustainable for them. We expats are perhaps unwittingly contributing to this problem. Buying locally grown, non-industrial-processed goods, like those found in local farmers’ markets, or produced by local artisans, can help to combat this trend.

You see, making an impact as a Costa Rica expat is not just about you and your lifestyle. It’s about how the choices you make affect others and this still beautiful planet that we all are fortunate to inhabit.

Idea #2…

I believe one of the greatest ways expats can have an impact is by sharing their experiences with those in their home, or birth, country. I say “home” or “birth” because after living in Costa Rica as long as I have, you began to think of it as your home country.

Those back “home” will certainly be interested in your new life. Many will probably think negative thoughts about the decision, at least initially. Some may even claim that you’ve gone completely nuts to move from a developed country like the U.S. to one that is, well, just developing. Of course, you and I know how wrong they are. But unless we let them know why they are wrong, they’ll just go on thinking that the key to happiness is 1st-world level consumption. They’ll never bother to think that if everyone in the world consumed at that level, we’d need three to four more planets just to sustain ourselves!

We as expats have learned that the key to happiness is not in rampant consumption. Our tico friends in Costa Rica have shown us that. Through their humble ways they’ve demonstrated to us the error of our over-consumptive mentality. Costs Rica consumes far less than the U.S., but nevertheless its citizens consistently live longer and rate as being far happier.

Therefore, when your new life sparks an interest, be sure to inform of these startling revelations stemming from your Costa Rica expat living experience. Invite them to come see for themselves. But when they do, don’t shelter them from the truth, but rather expose them, gently, to it!

Idea #3…

There are so many ways to get involved in helping people and planet in Costa Rica. I wrote a while back about how happiness promoters tend to be happier than happiness pursuers. I’ve noticed that those expats who come to Costa Rica and quickly get involved in ways to give back, either by donating time, skill, or resources to their community, or by doing something positive for the environment, tend to be happier and stick around a lot longer. Those who congregate in the “gringo bars” and gripe about elements of the local culture that just don’t measure up to their standards, are often sent packing back home with their proverbial tails tucked between their legs.

The above are just a few basic ideas for making an impact as a Costa Rica expat. Use your imagination and I am sure you can come up with others that could be more in-line with your particular interests.

That’s the cool thing about making an impact as a Costa Rica expat via expat mindfulness. We get to do so in ways that we choose.

The Logic for Growth in the Costa Rica Southern Zone is Compelling

May 5, 2017 by Costa Rica Guy 1 Comment

I am bullish on growth in the Southern Zone. That should be clear from a post I wrote some time ago entitled, 10 Reasons to Invest in the Costa Rica Southern Zone.

It’s also where I live and work. I love this place, so I’ll readily admit bias.

Nevertheless, I believe the logic for growth in the Costa Rica southern zone is compelling and here are a few reasons why.

San Isidro de El General – Gateway City on the Move

San Isidro de El General is the gateway city to the Costa Rica southern zone. It is also Costa Rica’s second largest city outside of the GAM (gran area metropolitana), which consists of San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. According to the 2011 census, San Isidro has a population of around 50,000. However, the entire county, or canton, of Perez Zeledon has a population closer to 150,000 according to the 2011 census (and today around 200,000).

Costa Rica’s Highest Mountains and a Gorgeous Coastline

The city is nestled in the valley between Costa Rica’s highest mountain, Cerro Chirripo at 3,820 meters (12,533 feet) and the southern Pacific coast. In fact, there’s no place in the country where seriously high mountains and coast are located in such close proximity. From most locations in and around San Isidro, you can drive to the beach over a well-maintained, paved, road in less than an hour.

Chirripo National Park is a major tourist destination. It is a 2-day hike to reach the summit of Cerro Chirripo and it ranks as one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular experiences. From the summit of Chirripo it’s possible to see both of Costa Rica’s coasts, Pacific and Caribbean, on a clear day!

Perez Zeledon – An Amazing Canton

The county of Perez Zeledon is dotted with small towns, many located at relatively high elevations, that are 30 minutes or less from the city. These towns are popular areas with expats due to their charming ambiance and almost perfect year-round climate. The ability to easily reach the coast in an hour, or less, making for an easy day-trip to the beach, is likewise alluring.

Future Airport Development

Now, here’s a little inside information about the future of San Isidro. You should know that there is an airport in town. Over the years it hasn’t received a lot of use, but all that’s about to change. There are plans for a major airport expansion, as well as large-scale development of an “airport city” in that area. According to reliable sources, hiring is already underway and ground will be broken very soon. The idea is for San Isidro to be the southern zone hub, making the long-awaited rumors of a major airport in the zone a reality.

The Costa Ballena – The “Big Sur” of Costa Rica

The coastal areas of the southern zone are perhaps some of the most scenic and pristine in the country. I often refer to the Costa Ballena, which extends from Dominical to points south of Ojochal, as the “big sur” of Costa Rica, due to the coastal range that hugs the coastline. The beaches of Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal have become “expat havens” due to the great waves, incredible views and ability to somewhat beat the heat by buying and building at elevations of 300 to 500 meters up. The Costanera Highway, which links all these beaches, is one of the most well-maintained roads in the country and you can zip from one beach to another in minutes.

The Osa and Proximity to the Southern Border

The Costanera links with the Pan American in Palmar Norte and from there it’s a 3 hour drive to the Panama border, which offers great shopping and better prices for imported goods than one will generally find elsewhere in Costa Rica. Along the way it’s possible to make detours over to the Osa Peninsula, which is home to the Corcovado National Park, a place National Geographic once called the “most biodiverse location on planet earth.”

Just off the coast from Drake Bay lies Isla del Caño, an island surrounded by a coral reef, making it one of the best scuba diving and snorkeling locations in the country. You can reach the island via a short boat ride from Drake Bay, which is a very popular tourist destination on the Osa.

Controlled Growth Already Occurring

The secret of the southern zone is out. While growth has not exploded as it did in the Guanacaste region some years ago, it is definitely on the expat radar screen. At present there’s more inventory of land and homes than there are buyers. It’s a “buyer’s market” and good deals still can be had. That might change soon, however, as the growth story gets out.

The area has already seen large-scale private investment. A case in point is the 2-year old 5-star resort, AltaGracia, located in the small pueblo of Santa Teresa de Cajon, about a half-hour south of San Isidro. This was a $30 million dollar investment by the Volio coffee family of Costa Rica. The resort features one of the finest spas and equestrian centers that can be found anywhere in Central America. It also features its own landing strip for small planes. The resort is part of the Auberge collection of fine resorts worldwide.

The logic for growth in the Costa Rica southern zone is just too compelling for it not to become a future reality. Of course, there are many risks lurking on a geopolitical scale that could cause the U.S. and world economy to crash and burn. That would have effects throughout the country, as it did after the 2008 crash and ensuing “great recession.”

Nevertheless, barring such potential catastrophes, I believe the southern zone will see measured and steady growth in the coming years. The government of Costa Rica has vowed to be a throttle and mediator in order to prevent the uncontrolled growth experienced in Guanacaste and other areas. That’s a good thing because we don’t want growth and development to ruin the reasons why this area of Costa Rica is so alluring…it’s pristine and untouched nature and abundance of flora and fauna.