DavidCMurray

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Viewing 15 posts - 586 through 600 (of 3,321 total)
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  • in reply to: North American Mortgage lenders in Costa Rica? #171739
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    I’ve never heard of American companies offering mortgages in Costa Rica, but, of course, I could easily be wrong.

    What I have heard of is Americans using the equity in their U.S. properties to purchase real estate in Costa Rica. There are also Costa Rican mortgage brokers who can assist with obtaining a mortgage here.

    Stewart Title Company has a mortgage services office. When we used them for our construction financing, they took all the documentation we’d normally provide to a U.S. mortgage lender and sent it to the Southern Bank of Texas who evaluated it as if they were considering extending us a mortgage. They then made a recommendation (to lend, thankfully) which Stewart used to obtain our financing from a Costa Rican bank. Other mortgage brokers could do the same.

    in reply to: Chicken Fighting #165174
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”elindermuller”][ And there goes Mrs. President, trying to convince the world about happy Ticolandia ……[/quote]

    Well, Elisabeth, what would you have her do? Is it realistic to expect her to be telling tales of woe all over the world? I’ll bet there are things about living around Lake Arenal that might put some folks off, but as one whose business is promoting it, we don’t expect to hear all those negatives from you. Sra. Presidenta is no different.

    What’s more, I’ll bet she did ask the Pope’s blessing on Costa Rica when she met him. Can’t hurt . . .

    in reply to: Chicken Fighting #165170
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    You are certainly correct that there has always existed an underground (or above ground) fighting “industry” among human beings. Ultimate Fighting is but a step up in violence from boxing, full contact karate, etc. It is, indeed, in our collective blood.

    The critical difference between human fighting contests of various stripes and fighting contests between animals is that humans, possessed of free will and generally in control of their own destinies, have the choice to participate or not.

    What you relate suggests that when money was tight your father did what he felt he felt he had to. In the extreme, he could have committed robberies, sold drugs, or engaged in other legal or illegal activities. He chose to fight. (Understand, please, that I am not being critical but only reflecting on the facts.)

    Chickens, dogs, bulls and bears, cobras and mongooses, and other animals whose fate is controlled by humans have no such control. They may be bred and trained to have a fighting spirit, but the option to be torn to pieces by another animal, solely for the enjoyment of human beings, is not theirs to exercise. They, unlike us, have no choice.

    in reply to: Airport in Southern Zone / Real Deal #167352
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    According to Daveed, “Previous plans to build a landing strip long enough to receive transatlantic flights have been put on hold.”

    Has something changed? Are Boeing 747s and Airbus 320s not transatlantic-type aircraft?

    in reply to: Netflix movies in CR #168639
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    When I looked into Roku a couple of years ago, I learned that they could detect your IP address here in Costa Rica and wouldn’t serve you. Dunno if that has changed. But if you enroll in a VPN, you can make it look to Roku as if you’re dialing in from the U.S. Then (I think) it should work.

    in reply to: Netflix movies in CR #168637
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    You’ll be happier using Netflix here if you connect via a VPN (“virtual private network”) that makes it appear to Netflix that you’re in the U.S. The selection of programming that Netflix offers to Costa Rican customers is much more limited than what they provide to U.S. customers.

    If you Google “Strong VPN” and “Witopia”, you’ll get links to two VPNs that have good reputations. The monthly costs are not back breakers. And these two VPNs won’t slow down your streaming speed.

    We’re running an experiment right now with our Internet provider in which we use a Western Digital streaming device that gives you access to Netflix, Hulu Plus and a number of others. See

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KOZNBW/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i01

    You will, however, still have to pay for Netflix and Hulu Plus (if you want it). The WD box connects wirelessly to your router and uses an HDMI connection to connect to the TV.

    If you have another source of programming (SkyTV, cable, etc), you may also want an HDMI switching device if your TV doesn’t have a second HDMI input.

    in reply to: New Expat Taxes Proposed #165708
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    Well, you’ve obviously done your homework. Those flinty-eyed Brazilians always seem to come out ahead in their business ventures, don’t they.

    in reply to: Where to live? #163802
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    Bill, your observation about the advisability of having a project manager looking out for the home buyer’s interests is spot on. One cannot possibly be too careful in supervising the building process.

    I have a friend who bought a property with a beautiful view which he wanted to take advantage of. Left to himself, the builder oriented the house in the wrong direction!

    in reply to: Passport ID at the BANK in Costa Rica #168167
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    If your BN account is in the name of your corporation, you must also have had a [i]personaria juridica[/i], a legal document that verifies that you are legally authorized to act in the name of the corporation, in order to open it. In order to do further business in the corporation’s name, you will need a new [i]personaria juridica[/i].

    Because corporations can be bought and sold, and because corporate officers can be replaced, a [i]personaria juridica [/i] is only valid for thirty days from its date of issuance. Were this not true, any past officer of the corporation, such as the person who opened your BN account, could do business in the corporation’s name — such as withdrawing all the funds. If you were to sell me your corporation, for example, I would not want you to have access to its BN account which I would now own.

    In my personal experience, a [i]Persona juridica[/i] has always been created by an attorney, but there may be a way to obtain one directly farm the National Registry. Someone else will have to chime in on that one.

    in reply to: Where to live? #163800
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    CRbill and Elisabeth, you two and I are of exactly the same mind. I take no issue with anything you’ve written, but I will add this . . .

    Building a house involves many, many decisions regarding finishes. Builders understand this and so include allowances for electrical and plumbing fixtures, tile and other flooring, paint, cabinetry, countertops, (maybe) landscaping, and others. The client makes the final choices.

    And, like builders in North America, they always underallow. For the most part, you cannot reasonably expect to actually get the cabinetry, for example, that you’ll want for what the builder has allowed. Of course, the newcomer has no idea what that cabinetry is likely to cost, so s/he’s dumbstruck when the prices come in.

    Why do they do this? Easy. They all understand that they’re in a bidding contest and the potential buyer is likely to choose the lowest bid. So once the deal is inked, the buyer is at the builder’s mercy. And when you find out that you cannot actually get acceptable cabinetry the plan calls for at the allowed price, you only options are to either settle for (a lot) less or to add money to the job. And it happens over and over again. It happens in Costa Rica. It happens in the U.S. and Canada. And it happens everywhere else. So gird your loins.

    The other thing to keep in the forefront of your thinking is that, as the client, you must be absolutely clear about what the contract includes and what it does not. If you think you’re going to get a tiled garage floor (common here), be sure it’s in the contract and the attached specifications which include the quality of the tile itself. (That’s important, too.) If you think landscaping is included, be sure to understand just what that means: how extensive is the job? And the list goes on . . .

    in reply to: New Expat Taxes Proposed #165706
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”dlewisxyz”]
    Knowing a person’s heritage and background does tell you a lot about a person – and knowing that he is Jewish – tells me a lot about him. David[/quote]

    Okay, I’ll bite . . . David, please tell us [u]in detail[/u] just what you can discern from the fact that Eduardo Saverin (whom I suspect you have neither met nor researched in any depth) is Jewish and was born in Brazil. And please specify which of your insights arises from the fact that he is Jewish and those that arise from the fact that he was born in Brazil.

    Because Eduardo Saverin is Jewish, David can tell that . . .

    Because Eduardo Saverin was born in Brazil, David can tell that . . .

    [/quote]

    [b]Well, David??[/b]

    in reply to: Where to live? #163796
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”costaricafinca”]
    My suggestion is that if you are on a strict and limited budget, is to purchase an existing house.
    [/quote]

    And I would take the exact opposite approach. If you buy an existing house, you do get a known, fixed price, but it is very difficult to know what the house itself is. Construction techniques vary and it is easy to cover up inadequacies with paint and skim coat concrete. Visual inspection tells you little about what you’re getting. You’re buying a pig in a poke.

    What’s more, buying an existing house means buying someone else’s notion of what they wanted rather than designing from blank paper to create the house [u]you[/u] want and need. And remodeling any home involves double work and almost double expense. Everything you do to an existing house you must undo first . . . and dispose of the debris.

    If you cannot afford all the house you need, design a house with expansion preplanned. Then, when resources are available, you can finish building the house you want.

    But that’s just me . . .

    in reply to: New Expat Taxes Proposed #165704
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”dlewisxyz”]
    Knowing a person’s heritage and background does tell you a lot about a person – and knowing that he is Jewish – tells me a lot about him. David[/quote]

    Okay, I’ll bite . . . David, please tell us [u]in detail[/u] just what you can discern from the fact that Eduardo Saverin (whom I suspect you have neither met nor researched in any depth) is Jewish and was born in Brazil. And please specify which of your insights arises from the fact that he is Jewish and those that arise from the fact that he was born in Brazil.

    Because Eduardo Saverin is Jewish, David can tell that . . .

    Because Eduardo Saverin was born in Brazil, David can tell that . . .

    in reply to: Cob house building in Costa Rica. #167065
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    In any of Costa Rica’s many and varied climatic zones and sub zones, it seems to me that constructing a building from organic materials is a blueprint for disappointment. That’s why masonry construction is the norm. To be sure, some homes are constructed of wood, but their longevity is very questionable.

    Unless you have a 100% foolproof way of permanently encapsulating those materials to prevent the intrusion of vermin, mold and mildew, and moisture, such a structure would, at the very least, require constant maintenance and replacement. Otherwise, its useful life would likely be very short.

    An additional consideration whenever one thinks of using a very non-standard building technique is that of finding construction workers who will understand and follow the construction practices that would be so foreign to their experience.

    I certainly have not been everywhere or seen everything, but I can say that I have never seen baled straw here. I wonder if it’s even available.

    in reply to: Where to live? #163794
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    Bill, you have hit the nail squarely on the head on each and every point. I totally agree with your comments.

    The only price figure for [u]any[/u] structure built anywhere on earth is the price for the specific house [b]you[/b] want to have built on the property [b]you[/b] have selected and in the timeframe [b]you[/b] have settled on and with the amenities and features [b]you[/b] specify. No other cost figure is relevant to [b]your[/b] project.

    Bill, you live someplace near the coast, right? Conditions there are very different from where we are on a mountainside in the Central Valley. What’s more, you have included amenities that we neither need nor want nor, due to our location, could have even if we did want them. Did those factors affect the price per area (however calculated)? Heavens yes!

    To construct a home virtually identical to ours (or yours, Bill) a kilometer away in any direction would introduce numerous potential cost variations. No theoretical “cost per square (whatever)” has anything to do with the reality of the situation.

    The only way to get a meaningful cost for the home one wishes to build is to select the site, have the house designed, specify the details and amenities in excruciating detail, put it out for bids, and see what comes back.

    And if you can’t afford it, start over with lower expectations.

Viewing 15 posts - 586 through 600 (of 3,321 total)