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[quote=”GEEGEE”]Has anyone experienced Subterrean Termites?[/quote]
No matter what type of termites the only woods that will withstand them are extremely hard, and expensive, hard woods.
If you prefer wood furniture you can find a list of them at [url=http://ticoartproducts.com/Costa_Rican_Hardwoods.html]Costa Rican hardwoods[/url]
[quote=”costaricafinca”]Considering the altitude you intend to build at, it may be too cool for many potential retirees.[/quote]
Choices, choices, choices. I live just above Ciudad Colon at about 2900′ and it is a little too warm here but tolerable.Originally from Colorado but 19 years in the LA area I would prefer to live at 2BNCR’s 4500′. Jackets are optional but when you get down to bare skin there are no other options.
[quote=”ticorealtor”]They ran off with a lap top, Zune, two cell phones and a GPS. We let our guard down and made the grand daddy of all times cardinal sin and that was leaving items in the car![/quote]
None of us are immune to doing dumb things like that. All it takes is wrong place, wrong time to suffer the consequences.
At least no one was hurt (physically).
[quote=”costaricafinca”][i]Could be as little as 20,000 colones per month[/i]….or a whole lot more!
This would depend on what needs to be done. If your help has to cut the grass, look after a garden and other tasks that you require they do the cost will rise accordingly.
An empty house is a prime target…anywhere here.[/quote]I am in agreement with finca. My job is to simply oversee what is needed for the property. For my own property I currently pay 30,000 per month to maintain 3/4 acre of grass and maintain trees and shrubery and another 30,000 every 3 months to maintain an extensive and difficult hillside area. This is also in the Ciudad Colon area near San Jose and wages may vary somewhat.
[quote=”evrodd”]Approximately how much would you expect to pay a caretaker in the Lake Arenal area (outside of Nuevo Arenal)? We wouldn’t need much more than a presence for security purposes, and I don’t really know whether we’d need that if we were permanent residents. Are burglaries and home invasions a problem in this area?[/quote]
First is the matter of [b]someone you can trust[/b], Tico or Gringo.
I watch a home for part imers who are renting their home but my responsibilities are more complex in that I respond to issues of repairs to the property. So far including finding and contracting repairs to the roof, the driveway, the septic system, responding to renter complaints, etc. and accepted 10% of the monthly rental as a fee.
One thing I would suggest is a monthly inspection of the premesis inside for problems like the leaking roof (or after high wind or heavy rain conditions) to protect your asset. Other than that a look to make sure there are no squatters every two or three days might be all that is necessary. Robbery would be almost unpreventable if it is known that the property is unoccupied.
The best bet would to negotiate something on contract with stipulations regarding adverse occupation and reasonable interior damage due to Mother Nature. Could be as little as 20,000 colones per month.
[quote=”*Lotus”]I’ll spare all the details, but was broke 3 years ago, 70K in debt. Now: Debt paid off,business doing well(self employed). I am a enjoy life kind of guy, play first work second, my attitude has changed a bit after 2008.[/quote]
If your business is doing that well in the current economic environment what are your prospects for the next three to five years?
With a falling housing market in the U.S. and renting cheaper than owning in the U.S. while prices remain stable in CR (ask Scott to confirm this) I would wait on the home in CR while driving for the best deal on a home in NJ.
One caveat: The U.S. is not the economic giant that it was before 2000 and you may be looking at massive changes in the world financial system as well as a devaluation of the dollar vs other currencies.
With the Fed QE1 we have seen an effective devaluation of our purchasing power in CR of nearly 14% already and QE2 to come. Thanks to CR government support of the dollar it is not as bad as in other nations (20%) but I am not sure that this policy can continue in the face of QE2.[quote=”Versatile”]I read about 2 years ago of an American in his sailboat just of the coast of CR on the Pacific side. The USA ship came upon him less than 1/8 mile from shore. They searched his boat and arrested him for having 1 ounce of pot in the nigh stand in his cabin. irrc[/quote]
U.S. war on drugs policy in action.
Tons of coke running up the coast and millions of dollars running down the coast and the U.S. has an ounce of pot to show for their interdiction effort? Hmmm.
I think I’d like to hear better results than that.
[quote=”txjackie”]There is a LEGAL to come in to the United States and a LEGAL to become a citizen of the US or any other country.[/quote]
You assume a level of education and knowledge in the illegal population that does not exist. The education of most Hispanics ends before more than six years have been completed.
Having lived among the illegals in my previous life in California the issues are quite a bit more complex than you apparently believe.
Economic desperation is the primary driving factor.
Many of the illegals were fed misinformation in their home countries by those who profit from their transport.
Many are unaware that the U.S. has a green card program for legal entry.
There are many more issues that enter into the problemAdditionally the U.S. has contributed to the issue through economic disadvantage.
I agree with you on the issue of legal vs illegal but we have to realize that we need solutions that are more than the knee jerk rection of many of our politicians
[quote=”Scott”]
Seems to me that the author of the article makes a lot of assumptions about a US invasion of Mexico – a country of 111 million people…
Scott[/quote]If you haven’t noticed the far fringes of American conservatism:
1 – makes a lot of assumptions
2 – puts their own interpretation on the words of others
3 – twists facts until they fit their personal fears
4 – assumes that the majority of others will believe
Seemingly all of this is in an effort to create a fear of the future.I think you will find that many of us who consider ourselves conservative see these types as something other than conservative.
Somehow they have avoided, or escaped from, the mental institutions in which they should properly be housed.[quote=”*Lotus”]Merry Christmas everyone! I am about to go shovel 2 feet of snow:([/quote]
I remember those days in Colorado.
[size=200]Merry Christmas everyone[/size]
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4yezfLr_Cpk/SVObqo1wZtI/AAAAAAAAAqA/_4MyDZOv4Zg/s400/Christmas+Palm+Tree.jpg[/img]
[quote=”normita”]I am watching the increasingly gruesome gang problems in MExico and the US/Mexico border and saw this article this morning which really frightens the crap out of me.
Like it or Not: Mexico is America’s Next Afghanistan
How do you think this could affect Costa Rica?[/quote]
The issue here should have a positive effect on Costa Rica in reducing the transport of drugs through this area by disrupting the distribution in Mexico.
To set this up as a military operation is not the way to go. The U.S. should provide investigative and intelligence assistance through police operations and let the Mexican Federales deal with the actual arrests and physical combat against the cartels.
Scott’s article on military assistance in Costa Rica is spot on. The U.S. Coast Guard watches suspicious boats navigating Costa Rican waters but does nothing toward interdiction. This has to change drastically.
[quote=”4ofakind”]I am considering retiring to costa rica. Hopefully, with in the next 4-5 months. Could I please get some feed back about being a single female moving to costa rica.[/quote]
The biggest problem you will probably face, whether singlr or with a partner, is a feeling of isolation.
There is a group of English speaking women called Newcomers which can go a long way in helping to alleviate this issue. They have monthly meetings and subgroups dedicated to interests like cooking, yoga, fencing, literary discussion and many others which meet on a regular basis.If you are a driver it is a crazy world to drive in but the bus system is very good once you have learned the basics.
My wife went through these experiences but we have a Tica who teaches us Spanish in house and provides services in acclimating her to the basics of living in Costa Rica.
[quote=”maravilla”]the eye exam is cheap — C5000, but the glasses are very expensive here esp if you want designer frames.
contacts cost me $60 for a six month supply of the one-month lenses.[/quote]
Has the devaluing dollar affected any of your medical purchases yet?
I don’t see how Costa Rica can support the dollar through the tourist season and QE2[quote=”costaricafinca”]I doubt that one could hire competent construction workers for the amount posted
“The worker (Calificado) was 7,882 per day as of last January 1
The Lead man (Especializado) was 9,204 as of January 1”
These wages are less than a peon/farm worker.[/quote]These are the minimums set by Ministerio de Trabajo.
Competence can only be determined by reputation and many times Ticos will not say anything against another Tico.
I manage a property that needed a rather large driveway and parking area ripped out and redone in concrete and had three sets of men give me bids. Two companies and a group of construction worker who were at the time without work.
Thanks to input from this forum I decided that I wanted to use Fibromax rather than metal malla for reinforcement and explained. The unemployed workers gave me the best answers to my questions and I hired them on contract. Their final pay came to something over $12 per hour but when we developed a problem with the concrete they were immediately on it under their guarantee. I am totally satisfied with the cost and their performance.
With a written contract I was not responsible for Caja or taxes. If you hire by the hour you are.
It also looks like any percentage of Caja tobe paid by the employee is a matter of negotiation.
Under all circumstances I would have a written agreement to cover everything.
