tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67847322184442049452011-11-08T08:14:53.977-06:00Our blog where we post local news and information related to real estate investments, purchasing, life in the Caribbean and other local issues.Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-815363584692027342011-08-11T10:01:00.000-06:002011-08-11T10:01:22.049-06:00

For anyone that has ever tried to open a phone line account, electrical account, register a property at the muni, sign up for insurance and the worst: Open a Bank Account.....you will see that you are not alone! Enjoy this video.....depicting someone who's had enough and came in well prepared!

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-92132542132859080632011-08-10T19:28:00.001-06:002011-08-10T19:31:47.443-06:00

All corporations, branches of foreign companies and limited liability companies must pay in January of each year this tax based on the following parameters: active companies (those conducting a commercial activity) must pay 50% of the base salary (¢158,100 or approximately $300); inactive companies must pay 25% of the base salary (¢79,050 or approximately $150). Most property owners typically

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-86404811871798792312011-07-27T07:33:00.001-06:002011-07-27T07:34:02.645-06:00

Republished with permission from the A.M. Costa Rica staff Police who responded to open up the Caribbean highway Tuesday met firebombs, rocks and burning tires at four locations. The Fuerza Pública said that 10 persons had been arrested. The protest began Monday night on Ruta 36 and was triggered by expectations of efforts to evict those in residence at two hotels in Refugio Nacional de Vida

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-46236140545693578862011-06-06T18:37:00.006-06:002011-06-06T19:20:23.102-06:00

written by Garland Baker  Most expats in Costa Rica have experienced the problem of firing an employee or have one leave unexpectedly. One of the biggest headaches is calculating what is owed to them. What usually happens is the employee goes to the labor ministry and has the calculations made there. An employer never knows if the numbers are right or wrong. Since many employees

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-56762539854283786432011-03-23T12:38:00.004-06:002011-03-23T12:45:31.282-06:00

Great News...if you enjoy visiting or getting a good idea of what is here from up above, Google has just very recently updated their satellite imagery for most of the Southern Caribbean. Previous images were all from 2004, and the new ones were snapped in mid 2010. There certainly are a  few more roofs then before, but also in many cases, more trees.  The imagery is on the dark side, but

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-41091420309125594942011-02-02T12:39:00.007-06:002011-02-02T13:54:37.303-06:00

"Can I Get Residency if I Invest in Residential Real Estate?"   The answer looks like it may be a YES! reprinted with permission from Lic Roger Petersen The Costa Rican Immigration Law which was passed in March of 2010 created the immigration category of Investor.   However the law lacked any guidance or direction regarding the type of investment required to qualify for this residency category.

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-71211501282815037712010-12-28T09:26:00.001-06:002010-12-28T09:28:20.492-06:00

We've decided to put up a new page for Surf Reports.  Being a surfer myself, I often find that my friends are not up to date on the current and future conditions, so we've decided to put up page with 2 active links to actual surf reports for the area.  CARIBE SUR Surf Report It is also very helpful to note that surf reports are a highly accurate tool to determine weather patterns.  If a strong

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-51240303339620748112010-11-14T08:42:00.001-06:002010-11-14T08:42:56.948-06:00

By Patrick Huguenin  In eastern Costa Rica, near the Panama border, a pothole-filled road meanders down the coast. It passes through a beach town named Puerto Viejo de Talamanca and follows the contours of the land between the Gandoca-Manzanillo national forest and the Caribbean Sea. It's dotted with small businesses - Internet cafes, yoga studios, grocery marts - but the main attractions

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-39159669947398124752010-08-16T11:03:00.011-06:002010-08-16T12:10:57.482-06:00

I have had the opportunity and pleasure of meeting and sitting down with one of the candidates for Mayor of Talamanca.  After lengthy discussions sharing our community's frustrations over the past years and the needs looking forward, I can say with a high degree of confidence that Melvin Cordero is by far our best choice.  In fact he is not only our best choice, he is a GREAT choice!  Melvin

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-82391197469132340462010-08-16T10:56:00.000-06:002010-08-16T10:56:06.343-06:00

We picked up this article posted on several sites today....as it is fairly accurate!  Enjoy.... By Christopher Howard, Liveincostarica.com After helping thousands of

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-32959937003671939472010-08-06T18:18:00.000-06:002010-08-06T18:18:10.485-06:00

This past Tuesday night, I was speaking on the cell phone with a client at approximately 840 p.m. when all the sudden the communication stopped.  Click - no one on the other end. Hmmm...OK...so I tried to call back - but no dial tone. Checked the land line - no dial tone either.  Then I dialed up onto my 3G wireless Internet - and no connection either.  Could it be that someone stole a

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-28889862199312343992010-08-05T08:56:00.002-06:002010-08-05T08:57:57.607-06:00

By Chrissie Long and Meg Yamamoto Tico Times Staff | clong@ticotimes.net | myamamoto@ticotimes.net Residents of Puerto Viejo and Cahuita and much of Costa Rica´s Caribbean region were without telephone or cell phone service Wednesday, after a fire broke out in the transmission center of the Costa Rican Electricity Institute in Limón.Crews have focused on

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-26093602567282326352010-07-18T10:19:00.001-06:002010-07-18T10:19:47.638-06:00

Report on Recycling in the South CaribbeanThe ACBTC-Associaiton Biological Corridor of Talamanca and the Caribbean-has joined with ReciCaribe-the Recycling Association of the Caribbean-to form an Alliance to deal with recycling and solid waste in Talamanca. The Recycling Alliance has expanded the types of solid waste that it is collecting on the Caribbean Coast. Nearly everything can now be

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-15439836665676641012010-06-24T12:13:00.003-06:002010-06-24T12:23:37.298-06:00

If you have lived more then just a few months in Puerto Viejo over the past 10 years, I'll bet you can't count on your own 2 hands and feet the number of times that we have heard the good news: the road will be fixed soon! Yet....time after time, it never happened, and the road has just kept on getting worse and worse - to the point where it has become downright embarrassing, dangerous and

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-65602582133416963382010-05-11T12:21:00.011-06:002010-05-11T12:56:47.142-06:00

We are posting this story - simply because this video keeps on coming back to us - from friends, clients, more - and it's pretty COOL! This is a short video - all done in Lego - by Procomer and New Kingdom Studio in order to promote foreign investment and the many advantages to living in of Costa Rica, it's politics, culture, society, etc.A well done and worthy of the watch video. Enjoy!

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-29697290178043902342010-05-06T11:16:00.005-06:002010-05-11T12:21:26.819-06:00

Manuel and Emmanuelle Pinto, owners of CARIBE SUR Real Estate, had their home and property featured in this week's New York Times "Great Homes" edition.We are proud and pleased to have been chosen for this article - highlighting our arrival in Costa Rica, how we built the house and making the most of the lifestyle within the Costa Rican jungle.Since the article, we have received numerous emails

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-74608714520802701862010-04-22T09:29:00.003-06:002010-04-22T09:52:51.368-06:00

Every day it seems like Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast attracts more visitors—not just tourists from other countries, but also Costa Ricans themselves. Restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and beaches are all surprisingly busy at a time of year when the pace usually slows down. Other parts of Costa Rica are certainly getting their fair share of visitors, but the Caribbean coast—especially the

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-82772038474370851482010-04-14T17:31:00.006-06:002010-04-14T17:58:53.838-06:00

The Costa Rican Legislature is currently evaluating a proposed law which would completely overhaul and regulate Real Estate Transactions in Costa Rica. The law, “Regulation of Real Estate Contracts and Real Estate Agents” is quite ambitious in its goal and if passed would create significant changes in the way real estate transactions are carried out in the future. According to the proposed law

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-75975025661965322162010-04-03T09:48:00.000-06:002010-04-03T10:15:21.278-06:00

The New York Times has featured an article on Costa Rica's "untamed coast", the CARIBE SUR region.Our friends Nicolas and Yamu of Playa Chiquita are featured as well real estate agent and property manager Paola Buffile.Also mentioned are the new Hotel Cameleon in Cocles, Caribeans in Puerto Viejo, Shawandha Lodge in Playa Chiquita, Casa Viva in Punta Uva and Maxi's in ManzanilloThe author spent

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-8289451023937834392010-03-02T12:06:00.000-06:002010-03-02T12:17:41.302-06:00

More good news from the new immigration law! If you are (or will be) a temporary or permanent resident of Costa Rica (not a perpetual tourist!!!) then you now have more obligations in order to maintain that residency and be able to renew it.Residents are now required to register and participate with the Costa Rican CAJA - or social security agency. Participation not only means registering, but

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6784732218444204945.post-67752366479697140532010-03-01T19:14:00.001-06:002010-05-06T11:01:11.380-06:00

The new immigration law just went into effect today March 1. Tourists will still be able to renew their visa by going to and returning from a nearby country as they have in the past, but the rules are changing, making that Panama visit a bit more challenging.One aspect of the new law says that a tourist will not be able to go to the same country twice in a row and that after two trips to renew a

Manuelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14861380955348286827noreply@blogger.com0