10 Reasons to Buy Property in Costa Rica



Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination. More than two million tourists visit this small country each year. They love this country’s natural beauty….pretty beaches…and wildlife-packed forests. Many of these tourists put down roots here, as expats, retirees and second-home buyers. And if you’re looking for a second home destination, Costa Rica’s hard to beat. Here are ten reasons why Costa Rica is on the shortlist of savvy property buyers:

1. It’s a stable, democratic, peaceful country. In fact, it officially abolished its army in 1949. It’s the only Latin country listed in the 22 most steadily democratic countries since 1950.
2. It’s close to the US. A 2 hour 40 minute flight gets you here from Miami, and it’s only five hours from New York. With so many major airlines flying here, and budget groups like Spirit and LACSA, you can take advantage of low-cost fares to visit friends and family back home…or they can come visit you.
3. It has a growing economy, up by 3.6% in 2010. The total amount of foreign direct investment was second only to Panama in the Central American region in 2010. Last year was a record year for tourism, too, when more than two million tourists visited Costa Rica.
4. It’s stunningly beautiful.
   Costa Rica has an abundance of natural wonders… volcanic peaks, a craggy spine of mountain ridges twisting its way through the center of the country, limpid lakes, thundering waterfalls, pristine beaches, and rich cloud and rain forests. 27% of the land lies in parks and reserves. One area, the immense Corcovado park in the Southern Zone (covering more than 100,000 acres), ranks as the most biologically intense place on the planet, according to National Geographic. Fluorescent frogs, scarlet macaws, secretive tapirs, sociable monkeys, gigantic butterflies…you can’t help but spot wildlife in this place
   
5. Medical care is top quality and highly affordable. In San Jose, the capital, hospitals like Clinica Biblica or CIMA provide world-class care, at a fraction of the cost you’d pay back home. Costa Rica is a popular choice for North American medical tourists looking to cut the cost of major procedures (dental treatments, joint replacements, eye surgery, etc.). Costa Rican residents pay a low monthly fee to join the national health care system (CCSS), and can use CCSS hospitals and clinics. Fees for private medical cover start from around $50 a month.
6. Costa Rica boasts a superb quality of life. Life expectancy is high, at 77.7 years on average. The country also regularly tops the Happiness Index. The index is a measure of health, life satisfaction, and environmental footprint. A score of 8.5 for life satisfaction places Costa Rica almost a full point ahead of its closest rival in this category. Costa Rica’s easygoing, friendly, family-centered, low-stress outdoors lifestyle plays a big factor in longer lifespans and feeling content with your lot.
7. The climate is warm year-round, outside the Central Valley (where temperatures hover in the 60s). You can wave goodbye to freezing winters, ice and snow. Temperatures average in the 70s and 80s, with no tornadoes or hurricanes. If you enjoy spending time outdoors…sport fishing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, zip lining, horse riding, hiking, wildlife watching…the climate in Costa Rica will allow you to enjoy these activities pretty much all year.
8. You have a choice of residency options. You can become a resident if you can prove income of $1,000 a month, for example.
9. Costa Rica is already home to an estimated 30,000-50,000 North American expats who own property in Costa Rica, or live here full or part time. They have a long-established association of residents with a bi-monthly newsletter, and they help newcomers get settled in.
10. It’s affordable. It’s not just the health care. Property taxes are low, at around 0.25% of the recorded or municipal-registered value of the property annually. That’s around $462 on a $185,000 property…annually. You can afford domestic help, too.

And despite the growing numbers of celebrities and wealthy businessmen who have purchased multi-million dollar homes in Costa Rica, you can still find low-priced properties here…and afford to custom build your dream home.

Moran Real Estate Over 55 years of Tropical Real Estate Excellence

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Costa Rican episode of 'The Bachelor' airs Monday

 

 

An episode of the hit television series "The Bachelor" filmed in La Fortuna and Arenal last October is expected to draw millions of U.S. viewers.

A Costa Rican episode of the popular U.S. reality TV show "The Bachelor" will air Monday at 7 p.m. on ABC.

Last October, bachelor Brad Womack and six bachelorettes traveled to Costa Rica and filmed an episode of the show while visiting the La Fortuna and Arenal area. The cast and crew stayed at The Springs Resort & Spa, in Arenal, and participated in a group date doing a canyoning tour with a local outdoor expedition company, Pure Trek Costa Rica.

“(Womack) did the group date with me and Pure Trek,” said Pure Trek owner Cynthia Crummer. “He and six girls and a film crew shot the entire thing. I’d never worked with reality television before so the whole thing was a pretty funny experience,” Crummer said.

"The Bachelor" is in its 15th season, and true to the famed format of the show, the season began with 25 women vying to win the heart of a "bachelor.." As the show progresses, young hearts are shattered as Womack whittles the contestants down to one. At the end of each episode, Womack presents a rose to the girls he intends to keep around, while disappointment overtakes the others.   

In the final episode of each season, the bachelor is expected to drop to a knee and ask his chosen bachelorette for her hand in marriage. Womack, however, is famed for his 2007 decision to propose to neither of the two finalists, which resulted in seismic chaos throughout the reality television world.

At the end of the episode in Costa Rica, Womack holds the ominous rose ceremony. He selects some of the women to go with him on his next adventure, while sending others home devoid of love although, one imagines, full of  'pura vida.'

“Brad Womack is a really nice guy. Really, he is a sweetheart,” Crummer said. “But in the end he dumps a couple of them and they move on. That's just how the show works.”

The show's viewer ratings usually top the U.S. television charts on Monday nights. So far this season, the average weekly audience tuning in has been 8-9 million.

“The solid rating of 'The Bachelor' – more than nine million people in U.S. alone – makes this an important opportunity to show the natural attractions of Costa Rica on one of the principal entertainment channels in our primary market,” said Tourism Minister Carlos Benavides.

The show begins at 7 p.m. local time and runs for two hours. Through the show's first 14 seasons, only one of the couples remains together today.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
-- Helen Keller

Moran Real Estate - Over 50 Years of Tropical Real Estate Excellence

Costa Rica Becomes A World Leader In Space Travel Technology

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Thanks to the presence of some of the most innovative companies in the world today Costa Rica
has become a major player in high-technology manufacturing, medical technology manufacturing,
professional services and believe it or not, the development of advanced plasma rocket
propulsion technology for space travel!

Since the year 2000 the number of companies in Costa Rica's manufacturing sector has increased
by 83%, Costa Rica's medical devices sector has increased by 288% and the services sector has
increased by 1,760%

Ad Astra is a rocket propulsion company dedicated to the development of advanced plasma rocket
propulsion technology. It was started by Franklin Ramón Chang Díaz a Costa Rican-American
engineer, physicist and former NASA astronaut who is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions.
His ambitious goal is to revolutionize space transportation and exploration, through the
development and commercialization of the VASIMR® engine and related technologies.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics named the Variable Specific Impulse
Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) among the top 10 emerging aerospace technologies of 2009 and
aerospace experts believe that a 200 Mega Watt VASIMR® powered space ship could make the trip
to Mars in as few as 39 days.

In an effort to help bolster this new industry, Costa Rica's President Laura Chinchilla is
seeking to attract more investment from aerospace companies and this week signed a decree
creating the National Council of Aerospace Industry which will be chaired by Clotilde Fonseca,
Minister of Science and Technology.

In an interview this week, the World Bank Director for Central America Laura Frigenti was
asked about the the prospects for Costa Rica this year, she answered: "They are very good.
We at the World Bank, look at Costa Rica with a lot of admiration. It is a country that has
much to offer the world in terms of good policies, results, particularly in the areas of
social policy, debt and openness to foreign direct investment."

And you saw in the news this week that out of 65 countries, a young Tico - Rafael Angel
Rodríguez Arguedas - just won the Gold medal in the World Olympics for Chemistry? He beat
other very talented contenders from countries that have typically performed well in this
field including the USA, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

Good things are happening in Costa Rica, come be a part of it!

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Scott Oliver - Founder of WeLoveCostaRica.com

We Love Costa Rica

Moran Real Estate Over 50 Years Of Tropical Real Estate Excellence

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then do what's possible;
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