¡BIENVENIDOS - www.CostaRicaBlogger.com!
REAL, Honest, Unbiased information on Costa Rica!!!
My name is Bill Clanton
and after many years of extended visits I was finally able to make the move
permanently to the wonderful country of Costa Rica. My always entertaining
10 year old son is a Costarricense by birth with duel U.S./Costa Rica
citizenship that is now able to learn both his native culture and Spanish
language alongside his English studies in a fully bilingual school. Truly
the best of all worlds!
Prior to my Costa Rica location, I spent 7 years
in Illinois law enforcement and most recently 10 years in the U.S. home finance
market as owner of the highly successful and trusted State Street Mortgage of Illinois and Indiana.
Call it intuition, call it good timing or call it luck; I had set my plans to
move to Costa Rica in late 2006 ... allowing for a successful relocation prior
to the U.S. mortgage market meltdown. Although the financial repercussions are
world-wide, I can think of no better place to ride out such a storm than in a
country that often times puts family and life ahead of overt commercialization
and non-essential possessions. 
¡Pura
Vida!
I am now in the process of putting all the little things together so that our new house and country is truly our home (ie: private school for my son, cell phone, buying a car, etc.). I will soon be studying Spanish and the Costa Rican real estate market. It is my goal to facilitate real estate sales and financing to those that have dreams similar to my own ... to live in the paradise that is Costa Rica.
COSTA RICA - a very brief overview
Costa Rica is located South of Nicaragua and North of Panama in Central America. Costa Rica remains beautiful and warm year-round and borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean / Caribbean Sea on the east and features towering volcanoes on the Central Plateau. 
Often referred to as "the Switzerland of the Americas" due to its neutral political status and spectacular mountains it is a small country of around 20,000 square miles (about 200 miles long and 70 miles wide at the narrowest part) with 
around four million people.
"Where the mountains meet the sea"
Although Costa Rica may be considered small in size, it is one
of the most diverse concentrated geographical areas on the planet. Costa Rica has three mountain ranges that divide the country into five areas; the Northern Central Plains, the Northwest Peninsula, 
the Tropical Lowlands on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts and the Central Valley. Costa Rica is the home of Lush Cloud and Rainforests, Exotic Animals, Volcanoes, Exotic Flora, Birds, National Parks, World Class Beaches and Sportfishing, All Inclusive Resorts and so much more.
Costa Rica has more Americans per capita than any other country outside the United States for many reasons; Climate, Natural Beauty, Quality of Life, Lifestyle, Cost of Living,
Great Medical Care and last but not least ... Affordable Real Estate!
Costa Rica remains one of the best real estate investment opportunities world-wide. Buying a home or land in Costa Rica is safe, affordable and unlike many other countries - you do not have to be a resident of Costa Rica to own property.
Commercial Property, etc. Prices range from $30,000 in some traditional neighborhoods to mountainside oceanfront mansions listing for over $1M. 
With no capital gains taxes, low property taxes, available title insurance, public and private bank financing ... Costa Rica encourages and does its best to ensure that foreigners have a positive real estate experience.
However, purchasing in Costa Rica still remains very different than making a purchase in your home country - so as with anything else, education on the subject is very important. 
A potential buyer's best bet is to work with a reputable Costa Rica broker to assist in negotiating the price, explain financing (both U.S. and Costa Rican options as applicable) and coordinate the process with a reputable Costa Rican attorney, title company, etc.
