I grew up on the beaches of Santa Barbara, California. A wonderful way to learn. Although the waters were cold, we swam like fish almost every day of the year. Most of my friends become surfers or divers or sailors. I become quite good at swimming and body surfing but the rest of the water activities failed to attract my attentions. And now I still love the ocean and here in Costa Rica the waters are warm like a mothers womb. Surfers tell me they can find good waves year round and divers tell me they must go by boat out a ways to get away from the dirty cloudy waters of shore.

In these troubling times where the value of currencies is falling and could in fact fail, it is important to protect one's assets in a way that will survive the coming economic collapse. Real estate is one of the best investments you can make to protect yourself from a devaluation of your currency, be it the dollar, euro or yuan. Costa Rica real estate has been one of the best long term investment available to expats in central america for many years and surely will continue to hold its own against other countries seeking out your hard earned dollars.

Now that the government of Costa Rica has passed their new tax on all corporations we are going to see fallout in the real estate industry here. Many developers hold their unsold properties in Sociadad Anonimas (S.A.) corporate entities to ease and reduce the costs and processes when selling to the buyers. Now those same developers are faced with hefty annual tax bills for these structures due to this new outrageous tax plan by a government that has completely lost touch with reality.

After nearly two months of rain I am looking forward to the change in weather promised in this mornings sunny sky. My coffee is still hot and so delicious (one of my few daily pleasures is my morning cup of pure Costa Rican coffee freshly brewed by the cup), and the sun is brightly shining thru the trees to my patio. This is such a pleasant surprise to finally be greeted with sunshine after so many days of rain that I think I will take the day off from my studies and play!

My friends in the USA are telling me that snow and cold are falling fast and furious around them now. I admit that here too it feels cold. Faithful readers know that I live at 800 meters above sea level in Costa Rica and that therefor the weather on my property is most comfortable year round. But now I have the fire going in the office fireplace because, damn it, the cold has crept into my bones as well. The thermometer states clearly to me 68 degrees Fahrenheit which to a long term expat living the tropics is damn cold !

If you are looking for one of the best beach area properties to build or buy your dream home, look no further then the gorgeous development at Lomas del Mar. These ocean and mountain view properties are a short drive to Playas del Coco and Flamingo, two of the nicest beach areas in all of Costa Rica. And only 5 minutes from the new RIU hotel complex.

Beach Real Estate

We have been getting plenty of rain the past two weeks here in Costa Rica. But the rain is a blessing bringing much needed water to the aquifers and filling our lakes and rivers so we can create electricity. Some areas of the country have experienced too much rain, areas that are not used to rain, and where roads have been cut poorly into mountain sides there have been many slides closing many roads. This is normal and nothing to worry about.

Come and stay at Los Delfines Golf & Country Club!

In reply to your email we highly recommend Los Delfines Golf & Country Club in Playa Tambor because it’s a great place to live because of the convenience, infrastructure, security, beach, nature, golf course, peace, tennis, basketball courts etc. At Los Delfines Golf and Country Club, you'll enjoy all the charms of a tropical setting of exceptional beauty with a beach which stretches for more than 3 miles, and a backdrop of exuberant vegetation where mountain streams meet the sea.

Most people are talking about the high cost of living all over the planet earth. Food costs have skyrocketed world wide. Some say this is due to market speculators. Others to supply and demand. I say it is due to greed and high taxation. And the taxes are only going to get worse. Several small countries are asking the UN to levy a financial tax of between 3 and 5 %. That would mean if you sent $10,000 dollars to Costa Rica via wire transfer, you would have to give the world government, also known as the UN, 5% of that or $500.

I hear a lot of people talking about how expensive Costa Rica is, and they are right. However, along with high prices comes great beauty, reasonable peace, good infrastructure and a great place to live. We see prices going up all the time but a review of prices around the world indicate that not only Costa Rica has high prices but almost every where on planet earth that is some what desirable to live is expensive. We are seeing taxes goes up, food go up, gasoline go up. But salaries only go up 10% / year so we can still hire a gardener or house keeper for a fair wage.