Learning the lay of the land in Costa Rica
No matter where you are choosing to move with, there are certain conditions you first must consider in order to pick the most fitting satisfactory location. Although Costa Rica may be your dream retirement country or simply just what appears to be your dream country, it is important to keep a level head and choose wisely when it comes down to purchasing real estate in the country. Costa Rica while not very for a country and often thought of as a beach escape land, still has very many different types of living styles depending on where one ends up settling down at. Due to the fact the land varies so drastically by area in regards to climate, land layout, and its developmental attributes, it would be wise to spend some time renting in Costa Rica before making a real estate commitment as it will be probably be very hard to sell your property within a year should you change your mind. If you are too impatient to even consider Costa Rica’s low commitment low priced rentals, than here are some general tips regarding the lay of the land that may help you make your final real estate location decision.
One of the first things to consider is what type of climate you and your spouse are most likely to enjoy living in. Although best known for its beaches and hot weather, mountain area in Costa Rica tends to be cooler with average temperatures in the low 70’s and nights in the 50’s. If these sound like more livable conditions than blazing 90 degree humid days than you may consider the beautiful mountain scenery with a house nestled gently into the landscape. Of course due to the difference in the sea level, these areas tend to get more rain than properties near the shoreline.
The next important consideration and perhaps the most important unless you are a millionaire, is how much you are willing and able to spend on your real estate investment. The most expensive properties are beachfront properties since they are difficult and time-consuming to get the rights too, and properties that are within large cities such as San Jose since they are so close to all the local amenities and entertainment complexes. Everything you may need such as shopping, the movies, hospitals, grocery stores etc are within the city limits thus driving the prices of housing located nearby up in price. If you are older and getting around is getting difficult for you or you have health concerns and need to be by a hospital or clinic, than city properties are going to have to be the only choices for you. Often hospital availability is not something we have to think about when buying a home, but due to the wide rural areas of Costa Rica, if you do not consider it, you may end too far from a hospital for your own well being because hospitals being non-profit organizations for the most part, do not get built on a regular basis.
If you can handle being away from the Costa Rica epicenter of activity and are satisfied with country life and a casual drive into the city here and then, then rural area is scenic and usually the most affordable. For the same price of a small property in the city, you can probably get a larger house and acres of land in the mountains. Of course you will be somewhat secluded from civilization and will have to drive into the city regions for shopping and entertainment, but if this is not something that bothers you than these are the best property buys in Costa Rica.