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Blog Categories: General, Moving to Costa Rica, Costa Rica Retirement, Costa Rica Living, Costa Rica Lifestyle

When you move to Costa Rica you tend to look for a known environment
Posted: 07/23/2011 08:40 AM
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By Ivo Henfling

Do as much due dilligence as you can before you buy property in Costa RicaWhen you move to a new country or a new city, you tend to look for somebody or something that feels comfortable, feels safe and helpful in your new environment. Everything is new and even though you welcome the adventure, you like the security of what is known as the Human Thermal Environment.

The language

You are moving to Costa Rica and you need help because you don’t speak any or very little Spanish. So you look for help from those who speak your own language. But can you trust them? Will they connect you with the right and trustworthy people? Of course it is more comfortable to have someone to talk to in your own language, it requires no effort. The most successful people to retire in a different country are those who have travelled a lot and are more open to other languages.

The culture

Things are done differently in Costa Rica then you are used to. Every country has its own culture, its own food and its own customs. The way we say things, the way we act and the way we dress, it’s all new when you arrive here. Which are the places you can walk the streets, which are the places to hang out safely?  Where to do your grocery shopping and where to shop for your clothes? Of course you are moving here to start a new and different life. But that doesn’t mean you should leave your own customs behind, nor the lifestyle you are used to.

Your lifestyle

Since we grew up, we got used to a certain lifestyle.  As life went on, we adjusted our lifestyle to what we could afford and what made us happy. Some have had to adjust their lifestyle because of a divorce or the loss of a job, or even the loss of most their capital during the last crisis. What sort of lifestyle are you looking for? Are you looking for a beautiful country with great weather, to be surrounded by people who have the same interest as we do? Are we looking for wining and dining out every day? Are we looking for great shopping? Or are we looking for a cheaper place to live?

Due diligence

When we moved to Costa Rica 30 years ago, the internet didn’t exist. Tour operators and realtors didn’t have websites and real estate blogs didn’t exist.  On the internet you can find vacation rentals, moving companies, immigration attorneys, realtors and retirement tour companies.  Every one of these can do his/her share in your due diligence. Who are the professionals to help you do your due diligence? You can surf the internet and check on people, like you can ask us to connect you to those who gave us these testimonials.

  

Pay for your due diligence

When you went to school that first day, you were starting your education and your mom and dad probably paid a lot of money for this education. Now you are ready to take an even larger step in life, your retirement and you should get the best paid education available to you. GoDutch real estate agents are relocators, not free tour guides. It’s amazing how some people think we should tour them around for free. Be honest to your realtor, if you just tell us you’re doing due diligence, we will give you a short tour and tell you all you need to know. But don’t look at 50 homes, trying to find the right one that you’re not going to buy anyway because you won’t retire for another 2 years.

Your realtor

On the internet, you can find hundreds of realtor websites and all offer the same: Costa Rica real estate. But the web and email allows you to find out who knows each area better, which one is better qualified to introduce you to your new environment and help you get going in your new life, someone who is available way past the real estate closing.

By Ivo Henfling, your Costa Rica realtor who is qualified to sell you a home in the Central Valley but not to do free tours. If you are looking for a knowledgeable realtor who can give you a lot of great information about properties in Costa Rica and many other issues, feel free to contact me.

Comments (3)
Ivo Henfling says:
a long time friend and someone I hope might still move to Costa Rica some day, though he's been thinking about it for 10 years, sent me a note about my wrong calculation of the amount of acres I translated the hectares into. It seems to be a Dutch mistake, as we think in hectares and not in acres. Thanx Marius for the note and yes, a realtor should know better.
08/07/2011 01:30 PM
Ivo Henfling says:
Mr. Rod Hughes sent us the following comment: I enjoyed the article from La Nacion but, unfortunately, I think the writer tends to overstate his case. In the first place, the history of The Netherlands is far different from that of Costa Rica. That European country is a tribute to man's industry and thought, stemming back from Roman times. Something like 2/3 of its territory comes from salvage from the sea and, if there was ever a self-made nation, the Dutch have it. But the Dutch are a thoughtful people who plan and supervise themselves--if they hadn't, fierce North Sea storms would have washed most of the nation away. Costa Rica, on the other hand, has had an abundance of natural beauty which it set about destroying systematically in the last half of the 20th century. Such seemingly boundless riches caused a lack of foresight that reduced the forests to less than half of what they were as recently as 1950. Then, logic took hold, the government incentivized maintenance of nature and private reforestation began. Perhaps some Ticos, like recent converts, are fanatical about saving the environment but they distrust, with reason, the government's ability to balance nature with exploitation. In petroleum drilling, their case was bolstered by British Petroleum's mistakes in the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill. As far as Las Crucita mine is concerned, Ticos can point to the Bellavista mine that collapsed in July of 2007, despite ecologists' and residents' repeated warnings that the hillside on which its refinery was sited was unstable. The government did nothing discernible to supervise the development of the site or, later, to inspect it. Toxic chemicals used to refine gold are buried under tons of earth and rocks--whether the landslide will result in ground water contamination is still to be seen. The pendulum in the controversy between ecology and foreign investment tends to swing confusingly--but in general, the discussion is healthy and keeps business careful about environmental damage.
08/08/2011 12:20 PM
Ivo Henfling says:
Mr. Vinzenz Schmack was born in Germany but has lived in Costa Rica since 1981
08/08/2011 12:22 PM
Keywords: costa rica real estate