Expat Community > Costa Rica

CruzinCostarica
Joined 2009
Posts: 181

Perfect Central Pacifico Mountain-Ocean View Location

15 years ago

Hello to all, I just finished answering (by email) some questions from other forum members, and thought the entire email would answer many people's questions.

So Hola again everyone, Cruz in Costa Rica... just another day in Paradise..

I was asked the other day why I spend time on these forums, as I can do normal Internet advertising for potential clients with less work.

My answer is this. I LOVE COSTA RICA.. the People, the quirky culture, the explosion of nature, the souls of the Costa Rican people..truly different then anything I've experienced anywhere in the world.

Is it Perfect..for me yes, but maybe not for everyone. And I see people moving here thinking Costa Rica is the solution to any mix of "unhappiness" with their lives up north,and then a percentage of those bad mouthing Costa Rica when they move back to the US...

Kinda like being a guest in someone elses home and complaining about the food, my mom taught me better manners then that :-)

So I write these forum posts and blogs because the more you know, from a variety of sources, the better your decisions.. and because I believe that if there IS a problem with newcomers not loving Costa Rica, you should be part of the solution, not just "sit back" and watch

and if you come to Costa Rica and it turns out it's not your "style", that's OK, we don't want or need all the Baby Boomers, there is not enough room, Costa Rica is NOT very big :-)

I warn you ;-), I tend to write allot of detail, I am passionate about this country, and I take seriously that my advice to people will end up with many of them following that advice in a major life changing "move'

My business in Costa Rica revolves around real estate - relocation for persons NOT yet living in Costa Rica, so my family and I are very much "Lifestyle/Cultural Transition Consultants"

Since I'm originally Canadian, married a Costa Rican Beauty in 1982, she went "up north" with me and we lived in several places both Canada the US until 2000, and then we all moved to Costa Rica "forever"
I also worked in Asia, other Latin American country's and Europe, and since we've have raised 3 daughters in 3 cultures (Canada, the US and Costa Rica) who are now also part of our "Relocation Team" we feel our observations and experiences can help others of all ages considering Costa Rica.

BUT..and this is the Most important thing to remember, what one person considers paradise may not be at all pleasant to another person, so these are MY experiences/observations and advice

Costa Rica is NOT for everyone.. and I'm glad, as it's a very small country, and a million newcomers would increase the population by 20%, and done rapidly impact this beautiful culture, so slow and steady is the best for all.

So I have a responsibility to tell people where my point of view is coming from, as they may have different priorities and needs/desires that I am unaware of.

I feel the more detail I provide, the better the decisions by those that are just starting on the path my family and I have already traveled.

Allot of my consulting would depend on your answers to some questions, mainly answering to yourself,so You have thought these things through

But if you want to share personal/business info with me for me to help you more, that will help me help you, you can email me directly at [email protected]

My primary business is with non-Costa Rica's considering moving to Costa Rica to live, some looking for new active careers, some working just to stay busy, some fully time retired.

And I deal with people from their early 20's that are not yet "set" in any life habits, to retirees in their 70s to 80's, some of them very active, some not.

So the more I know, the better I can advise....

Costa Rica Real Estate, obviously the marketing and sales of that is what drives the business end of what I do

I really consider my small Team as different then others in Costa Rica, as we consider ourselves "Lifestyle/Cultural Transition Coaches"

One of the issues I constantly deal with, is desired lifestyle choices vs practical necessity's and pragmatic decisions. These usually revolve around economic and logistical realities.

a simple example:
MY personal "favorite" locations, if I were not a working man, would be deep in the very remote, rain forested areas of Costa Rica, "off the grid"
where 90% of my neighbors would be animals, birds and what God planned originally. I love the raw, untouched areas of Costa Rica, far from any development of any kind, areas of Costa Rica that in 2009, are unchanged from 100 years ago. The type of area you can NOT reach even with a good 4x4, very rugged and remote, so you need to be completely self sufficient for all needs, generate your own electricity, grow your own food, "take care of yourself" in the purest sense, etc.

Jungle Canadian Cruz with a Macbook Pro and 3G/Satellite Internet :-) But that "off the grid" option is not practical at this point of my Family's life

Myself, my Costa Rican wife of 26 years and my 3 (1/2 Canadian 1/2 Costa Rican) daughters are all actively involved with Real Estate/Eco Tourism and a new Sustainability University
and clients that need to find the best place (relocation), be it a 5 star beach front Condo in a very developed Beach area with 24 hr gated and secure community, a basic home in the central valley, a ocean view lot in the mountains, etc.

Then what to do and how to do it once they arrive so that their transition is as stress free as possible. ie, Lifestyle/Cultural Transition Consulting...

As an Example, I just returned to San Jose (the capital) from our project about 90 minutes from San Jose this morning, overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya and Blue Pacific Montañas del Pacifico

For us, it's the best 2009-2012 compromise, as it's easy and quick access with all the activities/amenities infrastructure for modern life, yet because of it's location I can be as "lost in the Rain forest" as I want,
as it's built on a 1000 acre nature reserve, and our backyard is the mountain slopes going up past the San Rafael mountains to "Encanto", an enchanted mountain of indigenous and modern Costa Rica lore,
where they recently damed the Aranjuez River, and on up to the Monterverde Cloud Forest, and it borders all the areas that make Costa Rica the Eco/Adventure Tourism Capital of this hemisphere

Right in the "beating heart" of Costa Rica..Check it out, you can subscribe to my Youtube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/CostaRicaVideoWeb

My Family is building our Mountain Eco Lodge / Sustainability University there, I was down there last 3 days with new clients and we broke ground on their cabin.

I was there since Saturday, and this afternoon I pick NEW clients up arriving from eastern Canada, and we head back down to Montañas del Pacifico for them to pick their
Ocean View Mountain lot and start their home-ranch plans, they are also starting a Business in the same area. So the location to fit OUR lifestyle is Montanas del Pacifico

So, here are some things to consider and questions, in order of priority.

1. Are you arriving with (A) "all the $ you need", buy a SUV and take your time getting to know the 7 different "zones" of the country..
and eventually buy a CR House from your savings, and get to know the wonderful people and new slower, Costa Rican lifestyle here?

or (B) do you need to make a living shortly after you arrive, and end up with those things over time largely from financial success from what you DO in Costa Rica?

Or somewhere "in between" A and B..

The well considered answer to that question will dictate your location more then any other single issue, and your happiness your 1st 18-24 months in Costa Rica.

I have clients that moved here and did NOT give enough importance to that decision, or thought they could "change' Costa Rica to fit their desires..and regretted their initial "gringo in paradise" choices,
forcing them to move 2-3 times the 1st year before they found the right "mix". Not fun, and it made their 1st year in paradise less then ideal..

2. If the ability to support yourself upon arriving from working here is critical, then you need to decide what the minimum "niceties" are that are acceptable to you,
and then adjust that to available job-income opportunities.

3. decide when buying real estate what your 1st, 2nd and 3rd priorities are

Investment? Lifestyle? Climate? Ease or difficulty (access) to normal "modern" infrastructure like shopping and heath care?

Everyone will rate these things differently..and once you've made the list, check everything out with your own eyes, spend time in the area talking to locals that have been there for a while, before committing

AND, the worst possible thing someone can do is bring a skill set to Costa Rica that allowed them to live comfortably in the US or Canada,
and think they can complete with the Costa Rica work force at the same income level..simple not going to happen.

Fortunately, your skill set(s) and global multi-cultural experience make you relatively unique in Costa Rica, so not a worry for you.

So..that's my 1st recommendation, and without naming you, I think I will add this to my blogs, as it answers questions many have posted.

I look forward to you Skype invite, till then...Have a GREAT Day.. and PURA VIDA!

Download www.SKYPE.com and we can speak for FREE My Skype I.D. is costaricateam.raymondcruz

Raymond Cruz ~

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Perfect Central Pacifico Mountain-Ocean View Location

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