Live and Invest in Costa Rica
A heaving mailbag this week, which I’ll get to in a moment.
- First, a video postcard (our first) from Jessica Ramesch…she’s on the scene in Panama telling us about a way to pay less than everyone else for most things in this country. Click on the picture below to play the clip. When you’re done, let us know what you think (there’s a comment box on the page that opens). If you want more of these video postcards…we’ll shoot ‘em.
- I mentioned the Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar a couple of weeks ago. We hardly had any details confirmed…but already registrations are coming in pretty fast. This country has really struck a nerve with IL readers:
Jim says “I just returned from Costa Rica and fell in love with the country.”
This from Faith: “I want to buy some property in Limon in Costa Rica.”
Pat says: “I am seriously thinking about Panama or Costa Rica the problem is that I have another 3 yrs to retire with full benefits and having hopes that I will be able to find property within my price range.”
Irv shares this: “I have been to Costa Rica many times and traveled most of the country. Have flown my own plane down twice from Canada and have had a face lift there as well. I’m thinking of moving there permanently.”
And this from Maxine: “I spend a lot of vacation time in Costa Rica and I am buying retirement property right now as I am writing this. I am in escrow now. I have been spending a lot of time in CR for the past three years, looking for property all over the country, and trying to ascertain where I wanted to retire.”
This is just a small sample of your comments.
You know, every IL event this year has sold out fast. (In some cases we even had to shut down the waiting list.) I didn’t think it would happen with Costa Rica—we’ve reserved the biggest room in the hotel…and we’re not even promoting it yet. But…I could be wrong. The Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar runs from August 11-13. If you’re really interested, contact Donna directly to get discounts: events@internationalliving.com.
What is it about Costa Rica that has everyone so interested? Lots of reasons—the beautiful beaches obviously a factor. But safety and stability is definitely part of it, too. No army, peaceful history. I know stability is on your mind…we’ve had e-mails accusing us of ignoring the unstable side to Uruguay. More below…
- I just got a visit from Niamh (pronounced “Neeve”…an Irish name). Reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Niamh takes care of the ads in International Living magazine. If you want to tell more than 50,000 very qualified readers why your house, product, or service, is something they should rent, buy, or use…talk to Niamh. She acts tough but she’s really a softie. You can probably get at least 20% off the regular rates just by asking: Advertising@InternationalLiving.com.
- Cyndi lets us have it: “I just wanted to let you know how disappointed I am that in all of the postcards and information I purchased nothing has been mentioned that a former TERRORIST has been elected President of Uruguay AND has been cozying up to Hugo Chavez of Venezuala! I was SERIOUSLY planning on moving to Uruguay to escape our own Leftist Thugs in power. The news story I saw was over week ago and I haven’t seen any mention of it from you. How am I supposed to trust the information I get from you? I’d say political stability is a pretty important concern for expats. I just wanted to let you know….”
We turn to Lee Harrison for a response. Lee spent a long career in the U.S. electric power industry before retiring…and becoming IL’s roving Latin America editor. Lee brings the skills of analysis he learned as an engineer to most topics. He lives in Punta on Uruguay‘s coast. His comments below are long but detailed—and very insightful.
Take it away, Lee: “I’ve seen a number of articles on the topic of Mujica and Chávez, most notably the one distributed by the Associated Press. Unfortunately, what was stated in the AP simply was not true. They said that Mujica was “strengthening ties” with Chávez, when in fact all he did was agree to extend the terms of Uruguay’s existing contract to buy oil…and agree to ‘discuss’ Venezuela helping to expand a Uruguayan refinery.
“I thought this was unremarkable to most Americans, since Chávez owns a number of refineries in the U.S. outright…along with thousands of service stations. The discussion between Chávez and Mujica seemed small by comparison.
“But more importantly, your comment about political stability is right on the mark.
“And I do believe that Uruguay is politically stable. They make a good deal of their income from the offshore banking industry and tourism…and there’s no value in doing anything to rock that boat. Also, the number of expats is increasing all the time, and Mujica wants to continue supporting that trend, according to a speech he recently gave in Punta del Este.
“As to his activities in the 60s, that’s history to me. It’s not that I don’t have political opinions myself…but what I get paid for is to analyze today’s situation as it pertains to today’s expats—the benefits and value for the money—and leave the analysis of the past to others.
“And today, I think Uruguay is a good deal for people who want an honest culture, a safe environment, and good infrastructure at a reasonable price. Uruguayans have the highest approval rating of their government of any country in Latin America, at 67% (2009). And that’s good for expats, as it keeps things calm and harmonious. We don’t pay income tax here, but we are eligible to enjoy the freebies that the government makes available.
“When you’re considering a country to settle in abroad, the current politics can be important…especially with respect to property ownership, banking privacy, taxes, and transferring of money. But I’d advise you to be cautions on putting too much weight on their ideological persuasion. When I first came to Uruguay, the president was a conservative…but the next election saw a socialist take the office. So those things can change quickly.”
Thanks, Lee.
I would add that if a place looks good to you, go see for yourself. Do plenty of research, ask lost of questions. But if someone you’ve never met is telling you that you should stay at home instead…
Listen, don’t let anyone tell you to miss an opportunity when your instincts tell you there’s something interesting over the next hill. IL readers never hide—they explore. Get to it.
- Finally, if you want to reach out to other IL readers, the best place to find them is on our Facebook page. There’s some great photos posted there, too. In fact, if you have a vacation snap you want to share, put it on there…I’ll announce the most popular this week (there may even be a prize…)
