Water In “The Zone” (Part One)

Access to fresh drinking water is already one of the “big three” infrastructure necessities (along with electricity and good roads/access) when looking for property in this country, hence the motivation...

Did Taxes & Tourism Blow Costa Rica Real Estate Out?

Costa Rica Real Estate Listings I just received an e-mail from a reader that shamed me into sitting right down and writing. I have read your face book page and...

2009: In The Rearview Mirror

Rod & I have decided to write a few words about the year just past. We did so without consulting each other or giving any clues regarding what we've written....

Costa Rica Culture – Say Hello

When we first moved to Costa Rica in 1999, my son Neil was 11 years old and my daughter Hannah was 15. In those early days, after coming home from...

Guys In The Zone Talk Show – Episode 5

Click to Play Episode 5 of the Guys In The Zone Talk Show, hosted by Ben Vaughn and Rod Martin, features a lively discussion on life and buying property in...

Confusion Around Costa Rica’s Luxury Tax

[singlepic id=10 w=320 h=240 float=right]So, I get this great e-mail from some super in-the-know real estate guys the other day that answers a number of my questions regarding the new...

Costa Rica’s New Luxury Tax

There is a new law that has now quietly come into force in Costa Rica.  It is being called the “Luxury House Tax” or a facsimile thereof. I now have...

Now What’s My Land Worth?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and define some specific points that we at Guys In The Zone use to evaluate a property.  At the moment, this...

Kicking Tires in Paradise

We've had a week full of working with buyer-type clients, but they definitely fit into what the "Man Says There’s No Market here" article says below.  I'll call them the...

The Man Said – There Is No Real Estate Market Here

The effect of the statement on me has been: enlightenment.  Interesting, how a single expression out of an entire conversation can have such an effect.  The rest of the conversation...