Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

ARTICLE | REAL ESTATE

SHOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY RIGHT AWAY OR RENT FOR A WHILE FIRST?

California where a home at the beach was prohibitively expensive, so you lived inland. When you vacationed in the past you usually chose a destina- tion by the beach and you loved it each time, so now that you are ready to retire and live in Costa Rica, you believe it is the perfect time to buy a home at the beach which is much more affordable to do so here in Costa Rica. So, you are ready to jump right in and purchase that dream home or would you be wiser to wait? It depends on various factors so please take a sheet of paper and look at your overall situation, vacationing at the beach and living full time at the beach are not the same thing and for some the transition from one to the other may be perfectly smooth but for others it may be quite a rude awakening as it does not always result in the Endless Sum- mer fantasy you dreamt about for years. If you have previously lived full time at the beach then you know that you must take the good with the bad and weigh- ing both the Pros and Cons, you can then decide if full time beach living is for you. However, if you have never lived in a beachfront situation then possibly the wisest course to take is to rent for

a year and see what the full-time beach life with all its Pros and Cons is really like. Also, each beach community has a different flavor and living there will let you experience it and decide if it is what you are looking for because while living full-time at the beach may be perfect for you it may not be perfect for you in that specific beach location. Also, you may decide that beachfront is not right for you, but something set back a little with possibly more altitude to catch those lovely winds coming from the ocean is exactly the perfect compromise. You can catch the beautiful sunsets as you gaze from your beautiful home toward the sea but save yourself from several maintenance issues (the constant at- tack of salt-water spray can be unfor- givingly harsh on many of your home surfaces and vehicles) and have gen- erally cooler temperatures due to a higher altitude and prevailing winds so that you end up needing nothing more than a good ceiling fan to be comfort- able temperature wise. Now let us say that you have decided that while you love the beach, you would prefer to live inland, then you must decide what appeals more to you. Do you want to live away from the cities

By Hernan A. Carazo tourrificticotours@gmail.com )

Like most things in life, there are no clear cut Yes or No answers… It de- pends on many factors since every individual and his life situation are dif- ferent from others and it also depends on your current knowledge and experi- ence with Costa Rica, your capacity to be honest with yourself and your ulti- mate life goals. For example, let´s say that you are a couple who are retiring, and you have always wanted to own a home at the beach, but you lived in an area like

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20 COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE