email at|puravida@happierthanabillionaire.com
FacebookInstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeRss

We have a water letter, now what? To build, hold, or sell in Costa Rica.

By | 2021-03-31T11:54:10-04:00 March 29th, 2021|Categories: Pacific Heights|Tags: , , , |

Pacific Heights

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Yearly Real Estate Tax on Pacific Heights Property—$280

I have a not-so-glamorous skill set. It won’t dazzle someone at a bar or get me invited to an afterparty. But if you are considering buying property in Costa Rica, I may be the most important person you’ll meet. I am the one who bought TWO building lots in the mid-2000s before the government enacted stricter water laws.

What followed has been fifteen years of struggling and chasing attorneys, all while sitting on these properties and waiting for the tides to turn.

In The Costa Rica Escape Manual, I write all about buying property and building a home. But the most important chapter may be the Water Letter. It is the difference between having a lovely home or pitching a tent in a pile of dirt. No one likes to talk about it, but since I blab about everything in my books, I told the world about what happened to us. It’s embarrassing but true.

We have had great times in Costa Rica, but we have also shared plenty of heartache.

A water letter does not determine whether a property has water at the building site. Both of mine do, but it wasn’t legal to use. And without it being legal, I couldn’t get a permit to build. We were stuck in limbo many years before ultimately finding another place to build the Happier House. In fact, when we first visited Mar Vista, we wouldn’t go past the gates unless they showed proof of legal water. They did.

One thing I’ve learned about living in Costa Rica is to be patient. Whether at the bank or in the grocery store, things move slower here. But low and behold, it turns out 15 years was just long enough for one of our properties.

We finally received a water letter for our lot in Pacific Heights. An ocean-view, 10,000 square meter lot only fifteen minutes from the new Flamingo Marina. It’s designated forresta. Lots in this part of the community only need to be 5000 meters each to build a home, guest house, and caretaker’s house. This lot is twice that size and therefore it should be able to be split in two. Build on one lot and sell the other was our plan. 

Yesterday we requested an updated Uso de Suelo certificate from the municipality for this lot. It helps to prove we can build on the land. I’m on a documentation high right now and loving every minute of it. The Eye of the Tiger song plays everywhere I go. If I sound excited, I am.

I’m legal baby! And I’m telling the world!

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same thing for the other lot, our Problem Child. Fifteen years has not been enough time to sort it all out. There is no Rocky theme playing for that one. But it does have a spectacular view of the Flamingo Marina. We hope to sell Pacific Heights in order to fix and build on this one.

So the question now is, should we build, sell, or hold on to our beautiful legal Pacific Heights property?

If we do sell now it could be at a significant loss…
If we wait a little longer for the Flamingo Marina we might just get our money back!

But until we decide, I’m enjoying the moment. Rob and I did it, and that’s one hell of a happy ending.

If you are at all interested in the property please contact us at:

puravida@happierthanabillionaire.com

PM us at our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/happierthanabillionaire

Read More
 3

Our Costa Rica House: Update

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:15-04:00 January 11th, 2016|Categories: Happier Beach House|Tags: , , |

Building The Happier House

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Britt Decaf Coffee (12 ounces)— $11

My husband convinced me that we should move into our house while it’s under construction.

“How bad can it be?” he said.

“But there are no windows or doors,” I replied. “Isn’t that more like camping?”

“It’ll be exciting,” he promised. “We’re finally doing it! We’re building a house!”

So here I am, sitting on the floor. I would be sitting on a piece of furniture but we don’t own any yet. Furniture seems a little premature when there are more pressing things to purchase: steel beams and wires, sinks and toilets, and all the things that ultimately make up a house. In an attempt to keep track of our budget, I’m always trying to return something that was ordered.

“Do we need this?” I’ll ask our builder, pointing to an item on the receipt.

“Yes, it’s a breaker box.”

“Is it necessary?”

“Yes, unless you plan on not having electricity.”

“And this— meters of PVC pipe? How much does one house need?” Apparently, a lot.

But I have to give Rob credit: it is exciting living in a home that is being constructed around you. I get to wake up to an assortment of banging. I used to attempt to decipher these sounds. Is that a bulldozer? Are there people on my roof? Are there people in my room?

Today there is a crew stuccoing the house. I know this because I was taking a shower when they propped up a ladder against the bathroom window. This is a great way to meet new friends. It quickly gets all the pleasantries out of the way, and I tend to look my best with a head full of shampoo and a startled expression.

Rob and our builder ensure that with each day we are making progress. And it’s true. Every evening I walk around and see more and more things completed. What was once a mishmash of wires and paint cans is slowing becoming something more spectacular than I could have ever imagined.

Rob never ceases to amaze me, and I’m positive I could never accomplish this on my own. He’s constantly thinking ahead, and never lets a setback bring him down. He’s the first to calm my anxiety while at the same time handing a worker a cold glass of water. He’s been on top of this entire project, from the design of the gardens to the little glow-in-the-dark tiles at the bottom of the pool. His vision is certain and steadfast. He has never wavered, not in our marriage and not during this build, one of the biggest decision of our lives. I’m starting to believe that this dream can come true, and I’m starting to believe that the future will be as bright as I allow it to be.

Rob was right about a lot of things. Maybe I need to listen to him more, that’s if I could hear anything above the tile saw.

To read more about how my story began, check out Happier Than A Billionaire.

Read More
 42

Building in Costa Rica

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:16-04:00 July 27th, 2015|Categories: Happier Beach House|Tags: , , , , |

Nadine Hays PisaniCosta Rica Cost of Living Update: One huge papaya—$1.20

It’s been seven years, but we never gave up! I’m happy to announce that Rob and I just broke ground on our new home in the Mar Vista Community just outside Flamingo! But it gets even better: we decided to build a bed and breakfast so that others can enjoy Costa Rica as much as we do.

For sure there will be a pool, and Rob is already designing a garden with organic fruit trees. I would love to have an outdoor space for dining and barbecuing, and a patio off the second floor. My head spins with ideas, but I know how easy it is to get carried away with one’s budget. Rob and I have to be practical, but there has been nothing practical about our adventure from the start. Maybe for us, being “unpractical” works out the best.  (more…)

Read More
 47

Building a House in Costa Rica

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:17-04:00 February 2nd, 2015|Categories: The Happier House|Tags: , , , |

Vacation Costa Rica

Costa Rica Costa of Living Update: Building a home in Guanacaste— Approx. $125 / SqFt

Rob and I are taking the plunge and building a house. If it were up to my husband, he would build it himself out of underwear and bobby pins. Luckily for me, Costa Rica has strict building codes and—from what I can discern—doesn’t allow duct tape in any of its structures. But before we do anything, we ask around to find a great architect, one that will design our dream home and see it to fruition.

Sandy, my girlfriend who was featured on House Hunters International and in my books, is extremely happy with her architect who just like us, was cut from the final editing of her HGTV episode. It could be because my husband kept yelling “This house makes me happier than a billionaire,” every time the camera was on him. No matter what the producer said, Rob somehow found an excuse to interject the title of my book, “My wife, author of the wildly popular series Happier Than A Billionaire, loves Sandy’s choice of lighting fixtures.” This PR move left us wildly unpopular with the producer, thus our footage ending up on the cutting room floor. (more…)

Read More
 27

THE UPSIDE TO A DOWN MARKET

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:37-04:00 August 29th, 2011|Categories: Cost of Living|Tags: , |

Costa Rica Cost of Living Update: Head of broccoli- 60 cents

There is an upside to a down market. When the boom hit, you couldn’t go a mile without seeing a cement truck kick up dust along the dirt roads. It was an exciting time, an unrealistic time, and just like in the states, it changed overnight.

My first impression was the results would be devastating. But after the dust settled—literally—it became clear why I chose this country in the first place. The decrease in construction allowed a window of opportunity for wildlife to return. They’re smarter than us; they won’t live near the deafening sounds of jackhammers.

So as I’m planning on building my home, I’ll give more consideration to my new furry friends. I will show them tile samples, perhaps consult their opinions concerning where to plant a banana tree, but more importantly, promise them that I will not build a 10 bedroom McMansion. I will not be selfish…my window of opportunity includes them as well.

Read More
 27

Join us in Costa Rica

Sign up and get the latest updates on life in Costa Rica!