ReevesTribe

I'm not sure about the automatic 50% as I was already 50% owner of the assets with the corporate set-up. My husband's 50% will go through probate - my attorney said it's just a time thing, no worries about losing access to that 50% (based on, I assume, there being no one who would challenge ownership). I believe you are correct that it is just paperwork fees when it comes to the transfer of the shares from my deceased husband to my living adult son. Jessica

Patty, My husband passed away in January. We did not have a will & we were each 50% owners of the corporation that owns our house. His 50% has to go through probate, I cannot transfer the shares to my adult son until that process is complete. So, you need to meet with your attorney to begin that process. The very first step is getting the corporate books to the attorney (if you have them) so they can confirm the set-up of the corporation because there are legal steps (like a shareholder's meeting) that has to happen if the corporation wasn't set up a certain way. Excuse the vagueness, I'm not an attorney but this is what I've been focusing on cleaning up for the last month so I can at least tell you that you are not able to do what you've suggested, you must have an attorney straighten it out for you. Jessica

Goodness, I couldn't imagine living on Paseo Colon. But that's just me & my preference, my house is at a beach town in the Central Pacific so I'm definitely not drawn to that type of city living. When I lived in Escazu, I enjoyed living in San Antonio de Escazu (up the mountain, above Escazu Centro, & it's like a different world up there in comparison to San Rafael de Escazu). I do think Sabana is a great park for running - I have a friend who runs it almost daily - so I'd say check out Sabana Sur, where he lives, to start. Jessica

Paseo Colon in San Jose or do you mean Ciudad Colon? Jessica

Okay, here is my opinion. I'm an old-timer on the forum but younger than many of the other old-timers here. I'm 43, lost my husband unexpectedly on New Year's Day in a car accident on Ruta 27, & have dedicated more or less the last 12 years of my life to making enough money to support our life in Costa Rica. We applied as rentistas, then gained permanent residency in 2012. We have a great home that we own outright in the Esterillos area. We homeschooled our kids because there wasn't a good alternative available when we made the move down in 2007. Many times over the years I've cautioned people about the choices they make when coming to CR, whether renting vs. buying, shipping containers vs. buying in CR, city vs. beach living, etc. Want to know what I really think now that my life has been upended??? GO FOR IT. Do not let money or worry or anything else stop you from doing it. If it doesn't work out, oh well. Just have a back up plan. But don't ever let yourself live with regret. So many times I was unsure if we were making the right decisions in CR. Guess what? My husband died in CR, having just spent the previous 5 days surfing his ass off, taking care of our lovely little home, & spending quality time with all of our friends who have become family to us over the 10 years we've been a part of the community. No woulda, shoulda, coulda from us. Just do it. Jessica

I bought my esposo a ticket to fly in tomorrow through New Year's so he can surf/rest! I wish we were all going but I didn't plan it far enough ahead to have it work with everyone's schedules (i.e. teenagers with jobs). Jessica

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all!! Jessica

Bejuco, which is the beach immediately next to Esterillos Este. Jessica

I've always had great luck with Jet Blue through MCO (Orlando). It's a direct flight & I can usually book it for under $350 r/t. Sometimes I can snag a great deal on a JAX - FLL - SJO flight, which I prefer to fly since my FL home is in the Jax area. However, the last two times I've flown through FLL I have been terribly delayed. I agree that there seems to be something going on at FLL right now that makes it difficult for flights to leave on time. Both times there were tons of flights delayed. They've got some construction going on between terminals so maybe they're doing some expansion now but I haven't seen any benefit as of yet. Jessica

eleanor is correct & put the point I tried to make in plain English. Successful rentals in our area have everything to do with the location, the existence of very trustworthy property managers living in our neighborhood (living there means they want good renters), & the fact that it has become an up & coming "hot" area due to lower prices but close proximity to some of the top tourist destinations in the Central Pacific. Jessica

I have many neighbors who rent their homes out. Most do it to break even - rent it enough to cover all operating costs & vacation in it for free. A few seem to be making some money from it. We're at a beach in the Central Pacific that is halfway between Jaco & Quepos. Short-term rentals from VRBO & AirBnB seem to be the preferred method to gaining renters - I do have a few neighbors who will only rent to long-term renters & have no issues finding them. The ones who are savvy about this type of thing will literally have their townhome booked solid for the entire high season & well into the June/July/August months with US vacationers on summer vacation. Jessica

I have a friend who sells real estate in the Tamarindo area - Murray Greer - he used to be my neighbor in Playa Bejuco (south of Jaco). http://www.solrealtycr.com/ Becky Clower also has a good rep - http://bluewaterpropertiesofcostarica.com/ Jessica

I'd try diluted white vinegar. Jessica

When we shipped our flat screen with our container, we paid to have a few things professionally packed & the flat screen was one of those things. They packed it standing & advised us to pack it in the container the same way. Jessica

Every single person I've talked to who has had to do this import procedure has paid an enormous price for it. We've always flown our dog as checked baggage with American Airlines & the prices have been minimal (like $175 one way for the ticket, no other fees outside the vet/USDA fees for paperwork on the US side). Jessica