Costa Rica Real Estate: An Eco-Friendly Retreat

Costa Rica Real Estate: An Eco-Friendly Retreat!

by Stacey Crevoiserat

Costa Rica is a simply beautiful place to visit, but imagine living there!! Your dream vacation could be your everyday life! Costa Rica real estate is a booming market at the moment and attracting a great deal of attention. If you're looking to buy a second home, move permanently, or retire somewhere tropical, Costa Rica is the place for you!
The following are a few reasons you should invest in Costa Rica Real Estate!

1. Stable Government Means Stable Investments! The Costa Rican government is a very stable one. They are a democratic republic with three branches and have enjoyed a peaceful democratic existence since 1949. The government sees the high value of tourism and encourages foreigners to visit and retire in Costa Rica. This stable government ensures that the money you invest in your real estate is a safe investment and will not lose value suddenly.

2. The Currency Is Stable, So Your Money Is Safe! Because the government is a stable one, the currency is as well. The Costa Rican colon, also referred to as the CRC, is the official currency and one US Dollar is equal to 516.245 CRC. Both US Dollars and CRC are accepted widely throughout Costa Rica, as much as 90% of the establishments will accept the US dollar.

3. Taxes! Costa Rican taxes are considerably lower than that of which we are used to; in fact they are some of the lowest in the world. For example, the property tax is only .25%, and only income earned in Costa Rica is subject to income tax. Also, Costa Rica offers large amounts of income that can be deductible and is free from all taxing. That is a huge break compared to what most Americans are used to!

4. It's All About Location! If you're looking to invest in a vacation home, or moving to enjoy your retirement, you may find you are still traveling back to your home city for holidays or to visit friends and family. The following cities are a 3-5 hour flight away from Costa Rica: Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto.

Another great thing to love about Costa Rica is the eco-tourism that brings in more tourists every single year. Owning a beautiful home in the middle of this eco-friendly environment is a dream come true!

What is Eco-Tourism?

Eco-tourism, basically, is the purpose of traveling to a select destination for the natural areas you wish to visit there, and to understand the culture and natural history of that environment. An eco-tourist takes special care not to alter the ecosystem and instead tries to do things to better the preserve and make it a more enjoyable spot for those who visit. This is a very broad definition that encompasses a simple day trip to a wildlife preserve to a weeklong trip in the rainforest.

Costa Rica Takes Advantage

Eco-tourism is booming due to more and more people growing frustrated with the tourist traps of concrete hotel lined beaches and overcrowded amusement parks. And Costa Rica has definitely benefited! In 1998, Costa Rica had 943,000 tourist visitors while in 2000 they had an amazing 1,100,000! While many Third World nations are putting their efforts into rapid industrialization, Costa Rica has actually gone the other way and is dedicated to eco-tourism as the key to their economical development. Although the country is only about the size of West Virginia, the biodiversity is amazing; with scenic beaches, lush rain forest, impressive volcanoes, waterfalls and exotic wildlife.

The environment has greatly benefited from the increasing development of eco-tourism too. They have made great leaps and bounds since 1963 when their very first environmental protection reserve was created. Now there are 70 protected areas covering 21% of the nation's territory. While it did cause some locals to have to move and some industries shut down, it opened up an entirely new world of employment in the means of heavy increases in tourism.

It's easy to see why so many people are interested in investing in Costa Rica Real Estate! If you're considering Costa Rica wait no longer! The Time Is Now!