New book is expat guide
to buying real estate here


Chris Howard, the resident author and Costa Rican expert, has turned his talents to real estate. The result is a new book “Christopher Howard’s Guide to Real Estate in Costa Rica.”

"Purchasing real estate in Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart," said Howard, a 30-year resident. "Many have made money while others have lost their shirt. Realtors don’t need a

license to operate here, so potential buyers have to be very careful with whom they deal. It is sort of like the Wild West at times because of a lack of regulation and frontier mentality. However, with the correct information and guidance you can make a good purchase and find the home or property of your dreams." Despite the current stresses in the real estate sector, Howard notes that the country was

voted on of the top five markets in the world in 2006.

Howard said that his 500-page book is carefully researched and took more than three years to write. Treated are subjects as technical as getting permits and as crucial as establishing value. Included is a section on how U.S., citizens can use the money in an investment retirement account to purchase property, Howard said in an announcement.

There also are lists of resources and contacts.

Howard had help producing the book. "Those who worked on and wrote the book aimed to provide an objective guide to buying real estate in Costa Rica," he said. "One writer is a professional journalist with years of experience at the top financial media company, Bloomberg.  The other writer has been a newspaper reporter and independent journalist. Neither of the writers are involved in selling real estate in Costa Rica. This guide is based on more than 100 interviews with experts in real estate across the country and from many different countries."

Howard knows the country. He has been running retirement/relocation tours for years and has seen most of the nation. During such tours real estate has been a prime topic. He also is the author of “The New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica," which is in its 16th edition.

Howard also has written more than a dozen books about retirement in Costa Rica, in other Latin countries and about the Spanish language. He is a fluent Spanish speaker and holds a master's degree from the University of California.

Howard's "Guide to Real Estate" is available via his Web site or from Amazon.com. The book is $26.95.


Silver-colored coins going
to the scrap heap soon


Silver-colored coins are going out of circulation by Dec. 31, according to the Banco Central de Costa Rica.
These are the 5-, 10-, and 20-colon coins that are duplicated by a series of coins in brass of different sizes. Those  who have stashes of such coins can turn them in until Dec. 31 at various banks. They no longer will be issued as change even

by banks, said the central bank. The coins are not worth much as metal. They are not silver but of a zinc mixture. They are not worth much, either. In most transactions, the odd colons are ignored. A 20-colon coin is worth only about 3.5 U.S. cents. The coin's best use was as a telephone token. After the first of the year, the coins can be redeemed only at the Banco Central, the agency said. The bank announcement noted that the 20-colon coin was similar in diameter to the 500-colon Banco Central commemorative coin, and that this larger denomination coin will stay in circulation. It, too, is brass-colored. For awhile it was not considered a legal coin. Once the transformation is complete, all of the coins in Costa Rica will be the same brass color.

Pair get stiff prison terms
in San Carlos armed robberies


A woman robber got 55 years and a male companion received an 11-year sentence for a string of robberies in the San Carlos Area, said the Poder Judicial.

The pair faced allegations of aggravated robbery and holding individuals against their will in five separate cases. Due to the intricacies of the Costa Rican penal code, the women';s sentence automatically was reduced to 24 years, said the Poder Judicial.

The woman was identified by the last names of Real Macias and the man by the last names of Jarquin Reyes. They were convicted of a string of robberies beginning Aug. 28, 2008, said the Poder Judicial. They were accused of offering a ride to persons waiting for a bus and then forcing them to surrender their belongings, including bank debit cards which the pair later used.


Tango featured at Lion's benefit


The Lion's Club in Playa del Coco is hosting the Sentimiento Criollo dance troupe tonight at 7 o'clock in the Bar y Restaurant Zi Lounge in that community. The group will give a Tango demonstration. The entrance for the club benefit is 3,000 colons.

U.S. National Hurrican Center and A.M. Costa Rica graphic