Playing the real estate game

[adina_atl]

On Saturday Rita and I were walking past a medium-rise apartment building between here and downtown, and Rita fairly idly wondered how much they cost. So I told her that the sign on front said the leasing/sales office was open every day from 8 to 5 for viewing apartments, so why not? It was Saturday morning and we had nothing urgent to do. (Rita

Comments

[adina_atl]

I'm in Costa Rica on a 90-day tourist visa. But Costa Rican tourist visas are remarkably flexible creatures. You can't work at a job, for a salary, but you can own property and even run a business, work in the business, and take profit from the business. So, for instance, the owner of a hotel I know has owned the hotel for more than four years--which is how long I've known him, and he wasn't new to it then--manages the hotel and mans the front desk, and makes his entire living from the business. But every three months he goes to Florida for at least three days--which isn't a hardship, as his family and girlfriend live there.

I don't know if telecommuting over the internet while on a tourist visa is technically allowed, but I believe it is. Certainly enough books/magazine/websites recommend it as if it's allowed. If I wanted to live here full time I could set up an SA for myself--a Sociedad Anonimos (not sure of the spelling there)--a business with undisclosed owners, namely me, which would own the apartment, collect rent for it from tenants other than myself, employ a maid if we wanted, pay taxes if it made a profit, etc.

Short form, if you bring money into the country and don't take jobs away from locals, the government is going to be flexible.

[therealjae]

Man, I wish the places I wanted to regularly live on a temporary basis worked like that! Envy. :)

-J