Costa Rica Real Estate And Living

PUNTA LEONA COSTA RICA - The Punta Leona development includes the resort itself, a long established hotel, new and older homes, and ready to build on lots for sale. It includes many amenities. There is the tennis courts, multiple beaches to choose from, a nice hotel for guests that are visiting that you don't necessarily want in your home :-) or simply do not have room for, restaurant and beach side snacks. There is a great deal of security so for people not comfortable yet in Csota Rica this can help make them feel more at ease.

Dreamer beware. Costa Rica is no Florida, and it's no backwater banana republic and this is reflected in the pricing of real estate. Check out the central west coast to see examples of this! Still there are deals to be had and occasionally a real bargain is found. One of the most politically and economically stable nations in the region, it has long attracted international investors. Its easy for a foreigner to start a business here, you can even do it on a tourist visa. Running a successful business is another story, and it requires the same skill and luck such an endeavor requires anywhere in the world. In fact, doing business here, or just successfully hanging out, may demand more of you than you might expect. No one thrives here without humility, a fully function¬ing sense of humor, and a degree of flexibility that would amaze the most accomplished yogi.

THE LAND

Talk about centrally located. Picture the bent elbow of land that connects North and South America: Costa Rica rests in the crook of that arm, at the northern edge of where North America funnels down into a narrow isthmus separating the Pacific and the Caribbean. The country lies at the hub of two continents and at the crux of two geographic plates the Cocos and the Caribbean. In millenia past, the isthmus served as a land bridge, allowing flora and fauna to come tip from the south and trickle down from the north. The resulting diversity of plant and animal life is staggering. Imagine 1,400 species of orchids and more than 100 kinds of bats and you get a taste of the huge feast spread on this small table of a country. At 50.000 square kilometers (19,305 square miles), Costa Rica is the second smallest country in Central America, after El Salvador. Its Caribbean coastline is a mere 160 kilometers (99 miles) long, while Elie Pacific coast, with more bays and peninsulas, measures 480 kilometers (298 miles) from the Nicaraguan border to Panama. At its widest-280 kilometers (174 miles)—Costa Rica is still a narrow country that can be traversed in a few hours.

EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES

Costa Rica is the child of a volatile but enduring; relationship between sections of the earths crust that both want to have — or rather go — their own way. The Caribbean and Coco plates conic together just off Costa Rica's coast, and the resulting clash produces pent-up geological energy that finds release in earth¬quakes and volcanic eruptions. Of the county's many volcanoes, at least five are still active. Watching truck-sized hot rocks tumble down Arenal Volcano's perfect cone is a sight not soon forgotten, but even the wisps of smoke issuing from Rincon de la Vieja are impressive reminders that the earth's surface is still very much a work in progress. Earthquakes have also played their part in teaching Ticos to respect the "fire down below". The colonial capital of Cartago was destroyed by quakes in 1841 and again 1910. More recently, in 1991 a 7.5 earthquake rocked the Caribbean and South-Central zones, destroying the San Jose and Limon railroad and countless roads and bridges. More gentle quakes are common, and geologists say the frequent tremors serve as relief valves to postpone the next really big one. Quakes have been happening here regularly for all recorded history