Costa Rica Expertise: February 2005

Monday, February 21, 2005

Please don't die before reading this article

By: Garland M. Baker B.
Exclusive to A.M. Costa Rica

Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated. We are currently preparing a comprehensive update. Sign up for our Alerts to be notified as soon as the revised content is live!

Today could be your last day. The end could come fast, a collision with a bus or a whack from a coconut from a palm tree.  

What happens then to all those assets accumulated in Costa Rica?  

If the assets are in a personal name. . . Ouch! The process will be difficult for heirs. Probate in Costa Rica is a long and tedious process involving a court case, which means finding a lawyer one can trust with tenacity to stay on top of the process. How do heirs know if an attorney is a lazy lawyer who will just exacerbate their situation? 

Heirs also need to understand what is going on. This is the hard part, beginning with the different types of probate. Sucesorio is the word for probate here. Translated into euphemistic English, it means “a big headache.” 

A serious concern that most people do not know about is there are “gavilanes” or vultures reading obituaries and cross-referencing the information with the Registro National to see if a deceased person owns a property. Those assets are the best to steal by notary fraud. How does a dead person sue a thief? Yes, heirs can sue, but the burden of proof is so great the process becomes almost impossible. 

Monday, February 7, 2005

Smile! All of Costa Rica is on Candid Camera

By: Garland M. Baker B.
Exclusive to A.M. Costa Rica

Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated. We are currently preparing a comprehensive update. Sign up for our Alerts to be notified as soon as the revised content is live!

Google has puts Costa Rica on the map. Literally.  

Google acquired Keyhole Corp. last October 2004 adding the firmís service to its growing list of its satellite imaging offerings. 

Founded in 2001, Keyhole is the 3D digital Earth pioneer of the only company to deliver a 3D digital model of the entire Earth via the Internet. 

Costa Rica is now included in medium resolution.  At this 80-meter to 200-meter view one cannot see what Ticos are having for breakfast, but one can see the craters of most of the country's volcanoes in great detail along with other sights of the nation.