Smart money checking out those failed projects

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Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated.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!

There are international developers currently searching for deals in Costa Rica.  The past boom in the country created some opportunities because many projects were left unfinished when the market fizzled in late 2008.  They are looking for the money trees of the next boom.

However, some opportunities that look good are not what they appear after some digging into their fundaments.  The most common problems are that the original founders borrowed too much money to get the projects moving because they believed they would sell fast to pay off the debts.

There are other concerns too.  Many of the original promoters did not do their due diligence and bought land that in some cases cannot be developed at all. In other cases, only a small portion of the land is dividable and buildable.  Other difficulties range from water issues, slope of the land, offsets from springs and rivers, and forestry restrictions, to name a few.

Real estate agents tend to emphasize the good and paint a pretty picture to prospective buyers.  Often, they do not disclose the bad — and to be fair — many of them do not know the true state of the property they are trying to sell.

Shaky domestic violence laws fracture families

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Editor's Note: While this article was accurate at the time of publication, some information may now be outdated.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!

Domestic violence laws in Costa Rica seem to work when they should not, and seemly do not work when they should.  The law is also in direct contradiction to Article 52 of Costa Rica's Constitution, which states, “El matrimonio es la base esencial de la familia y descansa en la igualdad de derechos de los cónyuges.”  This translates into English as, “Marriage is the essential element of family and can rest in the equality of the spouses.”

In fact, the domestic violence laws of this country tear a family apart on the slightest whim of a spouse.  A few tears and without any kind of witnesses, a judge will throw a spouse out on the street.  The minimum forced separation is six months, and usually the initial court audience where parties can be heard by a judge is at least a month after the eviction of the presumed guilty party.

Now this is even more interesting:  Article 51 of Costa Rica's Constitution states, “La familia, como elemento natural y fundamento de la sociedad, tiene derecho a la protección especial del Estado. Igualmente tendrán derecho a esa protección la madre, el niño, el anciano y el enfermo desvalido.”

This translates into English as, “The family, as a natural and fundamental element of society, has the right to special protection of the State.  Equally, this right protects the mother, the children, older people and the disabled.”

Read closely, this article leaves out the man.  So, according to Costa Rica, the man is not an important part to a marriage and has no special rights.  

Cloud computing is a big help to tourists and expats

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!

There is great news for expats and tourists in the cloud.  Speaking of cloud computing, that is.  Most expats — people of other nationalities who have made Costa Rica their home — do not have a clue what the term cloud computing means. Even though, the concept could greatly change their lives, especially those who would like to make Costa Rica their home or at least visit the country more often.

Cloud computing is nothing more than working on the Internet using software and services that are provided on the Internet.  Google is one of the foremost pioneers of these new services.   Gmail, Google's e-mail service, was just the beginning of its huge other offerings in software.

Two examples in Google's menu are its calendar and document applications.  However, the company offers other applications as well.  Many are free, and some others have charges associated with their use.

Why is this important to expats and tourists?