Archive for October 20th, 2008
Monday, October 20th, 2008
To prevent property registration fraud, four companies in Costa Rica now offer real estate fraud prevention services. The service costs between $5 and $20 per month, and includes around the clock property analysis with the Costa Rica property registry. The service is designed to immediately identify potential fraud.
Real estate fraud has made headlines recently in Costa Rica, leaving many Costa Ricans and foreigners with the unpleasant surprise to discover that their properties are listed in the name of another person. The increasing demand for a property monitoring service has opened the market for real estate fraud prevention services. (more…)
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Monday, October 20th, 2008
There can be no doubt about it – Costa Rica is serious about their soccer! When it comes up against political corruption, soccer gets the action.
Earlier this year, Costa Rica broke with Taiwan, and officially supported China instead. China has been using its financial muscle to pull other counties to its side in its fight to stop Taiwan from being recognized as a separate country – China still claims Taiwan as part of its republic. Costa Rica succumbed after decades of supporting Taiwan. There was a lot of under the table action going on – money going this way and that.
Specifically, China bought bonds that were used to replace the soccer stadium in San Jose. This is the Saprissas’ home stadium, and this is the team that most often represents Costa Rica in international tournaments. So, a lot is at stake. The old stadium was torn down in May, and construction on the new stadium was to begin in November. (more…)
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Monday, October 20th, 2008
Heavy rains have left at least 16 people dead and six missing and forced about 100,000 from their homes across Central America, authorities said Saturday.
The intense rainstorms, which began last Sunday when a tropical depression settled over the region, caused havoc in several nations, smashing bridges, flooding villages and blocking roads. In some areas the storms dumped up to 38 centimeters (15 inches) of rain.
Costa Rica’s Meteorological Institute said the rains were the worst in over a century.
Seven storm-related deaths were reported in Costa Rica, four in Nicaragua, three in Honduras, one in El Salvador and one in Guatemala.
In Costa Rica, where an estimated 77,000 were forced from their homes, a red alert warning remains in effect across much of the country.
Some 17,000 people were evacuated in Honduras, 2,000 in Nicaragua, and 2,000 in Guatemala, officials said.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Depression 16 dissipated early Friday, but warned the inundated region could still be at risk from landslides and flash floods.
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Monday, October 20th, 2008
The Country Recognized for Its Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Development
Costa Rica, the leader and pioneer of sustainable tourism, has been chosen to head the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Executive Council starting this year. The UNWTO met in Madrid in October 14 — 15 and appointed Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of Tourism of Costa Rica, to lead the Executive Council of this international organization.
This designation is a major milestone and it confirms it’s image as a world leader in the tourism arena. The country has been a member of the Council for three years and is a member of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, as well as the Sustainable Development Committee. Since 2001, the UNWTO had not appointed the chairmanship title to a representative from the Americas, and it is the first time that Costa Rica serves as such. (more…)
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Monday, October 20th, 2008
Costa Rica’s Infrastructure Needs Major Improvements to Keep Pace with New Real Estate Developments.
Costa Rica real estate has seen quite a bit of growth in the past ten years, especially with high-end luxury developments. An increasing number of people are selecting Costa Rica as their favored location for real estate investments, residences, and vacations. The real estate sales surge has certainly been a benefit to the nation’s economy, but many of the newly developed areas are experiencing poor or nonexistent services, including electricity, water, roadways.
The Guanacaste region has seen some of the most real estate growth. Guanacaste is located in the northwestern area of Costa Rica and is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Of all of Costa Rica’s provinces, Guanacaste is the least populated, but it is also currently seeing the most real estate development. The Guanacaste province is becoming known the world over for its “eco-luxury” estates. Many owners of these exclusive homes, however, experience sporadic problems due to the area’s infrastructure failing to keep pace with the real estate development. Travel to many of these million dollar homes is hampered by poorly paved, or unpaved, roads. (more…)
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