Expatriating to Central America
Digital Curry,
The general rule is never buy property in a foreign location until you've had a chance to live there for a year first as a renter.
If you've always lived your life in the West and now plan to just pick up and move to Central America chances are that after a year or so you'll be ready to pop smoke and change venue. You see the ads all the time in Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica where Gringos have finally had it with the Developing Country Infastructure, the Language Barrier, the Culture, etc.
Unfortunately, if you pay Gringo prices for land or property in Central America you'll never be able to make any return on your investment. Additionaly, ensuring clear titile on land purchases in the region is more messy than anything I've ever seen in the U.S. Read Caveat Emptor!
Once you have a few years in country experience and mastery of the language you might consider buying something.
PM
They're not dead beats -they're precaristas!
In the United States peoples right to their purchased property is sacrosanct but in some latin american countries the sytem is very different!
In Costa Rica for example laws protecting the right of squatters (or precaristas) dates back to the agrarian days of the late 19th c. when the government believed in everybody's equal right to own property. In an effort not to have the country bought up by rich, absentee land owners and have the majority of the populations working for other peoples gain - they developed very powerful laws protecting squatters rights.
Today, in Costa Rica if a person settles on your land and remains for a period of three months it can often be very difficult to move him. After one year he can lay claim and take possesion of the property as his own.
In Nicaragua, yes the situation is significantly better however it is never a good idea to purchase property and leave it largely untouched for a lengthy period of time. Only buy property that you have plans to develop reasonably soon. :)
Cheers,
FORD
Looking for a hotel ( chica friendly) costing 20-30 dollars
I am going to be in Nicaragua for 2 weeks ( Aug 15 - 29) to check chica places ; I am looking for hotels costing 20-30 dollars a night , clean, with fan or AC , secure and of course chica friendly.
I do not want to spend 40 dollars and above for a place where I will in all probability use for sleeping mostly.
Security, cleanliness and chica friendliness are the 3 main factors besides the cost factor. For Managua.
Write soon please; in return , I promise detailed and factual reports with photos.