Costa Rica is pura vida - the happiest country in the world

Costa Rica is pura vida - the happiest country in the world

by Ivo Henfling

Who would not want to retire in the country where the happiest people on earth live? Costa Rica scores for the 2nd consecutive year # 1 on the Happy Planet Index with a score of 64 points of 151 countries analyzed. Costa Rica's HPI score indicates high life expectancy and high level of experienced well-being.

What is the Happy Planet?

The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is the leading global benchmark for sustainable well-being.
The HPI measures what matters: the extent to which countries long, happy and sustainable life for the people deliver.

Freedom – happiness

Why are Costa Ricans (or Ticos also called) always so happy? Of course, living in the tropics makes people happy: sunshine and lots of rum. Costa Rica has never experienced a real war, the Costarican civil war in 1948 lasted only 44 days.
The Ticos have never been really hungry and have had no real hardship like they have had in other Latin American countries, so the Ticos simply do not worry about anything; they're just a very happy people. They can spend hours lining up in the bank without a whimper and before you know it, they make it a fun happening.

Pura vida and Tico time

Pura vida is used a lot by the local and foreign population. Pura vida means "good life" and is like saying "cool". Tico Time is a very different time than you are accustomed to back home, arriving on time is not so important. Tico time is later than normal, but nobody knows exactly when. This photo below says it all; a shop keeper put a sign in his window saying: I’ll be back in an hour “I think”.

El Hueco

Pura vida throughout, even in politics and in daily life. Where in other countries people strongly protest,  in Costa Rica they only make jokes about very serious problems. Hundreds of jokes and pictures on Facebook are given as a given reaction to a huge hole (hueco in Costa Rican Spanish) in the busiest highway, which puts down half the country for days because all traffic has to be diverted.
See are some examples in the pictures in this blog. The first on the top is from the President of the country, Laura Chinchilla. I personally like "The Walking Dead" (a serie on cable TV) that shows those not willing to get stuck in traffic and "get there on foot".

Not for all

Of course this lifestyle of making jokes about things that should not happen is not a solution and probably for the same reason, things do not always happen the way we want them to. But the Ticos can live with those things and are therefore happy people. Moving to Costa Rica is an adventure, but it is not for everyone. Try it, call your Costa Rica real estate agent to give it a shot and enjoy that lifestyle you are looking for.

Costa Rica’s Experienced Welfare score

Costa Rica scored 7.3 for experienced welfare. This is lower than Denmark, the country with the highest level of experienced well-being, but higher than that of the U.S., which has an average score of 7.16. I wonder why anyone would still want to live in the U.S. if life’s so good in Costa Rica!

Costa Rica’s High life expectancy

Costa Rica's life expectancy is 79.3 and scored 28 of the 151 countries surveyed. This is lower than Japan, the country with the highest life expectancy (83.4) but higher than the U.S., which has a life expectancy of 78.5. Yes, you live longer in Costa Rica than in many other countries, if you don’t get mad at people to often and learn how to live as a Tico.

Adventure

For those who are up for an adventurous retirement or a new life, Costa Rica is an incredibly good choice. Costa Rica not only has holes in the road.
Costa Rica has beautiful beaches, national parks and even better: very happy people. Contact us now to see your new house in Costa Rica, we will have the sun and the pura vida waiting for you.

Costa Rica is pura vida - the happiest country in the world

Foreclosure Auction coming up on Escazu property

Press Release by Mortgage Broker

Upcoming Real Estate Foreclosure Auction of Escazu home by mortgage broker on the 14th of June 2012, contact us now for participation. This Costa Rica real estate auction will take place at 1600 hours in the Stewart Title building in Escazu.
Have you been waiting for your chance to purchase a Costa Rica property at a bargain price? This is your chance. Bottom feeders are welcome! This home was rented at a very good ROI and will be delivered in good working condition.
If you would like a member of our real estate team to represent you at this upcoming auction, just let us know.

The property

This two-story Escazu home is in a prime location only blocks away from Multiplaza in Escazu, in a very secure compound of 5 homes. No condominium fees.

 

This 4 bedroom / 4 bathroom home for sale offers large social areas and kitchen, plus a good size laundry area. Good sized garden and plenty of parking.

 

Property Size: 694.39 m2 (7,638 sq.ft.)
Construction Size: 470 m2 (5,170 sq.ft.)
The opening bid must start at US$265,101

Terms and conditions

Bidders must deposit 50% of the base price by certified check or direct deposit into the account of the Trustee, having a time limit of three working days from the date of the auction to deposit the remaining fifty percent and have to pay the corresponding title transfer cost.

 

Failure to pay on time, the auction will be declared groundless and fifty percent of the selling price previously delivered to the Trustee shall be retained as compensation for damages caused.
In the absence of bidders in the first auction, a second attempt will be made ten working days after the first and with a base price of 25% below the base of the first auction. In case of no bidders in the second attempt, and ten days after the second auction, there will be a third attempt with a base of 75% below the set as a base in the first auction.

    

At any time the auction can be suspended in case the borrower cancels the entire amounts due under the guaranteed loan and all fees, insurance and other costs incurred by this Trust.
If you are interested in any other Costa Rica real estate auction, make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter and you’ll be kept up to date.

Interested parties can contact us NOW for more information. Real Estate agents are welcome.

Do half the people who move to Costa Rica move back again?

By Ivo Henfling

Adventure, sunshine, lower cost of living, being happy and a better lifestyle, to mention a few, are reasons that make us take the decision to move to Costa Rica or to any other country.

It is a great decision or a horrible one, there is nothing in between, no matter if you move to the city or to the beaches. If it is a happy story or a horror story does not only depend on being committed or not, there are a lot of big and small details involved.

Learn basic Spanish before you move to Costa Rica

By Ivo Henfling

This picture got your attention, didn't it? Well, that's what I needed because when I start talking about learning Spanish, most people don't pay attention. Imagine, you get stopped in your home town by a Latin, asking in Spanish where the grocery store is located.

What would you say? Most would answer “why don’t you learn English”? Am I right or wrong? The other day I saw a gringo in Escazu get mad at a Tico and shout at him in English.
The poor sucker didn’t have a clue what the gringo was shouting at him. The Tico just turned around and walked away. This in turn made the gringo even madder. I enjoyed the scene from my car.