Letter to the Editor – From time to time we get an email from an expat that has taken the leap to come to Costa Rica to start a new life. It is a pleasure for us to print some of these experiences as we know that many people will be going through the same thing when relocating to the land of Pura Vida.
When my wife and I first decided on going to Costa Rica together for a much needed vacation over a year ago, we started doing what most people would do — go on the internet and start looking around and reading up on things.
My wife had previously been to Costa Rica several times for business reasons beginning in 2007. I had heard all of the wonderful stories of her adventures (and misadventures!), the wonderful people, the beautiful scenery, etc., etc. for the past several years. I had often wondered what this place would actually be like when I saw it for myself with my own eyes.
It only took about a week for me to realize that not only was this place special, but it was possibly someplace that I really wanted to live in. After the second week, all doubts were removed. There was no more hesitation. Either we do this now, or leave the dream behind.
We planned all the way home on the plane ride. Once home, we contacted several companies that promoted themselves as ‘shipping experts’. After numerous calls, emails, and false promises, we were fortunate enough to discover ‘shipping costa rica‘. What a relief!!
Dan Chambers was my main point of contact. He is outstanding! All calls were returned promptly, texts and emails were handled effortlessly, and we were kept up to date at all stages along the way. We were never left out of the loop on anything. He gave us excellent advice on the many, many things people will often mess up on or overlook when they undertake such a life changing move!!
Being a professional Real Estate Broker with over 20 years experience, and providing professional Property Management Services for luxury homes and condo’s for our investors and tenants, we know the value of surrounding yourself with excellent people and systems. We are honest, trustworthy, and pride ourselves in our integrity. We know what we are doing in our chosen field and are experts in it. Now, it was us that needed an expert in the shipping business!
Based on Dan’s advice, we first made a list of the thing’s that were absolutely essential to us. The thing’s we could not replace and could not live with-out.
For a Free Step by Step Shipping to Costa Rica Guide Click Here
Sounds simple…try it!!! The shipping container is only so big, and you can only get so much in it. Wow, what an experience! My wife decided that she absolutely had to have our ‘family room’ furniture and the front load washer dryer combo. This was my gift to her for our 20th anniversary. My choice was my prized Weber gas-grille and all of my good cutlery and cook-ware, as I do a great deal of cooking. We through in a few miscellaneous items, and then had to decide on the motorcycle….luckily for me, the motorcycle is down here!!
With those decisions made, it was a free for all!!! We had 30 days to get rid of all of the clutter that accumulates over time. Our grown up children got warned to come and get their stuff, or say ‘good-bye’ to it. After having ‘de-cluttered’ from several previous moves, how did the kids manage to stash stuff in my garage and attic?? Garage sales, donations, give-away’s, Craig’s list, women’s shelters, church groups, you name it, we did it. It all had to go.
We had professional movers come and shrink-wrap all of our belongings and provide extra padding for the furniture and valuable items. We took care of packing up our smaller items and properly labeling the boxes for inventory when the container goes to customs. We also had the mover’s ‘stage’ all of our boxes and furnishings in one side of our garage to know that it would fit in the shipping container and make loading the container much easier and faster. You get charged for any extra time that packers are loading the container. Ask your shipping expert (I suggest Dan Chambers) for details.
Our goals were met on time. I was in Costa Rica in 30 days. My container arrived several weeks later – intact!!!
My wife and I have since opened our Property Management and Real Estate office in Jaco Beach, CR. We welcome the opportunity to discuss what we do for owner / investor clients, and can assist renters with short-term and long-term rentals.
Sincerely,
Bill Lucey, Broker, General Manager
Laguna Azul del Pacifico Real Estate, S.R.L.
email: [email protected]
