Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Why Costa Rica?

A friendly, democratic and peaceful, Costa Rica is a beautiful country. This Central American country lies between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. It’s landscape is diverse with long stretches of deserted and undeveloped beaches, dense jungles teeming with exotic wildlife, towering volcanoes, lush green valleys, and hundreds of crystal-clear lakes and rivers.
Its area slightly exceeds that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Unlike other Central American countries, clean tap water can generally be found throughout the country and in most tourist destinations. Additionally, most visitors find that they are free to enjoy the local food without serious repercussions on their stomachs.
General Information about Costa Rica:
·         Population: 4,695,942
·         Capital City: San José
·         Climate: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
·         Time Zone: GMT-6
·         Language: Spanish (official), English
·         Country Code: 506
·         Coastline: 1,290km
Costa Rica is bestowed with an intense array of biodiversity and environmental attractions – majestic volcanoes, misty cloud forests, stunning river valleys, and hundreds of beaches along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. It is definitely a small country that encompasses just 0.03% of the world’s land mass.

With over 500,000 plant and animal species, Costa Rica is one of the planets most biologically dense countries. According to Costa Rica’s National Biodiversity Institute, the biodiversity in Costa Rica represents close to 4% of the total species on Earth. Much of Costa Rica’s biological diversity can be attributed to its location between two continents, as well as its numerous microclimates, which vary by elevation amid the country’s mountainous and volcanic landscapes.  Costa Rica’s terrain varies between coastal plains and rugged mountains. Three mountain ranges run through the country and there are over 100 volcanic cones, several of which are major volcanoes. The highest point is Cerro Chirripo, which rises to 3,810 meters (12,500 ft) in the Chirripo National Park.
Himmel Volcano Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlClose up of an exotic tree frog from Costa Rica ~  http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlCosta Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlHummingbird resting on a branch in Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.html
Beautiful Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlWaterfall in Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlPoas Volcano in Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.htmlSunset in Costa Rica ~ http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.html
http://suitcasesandsunsets.com/costa-rica.html

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

HOA Meeting - Saturday March 8, 2014 1PM EST

Greetings to all,

I hope that everyone is having a good year.  As the New HOA president of the San Juanillo Estates, I would like to invite all developers and lots owners to our annual meeting this coming Sat. at 1 PM eastern standard time.  These meetings have been very helpful in the past, so I urge you to take a moment and involve yourself in what will prove to be a very informative session.

Our little development is going through an exciting time right now, as we begin transitioning from a mere dream to a thriving community.  We now have 4 homes on the property with 2 permanent residents, along with our house on Lot 19 which has been very successful in renting while we are not personally enjoying the house on vacation.

Please see the information below for the call in number as well as the agenda for the meeting.  In addition, I will be sending out several supplements for you to review before and during the meeting as we discuss, the new ASADA, Caretaker’s duties, and Budget for 2014.  I will be sending these out to you over the next few days.


*****Finally, please read closely the wording in red on the agenda below.  We will be covering this at the meeting, but the sooner you deal with your corporate taxes the better for you.******

I look forward to meeting with everyone on Sat.  In the meantime, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have.

Sincerely,
Mike Cothran


Call In #

Conference Credentials
Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1212
Meeting ID: 810-691-569
PIN: 4336



HOA San Junaillo Agenda 3-15-14

Meeting outline

1.       Introduction:  The state of Guanacaste real estate:
2.       HOA and duties
3.       Asada problems, & structure review, vote
4.       Security issues
5.       Armando, caretaker pay and duties
6.       2013, & 2014 Budget, vote
7.       Dues 2013, 2014
8.       Corporate Taxes and options.
a.       For all owners of Costa Rica corporations (yes, this is you).  There is a yearly corporate fee charged to keep all foreign corporations current in status.  If these corporate taxes are not paid after 3 years time, then the government of Costa Rica, reserves the right to absorb these Corporations.  This means, that you could potentially lose your investments!  The corporate tax is due by March 31st of this year.  If you have been paying this tax, then please disregard this alert.  However, if you have not paid, be aware that this tax must be paid regardless of whether or not your corporation is active.
The yearly cost is around $200.  There are also fees and penalties for years that have not been paid.
Monique Munro, Bob M’s wife has graciously agreed to pay these taxes for you when they return to Costa Rica next week for a one time fee of $70.  This is cheap and is recommended since Bob and Monique already have everyone’s corporation information. 
Otherwise, Ricardo who has acted as the development’s lawyer can also do this service for you.  I have contacted him to find out what his charges are, but he has not gotten back to me so I do not know what his fees would be yet.