subject: The New Breed of Expat in Tamarindo Costa Rica [print this page] Readers who have never been to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, may find it surprising that people are moving here from all over the world. My company specializes in Tamarindo real estate sales and rentals, and even during the worldwide economic downturn, we continue to meet new clients seeking to live in Tamarindo.
A special breed of expatriot has become the norm these days. We recognize this type of new arrival when we see emails like, "I simply have to have high speed internet!" I am referring to the new breed of laptop carrying, highly mobile worker.
If your job can be done from a computer, why on earth would you not live in a place like Tamarindo? It's warm every day of the year, you can walk wherever you need to go, there are tons of great restaurants, and you have everything you need including banks, doctors, supermarkets, and tons of outdoor activities like surfing, sailing, snorkeling, hiking, birdwatching, fishing, bicycling, horseback riding and many more.
Years ago, when I started my property management company, Tamarindo had just been wired for high speed internet. That was when the telecommuting expat started to arrive. In properties we manage, I have hosted stock market day traders, graphic designers, website programmers, bloggers, computer company execs, real estate investors, and many others. Occassionally, I get asked to print off a contract or scan a document for someone in my office, but given that the business world is to a large extent going paperless, many clients keep attending to their business from the comfort of an owned or rented luxury property.
I am not simply talking about single people either. I work with families with kids who want to raise their children for a year or through high school in Costa Rica. We have excellent private schools taught in English and Spanish in our area. Many of these kids will be applying for colleges with a unique resume: bilingual and having lived in Central America.
Now is a great time to take advantage of the depressed real estate market. Prices are low again but will start going up again as more and more people leave North America for more affordable and healthier locations.
If you think you might want to try something outside the box like living at the beach in Costa Rica, I suggest you come down for a visit. You will be glad you did.
