In Costa Rica, we buy and sell land in square meters and in hectares, not in acres. And we measure houses in square meters, not in square feet. If you were educated in a different measurement system, it’ll take you a while to get used to it, but don’t give

Can a simple move really make you into a healthier person? In our years of living in Costa Rica, we noticed that a large number of expats fit into one big category — retirees. In conversations with couples from all over North America, we’re hearing the same praises: These aren’t

This is a no-brainer…..  One of the biggest reasons we came to Costa Rica was to “live outside.” This meant no need for air-conditioning or heat. We lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada before moving to Ojochal, Costa Rica; and had high heating and electricity bills (over $400 per month during

You do not need to have an eccentric taste to prefer buying a building lot for your future, custom house in Costa Rica. Even the budget for your future house should not matter. There are quite a few reasons why you might want to purchase a home building lot in Costa

I could easily have thought of 10, but why does every Top 10 list have to have 10 things in it? Okay, so that might have been a dumb question. Still, in no particular order, because all of these are equally awful, here are my 9: Here, you buy a

The team at Century 21 Ballena Properties, who cover the entire Ballena coast, kicked off 2016 with a BANG, and we are ready to keep that ball rolling! We have experienced a busy “high” season so far, with a number of visitors to the area looking at properties, taking interest

The High Season is full on here in Costa Rica. We are seeing a lot of tourists in the area…. The village is very busy!  Lots of tourists means increased sales in the following year! News from Ojochal: Currently, we have a large inventory of “Lots” for sale; and many

It describes a peaceful, tranquil and free-from-impurities existence. For the Costa Ricans, the phrase “pura vida” means much more: It has become the popular but unofficial national motto. This motto is associated with all Costa Ricans world-wide. Where did the phrase “pura vida” come from? Costa Ricans started using the

It is interesting to talk to expats who now live in the area, and hear what motivated them to make the move to Costa Rica. They come from all over the world. Some of the countries represented in Ojochal and area are: United States, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, England, Germany,