Kristian, here's my rundown after being here 4 years now.
Immigration
They really don't give white foreigners problems or care much in general unless you are causing trouble. They mostly have their immagration laws against the Nicas and Colombians who make up a large chunk of their 4 million population illegally and spread drugs, violence and crime. This is subject to change at any time though, but if you buy say a $200K house you can apply for residency (or invest $50K-100K but they have some rules on portions of the investment being for certain ecological reserves or stuff)
Culture
I'm definitely no fan of rice and beans and raggaeton, but that's what you will find here. Of course there are plenty enough bars, restaurants, hangouts that cater to foreigners (usually with increased prices though) so you never have to experience the local culture if you're not a fan.
People
This is my biggest problem with the country. The people are extremely lazy and are horrible in areas such as public service (bars, restaurants, taxis) sometimes to the point of retardation - even if you speak to them in fluent Spanish. They are also money-hungry for the most part, jumping to any job that will give them an extra buck or constantly trying to rip off tourists.
With all the recent TLC propoganda there has been a rise in hostility that I have noticed from Ticos against gringos; even though the majority don't even know what they are protesting.
In general though if you live on the beach, people are MUCH friendlier than in the city.
Real Estate
Still a booming business and you can invest cheaply here and still see returns of 100-300% within a year or two. I'd vote for buying land in the Liberia area where they are building the next international airport.
Amenities
Internet can be found almost everywhere but it does go down often, though usually for very short periods of time. Power outages are frequent too, especially when it rains. I have 4meg/sec and pay $100/mth but that includes their digital television too (which I really should downgrade since I have American satellite). Cellphones are available on TDMA or GSM networks but lines are sold out and released in small batches every 6 months or so; your best bet is buying an existing line from someone. Water + electricity + telephone are all dirt cheap though, which is nice.
If the TLC passes and foreign companies come here you might see a rise in quality of service, hopefully with not much cost rise, as right now those companies are all government owned monopolies.
Nature
This to me is the best part of the country. You have mountains, beaches, two oceans and a slew of outdoor activities to participate in. In this aspect the country is awesome.
Language
Since tourism is pretty much the big industry here, you'll find most everyone knows some English or broken english. Spanish is fairly easy to pickup too, so language really isn't an issue.
That's some general info from my experience living here the past 4 years, hope it helps. I definitely agree you should come here for 2-3 months to see for yourself. Finally, if you can make the dates work, you really should come to our Costa Rica Bash
