Varius,
Thank you so much for posting such a detailed post about Costa Rica. I was actually considering moving down there and was delighted to see your post. I have a few hesitations before I start looking for a place, and I'm hoping you can help me clarify some things.
#1) How is the real estate situation? Are real estate transactions via brokerages pretty well-regulated so that one doesn't have to worry about fraud and scams (as they are pretty common in some parts of the world). In fact, I've read that squatters have legal rights such that if after 3 months no effort is made by the rightful owners of the property to "shoo" them away, the property is theirs (the squatters'). I imagine this is an artifact of some sort of homesteading law from many years back, however, I can see how frauds can be cordinated to exploit this loophole and 'steal' real estate legally.
#2) How cheap are the apartment/house rentals? I know this is a pretty ambiguous question because it depends so much on neighborhood and the dwelling.
#3) Is high-speed internet easily available there? If so, what is the average monthly cost of that?
Thanks
