203 Creating a Plan B in Costa Rica

[Richard Bexon]

Good morning. How are you doing.

[Herman Duarte]

I'm doing great. How are you? Very, very good.

[Richard Bexon]

I appreciate you taking time out of your day to join us here on the podcast and share some information. Thank you. The other way around and thank you for hosting me.

[Herman Duarte]

I've been quite of a listener of your podcast for some years now. And now I felt I was ready to approach. 

[Richard Bexon]

Good for you, man.

Good for you. Well, I think we've got an interesting topic here today. But as I always like to get started, I mean, you know, markets have had a good start to 2024.

I think real estate worldwide is starting to slow down though. Now, you know, interest rates are certainly having an impact there. I mean, what are you seeing happening here just in general in Costa Rica.

Look, I was just looking yesterday at the statistics of Costa Rica, of the enterings and the exits of people. And we can see a threat, a trend of how we went from the year 2022 to 2024 to the maximum amount of visitors. For example, last December, we received over a million people.

And this January, we received 1.1 million people compared to January 2022. That was 650,000. This includes also people exiting the country.

You know, this is just movements in the borders. But it also shows you a little bit about how much movement we're having in Costa Rica. And that's a reason why we see this trend on real estate.

But certainly now we are in low season, it's raining season. And you can feel it as well on the amount of leads, amount of people asking for immigration advice, amount of people asking for due diligence and so on and so on. But what I'm seeing is at least the people who approach me.

And again, I'm a small satellite. You know, there are bigger satellites out in the market. But I get interesting people in my satellite.

And the people that approach me are people who are looking to acquire land to create either ecovillages or to create communities. Like people are going back to the basics. Like they want to have sustainable living.

They want to farm. They want to plant their own things and create a certain level of community. Like it's some sort of condo where people are very active.

I wouldn't say co-living because they want to have their own independent houses. But they are certainly done with this idea of not talking to your neighbor. And I also see other trend of people who are here for the wellness.

They're here looking for a nice piece of land where you can connect with nature and that they can develop some project around wellness. In the broadest sense, you know, from establishing operation for a retreat center. We go there in a second or something more oriented to yoga and reconnecting.

You know, you and I chatted before about Plan B. And I always say I think there's a lot of people looking at Costa Rica as a potential Plan B. Depending, you know, just because of economic, political instability.

You know, it's very interesting. I mean, are you seeing that happen here in Costa Rica from your side? And why do you think potentially it's a good location to have a Plan B?

Look, I actually have a website called planb-cr.com. And this came through me after talking with so many mostly Americans that they just chatting just like we are. And they just simply told me one after another, I need a Plan B.

For some people, their world is crumbling apart. For some people, it's like they feel like they're living in chaos. And for some reason, Costa Rica provide, to some extent and to a larger audience, this level of stability that people are looking for.

Costa Rica, for example, people with families can still have top level education for their kids. They can still have international schools for their kids. Whatever diet restriction you have, you will find it here from kosher to organic to the most sophisticated paladars in the world can live here.

Or even if you want just a simple diet of rice and beans, you can still have it. I feel that Costa Rica creates some sort of a cosmopolitan jungle. Because it's still the nature, but for some reason, really interesting people.

And you see it from the corporate side. If you go check out the great effort that Sinde and Procover has done in attracting the largest companies in the world. And again, we have to also take a look at our neighbors, what they're doing.

Just this week, Argentina passed a proposal of law to attract investments of over $200 million. And these are things that we have to check as well. But at the same time, Costa Rica keeps attracting people.

There is some level of political tension nowadays in Costa Rica. It's not like it was before, but it still gives the stability that other countries do not have. And I think part of this is because of the abolition of the army.

We don't have this fear of having a coup or having a dictator. This notion of having a dictator in Costa Rica is simply unthinkable. It's something that gives a lot of peace to people.

And in relation as well with the different protected areas that we have. Regardless of the environmental crisis or events that have happened this year. Like from the fire that burned down a big part of the Brujia forest in Cartago.

Some a little bit of wildfires in Guanacaste as well. Alongside these recent events in May about some people with irregular immigration categories. Deforestation in some natural areas.

Regardless of that, Costa Rica is still a place with a big green setting. That keeps attracting people from all over the world. And for some reason, Costa Rica becomes an option.

A plan B in people's minds. Where can I go where I can have schools? Where I can still have one kid in modernity while reconnecting with nature?

Costa Rica is a place where you feel safe. Even though there has been some diminishment in the level of security we have been at. I'm not going to lie to the audience that Costa Rica is a safe land.

But still one of the greatest countries to live in. You can have a war with anyone. And so on.

But there are things to be improved. And the idea would be that people who move here as immigrants. They want to get involved with the community.

They want to create a positive impact. Towards the acceptance of themselves. We have been seeing some movements as well.

Anti-foreigners. That needs to be addressed. Addressed in a positive way.

How can you integrate people so they don't feel excluded? Otherwise that small fire can turn into big flames. Definitely.

I'm having difficulty on your microphone. Every time you turn your head. I don't know what speakers you are using.

I'm using this headphone. Let me disconnect. It just kind of sounds muffled.

When you turn your head it muffles. How about now? It's better.

Do you want to repeat any part? No, I think we are good. I will just stop it there and splice it back together.

Let me pause and let's talk about this anti-foreign. I'm going to pause here. Just so we can reconnect.

I think it's an interesting point. You mentioned this anti-foreigner movement. Somebody mentioned gentrification the other day.

How do you do this? What is your opinion on people when they move in? It gets too expensive for locals.

I think people need to integrate and be part of the community. I don't think it can be I'm going to move in and push everyone out. We were there with the Spanish.

You have to feel part of that community. There are other areas that have done that very well. I think anybody moving in and worried about gentrification needs to become part of the community and rise the tide of it.

It's the elephant in the room. One of the elephants in the room. People are protesting in some areas.

If you see there has been some people putting some signs. In the agents. You see it in the real estate agents.

Signs. If you see online, there is a TikTok account. Saying no to the gentrification.

They just post things. It makes you wonder how people see things from another perspective. It also gives me an opportunity to think.

Where do I see clients of mine that have done a good job about it? For example, I have a client that moved to an area many years ago. They set up a school.

They gave jobs to people. At the end of the day, you can summarize it in a way. If you have the blessing of having more abundance in your life in the field of economy, you should try to share it in a way that you don't look like a selfish person.

I need to close one door. Do you hear that background sound? One second.

[Herman Duarte]

Rich, I just talked to Cacel Cafe.

[Richard Bexon]

They cannot charge us. Sorry about that. I'm back.

Can we repeat that part? I was a little distracted. We will cut that part out.

It's funny that you talk about this anti-foreigner movement, this gentrification. I had a conversation with someone the other day about it and they were like, how do you do this properly, Richard? And I was like, well, I think you need to be part of the community.

There are multiple people that I know that have helped the tide rise in certain communities and from schooling to jobs, et cetera. So I think that there is a smart way to do it. I think what you don't want, again, is individuals just to come here and basically build huge homes and kind of not add any benefit or help the community out, because then I think it does raise that anti, you know, foreign investment sentiment.

I agree with you, Richard. If a foreigner comes here to live in this country, they should see a way that they could integrate in a positive way by either providing jobs, by helping community, sharing about who they are, teaching people that they are not some sort of robot, unreachable person, but they are like just a human trying to to to put a fit in the place where they feel better, you know, like they feel that they belong.

And in order to belong, you need to integrate with the community. For example, I have a client of mine in the area of Pérez Celedón that they run a retreat and they also run a very interesting community program that is a school. So they have a school that allows people to bring their children, that they are, you know, like funding the whole school and they're part of the community.

Of course, not everyone can build the schools, but this is just an example of how you can integrate in a way that you don't create this negative image, because at the end of the day, the community are going to be rejecting, like they're going to react and reject. It's like your body, you know, like we are an ecosystem, like if your body gets a food poison and reacts, you know, like and in a way, if you see some online accounts that are, you know, like promoting this movement that that needs to be addressed at some point, needs to be talked in a way to see, like, how can we lower the levels of hate? Because this could turn into violence at some point.

Yeah, I mean, this is not a very violent country, though, as you're aware, you know, which I think the benefit that we have, I mean, we have neighbors to the north and south, which are very violent when it comes to demonstrations. You know, Costa Rica is very passive. But I look, there's always going to be people that don't like it.

Not, you know, I see it as opportunity. There's always opportunity now. I mean, if you're able to take, you know, if you're local and, you know, I mean, you know, and like you're looking for opportunity now, you know, the floodgates have opened of opportunity because there are so many ancillary services around that.

But I do also think that anyone investing in here needs to understand if, like, I'm going to become part of a community, because if that's not part of your investment, the country will reject you pretty quickly. But I've always said, I mean, everything in this country is so difficult anyway. It usually filters out the arseholes, as I say, because it's just too difficult.

Like, you know, it's everything is so organic and takes so long. And like, you know, it's only really the good ideas and good people that typically stay here over a long period of time. And I mean, as you've mentioned, there are like 200 million dollars, like investment in Argentina, like Costa Rica is not like that.

It's not on steroids. It's not trying to like pump stuff up. It's just kind of stuff organically and slowly happens here because even the government, you know, doesn't have a majority.

So passing any laws or getting stuff done takes a little bit longer. So when stuff takes longer, I think that my feeling is only the good stuff starts to bubble to the surface. I agree with you.

I agree with you and that in Costa Rica, you most most of the time need an expert to help you navigate different things. I mean, I see I see that you help people with their construction and the project management things like it's almost impossible to do it on your own. And you're right about that love integrating with the community and just come here.

If you're moving or considering moving to Costa Rica, come here with the idea of like what also you can contribute, you know, in a way that's going to be more rewarding for you. As you enter into a new stage of your life in this beautiful country, which I believe is a blessed land. You know, I moved here 13 years ago and I always tell people who want to move here in Costa Rica, take advantage of it, protect it, because everything grows here.

Everything you set up a business, it will grow. Yeah, it's really a blessed, blessed place. And as you say, it's quite quite a blessing to live in a country that has a tradition of peace.

Yeah, I agree, I agree. I think that's why it's a plan B here of like, you know, I mean, nobody really cares about politics here. You know, we kind of giggle at the elections happening around the world at the moment, because, again, it's always a crapshoot here whenever we have elections of who's going to win, because, you know, the the first, you know, the most popular candidates here typically haven't won over the last coming years.

But let's just go back to kind of your more residency here, moving here in citizenship. I mean, what are the you know, there are some countries that will like have like golden passports, if that makes sense, where you invest over a certain amount. I don't believe Costa Rica has that golden.

Like if you invest a certain amount, you get a passport, if I'm correct. Right. The people like to call it like the famous golden visa.

Yeah. Costa Rica has a program that we can say is a golden visa. So I would say that's the classification of what I call capital immigrants.

So people with capital. And for instance, you have a very, very good program called the Digital Nomad Visa, which only requires you for an individual to have received in the past, in the past 12 months in their bank accounts, thirty six thousand dollars in the average or forty eight thousand if it's a family. That's like the quickest way to obtain a one year stay, a business that allows you to be tax free.

You don't have to pay any income tax and allows you to open bank accounts. Your driver's license is valid for the period that you're here. Then you have another program that if you invest in, you know, like you purchase either vehicles, which could be boats, which could be cars, it could be planes, helicopters, or if you invest in land or in shares of a company or you open an account with a with a hedge fund here in Costa Rica, or you invest in in in bonds that are connected with with forestry causes.

That amount that you invest in one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which is significant less than the ones that they request in Spain or that the ones that they request, even in Panama, that they ask for half a million dollars, you can get a residency for a two year period. Of course, they request other things for residencies compared to digital normal visas. I'm going to go there in a second.

But you also have two more categories for capital immigrants. For instance, you have the rentista one, which there are two ways to do it. One way is that you will bring, you know, proof of evidence from the from from your country of origin with Apple Steel and get, you know, a bunch of paperwork to show that you have made that you have a consistent flow cash flow for two thousand five hundred dollars per month.

For the future, you know, the digital normal visa is like take a look at the past. This one is for the future or the easy way, which is open a bank account here in Costa Rica, deposit sixty thousand dollars, which would be the equivalent of two thousand five hundred dollars for two years, which is the period of the of the residency. And people ask, well, well, so if I go with this rentista residency, can I use sixty thousand dollars?

Absolutely. You can use them right away after you do the application. And then at the immigration agency, but once you want to renew it, because it's for two years, you will have to put another amount that you have spent. Then you have the pensionado residency as well, which requires you to prove that you have a perpetual pension for a thousand dollars. This one sometimes can be a little bit tricky to apply because the immigration authorities might request that it says expressly that it's for life.

Some of these pension funds would not say that it's for life, because they have some sort of clause that doesn't allow them to put that. But those are four categories that would fit in a way into this golden visa category. One thing that is important to say here that we don't have in Costa Rica, and I was just having a call with someone from Emirates, from the area of the Middle East, that he wanted to buy a Costa Rican passport.

You don't have this possibility. You cannot buy passports in Costa Rica. This is a country where you have to do things in the right way.

There's only one way. There is no way that you can purchase passports.

[Herman Duarte]

How long do you need to have residency in order to apply for citizenship? Is it five years or seven years?

[Richard Bexon]

It depends. There are three different timelines. If you get married with a Costa Rican, whether it's a man or a woman, it doesn't matter if it's same-sex marriage because in Costa Rica everyone's equal.

It's two years as long as you have been living within Costa Rica. The process is faster and you don't have to provide a lot of other requirements that you do for naturalization.

[Herman Duarte]

I got that.

[Richard Bexon]

Ah, good. And you don't have to do an exam, like a social studies exam.

[Herman Duarte]

Yeah, I didn't have to do that. That was kind of nice.

[Richard Bexon]

I did it. I did it. As a parenthesis, it's very interesting.

There is a full parallel economy for this exam. Teachers, courses, books to prepare you for the social studies exams that are going to ask you, I don't know, what was the favorite food of Juanito Mora or who was Juan Santamaria? It's a social studies thing.

Then you have five years if you hold residency and have lived in the country for five years because there are people that don't live here all the time. I have Canadian clients that they just live here in the summer and then they escape from the winter, they come here for the summer. They ask you and they will count the amount of days that you have lived in the country and it's five years for people that have the Central American nationality or seven years for other nationalities.

I think the Spaniards also five years, but I have to double check on that. But for Americans, it would be seven years if they don't get married, you know, like they don't have their Costa Rican marriage. Well, I mean, and exams included.

Only if you're 65, you don't have to do exams of Spanish and you don't have to do exams of social studies. One thing I miss, Richard, is seeing some of the benefits of the investor rentista and pensioner applications, which allows people to once they get the approval, you can import two vehicles and you can import the household goods. You know, you can do that under the pensioner rentista?

Pensioner rentista and investor. Those three.

[Herman Duarte]

I never knew that. I never knew you could do it under those other two.

[Richard Bexon]

Yeah, it allows it. It's on the law. I believe it's law 9996 that creates incentives to attract them for a five year period.

Wow. You can do that.

[Herman Duarte]

Yeah, you can do that. Wow. Well, let's change gears a little bit about just kind of what do you think are the areas of Costa Rica that you will think will see the most growth in the coming years and why?

You know, I mean, we've seen it in Osada, we've seen it in Santa Teresa. I mean, what are some of the other areas that you think are going to be growing over the next coming years and why?

[Richard Bexon]

You know, I think the area of Puerto Jimenez is very interesting because of the new port that is being built and for a behavioral, you know, behavioral economics aspect, which is the real estate agents which move the country. Real estate agents in that area get 10 percent commission. Wow.

Compared to other areas of the commission. So they will be pulling over people in that direction. And also for the fact that, you know, if you imagine Costa Rica is a blue fed and you want to buy a piece of land in Osada or in Tamarindo, you know, like you have to pay the extra to get into the VIP line in a way because the deals have been already taken.

There are a few, few deals left. But the area of the south of the Pacific, I think it brings some really interesting areas. Not so far away from the capital, Uvita and Dominical.

I think they are going through their plateau. They're going through their momentum where people are investing a lot and still they will, you know, you can still buy things that would not cost one kidney. Yeah.

Still affordable in a way. Ocho Chal, I've been hearing a lot as well. And of course, the classic Tamarindo area or Flamingo area districts that are like 40 minutes away from Tamarindo and so on is still popular for people.

And I can be in Guacas area. The people still, you know, they say, OK, it's not beachfront, but I can have access to three, four different beaches. Like, why not?

Right. And I also have Papagayo not so far. And still, I think Guanacaste it still has the crown and it's going to be hard to take it away.

Although I see a big, big gold medal in the area of Santa Teresa. Right. That has become such an interesting place.

Some people call it the mini Tulum. Right. You go there and you see like people who seem that they have been pulled out either from a model agency or or from Burning Man.

I don't know. The big gastronomic scene that you have there, you know, like one of my favorite restaurants was there. I'm so sad that this Belgian couple had to leave Costa Rica, but but it was Angelina.

If anyone went there, it was so freaking good.

[Herman Duarte]

Wow. Yeah. I mean, look at the podcast before this we did was on Santa Teresa, and I think it's starting to slow down a little bit.

I've always said that I think Santa Teresa is a little bit fashionable. You know, as Tulum is starting to calm down a little bit, I think Santa Teresa will start. But there'll be there'll always be these fashionable destinations.

And I think, you know, I wonder when Santa Teresa is going to fall out of fashion.

[Richard Bexon]

I don't think that's going to happen, you know, because Costa Rica is never going to fall out of fashion because for this thing and this connects me why people move here or why I like Costa Rica. And I think Costa Rica allows you to reconnect with yourself, reconnect with your essence. Yep.

It allows you to to go back to the basics, you know, like go to a river, jump into a waterfall, feel the, you know, the electrons enter your body, you know, feel the aspect that is called grounding. Yep. And meet energy healers, go do a breathwork session, do a deep meditation state, get a hypnosis session, you know, like practice a sport, do a hiking, connect with plant medicine as well.

[Herman Duarte]

We have less distractions. I mean, like there's a lot of distraction in other parts of the world, whether that's the news, when you're driving, everything like that, like our distraction here is natural distraction, if that makes sense. You know, it like I'm not hearing, you know, constant noise coming from, you know, multiple devices talking about politics, like bad stuff happening in the world.

Like, OK, if you want to listen to it, you can do. But what I'm hearing is like the jigwad outside that it's like singing and that kind of stuff. So it's more of a natural distraction around me rather than like a man-made distraction.

[Richard Bexon]

That's true. That's true. And I agree totally with you.

And people, in a way, come here to Costa Rica to live a simple life while losing their essentials.

[Herman Duarte]

I have no greater satisfaction than the other day my guanabana tree flowered. You know, I've been waiting like four years for that thing to flower. I had to pick, I look on a machete, like I had to hit it with the machete at the bottom in order to start flowering and give me fruit, which typically happens here.

But I mean, I get no greater satisfaction than taking an avocado off my tree or the guanabana tree flowering of like just that, you know, that essence of having grown something.

[Richard Bexon]

The essence, you know, this reminds me, there is a commercial that the Costa Rica, people can Google this, Google essential Costa Rica, and it's the country branding. And this first advertisement that they made is simply fantastic. And they talk about all of this, like Costa Rica, like their support for diversity, their support for nature, for business development, you know, like for peace.

And having, you know, like the options of going to a farmer's market, buy organic price, you know, like buy organic food at a price that is somewhat reasonable. Of course, it's going to be a little bit more pricier than other places. Or grow it yourself.

True, buy a piece of land, grow it yourself, and buy some air conditioner, right, as well. Don't forget.

[Herman Duarte]

Definitely. I mean, what services do you think are still missing here in Costa Rica, German? Like, I always love to ask this question, just because a lot of people looking to come down, or people that are existing, you know, that live here in Costa Rica, that are looking to start some form of business or do something.

I mean, what do you think is still missing?

[Richard Bexon]

This is a very interesting question, you know, and I always think about it, but what is missing is going to be determined by what is being demanded. So, depending who arrives here, we're going to see different requests, right? We know that there's going to be an inflow of people from the Middle East coming over because of these conventions, these agreements that have been happening this year with the current government, and these investments of these luxury hotels that are going to be opening.

So, we're going to see, this is going to be a new crowd of people who are coming over, and we're going to see that they're going to be needing some luxury services. So, luxury concierge services like they have in Tulum is something that is still developing here. I have a friend that has a company that works in that area, in Cancun, for example, in Tulum, and this is something that's still pending to be seen here.

But what I can tell you that is missing from things here that I can tell you is Costa Rica, from a governmental point of view, should not miss the opportunity to address what is happening here and make sure that Costa Rica is the number one wellness destination of the world because people come here to heal. People here come for retreats, for yoga, for learning, you know, for reconnecting with their soul. There are many offerings here that are doing this, and the government of Costa Rica could see this and promote some laws that regulate all of these aspects from a positive perspective, from not judgment, but from understanding, you know.

Costa Rica is already a hub for this, but we have competition with Jamaica, we have competition with Peru, we have competition with Colombia, but we have a better reputation than all of these countries through the peaceful and biodiverse perspective that people associate Costa Rica. People don't associate Costa Rica with war, people associate Costa Rica with fun, with zip line, with family, with vacation, and this should be something that we cannot, you know, forget. And there's also the need of improvement in the immigration aspects.

In Dubai, you can get a residency status in one week. You cannot do it in Costa Rica. Sometimes for some people, I have clients that in one month we have gotten results, but I also have clients that have been over a year.

It's disappointing, you know, because Costa Rica could, you know, like create a mechanism that gives faster answers to foreigners so they can take advantage of what they promise. For instance, if you want to import the two vehicles, you need to have the approval, right? Or sometimes some foreigners have some problems in opening bank accounts because they don't have the DMX ID card.

Fortunately, there are very good banks. For example, I have a very good relationship with banks that have helped one of some clients to open bank accounts. But not everyone, you know, like has that possibility, but what is missing, I would say more than what is missing is what we shouldn't miss is the opportunity.

Sure, I agree. To be the number one wellness spot in the world.

[Herman Duarte]

Yeah, look, I sat on the ICT's marketing board for many years, and this was maybe 12 years ago, and they were focusing on wellness. You know, so I know from a tourism point of view, it's being hammered. It's just that, you know, tourism still doesn't appear to be as important as it should be to the government.

And I don't think ever has done here. There have been other governments that have paid more attention. And I think the current government does kind of pay a little bit, but it's looking at it more from an investment point of view, rather than the brand of the country.

It's more of like, let's get more investment into the country, rather than figuring out of like, what should that investment be? How does this align with, you know, the DNA of Costa Rica that has made it great to today?

[Richard Bexon]

But it's connected, you know, like investment is, you're right about that. 100%. But tourism is connected, because just think about a company like, there are many global companies that work in the area of wellness and, and, and, and they want to have, you know, like retreat centers in Costa Rica.

But there might be certain like gray areas in the law that they feel like, maybe I cannot go there. But if they have like three regulations, Sure, I agree. on medicine, for example, they say, let's do three centers in all Costa Rica right away, let's invest $10 million, let's invest $25 million.

[Herman Duarte]

But I think Herman, the grayness is what makes Costa Rica great. Because again, it might keep out the big guys, but allows the small organic boutique style, which has made Costa Rica, you know, so special to today, because there was never a road plan, dude, like 40 years ago of what Costa Rica is going to look like in 40 years. I mean, it's really been locals and foreign investors, but smaller investors coming in and organically and boutiquely developing this country, if that makes sense.

It's only recently we've seen started to see the big guys start to come to play, because they go, wow, this is beautiful. I think we just need to make sure is they don't ruin it for us.

[Richard Bexon]

You're right, you know, right. And there, and the system has a way to protect itself, you know, through limitations of, you know, water permits or limitation for the construction permits that we have been seeing right in different areas. But, but you're right about that it has been an organic road.

Fortunately, Costa Rica has so many national parks that you cannot just go and cut everything off. Because we have to understand that that's the that that's the the reason why it has been successful is the protection of the nature.

[Herman Duarte]

Yeah. And not change, you know, it's its greatest asset.

[Richard Bexon]

It's people and it's nature, it's natural surroundings, you know, so the Costa Rica people are absolutely welcoming, warm, kind, very sweet people, humble, and very smart, super smart. And, and extremely, extremely, extremely capable in, in, in giving consistent results.

[Herman Duarte]

I agree. I agree. Well, my last question for you is I've kept you long enough.

If you inherited $500,000, and you had to invest it into a business or real estate in Costa Rica, what would you invest it in? And why?

[Richard Bexon]

Well, I would definitely invest it in several things. I cannot do it in more education, right? Or can I?

[Herman Duarte]

I think it's a business or real estate here in Costa Rica. What would you do with the investment?

[Richard Bexon]

I think I would get another flat here in San Jose that I could use for rent, because people, you know, we have a lot of 3 million people. I think we're going to be expecting 3 million this year. And a lot of them is top over in San Jose.

Yeah, that's definitely a safe, safe spot to rent. And I would just buy some land in the Uvita, Dominical area, and hold it for some years.

[Herman Duarte]

Good answers. I was actually looking at San Jose numbers the other day, because I was doing an analysis on buying a condo by the airport, because I couldn't believe the numbers. You know, it turned out to be like a seven, 8% return, which is not terrible.

Plus, I wasn't considering asset appreciation, just not something I want to be running at the moment, if that makes sense. But yeah, I definitely think that the numbers are there. But Hamann, this has been great having you on the podcast.

I'm going to put all of your contact details in the description down below for anyone that wants to reach out to you. And especially about talking about a plan B, but really appreciate you taking the time to come on the podcast, sir.

[Richard Bexon]

Thank you so much, Mr. Bexson for everything. And if anyone wants to have a talk about Costa Rica, I always have 30 minutes for a free call, you know, like you never know what's going to happen.

[Herman Duarte]

Very true. Have a great day, everybody.