Homes for sale and homes for rent in Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica | Newsletters

Weather: This week has taken the cake and may well take the prize for being the most destructive week to CR infrastructure. We've had 5 1/2 days of virtually continuous rain. This has caused roadways, bridges, electricity, potable water, etc. to  collapse around the country and for the country to become isolated from each other. From the Central Valley, it has, all rainy season been problematic traveling in ANY direction;  this week, traveling  couldn't happen--virtually every road way was closed for various reason. Here in Santa Ana I look to the south and see a 2kl. long brown swath of destruction caused by  an avalanche above Salitral (a suburb of Santa Ana). The valley of a canyon gave way beginning at the top of the mountain and plunged down on houses and people below. The ground just became mud and gave way. Bridges and roads have washed out due to poor drainage, poorly designed approaches, poor maintenance, etc. Landslides all over due to poor engineering and construction. I can't think of a worse rainy season in my 10 years here and I don't hear anyone saying it has been worse in other years. By someones calculation, the Central Valley normally receives 25L per 1 M2 in September; this year it is reported to be 4 time that amount or 100 L  per M2.  Two years ago was the wettest year in 60; I think this year will break that record; last year it was the driest in 60 years--go figure!!!!! 

Our pumps and other drainage systems have worked as planned as have our septic systems but we still have October, usually the wettest month in the Central Valley yet to go and the rainy season is predicted to extent into December.....  We at RLJ aren't out of the woods yet nor is CR.   
 
Busy Week: This has been a particularly busy week:  I've had to deal with a number of issues resulting from the tenant-landlord issue, a new rental (113 and getting that person settled), cleaning and re-conditioning 112 for the new tenant moving in Saturday evening, prospective rentals / purchasers, fiscal year end, end of the month billing issues, taking on two new listings for sale from existing owners, tenant-owner dispute resolution including contract changes, car mechanical problems, and residency application documentation upgrades----and then there was the rain.....  I don't think I made it awake past 9pm. any night, and some nights were earlier.

Maids and Cleaning: Even after 5 years, it still takes constant attention and close supervision. Maids simply don't understand that bed sheets should match, that matching pillow cases should be installed, the bed covers should be placed on the beds, that the right sized sheet should be put on the bed, that the plastic should be taken off the new pillows before putting the pillow case on, that lamps should have bulbs that work and be plugged in, that towels need to be put out and in good shape or replaced, that TP should be on the roller, that lights all be operating, coat hangers in place, pictures straight, etc, etc. That if the shower doesn't work right, or something else doesn't work right, let me know so it can be fixed.  It's a constant fight. 

Residency Application: We we were assembling documents for our application, CR implemented a new requirement, ie. that the applicant show proof of registration with their government. No one, including the respective governments embassies,  really know what constituted "proof" but conventional wisdom of the time was to register on line with each government, print, and submitted that with one's application. We did. Lately I've been reading that that documentation may not be good enough. For US residents, CR wants a certified document now provided ($50) by the US embassy--and this has to be officially translated into Spanish. The Canadian embassy is still telling us that on-line registration is acceptable and doesn't have to be translated.  I'm having it translated into Spanish. I expect to have all these upgraded documents in hand when we go on Tuesday for our "resolution" with Immigration. If they ask for these documents, I'll have them ready for submission. Who knows, they may have changed their minds like they did with the OIJ police clearance documents..