So now that I've got this big plan it's time to get into the details and one of the most important (at least to me) is where the hell am I going to stay? If you try to Google your merry way into a place (like I did) then you're likely to either:
1. Throw your laptop off of the tallest building you can find.
or
2. Try and gouge out your eyes with a spork.
Never fear though, I've done all the ground work that I can (at least thus far) and I'm not so selfish as to keep all of my hard found knowledge to myself. Here are links to some of the best (and most informative) websites that I've found along with some knowledge that I've picked up along the way.
Let me preface this by saying that when you start Google searching for places to stay 99.9% of your results are going to piss you off because it's for a vacation rental. YOU (or at least I) don't want a vacation rental. WE (or at least I) want an apartment. Now, if you're looking to buy a house then that's another story, you can find tons of those. Since I indadvertedly got onto the subject of buying a house, let me explore this for just a few minutes before we get onto the apartment stuff.
The things that I've learned about buying a house are these:
1. ALWAYS rent before you buy. Now when I say that I'm not saying try and rent the house that you plan on buying before you actually buy it but what I AM saying is that rent a place in the area you are thinking about buying before you actually buy a house. It's a lot easier to get rid of an apartment than it is a house.
2. NEVER buy a house sight unseen. You'd think that this is a no brainer but what do I know.
3. NEVER (and I mean EVER) pay the asking price. Prices are becoming so damned inflated in some of these places because we as Americans are going in and saying "wow, this shit is so cheap" and paying whatever the hell someone asks because, to us, it's cheap. That's not the case and even though we feel like we're getting a "deal" we're fucking up everything for EVERYBODY. By doing this we waste our money (when we can get something cheaper than what we are paying. We are driving up the prices for EVERYTHING (not just houses, but apartments, food, clothing, etc.) and when we do this we are making it very difficult, if not impossible, for the local nationals to afford to live in their own country. Now that's MESSED up not to mention that it's not going to make them welcome you with open arms.
OK, now that I've said what I think about the house thing, let's talk about apartments. From ALL of my research (and trust me, it's been extensive) I've come to the conclusion that the BEST way to find an apartment is to actually beat the streets and look for "FOR RENT" signs. I know that it sounds like the worst idea but I think you're going to find the best deals and come as close as you can to actually getting what you're wanting that way.
As far as websites go, it can be difficult. The best place that I've found though is Craigslist and you know what, that's like the VERY last place that I actually looked. Beyond that, here are some places worth actually looking at.
1. International Rentals
2. The Tico Times
3. Airbnb
4. Viviun
5. Costa Rica Rentals
6. A.M. Costa Rica Real Estate Rentals
7. About Utila
8. Loma Tranquila
9. Karen Real Estate
10. Tico Rent
I can't remember but some of these sites *may be in Spanish but if they are, don't fret, that's a good thing. Don't know Spanish? Me either. If you're not using a browser that will automatically translate webpages into English for you then start using Google Chrome (that's what I use).
Well my friends, that's that on apartments for now. Once I get my feet on the ground I can give you the real low down. Also, be on the lookout for a post I plan on doing in the near future on hostels.
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