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About Costa Rica Expertise Costa Rica Expertise was created in 1987 as a direct result of having learned the ins- and outs- of Costa Rica from personal experience. The founder of the company, Mr. Garland Baker, had been living in Costa Rica and operating his own businesses since his early 20's. Unfortunately, he often found that navigating the Costa Rican tramites (red tape) required perserverance, fortitude and an absolute unwillingness to throw in the towel. He made it a personal challenge to learn all that was necessary to know so that doing business in Costa Rica could be a less daunting task. The people at Costa Rica Expertise know what needs to be done and how to get it done. We know where to go and who to contact. We understand Costa Rican culture. This helps a great deal during negotiations. As a result, we know what can and can't be asked for, or demanded, and when and how hard to push. It helps us decide which battles to fight, and which might just have to be accepted. We also know how to tell when "yes" means "yes" or when it means the person doesn't really know. We speak Spanish, Spanish legalese, and English. While many Costa Ricans have some ability to communicate in English, miscommunications are commonplace. Spanish and English have too many words that sound similar but mean completely different things. They can cause major misunderstandings. Also, a simple word like "Ya" can mean "it's already done", "I'm doing it right now", or "I'll get to it soon". It's often important to know which meaning is meant. And legal language can just complicate things more. We can translate Spanish legalese into English you can understand. We believe it's important to understand EVERY word of a contract before signing it. We know what errors to watch out for. Mistakes can never be completely avoided. The best of us make them. But we've learned from our mistakes (and those of the government) and do our best to see that they don't happen or are recovered from quickly. For example, a simple "1" that should be a "2" on an offical document can cause MAJOR problems. We're always on the look out to avoid such problems.
Costa Rica Expertise staffs orchestrators*, lawyers, and accountants, as well as people who can go spend their day standing in lines. Additionally, we work with other professionals as necessary to get a job done. These may include individuals who know how to get paperwork through a government office (see Connections below), topographers, real estate agents, etc. *Orchestrators are what we call the people who keep on top of a job. They figure out who needs to do what work, what external contacts need to be made, interface directly with the client, can act as a proxy or representative for the client, and are in charge of making sure that each project is successfully completed in a timely fashion.
Obviously, one company can't do EVERYTHING by itself. Often, the best way to get things done is to know the right people. Or to know the people who know the right people. Using connections, something that could take months or even years can often be completed in just days or weeks. Costa Rica Expertise has those connections and is always making more.
We've been dealing with Costa Rican issues since 1970. We've seen laws come and go, taxes go up and up, and land values soar, decline, and soar again. We've solved legal and tax problems. We've recovered assets. We've started, purchased, transferred and sold businesses. We've dealt with the Registry, Immigration, Customs, and many other branches of the government, including a number of municipalities. We've fought with the Tax Authority, brought cases to the Sala IV, Costa Rica's Supreme Court, and won. We know the wonders of living in Costa Rica, but are also all too familiar with its frustrations. We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. We've seen people be taken advantage of and "robbed blind." We've seen deals that seemed too good to be true, and were, and others that really were "bargains of a lifetime." We have the experience to know the difference.
Costa Rica Expertise has a proven record of getting things done. We've won court cases, law suits, and battles with various government offices. We've recovered "lost" properties and assured that many others were not succeptible to being "lost" or stolen. Our clients have stuck with us. They've trusted us, for years, to be there when they needed us for whatever kinds of problems have arisen.
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