This chapter has discussed architectural styles and legal structures, with a view toward describing your options and so that you can begin to define what it is you want. In the following paragraphs, we revisit a couple of other things to keep in mind as you further refine your own wish list.

If home (and personal) security is a strongly felt concern of yours, then the simplest and most convenient solution is to buy a property within a gated community, hotel resort project, or condominium. If none of these options appeals to you, however, then you can look for a property in a neighborhood that has formed an association to hire security guards. You can also, of course, shell out the money to pay for security guards exclusively for your own property. Note that we have not suggested moving to a neighborhood in which the municipal police force does a particularly assiduous job of protecting your security, and that’s because … there aren’t any!

Home security is of particular importance to anyone who plans on spending extended periods of time away from home. And, people in this category have an additional reason to consider living in a gated community, hotel resort project, or condominium: These developments usually offer on-site property management services, so that when you return to your home after a long absence you can rest assured that your home—and garden—will be intact. Finally, people who want to generate rental income from their property have yet another reason to live within these kinds of developments, as they generally also offer rental management services.

While architectural styles, legal structure, and a host of other factors are critically important, probably the first and most important step is to decide where within Costa Rica you want to live. That’s the subject of Chapter 4, which offers an overview of all the key areas of the country, from the densely populated Central Valley to small, rural towns to popular beach spots.