If you are moving to these countries never buy or rent from agencies that caters specifically to expats. They sell/rent the properties for lot more that what it is worth to clueless foreigners. Visit the coutnry, get to know some locals...go to a church or something and make a trust worthy friend...then look for rental/sale properties through local agencies with the help of your friend or someone familiar with the area. If you use these online places that targets foreigerrs you are lookng at paying 50 to 200% over the actual price!
Some great posts in this thread.
I'm 3 to 8 years from making a move. We intend to buy a condo/townhouse somewhere near Sarasota, FL and a place in the Caribbean. If I had to choose today it would be on the island of Roatan. Very cheap/inexpensive property and inexpensive to build (less than $100/sf). If I bought today I could get an oceanfront lot for less than $150K and build a 1500sf place for less than $150K.
One of my biggest concerns with moving to one of these countries is health care. I know it's available, but it still concerns me. Other than that, I wish I was in a position to do it today!
I'm 3 to 8 years from making a move. We intend to buy a condo/townhouse somewhere near Sarasota, FL and a place in the Caribbean. If I had to choose today it would be on the island of Roatan. Very cheap/inexpensive property and inexpensive to build (less than $100/sf). If I bought today I could get an oceanfront lot for less than $150K and build a 1500sf place for less than $150K.
One of my biggest concerns with moving to one of these countries is health care. I know it's available, but it still concerns me. Other than that, I wish I was in a position to do it today!
I'm not concerned w/ the quality, I'm more concerned with access. How does an American citizen, living in a foreign country, go see a doctor? get a check up? Go in for general sickness/injury/etc? Do you get insurance in that particular country? Does your US insurance cover you there? Those types of things.
Thanks for the reply...
k, here's where you gotta do your due diligence. It's all at your fingertips. Call directly to get answers, navigate through forums of said countries to get anecdotal experiences. Hospitals, in general , provide ACUTE care. Doesn't matter the country. Chronic care, in N America, is relegated to pills, palliative. Sorta useless...sadly,GENERALLY. If a procedure is 'only available in say USA, or Germany....etc'...can always hop on a plane
I live in CR, and I make 3k a mont, no kids and I rarely can save anything. The car I drive here costs half the price in the states. Gas almost $5 a gallon. (Filled with a country full of terrible drivers. I just bought a decent stand up washer dryer and when I was back in the US I saw it there selling for 1/3 of what I paid. CR great for vaca and women but don't ever live there unless you don't need to worry about $$$$$$.
