careful of people who want to help you rent a house

Sorry for your trouble think u have a grudge

Seems quite unfair to tar and feather the wonderful

CR people just because you alledge you were "scammed" by

1 guy most folks in CR are very helpful and do not do this but

Scammers everywhere I just deal direct boots on the ground

for best deals not through middlemen...

VRBO Homeaway work well for the big places

<they think all north americans are rich and they need to help us get rid of our money.>

I've never even been to Costa Rica and I know that statement is not true.

Of course not ALL Costa Ricans are dishonest. You just had bad luck with one business man, and YOU didn't think to check around before taking his word for things.

Sorry you had a bad experience. They are good and bad people everywhere though.

If I were planning on living in CR for a year I would be doing extensive research prior to arrival, not depending on the recommendation from one man at a B & B. It sounds like you did not check directly with all the other places that you were interested in renting.

I have met some of the nicest people in Costa Rica and have two "Tica hermanas" that I dearly love and visit whenever I can.

You had a bad experience, but shouldn't generalize an entire country based on one man.

Wow. What brought this on? I see that you are not responding to a question here. Nor have you ever posted in the Costa Rica section. This happened "a few years ago". Just seems kinda odd that this is popping up now.

I am curious. Were you paying the B&B owner to do your legwork? He was working as a de facto real estate agent. It only seems logical that he would want to get paid for his services.

I am not defending him completely, he should have told you that he was getting paid on the other end. Full disclosure, and all that.

But the other side of the coin is that it sounds like you were asking him to do your research as a favor. That isn't realistic. Of course he is not going to work as hard as you are. And of course, he would want something for his time.

I agree with Colibri. There is a lot of research that you could have done, even from the US. Instead, you left it to someone else. If you were happy with the house, then consider the "kickback" an agent's commission.

If you were not happy with the deal, I don't know how he "tricked" you into this rental. There are lots of realtors out there that would have been happy to help you with a rental.

Hope this helps! Let me know if I can offer more advice.

Warm Regards,
Pat Hewitt
(Travel professional)

This is the same as taxi drivers who get kick backs from restaurants (pretend they don't know where the one is that you request and talk you into going to one where they get cash for delivering people).

I also am truly curious what makes you post about this a "few years" later? And insult an entire country while you're at it.

"Be careful of people in costa rica; they think all north americans are rich and they need to help us get rid of our money."

That's not quite it. Some Costa Ricans and other people around the world think that "some North Americans have more money than sense."

You have presented evidence supporting the latter contention, not the former.

Why did you choose to put your rental needs in the hands of an innkeeper rather than a real estate professional (or a grocer or a bartender)?

Nonetheless your warning may be extremely useful to anyone else inclined to make the same kind of choice.