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Concierge Service
Too busy to set up your own move? Let our Concierge Service do it all for you.
We have a team of experts ready to help you acquire visas, find you a home abroad and then get you home and car insurance. We can even pick you up at the airport and show you around.
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Our Most Asked Questions
These are the questions we often hear from our clients.
- ARE LIVTOPIA’S LOCATIONS SAFE? IS IT SAFE LIVING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY?
- All of our Featured Locations are as safe as any in the US or Canada. In many cases, they are safer. Large cities everywhere have higher crime than small towns and suburban areas. Some larger cities have neighborhoods and streets best avoided, but many of the properties we feature are far from the larger cities. Common sense is, of course, the most important factor to keeping anyone safe, but thousands of northerners have happily moved to Latin America and places across Livtopia and they think no more about crime than they would in their hometowns in the US or in Canada. Of course, we are happy to answer questions about specific locations if you’re considering a visit.
- DON’T YOU NEED TO SPEAK SPANISH TO LIVE IN LATIN AMERICA?
- There are many areas in all of our Featured Locations and countries where one needn’t speak Spanish at all to live quite comfortably. Many of our featured locations are home to other northerners, and often even locals speak very good English. Of course, it’s always good to learn what you can, and many retirees enjoy taking advantage of affordable and informal lessons offered by locals enthusiastic to welcome them into their culture.
- WHAT ABOUT HEALTHCARE?
- Panama is world famous for its US trained medical professionals and the quality and level of service is very high. Mexico also has many excellent hospitals and physicians and our other locations and countries have plenty of first rate medical services too. Healthcare is one of our chief concerns when investigating new locations and we won’t feature locations without standard services. Private health insurance is available and much less expensive than in the US, and Livtopia can provide all the answers and even find you a policy.
- CAN I GET MY SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK IF I’M LIVING ABROAD?
- Yes, your check can be mailed to you (and deposited) in any of the locations we feature.
- WHAT PLACES CAN YOU RECOMMEND THAT HAVE LOTS OF AMERICANS/CANADIANS?
- We are watching these numbers all the time. In Panama, Boquete is usually cited as the location with the highest number of North American inhabitants. In Mexico you might look at San Miguel de Allende or the Lake Chapala region. In our other countries, more and more North Americans are settling all the time and we are keeping tabs on the best cities and small towns in each of them.
- HOW DO I BUY/HOW MUCH IS A HOUSE IN LIVTOPIA OR IN ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY FOR THAT MATTER?
- Many of the homes we feature vary in price from $100K to $600K. Some are considerably less, and we occasionally handle properties in the US$60K range. Almost all are far less than what you would pay in the US or in Canada. Foreigners are allowed to buy homes and hold their titles in all our Featured Locations, but there are different procedures in each country. Each of the country-specific sites in the Livtopia network details the procedures and requirements, and Livtopia has plenty of experience throughout our network of partners to insure that the procedure is documented, legal and painless. Our one-stop-shop for foreign properties is designed to minimize headaches and ease the pressure of what will be a very rewarding experience.
- CAN I GET BY ON $2000 USD A MONTH?
- You can have a much more relaxing retirement in any of Livtopia’s Featured Locations and countries with $2000 USD per month, because your hard-earned money can go so much further. With low housing costs, real estate taxes, and an all-around lower cost of living, you’ll be able to afford many more luxuries - a maid, nursing, even a chauffeur - in Livtopia countries.
- I’VE NEVER / RARELY LEFT THE US—WON’T LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY BE SCARY?
- Living in a foreign country is not for everyone. However, all of our locations and countries have rapidly growing foreign-born communities. About 20,000 North Americans live in Panama, over a million live in Mexico and many facilities cater exclusively to these communities. All of the countries we work with have friendly populations and stable political systems and economies. Our Concierge service will help you to pack and move and make plans for how you can quickly learn and adjust to the new life ahead of you.
- WHAT IS LIVTOPIA?
- Dedicated to retirement in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and soon the entire world, the Livtopia network of websites helps people to realize their retirement dreams in places near and far. Our objectives are to assist anyone considering retirement in Mexico or Latin America or buying real estate in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, or the Dominican Republic.
Frequently Asked Questions
- WHAT SERVICES DOES LIVTOPIA PROVIDE?
- Put simply, we’ll provide you with whatever service you need. The most common requests we get are for moving companies, for help with visas, with closing on the property, and with settling in (finding maids, gardeners, doctors, etc.). But with our Concierge service, we will help you with virtually anything you need. Just send us an email, or fill in the appropriate form on the Concierge page.
- HOW DO SERVICE LISTINGS DIFFER FROM CONCIERGE?
- Our Service Listings include links and contact information to lawyers, moving companies, notaries, realtors, etc. Basically, all the providers you would typically need when buying a house and moving to a new location. Through the Service Listings, you can find the providers most suited to your needs, and negotiate directly with them to get the services you desire or you can browse just to see what’s available, from Amusement Parks to Yoga. Our Concierge service is explained below.
- WHAT IS CONCIERGE?
- Concierge is our unique TURNKEY service. You tell us what you want, and we do it. For example, you may tell us: I want my long term visa, and I want you to move my furniture and my car, find me a nurse and a maid, and I need to get to my new home anywhere on Earth. Done! We’ll tell you what papers are needed and ask you to fax them or mail them to us, and then we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll hire the moving company, get your visa for you (you may need to go to the local consulate to sign and pick it up). We’ll book your plane ticket (or give you directions if you choose to drive), pick you up at the airport, take you to your new home, introduce you to the people making your house into a home, and remain available to help you with anything needed to settle in. Of course, we’ll give you a detailed quote BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING. The quote will show you the charges incurred by the various providers, and our commission if there is one. Many of our services are free of charge. We’ll only do the work after receiving your written confirmation and payment.
- CAN I TRUST LIVTOPIA?
- We are a US company, and you are paying us in the US, in US dollars. If you are not happy with our service or if you feel that we are not providing you with the services that you paid for and/or expected, you can obtain a remedy just as you would from any other American firm. We grow primarily through word of mouth and recommendations. Customer satisfaction is not just an empty slogan for us, it is how we grow and survive so your total satisfaction is our ultimate goal.
- WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION?
- A lot of our information is from personal experience, accumulated from living, working, and traveling throughout the countries where we work over many, many years. We have dozens of local staff who constantly update the information with the latest news. Likewise, many of the satisfied people who’ve relocated with our assistance keep us in touch with changes and accounts of their experiences. You’ll see more from many of them as the site continues to grow. A living document, our pages are constantly being updated with the many successes and happy futures we’ve helped create.
- WHEN SHOULD I START PLANNING MY RETIREMENT?
- Typically, we recommend that you decide on the location where you want to retire up to 5 years before you actually retire. We suggest that you buy or rent a property in that location, and spend as much vacation time as you can in the years before retirement, so that you can get to know the lay of the land, make friends, and make your ultimate relocation that much smoother. Of course, exploring the character and feel of at least a few of the stunning locations we’ll refer you to will only whet your appetite for the life to follow.
- HOW ABOUT POLLUTION AND QUALITY OF AIR?
- All of our cities, towns and featured locations have the terrific clean air and no known pollution issues.
- HOW CHEAP IS CHEAP?
- While real estate prices have gone up a bit over the last few years, mostly driven by foreigners moving to Latin America, on average, prices are less than a third of US equivalents. You can still buy a very nice beach-front property for less than US$150,000. That same property in the US would cost a million dollars!
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A MAID?
- In most of our Featured Locations, a live-in maid will typically cost you US$300 per month. A maid who comes 8 hours a day (and who will often cook) will cost around US$150 per month. Urban areas can be slightly more expensive.
- HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A NURSE?
- A professional nurse (with the same quality and training as US nurses) will cost you less than $500 per month if he or she lives with you and is available to you exclusively. A nurse who comes for a 12 hour shift (day or night) will typically cost less than $250 per month.
- I CAN BUY A DECENT HOUSE FOR LESS THAN US$400,000 IN SOME PLACES IN THE US, WHY SHOULD I BOTHER WITH THE HASSLES OF LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY?
- True, but a house that you buy outside the US for US$200,000 would be similar to something for which you’ll pay over US$600,000 in the US. The savings start here, but they don’t end. Real Estate taxes are less than 0.2% in some of our locations as compared to the typical 2-3% in the US. So, on a US$400,000 house in the US, you would typically pay US$8,000-$10,000 in annual property taxes versus less then US$1,000 when you live abroad. Monthly living expenses are also far cheaper than in the US. While 2 people can barely make ends meet in the US on US$2,000 per month, you can not only live comfortably on US$2,000 outside the US but that same budget will include a live-in maid and all number of other comforts!
- WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?
- Livtopia offers beautiful mountainous locations with temperate climates and tropical beach resorts. Deserts in Mexico and inland paradises in Panama, not even to mention the beautiful islands off the coast. Whatever climate you seek we can show you that and much much more.
- CAN I DRINK THE WATER?
- This varies from location to location. Panama’s US built water supply is not only among the safest in the world, many argue that the rainforest sources make it the best tasting. In Mexico, and the rest of Latin America, almost everyone drinks bottled water which is inexpensive and widely available, and we recommend you do the same.
- HOW ABOUT THE FOOD / COOKING INGREDIENTS?
- All of our locations feature wonderful foods and international cuisine is plentiful. You can find all the major ingredients and brands you are used to, as well as many of the same major supermarkets (Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, etc.).
- CAN I FIND MY CHURCH / SYNAGOGUE / MOSQUE?
- Although the Roman Catholic churches are still the most prominent throughout Latin America, every protestant denomination is represented and synagogues and mosques are available throughout the locations we feature.
- WHAT ABOUT SHOPPING?
- From major US-style malls to local artisan markets, shopping centers abound in have spread throughout the Livtopia locations. You’ll find most of the consumer products you’re used to, although some types of purchases, particularly electronics, can be a bit more expensive than in the US or Canada.
- HOW ARE THE SCHOOLS?
- Livtopia has plenty of experience researching schools and advising would-be home-owners with younger family members. All the major towns have good private schools. We’ll be happy to help you visit as many of the schools in your new area as you’d like. They are safe, affordable and serve all kinds of students.
- HOW IS THE TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM THE USA?
- Most places we will recommend to you are a few hours flight from the mainland United States, and slightly further from Canada.
- WHAT ARE THE LOCALS’ ATTITUDES TO AMERICANS?
- One of the things that always strikes visitors to Latin America is the warm friendly nature of almost everyone you meet. You’ll most certainly find them some of the friendliest people in the world towards both Americans and Canadians.
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