Lately, a lot of space has been devoted in the  media to the economic melt down in the U.S. People there do have reason to be alarmed. The situation is downright scary. I don’t know what it is but I really feel removed form the whole thing living in Costa Rica. All of the events seem to be a world away. People say eventually there may be a “trickle down effect” here, but I don’t see it yet. Remember the old  saying “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”? I say the bigger the economy the harder it is hit in an economic crisis. Large economics like  U.S., Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil in this part of the world have traditionally been more adversely affected by economic downturns. It’s like a small business versus a big business. A smaller business can adapt, change and roll with the punches a lot easier than a large corporation with a lot of employees and offices. Fortunately, Costa Rica only has just over  four million people. Puebla, Mexico alone has that number of people. People are accustomed to living with a lot less here than in the U.S. Furthermore, Costa Rica can grow 90% of everything its fruits, vegetables and grains. So the country is self sufficient to some extent. We also have abundant water for our crops, personal consumption and energy. Costa Rica is the solution to a lot of what is happening up north in that “smaller is better” in most cases. People from the U.S. can come here to live or retire and simplify their lifestyles without sacrificing their quality of life. People ask how Costa Rica’s hot real estate market will be affected by the events up north. Noted Costa Rica Economist Gilbert E. Arce  recently stated in La Nación Newspaper. “In the real estate sector the effects will be mixed. On one hand there will be less resources for acquiring property on the local level.  However, on the other hand, investors, especially foreigners, will try to limit the exposure to risk by means of safe real estate investments in Costa Rica.”  Costa Rica Rica’s real estate market may be the solution to its devastated U.S. counterpart.