Dennis was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, and moved to Costa Rica after living and working for thirty years in the province of Alberta.  He made his first investment in Costa Rica in 2004, after driving his motorhome all the way from Edmonton, Alberta to Playa Potrero!  Dennis returned to Canada but came back in 2006 to settle in the Flamingo-Potrero area.  He built his own home in the Surfside area of Potrero and has lived there ever since. Having experience in the Canadian market, investing and improving homes and land for resale, he soon found a continuing interest in the real estate market in Costa Rica, and became co-owner of Surfside Properties, a local agency that dealt in real estate sales and property management.  He later also started his own Schmiedge Electric and Home Improvement Company and later was co-owner of Higher Ground Investments in property management.

Originally starting his electrical career in 1975 and his own electrical company in 1978, he obtained an Alberta and Interprovincial Electrical “Red Seal” and obtained an Alberta Electrical Masters Certificate in 2000. Dennis spent over thirty years in the oil industry in Canada in contract management positions to such companies as Esso, Shell, and BP Amoco.  He spent sixteen months in Iraq on contract with the U.S. Government through KBR working in six different bases.  While there, he is proud to have received the ”82nd Airborne Brigade Support Battalion Award for Outstanding Service” in the mission to establish a Medical Aid Station at FOB Hammer to ensure the safety of civilian contractors and military soldiers serving there. 

With the added experience of owning and operating a company which has provided electrical maintenance, repair and construction in the area of Surfside, Dennis has extensive knowledge in the areas of preparation of properties for the market and home inspections, which helps in assuring both prospective buyers and concerned sellers the value of the subject property.

With strong beliefs that everyone should be able to avoid shoveling snow, and finally have “their place in the sun,” Dennis gives his all to helping people from all over the world build their dream in Costa Rica, just as he did.  You will find his wealth of experience here a confidence builder and assurance that you are in good hands.  Honesty and integrity are his calling cards, and he is thorough in his search skills to match buyers and sellers creating a good outcome for all.

Dennis joined his wife Jane Klein at Krain Costa Rica Real Estate in 2015 where he worked for six years, and in September of 2021 Dennis and Jane embarked on their next new adventure working with their friends at Blue Water Properties of  Costa Rica.

He is a member of the Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors (CRGAR), which is affiliated with the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA), a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in the U.S.; and a liaison for investors between Canada and Costa Rica.  He is also a legal permanent resident in Costa Rica.