Interested in Costa Rica real estate?
Even on sabbatical, when our new friends here find out we are in real estate, they are eager for information. Blog readers often write, seeking guidance on buying in this market. We have traveled much of the country and wherever we go, we visit developments, look at houses, meet salespeople. Once you have real estate under your skin, it's impossible to get it out!
Costa Rica is, in many ways, Key West south...
...in a developing nation sort of way. Over the last 30 years in Key West, we've seen many friends depart to the jungles of Costa Rica, never to return. At this moment, I know six Key West families planning to retire here!
While not as wild and untamed as it used to be, Costa Rica offers as much natural beauty as you could ever desire. And enough expats living here to insure your quality of life is as lovely or as rustic as you care to have it! If Costa Rica has interest for you, I can help you here, as well.
If you've been shopping in this market, you already know there are a gazillion Costa Rica real estate websites. Prepare to be overwhelmed. We were. Unfortunately, many of these advertise old information. Many of the rest have information only on the family parcels being sold by that salesperson.
Then there are the development websites, all promising exclusivity and uncompromising beauty, with astonishing pictures to prove it. (The pictures, I've come to find, are real... you don't get more beautiful than Costa Rica!) But, after awhile, all those websites start to blur...
If you are coming to Costa Rica to check on property, to spend your vacation time and hard earned dollars on investigation, you probably don't want to waste any of it! Where do you start? Where can you find:
- Up-to-date information
- EVERYTHING for sale in an area
- An experienced knowledgeable salesperson
- A good place to start
Start Here!
As an experienced, knowledgeable Buyer Agent representing your interests from initial contact to the closing table, I help you:
- Choose a location that offers the weather, services and lifestyle you seek
- Choose the most knowledgeable and experienced salesperson in that location
- Find an attorney
- Find websites and reading material to educate you on the way Costa Rica operates today
- By speaking frankly about life in Costa Rica
- With all the extras: buying a car, finding a doctor, opening a bank account, choosing a bank, insurance questions
- Get started on your new life in Costa Rica. Our landlord was our helping hand; we don't know how we would have managed without her guidance at the beginning! Now it's our turn...
- I can also simply preview properties for you and send photos back for a fee. Please ask about that below.
Choosing Your "Agent" and the "MLS"
Choosing the right real estate professional in Costa Rica is THE critical item. Mostly because there are NO real estate licensing laws, and there is NO comprehensive database (what we call the MLS, or Multiple Listing Service in the states).
There are no agency laws here, either. I call myself your Buyer Agent and promise to adhere to U.S. laws and regulations. Since I am still licensed there, I can still be held liable there.
But anyone who calls himself a Buyer or Seller Agent, REALTOR®, who even calls herself an Agent here, unless they are licensed in the U.S., are none of the above. S/he is simply a salesperson. Nothing wrong with that, I prefer it. Just be wary of misrepresentation. There are no licensing or agency laws in Costa Rica. No one to protect you but your smarts, your ability to judge character and your gut.
Since there is no MLS in Costa Rica, you need a salesperson who also knows where and how to find the property you seek. Not just the one(s) her family has for sale, or just in the developments in which he has an interest!
Be particularly diligent in finding a knowledgeable and experienced salesperson. A salesperson who can help you find the perfect property AND advise you on property rights, refer you to a good competent, trustworthy attorney.
Good salespeople are available – I have many friends and acquaintances who have successfully and happily purchased property here. My first priority is to help you choose the right person in your area.
Sound fun so far? Let's get started!
Using the form below, tell me about your Costa Rica real estate goals. Unless it's the middle of the night, you'll hear back from me within a few hours.
As always, your information is confidential. It's a great day in this Paradise, too. Come on down!
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FAQs
A few people have asked, "Why don't you sell Costa Rica real estate, instead of just referring?"
The list of reasons why not is long! But here's my bottom line: my #1 complaint with the real estate business in the U.S. is that, with 7 days of schooling and two tests, I got "licensed." Then sent off to advise customers on how to complete the single biggest transaction of their lives. The truth is, you are trained on your feet, hopefully without doing any damage. I was lucky! And, over the next 13 years, very well trained by my customers and my competition.
The business end of real estate in Costa Rica, besides the fact all the paperwork is in Spanish, is completely different. Different rules, different culture. No escrow rules. No formal training, no licensing, no oversight, even by a group of your peers. Trust plays a big part of the transaction. Contract law? There is no contract law. The rules can be changed in the middle of the game and often are.
If you are buying real estate in Costa Rica, your sense of adventure, of humor and a deep well of patience needs to be in good working order. When all is said and done, you will have your very own haven in Paradise. You will have earned it!
And you will enjoy it. Life here is good. We came meaning only to stay a year and now we can't leave! Pretty good testimonial...
How can you afford to do this for free?
It's free to YOU. IF you buy property, I receive a referral fee from the salesperson to whom I refer you.
How will you earn this referral fee?
My services to you are outlined specifically above (see "My Services".) When I introduce you to your salesperson, I don't disappear. You and I will be in as much or as little contact as you desire. My services to the referring salesperson are outlined in the last question below.
Will you refer me to just any old agent who will pay a referral fee?
No. You will only be referred to a salesperson I would use! Please read the testimonials from my customers. I have earned and kept their trust. Contact them if you like. They are all still speaking to me.
What if you can't find an agent who is good AND who will pay a referral fee?
Professional agents are used to paying referral fees. Anyone who doesn't has something to hide. In the states, we paid fees to agents from other areas who sent a customer to us. From a salesperson's point of view, I am bringing a hand-picked pre-qualified buyer and I've done all the footwork. Salespeople and developers welcome my referrals!
