Real Estate is one of the primary attractions for many people coming to Costa Rica. For about ten years before I first visited the country I had been noticing advertising for Costa Rican property that seemed unbelievable and being generally prudent I put the ads aside thinking they were too good to be true.

The truth is that had I made wise investments in Costa Rica back then I would have been a multi millionaire by now. But the key word is “wise.” Today, as back then, one has to be very careful not to fall prey to sharks and tricksters.

Before buying property I did my homework as best I could before leaving home. I poured over the websites for Costa Rican Real Estate and I sent countless Emails to try to verify the claims being made. Even so, it took many trips to the country before I found honest people to deal with.

I guess I was somewhat naive. I though that if I dealt with Americans I would be on firmer ground than with the locals. After all the Americans at least spoke my language.

I began my quest by finding what looked like a good real estate broker who showed me scores of houses around the San Jose area. The woman was 65 years old braless and wearing a scruffy cowboy hat. I think she was an escaped hippy from 1960s San Francisco. Her car kept breaking down and she got lost in the center of the town in which she lived and had to keep asking directions. The two things I learned that day were that I didn’t want to buy a house at someone else’s inflated price in a subdivision with the neighbors twenty feet away, and I didn’t want to deal with her.

I soon realized that it is smart to live somewhat out of San Jose for several reasons. For one thing there is a fair amount of crime in the capital (as in any capital) and the further you went away, the less the crime. The second thing was that the further you went from the capital the less the homes and land cost. The only exception to that rule was that there are some very popular areas 25 or 30 miles from the capital that are more expensive because they have been so highly recommended.

Grecia is a very nice little town only 15 or 20 minutes from the airport (and 40 minutes from downtown San Jose). And Grecia is now quite expensive. There are some very nice real estate people in the Grecia area and if you don’t mind paying just a little extra it might be the place for you. I’ll be happy to recommend agents I know to be honest.

Frankly, I was looking for something a little cheaper so I continued down the Pan American Highway to a small town where I ran into two of those American Sharks I mentioned earlier. On first inspection they seemed very nice, honest people. They were church-going people and talked about God a lot. They were in their eighties and seemed very honest and sincere. They showed me a piece of property that I liked very much. It was on a mountain with a wonderful view of the city of San Ramon below. There was a good road leading all the way to the property and the price was right. I gave them a deposit and left for home to await their news that the documents were ready to sign. Time dragged on as time often does but finally they told me to come down and bring the rest of the money and be prepared to sign.

I found a hotel and waited for them to call with the details of the signing. And I waited and waited for nearly ten days. Finally I discovered that these two were selling me land for which there was no clear title.

I contacted my attorney (good thing I had one) and the next day I had my deposit back. Not as bad as it could have been, but it cost me a couple of thousand dollars just in hotel and restaurant bills and time wasted.

Meanwhile I had been scouting other real estate brokers and found one (a Costa Rican) who showed me a fine piece of property an hour and a quarter from San Jose at a much better price and the title was clear.

THE NEXT PROBLEM  - FINDING A BUILDER

I followed a lot of leads, searched the Internet and sent countless Emails until I found a builder who seemed ideal. He was from Colorado and had great references from the Denver area. He volunteered to drive out to look at my property and give me an assessment. A few days later he called and said the property is wonderful and here is what it will cost to build your first house. I was dismayed. The quote was about four times what I had been told to expect. After a long conversation with many questions on my part I told him the price was far too high. He promptly cut it in half telling me that what he had quoted me was the “Gringo price.” He explained that he, as a Gringo himself, found that other Americans are very gullible and they’ll pay whatever he asks.
                    
I decided that the smartest thing was to go to the small town near my property and ask the locals for recommendations. I was fortunate enough to find a superb young man who speaks excellent English and knows everybody in town. He introduced me to the person who issues building permits who also happens to be an architect. He then introduced me to a builder who turns out to be a real jewel.

So I soon had a real estate agent, translator, architect and builder each of whom is a Costa Rican and each of whom I have learned to trust completely.

So, with some help from me you’ll avoid the mistakes I and so many others have made.

If you Email me I’ll show you some pictures of my home and you’ll see the quality of the workmanship

Here are the keys to buying Real Estate in Costa Rica.

Decide what you are looking for before you leave.

Beachfront (very expensive)
In San Jose (certain good parts but very expensive)
Small town or Mountains.
Buy a house ready built
Build your own.

I’m really very busy but I do want to help if I can. So, if you want some free advice and possibly a recommendation or two send me a short note by Email and I’ll be very happy to do my best.