For many years, one of the biggest differences between buying real estate in Costa Rica and buying a home in the United States or Canada was financing.Historically, most foreign buyers purchased property with cash.Conventional mortgages were difficult to obtain, seller financing was often the only realistic option, and many buyers simply assumed they would need to liquidate inv...
Almost every foreign buyer eventually encounters a Costa Rica property listing that causes a bit of confusion.You are browsing homes and come across what appears to be a beautiful, completely detached villa. It has its own entrance, outdoor living space, and perhaps even a private yard. Then you notice that it is described as a condominium.“How can that be?” you may wonder. “It...
One of the biggest surprises for people buying rural property in Costa Rica is learning that finding water on your land doesn’t automatically mean you have the legal right to use it.Whether it’s a crystal-clear spring emerging from a hillside, a creek flowing across your property, or even groundwater beneath your feet, the water itself is considered a public resource under Cos...
One of the most common questions I hear from North American buyers is:"Does Costa Rica have an MLS like we do in the United States or Canada?"The answer today is...No—at least not quite yet.And understanding the difference can save you a tremendous amount of frustration during your property search.The Good NewsCosta Rica's real estate industry has been moving steadily toward a...
One of the most misunderstood aspects of buying land in Costa Rica—especially among foreign buyers—is that two properties with the same size, same view, and even the same price can have dramatically different development potential simply because of how they are accessed.In other words, the road matters. A lot.I regularly speak with buyers who assume that if a property has legal...
If you’ve been watching the Costa Rica real estate market lately, you’ve probably noticed something has changed.Properties that would have moved quickly a couple of years ago are now sitting longer. Sellers who entered the market with aggressive pricing are increasingly being forced to adjust. Buyers have more choices, more leverage, and—perhaps most importantly—more time.In my...
One of the more common requests I get from buyers interested in Costa Rica sounds something like this:“I want a beachfront property where I can build right near the water… maybe even with a dock or pier extending into the ocean or river.”That’s often the point where expectations collide with Costa Rican reality.One of the first things many foreign buyers are surprised to learn...
With buyers having more negotiating leverage in the Costa Rica real estate market than they have had in some time, seller financing has become a more common topic of discussion.In a softer market, sellers who might once have insisted on all-cash offers may become more open to financing part of the purchase price in order to get a deal done.That said, seller financing in Costa R...
One of the most common questions I hear from buyers—especially during due diligence—is some version of this:“This house (or casita, or pool) was built without permits. Is that a deal breaker?”The frustrating but honest answer is:It depends.And in Costa Rica, it depends on more than just what the law says.That may sound unsatisfying, but if you spend enough time in Costa Rica re...
One of the more confusing aspects of buying land in Costa Rica is something called segregation.I’ve seen many buyers assume that if a seller says, “We’re selling 3 acres off a larger parcel,” then that smaller parcel already exists as a separate legal property.Often, that is not the case.In Costa Rica, a piece of land can be physically identified, surveyed, and even shown on a...
Every so often, I hear from someone who has spent years visiting—or even living in—Costa Rica and has come away disillusioned.The comments vary on the surface, but they carry a familiar undertone.Costa Rica is overrated. Pura vida is mostly marketing. It's too expensive. The infrastructure is a nightmare. There are better alternatives.Sometimes those criticisms are fair.Costa R...
I recently had a prospective consulting client tell me something interesting. He said he had access to "military-grade AI" and could do all the research himself.My response? "You're probably right."The truth is that artificial intelligence has become an extraordinary research tool. In seconds, it can answer questions that would have taken hours or days to research just a few ye...
When most people think about relocating to Costa Rica, they focus on the climate, the cost of living, the beaches, or the country's reputation for peace and stability.Few people think about water.Yet as droughts, water restrictions, declining aquifers, and growing populations place increasing pressure on water supplies around the world, access to abundant, reliable water may be...
One of the most common mistakes I see people make when moving to Costa Rica is focusing too much on the house and not enough on the life they hope to create.When I first begin working with prospective buyers, I often hear the same things. They tell me they want a cooler climate, a slower pace of life, more connection with local culture, opportunities to learn Spanish, a sustain...
Costa Rica has a way of turning Murphy’s Law into something closer to a governing principle. Whatever can go wrong probably will, usually at the exact moment you’re trying hardest to avoid it.That reality becomes especially apparent on the road. The tighter your schedule, the more determined the country seems to complicate it — which is why we joke down here that if you arrive...
