Hi Ben,
Lots more to learn yet before taking a CR plunge and presently waylaid by job demands in US. Looks formidable to make the move just now with commitments here that have not yet resolved. Thanks again for your very informative website on real estate. Should I re-visit the idea of Uvita, I'll be back in touch.
Pura Vida,
Suzannah

Hello Suzannah,

Thank you for the nice comments.

You're very astute to ask all the questions, and I suspect you'll have more as you get into the process further. There is no buyer protection agency here in Costa Rica. When we come from the multi-level-safety-net system that is the U.S. it is hard to grasp that we are truly on our own here in Costa Rica. When things go wrong here, we get lots of sympathy. People will tell our tale and heads will nod in commiseration, but we will have sustained a loss. The best procedure is to foresee the problem and avoid it. Questions are the answer (man that sounds profound :o)

The area of Costa Rica that you are inquiring about is one of my favorites. In some ways I prefer it to the southern pacific zone where I live. I originally chose to live in San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, 30 minutes inland from Dominical, for the sum total of its features, a big one being that my family are beach lovers. I suspect that, had it been just my preference driving the decision, I would have chosen something in the Grecia, Atenas, Naranjo, Zarcero area. I like the high, cool, postcard quality of the area.

I have a friend, Dan, who has listed a gorgeous property on my real estate web site, that is located above Grecia about 15 minutes. You can see the listing by clicking here. (This link will open a new window.) You can approach Dan directly with his contact information listed there, if you like. If by chance, this property worked out for you, I would be available to help you with my brokering services since he is selling it directly and there wouldn't be another agent involved.

As for lawyers, I strongly suggest that you avoid the use of two lawyers. I know that this flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but again, the differences of doing business in Costa Rica and that of other countries are extreme. The system here is not adversarial in that the lawyer in a deal acts more as a notary than a lawyer. The buyer and seller tell the lawyer the terms and contingencies of the deal, and the lawyer drafts the document to suit, colored by his knowledge of Costa Rican law. Most lawyers will accept the role of "representing" buyer or seller due to the demands of foreign buyers. But in my experience, this has made numerous deals complicated beyond belief, and more than a few times I've seen buyers end up not buying the piece they want due to outrageous delays and extensions. I don't know of a "Bar" organization, but will check with my principal lawyer about this. I suspect that he will say that there is one, but again, our concerns are pragmatic. Even with such an organization I wouldn't be overly comforted.

Taking time to read the contract and ask all questions, and getting those questions answered, is the way to avoid problems. I am a real estate broker so you will likely suspect that the following statement is biased, but I think that the biggest aid in doing a successful real estate transaction here in Costa Rica is the real estate agent, provided you've got a good one. There is no licensing of real estate agents in Costa Rica - yet, so the agent should be chosen with the utmost care. Get references, ask around, check the "feel" of the agent in your conversations with him/her.

I've written extensively about the real estate buying process in my Costa Rica real estate blog, if you are inclined to do some reading.

I'm sure these points are just the start. Please feel free to let us know how the process goes and what you discover along the way. I know that there are some questions I'm leaving unanswered, and I'll return here and write some more if someone else hasn't beat me to it.

Thanks Suzannah for your participation in the forum here.

Ben Vaughn
Webmaster: Dominical.biz & Uvita.biz