Costa Rica Real Estate for Sale

Costa Rica Real Estate Sales welcomes everyone with the desire to visit, educating yourself or would like to invest and live in the beauty and enjoy the peace this little country offers. It's not like many other Latin American countries where foreigners are seen as uninvited guests. Costa Rica has this familiar and trusty environment, that will give you a feeling of peace and tranquility.

One of the advantages of Costa Rica over other countries is that foreigners have almost the same rights as the native Costa Ricans, except for a few restrictions; besides any foreigner can own property in Costa Rica without having any legal disadvantages. This is one of the most remarkable advantages for foreigners who want to invest on buying foreign properties. Ownership of landed property is guaranteed by the law, so your investment is protected and safe.

There are many options for investing in Costa Rica real estate, you can choose among buying a house or an apartment in the growing real estate business in Costa Rica.
It is recommended to spend some time knowing the area, facilities, and of course price of the land. You can rent a place for a few dollars and start looking around, visiting some of your options to ensure you make a good investment.

There are many options when buying land in Costa Rica. Whether you like the action of urban areas, or the peaceful scenery of rural land and the quietness and lushness of the mountains, or the climate of beaches, there is always a right place for you.

However, consider that the land near the capital is much more expensive than in rural areas and that there has been a boom on beach property, so it is advisable to study the real estate property listings, be patient, and look for the best bargain from houses to hotels for sale. Remember to always check for the quality of roads and if there are public services and transportation available in the area. And there is more good news! Annual taxes are lower than in the U.S. Yearly property taxes are around 0.25 % of the property value.

Beachfront property is on demand, since Costa Rica offers beautiful beaches, which are a paradise for tourists, buying land near the coast is a good option even at high prices.

Places in Guanacaste like Flamingo and Tamarindo, or beaches in the central pacific like Quepos and Jacó are among the most desirable areas. But even if you decide to own a beach property, you have to consider, that the 200-meter (650 feet) belt of land alongside the seashores belongs to the government and it is for public use. Besides, it is illegal to build anything in the first 50 meters (165 feet) from the high tide, and you cannot build in the other 150 meters (490 feet) unless it is for a tourist project. So it would not be sold but you still have the chance to lease the land from the local government and it will be supervised by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.

Once you have considered the options, you can start looking for the right person to guide you in your investment, because buying property in Costa Rica has a completely different process from the way it is handled in the US and Canada and sometimes can become complicated if not managed properly.
There could be friends and fellow citizens who can recommend you a licensed broker and a good English-speaking attorney, or you can ask your embassy for names of highly regarded lawyers.

You need a legal representative who knows how to deal with paperwork in public offices, recommends you about bargains, and helps you verify information about the property (liens, mortgages, deeds, etc.) and about the person who is selling it. Also, he can help you make sure that the property really belongs to the seller, and make sure everything goes smooth and that nothing goes wrong at the time of the purchase. Besides, your lawyer has to know everything related to registering a property with the Registro de la Propiedad (Central Title Registry), which is the government office in charge of keeping all land records.

Once your attorney gets the necessary information and everything looks clear and in order, he/she can continue with the process. Most of these procedures include the following costs: buyer and seller cover around 5% of the total purchase as closing costs, a tax for real estate transfer, a registration fee, stamps, and notary fees. As a final remark about your lawyer, it is important to make certain that this person is working just for you, because if both parties use the same lawyer this can cause a conflict of interest.

As you could see, buying and selling real estate is sometimes complicated for individuals, but there is a better option to make things much faster. Purchasing Costa Rica properties between Sociedades Anónimas (Costa Rican corporations) is a great advantage, because it is easier to transfer an ownership.

As an alternative to avoid all the complicated practice of transferring property to your name as an individual, there is the option of buying and selling through the stocks of the corporation. You can use this alternative if you own a Costa Rican corporation, since the land title belongs to one corporation your company just buys the stocks and the land is yours. So, keep in mind the idea of having a corporation in the country for better and easier results when negotiating properties for sale in Costa Rica.

Some people see Costa Rica as the paradise for retirement, and building a dream house is part of that idea. When making an investment on real estate some of you may think about building too. Of course there are costs, but everything depends on factors such as location of the property, kind of materials to use and the size of the project to build.

Prices for building are between $250 and $650 per square meter or $25 and $65 per square foot. Similar to the process for buying any property, you have to follow some steps to get your home done.

First, you need to be sure about the availability of services like water, electricity, telephone and even cable TV. Then, it is necessary to hire and architect or civil engineer to file all your construction certifications. Finally, you have to obtain a building permit from the city hall (municipalidad) in the town where your property is located. It takes about two to four months to get all the necessary permits. Once you have everything in order you hire a contractor who generally works with an architect. The contractor will be in charge to supervise the construction and it is recommended that you visit the construction on a regular basis to ensure your construction meets your expectations.

Buying real estate and building in Costa Rica is not hard, but requires some patience. The great advantage is that property is always increasing in value here in Costa Rica, so you can always count on a profit for your investment. For the last decades Costa Rica has become an attraction for many foreigners and the government encourages the good investments, mainly if they are related to tourism or any other activity that brings development to the country, so why not take advantage of this offshore investment opportunities that the Costa Rican government offers.

No matter what type of investment you have in mind related to real estate, whether it would be for residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial or any other authorized purpose, Costa Ricans give you the chance to make your dreams come true.