Has anyone ever told you to not throw away your old passport? Probably not. Well, you can throw them all away, except the one(s) that you used to purchase a property in Costa Rica. Crazy eh! It sounds like a pretty stupid request, doesn’t it! Who wants to keep an old passport that is no…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Do you know who is responsible for the condition of the house is in on the closing day? You probably think that’s an easy question to answer. But it really is not, because it depends on the circumstances. This time, the circumstances were quite common: a house that has been…
Some real estate portals offer price trend tools for those looking for comparable prices. There are many reasons there are no comparable prices in Costa Rica real estate. Statistics don’t exist either. Therefore, a price trend tool is quite the opposite of what a user is looking for. There are a few Costa Rica real…
Nearly 800 miles of coastline obliges you to do your homework before you buy beach property in Costa Rica. We are talking about over 300 beaches in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Every now and then, we receive an email from future expats who are not at all happy with what they have seen of…
Several clients have already asked me if hurricanes damage property in the Southern Caribbean. One important reason is that Costa Rica is often confused with Puerto Rico. Costa Rica is NOT an island, it is a country in Central America, in between Panama and Nicaragua. In Puerto Rico hurricanes damage property quite often. Costa Rica…
Did you know that there is an amazing amount of towns and cities with religious names in Costa Rica? I’d like to take advantage of being in a religious month to tell you more about towns and cities with religious names in Costa Rica. Very often, I get calls and emails from expats looking to…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes We’ve had a great 2017 and want to thank our readership for following our Costa Rica real estate blogs 2017. I see readers come and go, some keep visiting our blogs after they’ve left Costa Rica to live elsewhere years ago. Others start doing their homework years before they decide…
Some home sellers have several reasons why they sell their home on their own. They’re under the impression that an FSBO (for sale by owner) list will benefit them financially because when using a real estate agent they don’t have to pay a commission. On the other hand, some of them feel that it’s not…
real estate FAQ or frequently asked question in Costa Rica real estate is: is the neighborhood safe? Read any Costa Rican newspaper on any day and you’ll find stories about murder, rape, drugs, and robberies. It’s amazing that in my almost 40 years of living in Costa Rica, I have not personally experienced any of…
Before renting a home, there are quite a few details you should cover. Not only are the agreed upon price and the lease agreement important. There are a few other things to look at before you can move in. There might be damages or not well-functioning plumbing and electrical systems that you do not notice…
Did you know that you can buy a waterfall property in Costa Rica? The amazing news is that you can do so at very affordable prices. Imagine looking at a waterfall from your own terrace, while having a piña colada in the company of your best friends. How can you successfully achieve this goal? If…
Many businesses and investment property in Costa Rica have a double accounting system. One is for the tax authorities and another for the business owner. Naturally, there is a significant difference between the official records and the reality. Investors who find an interesting investment property online, first send an email to the listing agent. That…
Is having to pay Gringo prices for Costa Rica property a myth or are they real? Often, foreign buyers ask “What’s the difference between Gringo prices and Tico real estate prices”? It is quite common to hear ridiculous statements like “real estate agents sell more expensive”. You’ll pay Gringo prices for Tico properties. We can…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Trying to sell an empty luxury home? Virtual staging is your solution! Now you can show a luxury home that everyone will want. Doesn’t the photo on the left look absolutely gorgeous? Well, that room was empty when the photo was taken. In Costa Rica, as you all know, it can take many years to…
Is the property seller motivated is a frequently asked question in Costa Rica real estate. A property seller who is really motivated will sell at a much-reduced price. Buyers asking if the seller is motivated always hope the reason for selling a property is something really serious. Like a divorce, a death in the family…
Last week’s article about the requirement for inactive corporations to file Form D-140 has generated lots of emails and comments on our social media. NOTE: When I wrote this blog, I had published Form D-140 from 2011 that was replaced by a new form in 2016. A reader on the social media said there were two…