How to find a house in Costa Rica

The question of “how to find a house in Costa Rica” will need a lot of thinking to be answered; especially of you are an American. Costa Rica has various types of housing which can easily meet the expectations of people who would like to come there and invest in real estate. The prices of real estate in Costa Rica has seen a downtrend during the beginning of recession, however, now it has begun picking up mainly due to the demand.

Costa Rica has become a preferred choice for property investment for the Americans, especially since the prices of real estate have fallen down in America due to recession. Comparatively, the real estate in Costa Rica is blooming because of the demand for real estate in this country. A lot of Americans come here to find their dream nests.

San Jose, Heredia, Cartago, Alajuela, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon are the seven major provinces in Costa Rica. The first four provinces are more populated that the others, the major population being that of the “ticos” (native Costa Ricans). The provinces of Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon are famous for their beach front properties.

People should be very cautious while finding a house in Costa Rica. To the unaware investor, finding a house in Costa Rica can become a nightmare if certain important points are not kept in mind. The points that you need to keep in mind are listed below.

When you embark on the task of finding a house in Costa Rica, it is important to ensure that you have a “tico” (native Costa Rican) by your side to help you hand in glove with the task. You cannot just walk up to a tico and ask him/her to help you in buying a house. You will need to befriend a tico and ensure that he/she is trustworthy and then request them to help you in finding your dream nest here.

Once you decide on the area where you would like to buy a house, it is recommended, that you find a property there on rent and stay in that area with your tico friend for a few days. This will give you a clearer picture of the area and its benefits and drawbacks. Based on this you can move ahead with your plans.

After you have decided that the area is safe and suitable for you to live in, you should run a check on the title deeds of the property. You will need the help of your tico friend. Both of you will need to go to the office of Public Registry and try looking for the title information in their computerized database. Your friend needs to mainly do this since the data is mostly in Spanish.

After looking up the title documents and finding everything in place, the next step is to negotiate the deal for the sale. As a “gringo”, you should never go ahead to negotiate the deal. You should always ask your tico friend to finalize the payment. This is because Costa Ricans always quote a higher price to the “gringos” as compared to the “ticos”. By asking your tico friend to negotiate the deal for you, you can save a lot of money.

By keeping these few points in mind while finding your house in Costa Rica, you can be assured of a peaceful purchase of the property and convenient, uneventful and relaxed stay in your dream home.