{"id":39063,"date":"2013-08-11T09:22:29","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T13:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=39063"},"modified":"2020-08-26T05:13:59","modified_gmt":"2020-08-26T09:13:59","slug":"top-mistakes-made-by-foreigners-buying-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/top-mistakes-made-by-foreigners-buying-in-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Mistakes Made by Foreigners Buying in Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Top Mistakes Made by Foreigners Buying in Costa Rica<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Costa Rica is an amazing country with tons of biodiversity and natural attractions, friendly local people, safe for retirees and families, and real estate opportunities for any level investor. \u00a0Many come to Costa Rica with romantic dreams and grandiose plans of how they will live the rest of their life in tropical paradise stress free on the beach or a mountain retreat. \u00a0However, some common mistakes can lead to frustration and disillusionment of this idyllic dream and for some, result in returning to their country of origin. \u00a0This blog will discuss some of those mistakes and how to avoid them in order to truly enjoy the \u201cPura Vida\u201d lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Buyer Beware \u2013 There are many buyers that come to Costa Rica and think they can purchase a home or property on their own and do not need to use a realtor. \u00a0There are tons of \u201cSe Vende\u201d or \u201cFor Sale\u201d signs everywhere and it is not hard to find many property options, however, it is not easy to find quality property options. \u00a0Basically anyone can try and sell their property by placing a sign on it or having their brother or uncle try and sell it for them, but many do not understand the legality and usability of their own property. \u00a0By using a qualified and experienced broker you can quickly filter through a lot of properties that are just plain undesirable and start to view properties that work for your specific goals. \u00a0Many factors can change the actual usability of a property for example: set backs from rivers, creeks, and springs can make building where you planned impossible and if there is no other place to build on that property, then it is not worth purchasing. \u00a0Also minimum property sizes on a private road can vary in different Cantons of the country, so having someone that knows these details is an invaluable asset. \u00a0Make sure you realtor or broker has experience in their local area, legal and other useful contacts, and at the very least has taken the course offered by the national real estate association; Camara Costarricense de Corredores de Bienes Raices (CCCBR).<\/p>\n

Not in Kansas Anymore \u2013 This goes without saying, but many people assume everything here will be just like in the States, Canada, or Europe. \u00a0Well surprise it is not! \u00a0Although Costa Rica is developing and now has many amenities it did not have even a few years ago, it is still not a \u201cget whatever you want when you want it\u201d society. \u00a0People used to this type of immediate service and availability can be in for a rude awakening. \u00a0Everything takes longer here and especially real estate transactions where the \u201cRigistro\u201d or National Registry is involved processing papers and building permits from the local Municipality take longer as well. \u00a0It is not just buying land or a home, it can be anything and a common example I like to use is just going to the hardware store. \u00a0In the U.S. you go to Home Depot or Lowes, everything is well marked and you can usually find what you want without any help, grab it, and go check out. \u00a0Here not so fast\u2026. you need to get someone to help you and sometimes even take a number if it is crowded, then they gather your items and write up a \u201cfactura\u201d or bill and sometimes can even pass you on to someone else for this. \u00a0Then you have to go to another employee at the register or \u201ccaja\u201d and pay your bill. \u00a0Meanwhile another person is packing up your items and then you have to go show them your receipt and retrieve the items you paid for. \u00a0If there is a word in Spanish for efficiency it is not used in the Costa Rican vocabulary often. \u00a0Rather than dwell and complain about the differences it is better to learn patience and embrace them as part of life in a new culture.<\/p>\n

Lost in Translation \u2013 Costa Rica is obviously a Spanish speaking country, but many locals speak some English and a person can get by on vacation with virtually no Spanish. \u00a0However, once you live here full time it is best to learn some Spanish for daily interactions. \u00a0Many full time residents to not even bother learning basic phrases and expect everyone to know some English; which in tourism areas may work, but in local towns and more rural areas knowing some Spanish will help tremendously. \u00a0Also local people respect the effort of trying to learn their language and will commonly try and help out with pronunciation or vocabulary. \u00a0Many times they will want to try out their English while you try out your Spanish. \u00a0Whether you take a course once moving here or practice at home with an online course, it will pay off in everyday interactions and help you integrate with the local community.<\/p>\n

Jumping In \u2013 Another common mistake buyers make is moving too fast. \u00a0They fall in love with this country while on vacation, go home and sell everything, and make the plunge. \u00a0This can work out for a few, but most people should take their time and rent a home here first or make numerous extended visits to make sure Costa Rica is the right move for them. \u00a0At least research first and consider carefully the differences of life in a foreign country vs what you are used to. \u00a0This is a huge lifetime decision and a substantial financial investment<\/a>, so making the right decision is vital. \u00a0Renting in a various areas to see which part of the country you like the best is a good idea, maybe different climates too like next to the beach or in the mountains. \u00a0\u00a0Most of our clients we work with through the research stage and for a couple trips before they purchase. \u00a0We can also help in finding vacation and long term rental homes for any amount of time. \u00a0Whether it is your first or fifteenth trip we can help you through the process, and will work with you as long as it takes to make the right decision for you.<\/p>\n

How Hard Can it Be \u2013 Many buyers think they will find the perfect piece of land and build their dream home easily and quickly and move right in. \u00a0Well, not so fast\u2026. the building process here takes much longer and just getting the proper permits can take well over 3 months. \u00a0If you are not going to be here during construction than an English speaking builder\/contractor is highly recommended in order to ensure everything goes to plan and can provide you with constant and accurate updates of the building process. \u00a0If you are planning on being here during construction it is still worth considering a professional contractor that knows the in and outs of building here, is well connected with local architects, engineers, and the local municipality for permitting, has knowledge of the best supply stores, and has a crew that has worked together many times before. \u00a0Another good idea is to build a small caretaker home or guest apartment first in order to have a place to live while you build a larger main house. Building a home anywhere from scratch is stressful enough, why not make it as unproblematic as possible by hiring a professional.<\/p>\n

Patience is a Virtue \u2013 Basically most mistakes and frustration come from lack of patience. \u00a0This is a hard learned skill and toke me some time after moving here to achieve any resemblance of patience. \u00a0I was a very impatient person over 7 years ago and wanted immediate results for anything and everything. \u00a0That had to change in order for me to truly appreciate this country, the people, culture, and customs. \u00a0Still would not say I have fully obtained it and still find myself sometimes screaming on the inside \u201cHURRY UP!\u201d while waiting at a bank or I.C.E. office and my number has a long way from getting called. \u00a0But it is a constant learning process and you just have to really stop and smell the roses, or thousands of different types of flowers in this case.<\/p>\n

I hope you got value from reading: Top Mistakes Made by Foreigners Buying in Costa Rica.\u00a0 If you would like additional information about migrating to Costa Rica,<\/b> ple<\/b>ase contact<\/b> our office HERE.<\/b><\/a> Here are a few really interesting articles about Costa Rica, and all the fun you can have whether you are contemplating a vacation or as an investment vehicle.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Top Mistakes Made by Foreigners Buying in Costa Rica Costa Rica is an amazing country with tons of biodiversity and natural attractions, friendly local people, safe for retirees and families, and real estate opportunities for any level investor. \u00a0Many come to Costa Rica with romantic dreams and grandiose plans of how they will live the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":38976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[32920,32915,32914,2346,2340,1716,21459,32912,32911,23178,2680,2149,2150,30103,22104,2100,32917,1878,2350,32918],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Residency-Options-In-Costa-Rica.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39063"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39063"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40112,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39063\/revisions\/40112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39063"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=39063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}