All Posts in Category: Buying Real Estate in Costa Rica

Is Costa Rica still an attractive location for those wanting to place their hard earned dollars in a secure investment giving them a decent ROI through rental income or hospitality revenue?

Looking at the statistics from the Costa Rican INT ⁽¹⁾ – National Institute of Tourism – any doubt on this concern will fade. It is clear that the country’s tourism sector was hit by the 2008 financial crisis, but it is even more obvious how the country’s comeback is even stronger. Since 2012 the yearly revenue from tourism is back at it’s 2008 level and growing steadily and firm far above that level ever since, with 2016 showing a yearly growth of 12.4%  and being 43 % above the 2008 level.

Making a property purchase can be an emotional event in one’s life, we work to make the buying, or selling, process as stress free as possible for you. Here’s a quick overview of the buying process.

When buying a property, anywhere, there are steps that are advisable to follow. Starting off one of the most important steps is to define the area you like.

• Once you’ve figured that out contact a reputable Realtor that works the area you’ve chosen, give him/her as much information you can about your parameters, along with your budget, and try to be as open, realistic and detailed you can. This will help your Realtor to get started in the right direction and provide you with the best options for you in that area. We here at ABC Real Estate work with a vast data base of properties that include properties up and down the coast around Tamarindo that is fed with our listings and those of Real Estate companies all throughout the region. This is a fantastic tool we use to provide our clients with complete and thorough information of what properties may suit you the best.

Investing in beach front real estate can provide not only a beautiful place for you to visit, but also a place to call home if you decide to retire or make a permanent move. Costa Rica has many options for living which include small, single living homes and condos to larger family homes or upscale homes. One thing is for sure, if you bring the whole family along, you never need to worry about not having enough to do to fill in the time from one day to the next as you are sure to find plenty of exciting things to do in the area. This beautiful country is one that allows you to live and feel like you’re living in a paradise vacation every day. So, take a moment and live the Pura Vida life for a while.

by: Jogi – Jürgen Gerner, Real Estate Broker

First, imagine you own a piece of paradise here at the pacific coast of Costa Rica. Relaxed living, wonderful climate with lots of sun, nice and friendly people, great food and a fantastic lifestyle. You can use your property, enjoy it with your family, invite friends, rent it, do a business, consider it as an investment and so on, the options are endless. Secondly, almost nobody realizes that there is another important factor which is very powerful. Let’s call it Plan B. It’s always good to have a Plan B, because it gives you the power to move on, the energy for a positive outlook and the piece of mind to keep cool. In the mid 90’s I had the opportunity to discover this positive experience by myself.

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About 25 years ago, Tamarindo was still a quiet coastal village, barely any foreign residents around.
Steadily, North Americans, Europeans and others alike started discovering Costa Rica’s beauty and the positive aspects of its way of life. And so, partly thanks to the steady and reliable waves and the opening of Costa Rica’s second international airport at Liberia, Tamarindo started booming. Retirees and investors, but increasingly also families with young children in search of a better quality of live, have found their way to the Tamarindo region and purchased property.
Naturally, many of these new home owners, not only want to take in the sunshine, palm trees, hours of fun in the ocean or the natural wonders. They also long for their new houses to feel like home again, looking for ways to not only furnish them, with furniture that withstands the tropical climate, but also decorate them in style, preferably the style that fits their taste. Of course Tamarindo did not offer the luxury of a furniture store, warehouse or design studio on every corner.

Mark recently celebrated 7 years with ABC Real Estate, Tamarindo. “I’d have to say that what I’ve valued the most from this time are the friends I’ve made at ABC, and clients that turn into friends, priceless. I hope to continue to make many more. It’s been inspiring to work with such competent people.” Mark…

by: Mark Venegas, Real Estate Consultant

When an agent goes to a listing appointment it is not unusual to find out that the seller already has set the price they want to ask for their property. “My neighbor sold 6 months ago for $$$s and my house is much nicer than theirs” is a standard answer we get from the seller when asked how he/she came to that asking price.
Although it is customary that the market in Costa Rica moves slower than in the US, many times properties stay on the market for long periods here basically because sellers price their properties too high. Some agents simply accept the sales price set by the seller in the hope the seller will eventually wake up and adjust the price, but this is a waste of everybody’s time. If you want to put your property on the market, and be a knowledgeable seller, you should first select a trusted agent and ask him/her to appraise your property so you will know what the market value is, this is the most important step in finding the appropriate selling price. Also, to get a better feel of what you need to fix, paint, clean or organize, ask the agent to tell you the good, bad and the ugly of your property so you will not only know what is necessary to work on to get it market ready but also know how your property compares to others in your area.