All Posts in Category: Buying Real Estate in Costa Rica

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.

Tamarindo, Costa Rica, March 13th, 2015, Jogi – Juergen Gerner of ABC Real Estate has joined the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), connecting to a worldwide network of more than one million trusted real estate practitioners. Only members of the National Association of REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®, and they are identifiable by the REALTOR® “R” logo on their marketing and sales literature.

By joining NAR, Jogi has aligned with the most trusted name in real estate.  REALTORS® are required to abide by a strict code of ethics, obligating them to client loyalty; fiduciary (legal) duty to clients; cooperation with competitors; truthfulness in statements and advertising; and non-interference in exclusive relationships that other REALTORS® have with their clients. They are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate.

ABC Real Estate would like to announce the upcoming airing of the HGTV show, House Hunters International, on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, at 8:30pm Costa Rica time, 10:30pm EST, and again at 1:30am EST, featuring the buyer, Nancy McCarter, friend, Karen Kriegshauser, and our own Mark Venegas.      

by: TJ Krantz, Hotel Villa Amarilla

About three years ago, I came to Costa Rica for the first time with my daughter, Sydney, and my fiancé, Cinde. We decided to try the Northern Pacific Coast first. Though we stayed at the very plush Westin Resort in Conchal, we continually found ourselves drawn to the small beach town of Tamarindo. We had the time of our lives on our vacation. There were so many things to do and all fairly close. As soon as we got back to the States it was clear that, though we had left Costa Rica, we were still influenced by its charm.

Most experts would advise that the best way to increase your odds of a successful sale is to price your home at fair market value. But, as logical as this advice sounds, for many sellers it is still tempting to tack a few percentage points onto the price to “leave room to negotiate”. To avoid this temptation, let’s take a look at the nine deadly sins of overpricing:

1. Lost Opportunities
You will lose a percentage of buyers who are outside of your price point. These are buyers who are looking in the price range that the property will eventually sell for, but don’t see your property because the price is above their pre-set budget. Most buyers look at 10-15 properties before making a buying decision. Because of this, setting a competitive price relative to the competition is an essential component to a successful marketing strategy. Many marketing tools especially in the internet include searches by price categories, if your property is overpriced it will not even be seen by potential buyers.