Chapter 15 - Selling your home

Though this book is about buying real estate in Costa Rica, there’s often a reason to sell as well: Circumstances change, investments can be cashed in on, you’re putting your development on the market, or maybe you just want to move. This chapter will serve as a short guide on how to sell your Costa Rican property. For the most part, the pointers in the rest of the book on valuing property, due diligence, hiring a lawyer, hiring a real estate broker, etc., are all valid here, only in reverse. This chapter only seeks to add some additional instructions from that reverse perspective.

First, the chapter will look at your timetable, helping you answer questions about your reason for selling and the speed with which you can expect your property to sell given market conditions, pricing, location, and a few other variables. Next, the chapter will look at setting goals: Why are you selling, and what, exactly, do you want to get out of the sale? Third, the chapter will look at the topic of brokers, including why you should (or shouldn’t) use one, services you should expect, how to find a good one, and exclusivity and commissions. Finally, the chapter will address a few strategies for selling a property on your own, through newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet.