Step 2: Plan a trip
It is possible to find and purchase a Costa Rican property without ever visiting Costa Rica – possible, but stupid. Without seeing the property, the competition, the roads, the availability of services, etc., you just can’t be sure what you’re buying. You wouldn’t buy a car without driving it. Your next step, then, in finding a property, is to plan a trip to Costa Rica.
Though Costa Rica is a small place in terms of land area (about the size of West Virginia) it’s big in terms of travel time between the different regions. Unless you have a lot of time and determination, you probably won’t be able to see everything. Decide, therefore, what you want (beach? mountains? views? hot weather? eternal spring?) and what kind of lifestyle you want to live (expensive? retirement? vacation? lots of services? rural seclusion?). Using the geographical survey chapter as a guide (chapter 4), pick a few places that fit your criteria and plan your visit. It also might be a good idea to plan to visit at least one place you wouldn’t normally consider (i.e. - mountains instead of beach, small town instead of Escazú) on the off chance you like it a lot more than you thought you would.
Once you’ve decided what regions you’re interested in visiting, you might want to get in touch with one or more brokers before you get on the plane. This is a bit delicate because one of the most important things about a broker is personality, and how can you check out someone’s personality over the phone? If you’ll be looking for property in the more developed real estate markets, like Jacó, Escazú, and El Coco, it’s probably a better idea to go broker-shopping once you arrive. Most offices have bulletin boards with properties for sale, and you can interview two or three brokers before you commit. In less developed markets, like the Caribbean, Cartago, and Orotina, there aren’t many brokers based there. Your best two or three options will be online, and you might as well get in contact before you arrive. No matter what you do, be sure to use brokers with local expertise, good references, and residency. If you don’t get prompt and professional replies to your correspondence, move on.
Also, as you start to reach out to brokers, be as clear as you can about what you want to see during your visit. Obviously you probably won’t be 100% certain, but you should know whether you’re looking for a condo, a house, a lot, or a whole, raw farm. You should also have some idea of what you want to do with it – vacation home, permanent residence, investment property – and your budget, though be careful of giving the broker your final upper limit, as he or she will probably try to sell you up.
Finally, you could always leave all these arrangements in the hands of a professional. Christopher Howard (www.liveincostarica.com) and offers tours to people considering retirement and living in Costa Rica. The tours are focused to particular regions and include introductions to particular developments, brokers, and lawyers that are trustworthy.
