Advice on Purchasing Real Estate in Costa Rica

Purchasing property is not a simple task, it is a very important decision and important decisions require lots of thought and the help of professionals.  When purchasing real estate in a foreign country it is even more crucial you are dealing with qualified and reputable people........

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It just continues to amaze me that although people like Scott Oliver have worked to warn people of the many pitfalls in Costa Rica real estate, the amount of people who iqnore the warnings and make significant mistakes.  I guess some of us just like to learn the hard way, but for you others just remember…

• We warned you about working directly with developers, because they are simply motivated to sell their inventory and are not always forthcoming about other properties available in their development.
• We warned you about using a seller’s attorney to handle a closing, because that attorney is naturally representing the seller and not you.
• We warned you about purchasing property sight unseen, because any where in the world it is simply a bad idea.
• We warned you about not researching and choosing a professional and reputable realtor and consulting with him/her on the market you have interest in purchasing, instead of being confused or mislead by fly by night or dishonest realtors.
• We warned you about sending funds directly to a seller or developer instead of an escrow account.
• We warned you that if you are only spending a portion of your time in Costa Rica you should consider a gated community.

Perhaps you read the book.  Maybe you have read the countless articles on the site.  Either way one final thought to consider is to actually follow some of the important tips we talk about and not ignoring them.