There’s a bit of the old Wild West to real estate transactions in Costa Rica, and not just because so many buyers are stampeding here to buy property. More than a handful of brokers have a shady cast to them, tall tales issue from their mouths, and some drive cars that might lose out in a race with a horse. Questions of ambiance aside, here are some of the issues you will encounter as you set forth to look for real estate in this country: 1) there is no licensing requirement for brokers (anyone can enter the fray); 2) no government agency or government authorized association exists to regulate the business of buying and selling real estate in Costa Rica; 3) although two professional associations do exist (more about each later) they don’t seem to carry sufficient heft in the marketplace to be able to command large numbers of brokers to join up; 4) there is no multiple listing service; 4) and, finally, there is little rhyme or reason to how properties are priced (this is due in part to the absence of an MLS). Described this way—as a list of deficiencies—the real estate business in Costa Rica leaves a less than appealing impression, but in this section we will tell you how to work through some of these problems and how to skirt the others.