Pricing is a tricky thing in Costa Rica. Gone are the days when buyers from abroad could snap up beachfront (or even ocean view) property from a cattle rancher for $30,000. More likely today, that cattle rancher will look you up and down and ask for $2 million. He figures it’s worth a shot: You

Aside from starting the financing process, the first real step you’ll take toward putting down a deposit on a piece of property will be preliminary due diligence. We’ll get into the details of comprehensive due diligence in the next chapter, as they depend on a number of factors and are often very involved. For the

Due diligence is the process of researching the physical and legal status of the property you are about to buy before you buy it. During this process, you are confirming that the property is what the seller says it is; that it brings with it no legal complications that will make your life difficult; and

The seller’s profile can vary widely, and the identity of the seller will matter quite a bit when it comes to things like negotiating a price, the level of due diligence you need to do, and the speediness of the process. Is the seller a Tico? A foreigner? Is the seller a developer? A homeowner? Does

Your lawyer will play an important role in this transaction, and a larger one than is traditional in the United States or Canada. Your lawyer could do any number of the following tasks: Title search Permitting due diligence Sales contract drafting/revision Negotiation Act as escrow agent Certify the deed Register the deed Because the role

If you’ve gotten this far in the process, you probably already have a broker (if you don’t, see the sidebar for advice on finding a trustworthy broker). Your broker plays generally the same role as a broker in any other country. That is, he or she will help you with the process of checking market