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 he or she own the property directly, or through a holding company? If through a holding company, does the seller have legal authority to dispose of the property? Make sure to meet the seller. Though formal negotiations take place through the telephone chain of broker-seller, actually meeting the seller will put you in a stronger negotiating position, as it allows you to interact personally with the seller.

Also, there is a particular kind of property fraud in Costa Rica that involves a lawyer and a broker colluding to sell a property “on behalf” of a seller without the supposed seller’s knowledge. Another fraud involves raising the price of the property without bothering to inform the owner, which is good for neither you nor the owner. A third related fraud involves a lawyer and a notary conspiring to sell you a property that’s not even for sale, then taking the money and running. Some brokers might try to block you from meeting the seller. This is understandable, since another common underhanded dealing in Costa Rica is for a buyer and a seller (or worse, a buyer and a seller’s lawyer) to get together and cut the broker out of the deal. If the broker is really worried, he can get a commission contract with the seller, which experienced, honest brokers will be satisfied with. After that, you shouldn’t have a problem obtaining a meeting with the seller. When you meet the seller, make sure he or she wants to sell and is able to sell, and talk about some of the elements in play during the negotiation. Increasingly the sellers you will deal with when buying a lot or a high end house are Americans, Canadians, or Europeans, meaning there won’t be as many cultural barriers for you to check out intangibles like character, as well as tangibles like country of origin, time spent in the Costa Rica, business history, referrals, etc.