Why Choose Our Agents

Caribbean Costa Rica Real Estate is a leading full-service real-estate company in Costa Rica’s south Caribbean, and there’s a reason for that.

Our agents are locals, born and raised in Costa Rica, most of them in the Caribbean. We know this region better than anyone, and we can point you toward the safest areas and the best investments.

• We don’t rush clients into buying with high-pressure sales tactics. We provide service and support from start to finish, and we spend 30 days performing a “due diligence” review so clients can be 100% confident about what they’re looking to buy.
• We are legally registered with government tax authorities and we follow all Costa Rican laws and regulations.
• Our agents do not answer legal questions if they don’t know the correct answers. We work with licensed attorneys to provide accurate legal advice to clients through every stage of the purchasing process, including how to set up a corporation in Costa Rica to facilitate a sale.
• Agents will guide you through the entire purchase process and make sure you have a clean, legal, straightforward transaction through a legitimate Costa Rican escrow company.
• All our commissions are paid by the seller, not the buyer, so our help doesn’t cost buyers anything.

The purchase process

Our agents will work with you closely to find out what you’re looking for. We represent a large inventory of properties of all kinds, and we will provide photos and detailed info to identify those that may meet your needs. Then we will show you these properties personally, providing tours to help you make an informed decision.

If you like the property and you want it, it’s time to make an offer. A written offer tells the seller that you are a serious buyer, opening the door to further negotiations or perhaps an agreement already.

If the buyer is interested in your offer, we perform a due diligence review to make sure everything is legal and legit. This review includes:

• Ensuring that property is legally titled
• Verification of the property lines
• Professional home inspection
• Professional engineering studies
• Ensuring that corporate and property taxes are paid up
• Taking an inventory of any furniture that’s included
• Making sure any employees have no outstanding claims

Once the buyer and seller agree on a purchase price, the buyer’s attorney submits a Sales and Purchase Agreement, which is a legally binding document that must be drafted by an attorney/notary licensed in Costa Rica. If both parties sign the agreement, that secures the property officially and legally with the agreed-upon price, terms and conditions.

Now it’s time to set up an escrow account. The Costa Rican government needs to verify the source of the funds you are using in order to buy a property in Costa Rica. Your attorney or real estate agent will put you in touch with an escrow company, which acts as a neutral party to hold deposits until closing contracts are finalized and signed by both buyer and seller. Title transfer can then be executed. But if the sale does not go through, the deposit is returned to the buyer before completion of the due diligence period.

The title transfer is handled by a notary public who acts on behalf of the state and is in charge of the closing. It takes about one or two weeks for Costa Rica’s National Registry to record the close of a property sale.

Closing costs

The buyer normally pays all closing costs, including government taxes, notary fees and mortgage costs. Closing costs are usually between 4.25% and 4.5% of the purchase price.

There is a transfer tax (“impuesto de traspaso”) that is about 1.5% of the registered value of the property, plus other taxes and registration stamps paid to the government of 0.7% to 0.8%. The lawyer/notary who facilitated the closing is also entitled to a statutory fee based on the sales price:

• • Up to 10 million colones ($18,700): 2%

• Up to 15 million colones ($28,000): 1.5%

• Up to 30 million colones ($56,000): 1.25%
• More than 30 million colones ($56,000+): 1%

The law also states that acts or contracts that are complex in nature may result in a 50% surcharge above these prices.

Let us help!

Remember when we said this would be simple, quick and easy? No, we didn’t, because it isn’t!

We’ll do everything in our power to simplify and expedite the process, but there’s no denying that the purchase of real estate in Costa Rica is a complex process that doesn’t happen overnight.

This is why you should trust in an experienced, knowledgeable and ethical real estate agent to guide you through the details. We at Caribbean Costa Rica are experts at that, and we’re ready to get started when you are.

Contact us when you’re ready to find the home of your dreams!