Costa Rica Real Estate Advice

Before starting to give you some valuable insider's tips on buying property in Costa Rica, we'd like to explain to you about a common mistake of buying "Costa Rican property for American prices".

Since Costa Ricans have a way different way of life than you are used to, their values are very much different too. With this explanation we don't mean to hurt the Costa Rican's feelings, I just mean to explain the differences in lifestyle to you, the new people in town, so you won't have to be treated for eventual culture shock. When you are buying property in Costa Rica, you have to know that middle class Costa Ricans place no value, or very little value on:

• Common characteristics of properties for sale in Costa Rica Formal dining room: As they generally only invite family over to their home, they have no need for a formal dining room.
• Hot water: They have no hot water in their kitchens and use suicide showers in their bathrooms.
• Nice Kitchens: Since the maid is the one doing the cooking, the kitchen is not the place where the family gathers when all together.
• Pantry: They buy small quantities and have no use for a pantry.
• Large master suite: To Ticos, it's just a place to sleep, forget about having a nice and cozy hiding place.
• Storage areas: Costa Rica doesn't have four seasons, only two: dry season and rainy season. So they have much less stuff to put away. Also their wardrobe is used year around, so closet space is smaller than what you are used to.
• Views: They are born to views, so they do not appreciate views as much as foreigners do. Often they'll build their home with the back to the views!
• Garden & Yard: City people do not value a back yard, it only gives them a lot of work to maintain. Usually there is someone in the family who owns some land with a cottage in the countryside. Here they call that a "quinta"; and that’s where they go when they need some leisure.