Put in offer on Property in La Tigra

You are brave. The more I learned over the 12 + years and more than 20 trips to CR is that vacation is quite different than being a resident.

Granted, my vacations are more resident like, but the real estate purchasing side is rather complex. Of course you need a good lawyer., titled Land, and an understanding that security is key. Effectively you need someone living or renting on your property year round. When it rains, it rains so loud that black hats can come in with portable angle grinders and cut through your locked doors. But if your in a Compound or pay a Tico to live on your property, no problem.

Knowledge is power but also in the case of home ownership in CR, it can be very discouraging. Yet, I still have a goal of also buying property and living part time in CR each year.

@Stephano1 Tourists-Turned-Investors Phenomena, no place like it,like in Costa Rica ! If you have money to throw, why not ? If you had to sell everything for this property in "La Tigra' you've been had.....6 months of rain, good luck making any profit off your Airbib(tax laws) plus trying to budget for maintenance.

@surfdog12 Thank you for your response. Very helpful. Any areas I should be wary about on the purchasing side? Thanks again.

@surfdog12 Thank you for your response. Very helpful. Any areas I should be wary about on the purchasing side? Thanks again.
-@Stephano1

I would suggest viewing the other responses in this forum. Granted some are very glum but, not without reason.

If you learn everything you can, you'll stand a better chance of not being surprised. The recommendation to rent for several months is wise. Also, did you notice that there are many places for sale in CR? Ever wonder why?

Again, I do plan on buying and living part-time in a remote surfing village. I had a purchase agreement this past year and was midstream with the attorney finalizing details when I dropped out on the sale. Too many little things were suddenly being disclosed that were not mentioned in the initial negotiations. Security of your property is very important. Being there all the time or having a person live there or renters full time is important. Costa Ricans are not unlawful in general but, if you leave something laying around, like your new house, there is a good chance someone will take advantage of that in time.

Find out who your neighbors are and what they could be draining on your side.Updated plot maps are very important, the property may not be the actual size....I call 'surfdog 12' his experience successful, most inherit complications that weren't planned.Easements and loans taken out against the property, not to mention other surprises, so,it is imperative to have your own independent legal consul.I have multiple properties through out Costa Rica,all of them had serious glitches that had to be resolved by the seller before they could be sellable.They'll tell you that' they have other interested buyers'to heighten and secure the sale.

Hi, I moved to CR 8 years ago, I have bought and sold property in remote areas and built houses in the same remote areas. Firstly Title isn't a problem as long as you have done your homework and have a good lawyer. sometimes as with what happened to friends of mine bad title can be made good, you just need patience.

As with everything in CR you need patience. There is no Amazon, no next day delivery, huge markups on imported goods and expensive electricity. There is also incredibly proud and friendly people. This is a land of Macgyver's,  everything is possible and everything can be fixed. not always as you might expect...

La Tigra is next to the cloud forest area and so yes there is a lot of rain. However don't believe the forecast but look at actual rain data for each day/  month, for example where I live the forecast is thunderstorms every day of the year and for 7 months straight it will not rain a drop.

That area is very popular with tourists as Monteverde nearby,  being one of the most popular destinations year round so I think the Airbnb should do well. if you're not planning on living on site having a tico family live on site and help with maintenance etc is a good idea. However once installed they will be very difficult to evict if / when you want to. Many of my friends and local family members have families on their land to clean, garden and maintain but be prepared to have them forever.

We have never had any problems with theft, or any crime however it does exist but I imagine it's nothing like as bad as North America, very few people have guns and gun crime outside of San Jose is very unusual.

If you are moving to escape the speed and stress of life in the west I would go for it but be prepared for very slow administrative processes, poor roads and frustrating trips to any store that may or may not have what you went for.

@edwinemora Thank you @ edwinemora. Great insights. It is a strange process needing to really focus on property titles, topography maps as you say get a true picture of what you are buying. I have not seen that yet. But I will certainly ask to see that asap. Thanks again for all of your thoughts.

@Stephano1

no you’re not crazy, I wish I could have done that with what’s happening here, I wanted to. I am trying to get contacts in Costa Rica because I am writing a project (for the last 6 month now) to be developed in CR, and it would be good to have friendly people over there for the future. Congratulations on your adventure, I would be jumping out of my skin right now!!!!

let me know if you are ok exchanging contact.

Doing your homework is definitely key, but remember, as far as lawyers are concerned, ask around for recommendations, not all are equal and they are a lot of not so well intended ones.

@Stephano1 Are you familiar with the CAJA and the different types of residency?  This can be very expensive. I am not sure if your Airbnb rental income will increase your Caja payment each month but it would not surprise me.

There is a 12.75% flat tax basically on your rental income.

Buying a vehicle/insurance/registration and annual inspection is quite a bit more than the US/Canada.

I went to CR for 2 weeks last March and fell in love with the country despite the attempts at theft and having my phone stolen.  I spent months researching and planning my retirement in CR, and am still contemplating it if I can keep the Caja down.  There are a lot of negatives though. I would recommend renting there for a few years. 99% leave!

I would recommend watching a lot of "Travel Costa Rica Now" videos on youtube. He is a very honest person who lost a lot of money there to scams. He has been advertising a relocation retreat next month near Jaco. He admits he will try to talk you out of moving to CR so he isn't trying to sell you a dream full of lies.

I am heading back for 2 weeks next month to tour the country again. It will probably revitalize my desire to want to move there permanently but logically being a 3 month tourist is probably the smartest option.

I would've happily left this country but what used to be canada is much worse today. CR has two benefits: choice of climatic zones and ocean. Nothing else...or yes, corruption that could be handy sometimes:)

@Blackwatch Thanks Blackwatch. Great advice. I agree with the rent first, but this is definitely more emotional than practical for us. Which is pretty unusual as we are both pretty logical and normally make sound business decisions. I am really glad we found you guys on this forum, it has been very helpful and soothing. Well really more helpful than soothing. Thanks again and good luck on your next trip.