Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes Be well-informed about the free trade zone and its locations before renting or purchasing a warehouse or office space in Costa Rica. In this article, you will find the advantages and disadvantages of being in a Free Trade Zone or “Zona Franca” in Costa Rica. Let’s first tell you what…
Costa Rica beachfront property and maritime zoning are regulated by Law N° 6043 and its Regulations. First, read this article if you want to buy Costa Rica beachfront property. Then, if you still have questions, contact a real estate lawyer specializing in concessions. Maritime zoning In a nutshell, this is how maritime zoning functions: The…
Did you know that your due diligence when buying from a developer completely differs from buying a house or apartment already built? Have you ever put money down on a real estate project that did not happen? I did, and I’m a seasoned real estate broker in Costa Rica and have lived here since 1980.…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes Without a proper vacation rental management solution, it is almost impossible to maximize the return on investment. A vacation rental property can be very lucrative, but it’s not a given. Our agents sell a lot of vacation rental beach condos to investors who live abroad or in another city. Managing…
Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes Hotel ownership in Costa Rica is quite different from what it is in other exotic destinations worldwide. I am the American-European affiliate for the Southern Pacific area of Costa Rica, and I have listed and sold quite a few hotels during my real estate career. Over the years, I have…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes When buying a long-term rental investment property, you want to keep a tenant a tenant longer than normal. What’s normal? How can you keep a well-paying tenant way past that 1st year? A rental agreement between an angry tenant and an unhappy landlord will not have a long shelf life.…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes The real estate business is a profitable investment for a lot of people, and it can be for you too! Some real estate investors rake in a lot of money, but this mostly depends on the investment strategies used. Additionally, it also depends on your location, type of investment, and…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Making a real estate investment can be very rewarding. Yet it’s also fraught with a lot of challenges and risks. Especially if you decide to do it alone. There’s a belief among real estate investors, almost taken as gospel truth, that you can never go wrong with investing in real…
Estimated Reading Time: 12 Minutes Is buying a business in Costa Rica a smart move? Or should you start one from scratch? If you plan to move to Costa Rica, you will need to create an income, right? I know, it’s not so easy to do business in Costa Rica. But don’t worry, we will…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Climate change and becoming Carbon Neutral is #1 on the agenda of some. For others, some of the largest nations, it’s not important. Costa Rica is in a financial crisis and the cost of living is more expensive than ever before. But Carlos Alvarado is trying hard to put the…
Often, sellers do not know how to calculate investment property asking price when they want to sell the property. Or they calculate it totally wrong and the property takes years to sell. A savvy investor will only buy a property with a great return on the investment, right? Just this week, we received the request…
I’d like you to take advantage of the additional ROI you can receive when you buy an investment property before August. “How is that?” you might ask. Well, it has everything to do with the new capital gains tax that the Costa Rican government will start charging as of August 1st, 2019. You can read…
It’s pretty easy to make the wrong investments in a country that you know well. It’s much easier to make the wrong investments in a country that you don’t know. One that has a different culture and where people speak a different language than you do. I’ve been there, done that. Believe me. A few…
Income producing properties in Costa Rica are always attractive to foreign investors. We do have quite a different market than most would expect. So it’s important to be well-informed before making the big step. Savvy real estate investors know perfectly well what type of income producing properties are worth looking at and what questions to…
Did you know that the mortgage rate in Costa Rica is outrageous? I pay 9.5% interest rate on my mortgage in U.S. dollars! Politicians have been debating, due to the elections 2018, about economic solutions for the last few months. Because the government needs money. Don’t we all? Now that Carlos Alvarado of PAC was…
Many businesses and investment property in Costa Rica have a double accounting system. One is for the tax authorities and another for the business owner. Naturally, there is a significant difference between the official records and the reality. Investors who find an interesting investment property online, first send an email to the listing agent. That…