Before, rent a home in a few regions.

Where to Start the Hunt for Real Estate in Costa Rica

Looking for your Costa Rica dream home?

If you are on the hunt for a new property in Costa Rica, deciding where to begin may seem overwhelming. Of course the best thing to do is see it all, but we understand that your time is valuable. A smart shopper will take into consideration a number of factors such as social and business opportunities, services such as shopping and healthcare, and finally the weather before jumping head first into the Costa Rica realestate purchase process. The following are our recommendations on where to start and what to consider.

Though a small country, Costa Rica has a remarkably diverse climate. Visitors and people looking to relocate will find the weather and climate varying from balmy rain forest to chilly fire place friendly locations in the Central Valley and at higher elevations. If you intend to start a new life in Costa Rica, staying away from the extremes would be advised.

The country is divided into seven provinces, which are then divided into “cantones” under the direction of a mayor. The population distribution of Costa Rica is not measured by provinces, but instead by geographic areas. For example, the largest percentage of the Costa Rican population, about 70 percent, lives within the Central Valley, which also contains the capital city of San Jose.

This area contains a predominance of cultural opportunities such as theaters, museums, universities and government buildings. The area is also popular for its many employment opportunities with international corporations who decide to invest in the strong economy of Costa Rica, brought about by the tremendous stability of its government. These include companies and organizations like HP, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Scotia Bank, the U.S. Embassy and HSBC.

The Central Valley region is also extremely popular due to the regular weather conditions which do not vary greatly throughout the year. The most popular towns and cities for foreign settlement in the area are Escazu and Santa Ana for their modern shops, restaurants and historic buildings; Alajuela and Heredia – two quieter suburbs that are about 30 minutes outside of the city and close to the airport; Grecia the “cleanest town in Latin America”; and Cartago and Sarchí for their history, scenery and thriving gardening and arts and crafts communities.

North of the Central Valley area is the Arenal Volcano which is surrounded by scenic and lovely villages, and to the west is the unique American expatriate town of Monteverde – settled in the 1950s by Alabama Quakers, it is now full of long-term expatriate Americans and natives. The northern plains region includes beautiful rolling hills, mostly used for cattle farms currently or in the past. The volcanic soil makes it a very fertile region, with thermal and cold water rivers traversing the grounds. This would be ideal for someone looking to truly get away from it all, or start up a hotel or adventure tour company.

To the south of the Central Valley you will find more agricultural based communities, and within that area the most popular towns and villages are San Isidro de General, Buenos Aires and San Vito. These areas provide very typical accommodations and culture, and are lacking in expat communities for the most part. If you hope to find a little more of ‘home’ in the south, try the beach towns like Dominical and Uvita. Still rather ‘untouched’ these laid back communities offer a wide variety of cultures from Europe and the Americas, including the food and infrastructure, though you may find yourself traveling excessively anytime you need to get back to the modern country capital for immigration or shopping purposes.

Two other real estate hotspots include Guanacaste and the central Pacific coast. Both regions have large, developed networks of expats from a variety of countries and focus around beach living. Within these regions it is important to do your research, as they also attract those trying to make a quick buck. The benefits include warm weather, infrastructure, proximity to international and regional airports and proper health care.

The Nicoya Peninsula and the Caribbean coast are great spots for the more adventurous ’settler’ as they are not as easy to get to unless you can afford to rely on domestic flights. The Caribbean Coast is easily accessible by road to Cahuita, and then it turns to gravel and dirt if you want to continue to the touristy town of Puerto Viejo. The southern Nicoya must be accessed by ferry or boat, which leads to packed dirt roads. There are clear benefits to being away from it all, with less tourists and crime, though building and starting a business become more difficult.

Overall, when looking for Costa Rica Real estate it is best to do a thorough examination of the entire region to be sure that it meets all personal and professional needs. Be sure to set up hotel accommodations in the area that you will be exploring on each trip so that you have a “base” to start from. Excellent hotel accommodations can be found on HotelsCombined.com for this purpose.

When relocating to or investing in Costa Rica it is advisable to learn the native language, Spanish. You will need to forge good relationships with neighbors and community leaders, and for this to happen a community open to newcomers and expatriates must exist. Many real estate experts and expatriates suggest that it may be a good idea to rent a home in a few regions, for a short while, before investing in a long term or permanent residence.

Written by Valerie Mellema
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