Costa Rica Real Estate And Living

Jaco is very popular Among Ticos (Costa Ricans) and foreigners alike. As it is the closest decent beach to San Jose, the locals tend to go there each weekend or holiday from the Central Valley and as a result services and property values have been growing at an accelerated rate recently. It is, simply put, a very hot market! If you are considering investing somewhere warm and inviting, Jaco is an excellent choice.

Real estate agencies can be found throughout the area. Listings tend to be non-exclusive and commisions are usually just added on top of the price the owner is looking to sell the piece of property for. There is no real regulation on these companies so it's a buyer beware situation.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Try and get an idea what the real value of any particular land or home is. The biggest road block in achieving this goal is the language barrier. If you cannot speak fluently in Spanish you may have a problem trying to speak with many people who can give you the 'real value' of any given site.

Check with serveral agents and see what listings are priced like in the area you may be interested in. You may also want to drive to the smaller surrounding communities and check with agents there. A good choice may be Orotina. It will have fewer agents but you are more likely to find one who will be less greedy than in Jaco itself. At least you will be able to get some comparison pricing.

FIND A 'GOOD' LAWYER

This is a big big problem in Costa Rica. Most people will tell you it's hard to find a lawyer you can trust in Costa Rica let alone in Jaco. There have been whole books written on the subject of dishonest lawyers in Costa Rica. As an individual who lived and worked in Costa Rica I can help a bit by recommending a couple that won't just try and seperate you from your money. The first thing I should say is that I have not found a single lawyer or firm in Jaco that I deem trustworthy. Even if they sound honest I would be really careful. They can be quite slick. They have the advantage of knowing their victims well.

The two lawyers I am comfortable with myself are located in the San Jose area. I will outline both with the pros and cons of each.

BUFETE POVEDA VILCHEZ SA

Fabian Poveda - Attorney at Law - Notary Public

English, Spanish and Italian spoken

Located at - Calle 29, Ave. 10-12 #1000 (300 mts. Sur de Casa Italia, contiguo Cerámica Nancy), San José.

If you are using a taxi to find them - tell the driver to pass through central San Jose heading in the direction of Heridia and then to turn right at the KFC after the train tracks. Go about two or three blocks and look for the green colored gate on the right side. Once you get clode just give them a call and ask them to come outside and wave. as there is no sign and it looks like any other house alone the right side.

Telephone/Fax: (506) 253-1786. - This number is likely not correct any longer as Costa Rica has moved to an 8 digit phone number system recently. Send them an email instead and ask them for their current number a few days ahead.

Email Flora / Fabian at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tell them Gerry and Ilsa say 'Hola' (Hi!) 'and miss them both!'.

Pros - You will not find another lawyer more honest or more reasonably priced anywhere, period! If you need to apply for residency, open a corporation, buy some property, they are simply the best. They will also treat you like family.

Cons - I hate to say anything negative about them but if there is one thing you should be concerned with it should be anything with a time line or deadline that must be met. They follow all the rules and do the diligent work but they work within the system and therefore are not the fastest. If a deal is complicated and needs close supervision / fast response time you are best to look at the next lawyer. If it's a regular transaction and honesty and saving some serious cash is important give Fabian or his Mom Flora a call. You will not be disappointed.

BUFETE MAS ROMERO SA

Jaun Ignacio Mas Romero - Attorney at Law - Notary Public

English, Spanish Spoken

Mailing address - PO Box 11624-1000 San Jose, Costa Rica.

I can't remember the exact address but if you call there they can give the Taxi driver directions. I do recall they are not far from central San Jose (Paseo Colon).

Fax: (506) 2283-9354

Telephone: (506) 2283-9305

Email Juan Ignacio at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tell him Gerry and Ilsa say 'Hola' (Hi!)

Pros - Juan is a great guy and an extremely well versed and connected lawyer in a somewhat bigger law firm (for Costa Rica :-). He can get things done as well or better than most lawyers in the country and if he says it will be done you can count on it. If you have trouble with the bureaucracy he can be an asset. I have seen him reverse a solid six week wait to five minutes with a single phone call. The reality is if they say six weeks you will be lucky to see it done in 3 to 6 months! He is fast, pleasant to deal with, honest and professional.

Cons - He is not cheap but well worth the money in Costa Rica. He is not expensive by big American lawyer standards but you will be paying for his services.

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