If your property in Costa Rica has been on the market for 3 months or more, it’s probably time for a price reduction. Has it been sitting for a while without a buyer? Often, I hear sellers say “my agent is not doing anything”. Or “I haven’t had a showing in months”. Well, it’s time…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Jim asked about how realtors work in CR. Do real estate agents only show you their own home listings? Don’t they show home listings from other agents? Is it possible to use a realtor that will show you everything in a certain area even if it’s not listed by them?…
Firma Digital is a digital signature, which is used for making or signing an electronic document using the technology known as public-key cryptography. It allows you to digitally sign a document. Only as such will a document be received and accepted by the Costa Rican government or finance agency. The card is personal, and meant…
Estimated Reading Time: 4 Minutes An unfinished house in Costa Rica is as difficult to sell as a rented house. I don’t even know why I sometimes make the mistake of accepting to list an unfinished house anymore. I rarely do because I know they’re almost impossible to sell. Most of the time, it is…
I have decided to give sellers 8 dumb responses from homeowners they should NOT use if they’re really motivated to sell. First of all, I always recommend sellers to not even be at home when the agent is showing the property. But, I understand how difficult that is. It’s even harder to keep your mouth…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Are you afraid the buyer can back out of the property purchase? Don’t be! Just make sure you take the necessary steps it can’t happen. Or, if it does, you’ll be paid well for your efforts. If a buyer has put in an offer, and the seller has agreed to…
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes Are bathrooms in Costa Rica different than they are in your home? Maybe you expect to find a different bathroom in Costa Rica than you are used to? It’s important to learn all you can about bathrooms before moving to another country, isn’t it? Some might think that in Costa…
Can they steal your property in Costa Rica? Yes, they can! Sadly enough, it happens. Charles emailed me this question a week ago: Can someone steal your property in Costa Rica? A great question, which needs an even better answer! It’s sad this happens, and it’s bad for our business. We assist buyers and sellers…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes I always try to keep track of important tenant requirements, so we can include them in the listings. For years, we didn’t pay attention to the fact that people who moved to Costa Rica wanted to bring their pets. Now we included “pets allowed” in our listings. We learn as…
A common question from Canadians is if Canadian home buyers can purchase property in Costa Rica or not? Our friendly partner in Vancouver Canada strawhomes.com often mentions property in Costa Rica is on the tips of their buyers’ tongues. Extended winters have led to an increase in Canadians affected with SAD. But the north’s frosty…
GoDutch Realty’s real estate agents all check property title before listing a Costa Rica property for sale. But, we still like to share our knowledge with buyers and sellers, so you understand better what we do for you. Many of you do not speak or read Spanish and it is not too easy to know where…
A property seller asked what the sales commission and fees are to list and sell a property. The seller’s second question was: what happens if an outside source provides a buyer. So I’m taking advantage of these questions and put it all in one blog. All GoDutch Realty agents charge 5% sales commission at closing.…
Should you place a real estate for sale sign on your property when selling, or not? When selling your property, you want people to know it’s for sale, right! In most countries, you’d list your property with only one agent. Then, that agent will place a real estate for sale sign in your yard or on the…
Having property in another country and being an absent property owner is not so easy. Worse, it can easily turn into a disaster. Just yesterday, someone called me to tell me his story about having to pay an attorney a “ridiculous amount of money” to recover lost property. Of course, this absent property owner didn’t…
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes How far are you willing to go to buy a second home? Some people drive for days to get to their second home and don’t realize that it is quicker to fly to Costa Rica. How would it be to own a vacation house or a condo in Costa Rica?…
Every day, we receive emails from buyers asking for the property location. Coming from a foreign buyer, this is a pretty normal question. But in Costa Rica, real estate agents refuse to divulge the property location. They won’t until they have a chance to show you the property and register you as their client with…