Costa Rica Real Estate, from Coast to Coast, the Right Way!!!

by Ivo Henfling for the Easy Times

Almost everyone who writes articles for the expat community in Costa Rica or for those baby boomers who plan to retire to Costa Rica soon, have already written about the rainfall in Costa Rica, published pictures about the mudslide in Santa Ana and other disasters in the rest of Central America.

This month, I would like to attack this issue from a different and unusual angle: a real estate agent's angle. The Costarican rainy season damages property pretty fast and I want to tell you what to look for and what to do when you're buying property in Costa Rica from now on.

The weather is changing everywhere in the world and rainfall has doubled over the past two years in Costa Rica. Third world countries don't think ahead, they fix the problem when it is too late. In Costa Rica it is the same thing.

National Emergency Comittee

Costa Rica has a Committee for National Emergencies (Comisión Nacional de Emergencias) which is supposed to prevent risk and attend to national emergencies. And yes, indeed they do attend to the national emergencies but there is never enough money or foresight and planning to do any risk prevention.

That said, every year, at the beginning of the Costa Rican rainy season, the same rivers overflow, the same mountains create mudslides and the same roads and highways suffer.

If you want to live in Costa Rica, you better get used to this, because it's what we have and it's part of that life that we love so much. Feel free to read Rudy Matthew's article "Why Costa Rica?" for more information on why babyboomers retire to Costa Rica.

I needed this long introduction in this article to try to make you understand that this is a national situation and it is not something that will be fixed soon. So, when you buy a property in Costa Rica, all the above is important for you to keep in mind and make sure you look at.

I will try to make a check list of things you should look at. When you are not totally sure, get the opinion of a pro. And I mean a geologist or someone who knows what he/she is doing and not a realtor who says "it's been here for 100 years, so why wouldn't it be here for another 100". Don't listen to salesmanship, listen to knowledge and expertise. The Costarican rainy season can do incredible damage and lots of buyers don't even think of that, I would like you to be aware.

What should you look for when looking at Costa Rica real estate?

• Check if there are any large rivers in the area, where they are located and if these rivers have overflowed their banks in the past.

• If there is a river bordering the real estate you're looking to buy, make sure it is deep enough and that when something or someone blocks the river for some reason, the water can't come your way.

• Check if behind or to the sides of the Costa Rica real estate there is a mountain or a hill. Look for signs of erosion. Make sure rainwater can get away easily. Make sure the hill can't come down on you. If the hill is high up, go all the way up there and check out the situation up on top. Landslides go down, not up. If the property has a steep or inclined topography, look for signs of erosion. Either your neighbor's property can fall on yours or yours can fall on your neighbors.

• See if any water coming onto the property from above or from the road can get away and keeps it away from the house, especially when you are below the road level. See if you need to build gutters, you should use that info to negotiate the price. If you look for the signs of water that washed soil away, you'll find it if it's there.

• Check the condition of the road to get to the property. See if the road is heavily damaged and what kind of damages there are.

• Make sure the gutters and downspouts of the gutters, plus the storm drains are well installed (use home inspector). Also make sure the roof is in good health.

• Make sure the septic system won't be under water during the rainy season.

• Look for green spots and mould, that's how you find the problematic areas inside and outside the house.

• Look at retainer walls and see if there are any cracks.

• See if the costa rica real estate has earthquake cracks or sagging.

• Cracks in walls can most of the time be filled easily, but if a property is on a fault line and the house is not built correctly, you'd be filling walls for the rest of your life. A little paint will cover everything but a good home inspector will be able to tell very easily if the property has any structural problems or not. Either erosion of the soil around or underneath the house or earthquakes can be the result of those cracks in the walls.

• Check if the rainwater has not created erosion and already hollowed out the house underneath or has touched the foundation of the house.

• Make sure the power meter and electrical installation hasn't suffered water damage (home inspector).

• If you plan to buy in a gated community in Costa Rica, make sure the condo administration does all the maintenance in time.

I am sure I have missed a few things but I think I have covered most of it. Feel free to email me any other suggestions.

After you bought the property and live in Costa Rica, don't forget to check before the rainy season in Costa Rica starts:

• Clean out your storm drains or water drains all over the property
• Clean our your downspouts and gutters

The rainy season in Costa Rica starts in May and ends in November. The heaviest rainfall in Costa Rica is during the months of September, October and part of November.

At any time, if you are not sure of what you see, hire a professional.

Ivo Henfling is President of the American European real estate group and specializes in real estate in Escazu and Santa Ana. Ivo has many years of real estate in Costa Rica and hundreds of closings has given Ivo a wide range of samples of what can happen if you don't pay attention of all the details of a purchase of property in Costa Rica.

Contact Ivo at any time when you are in the market to purchase Costa Rica real estate.