Costa Rica Property Investment

For those who are considering property purchase and use it as an investment Costa Rica is a good option. Real estate here is reasonably inexpensive and all the process of purchase is not really complicated. Moreover, the investors are guaranteed to get a profit as the more so that the risk is low.

At the present moment there is a great number of small and large scale land developments available. They range from small (a quarter acre) raw land to huge that number in thousands of hectares. In order to make big capital gains on the property investment it is important to choose property that is beneficially located. Besides, there are a lot of other factors that should be considered - general state of real estate market for the recent period.

The situation on the market now can not be more favorable. There has been experienced 300% growth for the last decade. Another piece of good news is that, notwithstanding the raise of prices twice and even three times, it is still affordable and even cheap in certain cases. General price range on property in Costa Rica is roughly the following: beachfront home lots a quarter acre in size run from $50,000 to $200,000; coastal condominiums have a price range between $55,000 and $250,000; simple homes start at $40,000 and inland lots can be found at as little as $6,500; also the northern Osa Peninsula can still offer even more affordable variants. Any property prices are greatly influenced by the factor of proximity to towns or beaches, and therefore, the farther away the property is the cheaper it is.

The property with the best turnover is located either in the Central Valley or along the Pacific coast. The best capital gain on your investment is guaranteed here. The Central Valley region is just a small part of the country’s territory but this is definitely the place, where business is concentrated. San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Escazu are the areas which are both developed in the sense of infrastructure and optimal in the terms of living and recreation. Therefore the property prices here are quite high.

Those interested in the purchase of property should also take into consideration a couple of other important factors. In order to have great returns it is recommended to learn more about the changes in the infrastructure of the region where your prospective property is supposed to be. In this respect the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific regions are the most interesting.

What concerns the former, it already has developed infrastructure to attract potential tourists and investors. But in a short period of time a new freeway will be completed here and it will connect the largest cities of the region and the way from the International airport in San Jose to the Central Pacific beaches will take about 45 minutes. It will cause the rise in prices in all the adjoining areas that have easy access to the freeway. Moreover, it is expected that he largest marina in Costa Rica will be completed in Quepos in a short period of time. It is also something to think about.

What concerns the Southern Pacific region, it is interesting in the respect that it is still relatively untouched and far from civilization. But the place has got great potential and will definitely become one of the hottest tourist attractions soon. All the more so, that a new international airport is coming to the town of Orotina in the future. The region is likely to go the same path as the Northern Pacific region has gone after the airport in Liberia had been built. The South Pacific region is a potential and promising investment option for those who have 5 or 10 years ahead.

All in all, investment opportunities are in abundance in Costa Rica. There are beach communities, and oceanfront lots, golf courses, more secluded sites in the mountains, farms and ranches. Also a prospective investor can find package deals for residence development and construction as well as finished up-to-date condominium fully equipped and furnished.

However, while choosing property (especially if it is a lot and the construction is planned) the prospective investor can face some problems. There exist regulatory plans that limit the height of structures, setbacks from property lines and other restrictions that an owner will have to take into consideration and that can influence the decision. It is also recommended to be very careful about forested lots as they may turn out to be a part of some area where cutting trees is prohibited and therefore any construction will be impossible. Also beware of dishonest real estate firms that are able to sell you a lot illegal to carry any activity on.

Those who plan to get rental income from their property while they are away, beachfront houses will be the best option. A lot of real estate agencies offer their rental services. The latter are also recommended form the point of view of safety – as an agency will be both in charge of the house condition and its safety. In any case, reliable real estate agency is the first thing to start with when acquiring any property in Costa Rica. Another important term of the successful purchase is a trustworthy and experienced lawyer who will deal with all the problems of land title and all the rest documentation and legal juridical problems.

Purchasing property in Costa Rica is even more attractive from the point of view its stability. There is no such a tendency here for the prices to fluctuate and even during economic downturn the prices do not change very much. Therefore prospective investors should not be afraid – the situation that they will sustain losses is very unlikely. The entire prospect is all the more attractive as the foreigners have almost equal rights with citizens when it comes to real estate. Moreover, affordability and absence of capital gain tax are the factors weighing heavily for property purchase in Costa Rica. And finally, the real estate market here is mostly based on the U.S. dollar. This is even more beneficial for both the U.S. and European investors. There are also no visa complications and the country is ready to welcome any visitors and investors.