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Buying Costa Rica real estate for sale is no easy task for anyone going about it for the first time.

The market is full of deals and choices for every size of bank account and different tastes.

You’ll see many different building systems when looking at Costa Rica real estate for sale: from stone to cement blocks; Ricalit (fiber cement sheet walls) or ‘sandwich’ style Styrofoam with cement rendering; metal walls; Den-Glass (anti-glare reinforced glass) and gypsum; Concrebam (cement reinforced bamboo); or cement reinforced plastic fibres.

Housing projects are aimed at very specific social levels: lower, lower-middle, middle, upper-middle and upper class. In each of these, you must take various factors into account when looking to buy your Costa Rica real estate for sale or your “nest”:

The building may seem fine at first sight but certain things to look out for are:

1. Is the house safe from natural disasters – earthquake, hurricane or flooding?
2. Is it possible to extend the building or put on a second floor?
3. If the house meets the family’s needs when the children are young, will it be cramped as they grow up?
4. Is the house missing elements that could cause illness – lack of light, lack of ventilation, excessive damp?
5. Are there obvious signs of cracks or fissures in the walls, floor and floor cavities?

Look Up

Look at the angle of the roof to make sure it meets the minimum recommended requirements; if the roof is nearly flat, that could cause leaks between the corrugated iron sheet overlaps…

How are the joists anchored to the walls and are they securely fixed to the main beam with #2 Rebar minimum so seasonal violent winds won’t mean having to re-roof.

Guttering must have enough fall to get rid of rainwater and prevent drips or overflow that could affect bedrooms or other upper rooms.

The shower, hand basin, laundry sinks and kitchen sink must have U-bend traps to avoid bad smells.

Surroundings

Other points to consider before buying a house are:

• Neighbourhood – is it safe from subsidence and landslides?
• Siting – is the house near to gullies or rivers that might flood with heavy rains?
• Location – is the house near a local or international airport or in a flight path?
• Easements – does the house have electric lines, gas lines or water pipes that could devalue the property.

Property’s position in the zone:

1. Is the house on a corner property?
2. Is it a middle lot?
3. Is it at the end of an easement?
4. Does the property front two streets?

These factors can affect municipal taxes. A corner house will be charged according its whole length along public streets so street cleaning and public lighting charges will be greater.

Zoning is important

to see if your night-time peace of mind will be disturbed by dance halls, bars or other entertainment centres. Are there factories producing toxic substances or gases that could affect the occupants’ health?

Where possible, the house should match its surroundings. If the outside finish is very different from its neighbours, this could reduce its resale value.

You must realise that even if your house has very good quality fittings, its value will still be lower if surrounded by other properties that don’t have similar architectural design or quality.

You can choose from some of the most common building materials available in Costa Rica which are:

• Cement block masonry
• Ricalit walls
• Styrofoam ‘sandwich’walls rendered with cement plaster
• Pre-fabricated systems: vertical wall panels, pillars and slabs.
• Den-Glass and gypsum walls
• Concrebam (Bamboo and concrete)
• Cement reinforced plastic fibers (plastered over to improve appearance)
• Metal walls or wood and expanded metal netting walls that are rendered with concrete
• Wood and split bamboo rendered with concrete
• Brick
• Mixed systems using concrete block for outer walls with wood, Ricalit or gypsum for interior walls and mixed blocks with brick.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.