Costa Rica Real Estate Negotations Over Football & Coffee!

With a sweep of the hand and a cheery “pase adelante” (come in), I was invited into the room and offered a nice overstuffed seat in front of the impeccably clean and ornately adorned glass coffee table.

The real estate agent got us both cafe and some cookies while the owner of the property and I got right down to business – right down to the business of talking about his family, where he lived, his hobbies, his favorite soccer team and what he thought about the traffic situation in Costa Rica.

We discussed pretty much everything but the main reason for our little gathering, which was to determine the sale price for a lot I wanted to purchase from him. After thirty minutes of chit-chat and the occasional animated exchange about soccer, ‘confianza’ (trust) had been developed, meaning we could start talking numbers…

He asked how much I was willing to pay. Knowing that I shouldn’t just throw out a number, included a long preamble about how I really needed the property for my future family, but now, unfortunately, I had just about no money to spend. I then put out a number, about half of the asking price, and we quickly got back to talking about other things.

Another 15 minutes passed before he forwarded a counter offer that was not too far from what I ultimately was shooting for, so I decided to try my luck and proposed a number just under my desired price…

When he came back with my target price, I tried hard to disguise my pleasure and asked him if he was sure he wouldn’t take less. We closed the deal in just under an hour and a half, including the ten minutes actually dedicated to speaking about the land.

This may not be your exact experience when purchasing property in Costa Rica, but it illustrates some important cultural points to consider if you are thinking about finding that dream plot in tropical paradise.

• Don’t be in a hurry! It is very important to establish a relationship of trust with your counterpart, or at least the appearance of one. Ask about their family, their needs and desires, what makes them tick. Tell them about yourself as well. Although this rule applies in many countries, it is true to a greater degree in Costa Rica. Take more time for it than you think is “necessary.” The negotiations will go more smoothly if you do.
• Beware of the violin! “Sacando el violin” literally means “taking out the violin” and refers to the practice of playing the victim. Ticos often expound on how poor and unfortunate they are as grounds to request a discount.

Playing the victim is a very common negotiation technique in Costa Rica. While most people with western European cultural roots prefer to avoid showing weakness and are reluctant to use this strategy, it is very acceptable in Costa Rica and can be used to your advantage.

As referred to in the book ‘The Ticos’, there is a culture of the “Pobrecito” (poor little guy) where weakness and playing the victim are used to get the desired outcome or to avoid unwanted commitments. (Biezanz, 1999, p10) Although you should be aware that many sob stories are fabricated, don’t forget that these can sometimes be used to your advantage when dealing with your Costa Rican counterpart.

• Trust, but double-check! It is very common, even if you have developed ‘confianza’, that the seller will tell you whatever you want to hear to make the deal. This is not generally considered to be lying, as it is just withholding or embellishing the truth.

As a result of practices like this, there is a high degree of distrust within society. In fact, in a recent poll done throughout Latin America, only 8% of Ticos said they could trust other Costa Ricans, one of the lowest figures in all of Latin America. (Latinobarometro, 2004)

• Keep your cool! Even if you discover your counterpart is lying or some other unpleasant detail, don’t lose your cool. Harmony is highly valued in the Costa Rican culture and is manifested in maintaining a calm and agreeable exterior, no matter how you feel on the inside.

No hard and fast rules always apply when dealing with something as complex as a foreign culture. However, these principles might help to deal with unfamiliar behaviors.

One of the best and most necessary strategies is still to find a cultural interpreter, someone you can trust who is knowledgeable about the local culture and can let you know what is going, linguistically as well as culturally.

Eric Liljenstolpe M.A. Ed., is the founder and president of the GlobalSolutions Group, an organization dedicated to creating understanding between people of diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Eric helps people understand the difference between cultures and has helped thousands of people who are thinking about moving to Costa Rica…

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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.