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Years ago when i first started buying houses, i read a book and it told me to look at at least 100 houses in my market before i purchased anything at all. I don’t think i looked at nearly that many. I sure knew the market before i purchased.
Why not combine this strategy with the look around trips etc; before deciding on a move or a purchase?
Spread this over a 3 month stay and surely you will see quite a bit of Costa Rica and you will know a house values etc.
Forgive me but it sounds like bloody silly advice and a waste of time to me ..
Finding the best geographical area for you certainly takes patience and time but looking at 100 houses?
In most areas you probably couldn’t find 25 homes that fit your requirements …
Scott
PS. Don’t forget to let us know what the Realtor says when you tell him you want to see 100 homes…. 😆
A rather aggressive real estate strategy, to be sure. My wife and I have purchased and built many homes in our 31 blessed years together, and we have probably never looked at more than 15 homes in a GEOGRAPHIC area before making the buying decision.
I capped “geographic” as that will probably be the determinant factor in Costa Rica, i.e., climate, proximity to whatever is most important to you, etc.
Even at 15 you wind up losing track of what, as an example, the bedroom layout in house #3 vs. the bedroom layout of #7, etc. I can only imagine how gelatinous and oozy my brain would be after doing the 100th home.
Honestly, at that point I would probably ask the realtor to stop the car and shoot me, so I would not have to overheat my brain trying to unscramble the real estate eggs.
More power to you if you can do it, I just don’t have it in me to even attempt such a daunting task.
At this stage in my life I have a hard time remembering my favorite beer, so I try to keep my major purchase options limited to a tighter circle after I have (oh no….here it comes……) exposed myself as much as I can to an area that interests me.
Out of curiosity, did the author ever buy anything??
Hope it all works out for you, no matter which route you take in your search.
In a large North American metropolitan area one could do a search of the Multiple Listings and carefully review 100 offerings that met a set of criteria for size, location, price, age, etc.
Inspecting each of those would, however, be a daunting task. You’d have to spend a good half hour in each plus (say) fifteen minutes between inspections, so it would take around seventy-five hours or two full work weeks. And then there would be the inevitable return visits. I wonder what real estate agent would devote that much time to a single sale.
In all of Costa Rica, I’m skeptical that one could locate 100 properties for sale that met any meaningful set of criteria more specific than (say) “there’s indoor plumbing”. Maybe if you included condo units.
Or maybe I’m wrong . . .
Guess I am in the wrong house 🙁 Decided on this one in 7 hours after looking at 6 hours. Somehow, I just feel good about it.
[quote=”Scott”]Forgive me but it sounds like bloody silly advice and a waste of time to me ..
Finding the best geographical area for you certainly takes patience and time but looking at 100 houses?
In most areas you probably couldn’t find 25 homes that fit your requirements …
Scott
PS. Don’t forget to let us know what the Realtor says when you tell him you want to see 100 homes…. :lol:[/quote]
RUDE AT THE LEAST
I WILL TAKE YOUR HINT AND NO MAKE MORE BLOODY SILLY POSTS ABOUT REAL ESTATE.I can see how your real estate buddies wouldn’t want to show anyone more than 3 homes. So many gringos go to CR and are like lambs at the slaughter. Seems very smart to me to tour X amount of homes before a purchase, rather than cruising CR and going to all the tourists spots before deciding on a move to CR.
I will find my property in the future through my Fiances family.[quote] RUDE AT THE LEAST
I WILL TAKE YOUR HINT AND NO MAKE MORE BLOODY SILLY POSTS ABOUT REAL ESTATE.I can see how your real estate buddies wouldn’t want to show anyone more than 3 homes. So many gringos go to CR and are like lambs at the slaughter. Seems very smart to me to tour X amount of homes before a purchase, rather than cruising CR and going to all the tourists spots before deciding on a move to CR.
I will find my property in the future through my Fiances family.
[/quote]Jeez! You may be “versatile” but you’ve certainly got no sense of humour. Please feel free to come back when you’ve found it.
Scott
PS. You know that the 😆 typically means someone is not being that serious, right?
[quote=”Versatile”]Years ago when i first started buying houses, i read a book and it told me to look at at least 100 houses in my market before i purchased anything at all. I don’t think i looked at nearly that many. I sure knew the market before i purchased.
Why not combine this strategy with the look around trips etc; before deciding on a move or a purchase?
Spread this over a 3 month stay and surely you will see quite a bit of Costa Rica and you will know a house values etc.[/quote]
Wow…whatever happened to a gut feeling and having a house speak to you? If you’ve got the area narrowed down, won’t the right house or parcel just feel right when you see it? There are only so many things with which to compare. And, as the others have said, how many areas even have 100 similar houses to compare?
I have been up and down the coast many times. Out of the blue and during the recession, for me, it seemed a great time to buy. My main critera were climate, view and water, and since I wasn’t moving down for many years that eliminated a house and I concentrated on land. Since I didn’t want extreme heat, that eliminated much of CR. And I wanted water without the hot climate, which led me to Lake Arenal. The second piece of land spoke to me. I looked at a total of probably 15 parcels in a matter or two trips. But I knew. When some ‘thing’ speaks to me, I go for it! It’s worked all these years in all aspects of my life.
FYI, when looking for house here in the states, I chose the second one. I’ve been in it 10 years and never second guessed my decision. Seems to me, I buy the second of whatever I see! Haha
Thats what we did, look, but mainly its location and what speaks to you, esp condo vs apt vs house. For us, we moved 2+ yrs ago, we liked the downtown area and older home, plus we could afford it by then, as opposed to our starter home.
Dont like yard work, but its nice to have a yard and some privacy. Dog likes the fence.
Initially, lost the bid and looked at other homes, something was not right in each and some good, then house came back up on market and we moved, quickly…..
We did get more confused the more we looked and started jumbling what house had what,etc…
SOme people think I am nutes for wanting to have property in CR at the beach, have been told “hey thats too hot, everyone lives in teh valley” etc, but if buying a 2nd home, retirement home,etc, why not go where you want to?
Instead of over priced homes in NC at coast, that I could never sell, why not in CR?
Plus other reasons to move and get out,etc…but……wife nad I are more beach people, some are mountain people and move I guess to the Arenal lake area,etc.
[quote=”camby”]Thats what we did, look, but mainly its location and what speaks to you, esp condo vs apt vs house. For us, we moved 2+ yrs ago, we liked the downtown area and older home, plus we could afford it by then, as opposed to our starter home.
Dont like yard work, but its nice to have a yard and some privacy. Dog likes the fence.
Initially, lost the bid and looked at other homes, something was not right in each and some good, then house came back up on market and we moved, quickly…..
We did get more confused the more we looked and started jumbling what house had what,etc…
SOme people think I am nutes for wanting to have property in CR at the beach, have been told “hey thats too hot, everyone lives in teh valley” etc, but if buying a 2nd home, retirement home,etc, why not go where you want to?
Instead of over priced homes in NC at coast, that I could never sell, why not in CR?
Plus other reasons to move and get out,etc…but……wife nad I are more beach people, some are mountain people and move I guess to the Arenal lake area,etc.[/quote]
Yes, you should live where you want, but are you looking to save on expenses or do you mind spending as much, if not more, to live in CR?
A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said that it is very expensive to live at the beach plus it’s very hot nearly all year long. They told us it can run $500 a month to run the a/c 24-7 and it’s too hot to even go outside during the day. Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach (and be careful of titles and how close to the water you are). The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.
If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first and see if it is all you imagined plus verify what it would cost to live there.
There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains. I love the beach myself, but gave up that ‘dream’ quickly. I figure, once I’m living there, I can just drive two hours and stay for a weekend at the beach to get my ‘fix’.
Just booked our tickets…can’t wait to get down there in 5 weeks!
[quote=”loraine”]
A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said that it is very expensive to live at the beach plus it’s very hot nearly all year long. They told us it can run $500 a month to run the a/c 24-7 and it’s too hot to even go outside during the day. Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach (and be careful of titles and how close to the water you are). The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.
If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first and see if it is all you imagined plus verify what it would cost to live there.
There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains. I love the beach myself, but gave up that ‘dream’ quickly. I figure, once I’m living there, I can just drive two hours and stay for a weekend at the beach to get my ‘fix’./quote][i][b]”A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said…….”[/b][/i]
Hmmmmmm – a couple of realtors said….. let me take a wild guess and say they probably worked in the Central Valley or up in the mountains. Are you really gullible enough to base your choice of location on what you heard from “a couple of different realtors”?
[i]”[b]Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach…”[/b][/i]
I’m sure that you expressed your heartfelt gratitude for that extensive bit of “market research”. Did they also mention that there is a full array of properties from “a” to “z” at the beach (just like in the Central Valley or in the mountains) or were all of your questions answer by that one simple minded hasty generalization?
[i]”[b]The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.[/b]” [/i]
Let me make another guess and say I bet this was one of the original realtors you spoke with about properties in the Central Valley or in the mountains! Likewise, I am confident that he provided you with statistical data to verify his statement. Otherwise a person as shrewd as you wouldn’t have accepted that (and other) statement carte blanche’. You know, I find it hard to believe all these people that I have seen on a daily basis for the past 4 years actually moved to the mountains and then drive back down here to the beach everyday. And some of them lived in this area for 10-15 years before I got here!
[i][b]”If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first…..”[/b][/i] Finally, a smidgen of common sense! But wouldn’t you say that is true for any place in Costa Rica? Isn’t the best advice for people planning to move here to come and try it first. If you aren’t sure about living in the Central Valley after a few weeks or months, pack up and go try another area.
[i][b]“There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains.”[/b][/i]
Now there’s a brain f^*t for you! First of all, I think most of the people that live “in the mountains” live there because of the weather and the lifestyle, and they are happy because “the mountains” is not where “most of the population lives”. As far as the Central Valley is concerned, please do tell me what you think that reason is. Could it be because that is the Capitol of the country, and because it is the hub of the country’s economic activity or maybe because that is where most of the jobs are? Or maybe it is because that was the chosen place to settle way back “a long, long time ago” (language you may understand). That’s like saying “there’s a reason most of the people in Egypt live in Cairo because most of the rest of the country is nothing but a sandy wasteland!” duh!
Maybe “most of the population” have no choice but to stay in the Central Valley because of family, or job, or economic reasons that prohibit their consideration of relocation. One thing I can promise you is that down in the Valley (where “most” of them live) they sure there because of their attraction to the air quality! Sure, the temperature “in” the valley and “around” the valley, and “in” the mountains is more pleasant to those who prefer that climate, and I can’t blame them for feeling that way. It is their choice, just like it is my choice, along with many others, to live at or near the beach. And most of us that live on, at or near the beach were smart enough to do our own research before making that decision![quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”loraine”]
A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said that it is very expensive to live at the beach plus it’s very hot nearly all year long. They told us it can run $500 a month to run the a/c 24-7 and it’s too hot to even go outside during the day. Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach (and be careful of titles and how close to the water you are). The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.
If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first and see if it is all you imagined plus verify what it would cost to live there.
There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains. I love the beach myself, but gave up that ‘dream’ quickly. I figure, once I’m living there, I can just drive two hours and stay for a weekend at the beach to get my ‘fix’./quote][i][b]”A couple of years back, when we had met with a couple of different realtors and expressed an interest in beach living, they both said…….”[/b][/i]
Hmmmmmm – a couple of realtors said….. let me take a wild guess and say they probably worked in the Central Valley or up in the mountains. Are you really gullible enough to base your choice of location on what you heard from “a couple of different realtors”?
[i]”[b]Plus, the properties are very expensive near the beach…”[/b][/i]
I’m sure that you expressed your heartfelt gratitude for that extensive bit of “market research”. Did they also mention that there is a full array of properties from “a” to “z” at the beach (just like in the Central Valley or in the mountains) or were all of your questions answer by that one simple minded hasty generalization?
[i]”[b]The one realtor told us that few ever stay longer than 2 years then choose to move inland.[/b]” [/i]
Let me make another guess and say I bet this was one of the original realtors you spoke with about properties in the Central Valley or in the mountains! Likewise, I am confident that he provided you with statistical data to verify his statement. Otherwise a person as shrewd as you wouldn’t have accepted that (and other) statement carte blanche’. You know, I find it hard to believe all these people that I have seen on a daily basis for the past 4 years actually moved to the mountains and then drive back down here to the beach everyday. And some of them lived in this area for 10-15 years before I got here!
[i][b]”If your plan is to live at the beach, you may want to rent first…..”[/b][/i] Finally, a smidgen of common sense! But wouldn’t you say that is true for any place in Costa Rica? Isn’t the best advice for people planning to move here to come and try it first. If you aren’t sure about living in the Central Valley after a few weeks or months, pack up and go try another area.
[i][b]“There’s a reason why most of the population lives around the central valley and in the mountains.”[/b][/i]
Now there’s a brain f^*t for you! First of all, I think most of the people that live “in the mountains” live there because of the weather and the lifestyle, and they are happy because “the mountains” is not where “most of the population lives”. As far as the Central Valley is concerned, please do tell me what you think that reason is. Could it be because that is the Capitol of the country, and because it is the hub of the country’s economic activity or maybe because that is where most of the jobs are? Or maybe it is because that was the chosen place to settle way back “a long, long time ago” (language you may understand). That’s like saying “there’s a reason most of the people in Egypt live in Cairo because most of the rest of the country is nothing but a sandy wasteland!” duh!
Maybe “most of the population” have no choice but to stay in the Central Valley because of family, or job, or economic reasons that prohibit their consideration of relocation. One thing I can promise you is that down in the Valley (where “most” of them live) they sure there because of their attraction to the air quality! Sure, the temperature “in” the valley and “around” the valley, and “in” the mountains is more pleasant to those who prefer that climate, and I can’t blame them for feeling that way. It is their choice, just like it is my choice, along with many others, to live at or near the beach. And most of us that live on, at or near the beach were smart enough to do our own research before making that decision![/quote]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.
Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country!
[quote=”loraine”]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country![/quote]
I have a life sized picture of real estate agents in Dominical & Jaco trying to make a living by telling people they don’t want to live at the beach! Now, if you said to them “I don’t like hot weather” then I can see them saying that to you and then privately asking each other “If she doesn’t like hot weather why did she come to the beach to look at real estate?”
I have neighbors who lived in Manuel Antonio for a year and after being here in Samara now for 2 years they are always saying how much cooler it is here than down there, especially at night. But honestly, don’t you think that if you are within 10 degrees of the equator and you are at sea level, wouldn’t a reasonable adult expect it to be hot? That surely should not have come as a surprise.
As I sit here right now, it is 81 degrees in my house. The doors facing the ocean are open, the windows and doors on the opposite side of the house are open, the small windows in the cupola are open and the ceiling fans are on. The sun is bright with a few clouds in the sky. 81 degrees may be unbearably hot to some folks, but to me it is quite comfortable.
I assume your wishes for a good trip in October were addressed to Camby, not me.
I live here year round and have for 4 years now. It is indeed a beautiful country and after traveling to several different parts of the country the only place that I would absolutely stand not to live is San Jose proper. Certainly could live in Atenas and Grecia and even Heredia – and maybe old Sta Ana, but not down “in the valley”.
So where did you end up after you were dissuaded from living at, on or near the beach?
[quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”loraine”]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country![/quote]
I have a life sized picture of real estate agents in Dominical & Jaco trying to make a living by telling people they don’t want to live at the beach! Now, if you said to them “I don’t like hot weather” then I can see them saying that to you and then privately asking each other “If she doesn’t like hot weather why did she come to the beach to look at real estate?”
I have neighbors who lived in Manuel Antonio for a year and after being here in Samara now for 2 years they are always saying how much cooler it is here than down there, especially at night. But honestly, don’t you think that if you are within 10 degrees of the equator and you are at sea level, wouldn’t a reasonable adult expect it to be hot? That surely should not have come as a surprise.
As I sit here right now, it is 81 degrees in my house. The doors facing the ocean are open, the windows and doors on the opposite side of the house are open, the small windows in the cupola are open and the ceiling fans are on. The sun is bright with a few clouds in the sky. 81 degrees may be unbearably hot to some folks, but to me it is quite comfortable.
I assume your wishes for a good trip in October were addressed to Camby, not me.
I live here year round and have for 4 years now. It is indeed a beautiful country and after traveling to several different parts of the country the only place that I would absolutely stand not to live is San Jose proper. Certainly could live in Atenas and Grecia and even Heredia – and maybe old Sta Ana, but not down “in the valley”.
So where did you end up after you were dissuaded from living at, on or near the beach?[/quote]
I never said I didn’t like heat to anyone. I actually said I liked the beach (that’s why we were going to look at beach parcels). They just told me to be mindful of budget/expenses and then mentioned how high the a/c-electric is and how hot it is, and told us of their repeat customers.
81 is lovely. I was in the Brasilito area last November. It was stifling. 90+ with hot air blowing during the daylight hours may be fine for some, but not for me.
I live in NY but I recently purchased land at Lake Arenal. 1 1/2 hours to the airport, close to town but still in the country, with full volanco and lake views/access…and on a paved road. I’m happy with my decision.
To each his own, I guess.
[quote=”loraine”][quote=”costaricabill”][quote=”loraine”]
You are a real charmer! No, the realtors we met were in Dominical and in Jaco Beach…beach areas! Both tried to disuade us from beach life. And we have friends who live near the beach in Manuel Antonio and Puerto Jimenez…they are the first to say how hot it is! Since they own b&b’s there, they’re there year round.Possibly, you are in a cooler beach area…yeah
I’ve been called a lot of things, but gullible has never been one of them.
This is a forum open to all. We were asked our opinions, and just because you don’t agree with some of us, doesn’t mean you can’t act civil.
Good luck with your trip to CR in October…I hope you and your wife have a lot of fun and you get to see a lot of this beautiful country![/quote]
I have a life sized picture of real estate agents in Dominical & Jaco trying to make a living by telling people they don’t want to live at the beach! Now, if you said to them “I don’t like hot weather” then I can see them saying that to you and then privately asking each other “If she doesn’t like hot weather why did she come to the beach to look at real estate?”
I have neighbors who lived in Manuel Antonio for a year and after being here in Samara now for 2 years they are always saying how much cooler it is here than down there, especially at night. But honestly, don’t you think that if you are within 10 degrees of the equator and you are at sea level, wouldn’t a reasonable adult expect it to be hot? That surely should not have come as a surprise.
As I sit here right now, it is 81 degrees in my house. The doors facing the ocean are open, the windows and doors on the opposite side of the house are open, the small windows in the cupola are open and the ceiling fans are on. The sun is bright with a few clouds in the sky. 81 degrees may be unbearably hot to some folks, but to me it is quite comfortable.
I assume your wishes for a good trip in October were addressed to Camby, not me.
I live here year round and have for 4 years now. It is indeed a beautiful country and after traveling to several different parts of the country the only place that I would absolutely stand not to live is San Jose proper. Certainly could live in Atenas and Grecia and even Heredia – and maybe old Sta Ana, but not down “in the valley”.
So where did you end up after you were dissuaded from living at, on or near the beach?[/quote]
I never said I didn’t like heat to anyone. I actually said I liked the beach (that’s why we were going to look at beach parcels). They just told me to be mindful of budget/expenses and then mentioned how high the a/c-electric is and how hot it is, and told us of their repeat customers.
81 is lovely. I was in the Brasilito area last November. It was stifling. 90+ with hot air blowing during the daylight hours may be fine for some, but not for me.
I live in NY but I recently purchased land at Lake Arenal. 1 1/2 hours to the airport, close to town but still in the country, with full volanco and lake views/access…and on a paved road. I’m happy with my decision.
To each his own, I guess.
[/quote]
all good info and insights, for me, A/C is pricey in states or in CR, likely. Dont mind some heat, its more about humidity, though hate cold more…Loraine, if you dont mind sharing some info, can you PM me your area, real estate agent if and when you get a moment….Bill, if I recall, you live on teh Nicoya Pen coastal area, correct? With normal breezes,etc, would think that it would not be as hot and sticky-correct? also, I read in the Valley, that it gets down at night to around 60-65 F, give/take, what is the normal lows for your area?
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