Home › Forums › Costa Rica Living Forum › Here we go again??
- This topic has 1 reply, 8 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 3 months ago by terrytica.
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August 9, 2006 at 12:00 am #178052terryticaMember
I met with some clients to view some properties in Parrita yesterday and was informed that there are realtors wanting to PAY THEM to look at their properties. They showed me some listings posted on the wall at a local restaurant and they sure do resemble the Paragon Project in Parrita but the name on the listings was something else. I didnt have time to get a good look. Has anyone had experience with view lots above Parrita?
August 10, 2006 at 11:00 am #178053dkt2uMemberIf you are in the Parrita area then why don’t you just go check it out for yourself? You’re asking a very general question with no information as to what the name is on the ads you saw. Sounds like a vaguely desguised post fishing for new potential clients for yourself. Sorry, but that is just the way it seems to me.
August 10, 2006 at 11:17 am #178054*LotusMemberThere are a few projects other than Paragons in Parrita. I would agree with dkt2u that if you were looking at the posted ads and were concerned you could have easily written down the posters contact info. Then we all would not be speculating about the mysterious post…
August 10, 2006 at 11:19 am #178055terryticaMemberFirst, I am not in Parrita. It is a 2 hour drive for us, we simply met clients there. If I was trying to fish for potential clients I would have posted a way to contact me etc. Yes, I will check it out myself the first chance I get.
What I want to know is if anyone has been offered money to view properties, and if anyone has been to see these projects above Parrita. And if so, how did it turn out. I think it was a simple enough question. There are not many up there as I understand it.August 10, 2006 at 11:22 am #178056dkt2uMemberTerry, I’m sorry but I don’t buy it. In just the few postings you have placed or responded to you make sure you point out that you are a realtor. Especially the one that starts out “for future reference” Why do we need future reference that you are a realtor. What you are doing in your postings goes against the spirit of this and most non commercial forums.
August 10, 2006 at 11:35 am #178057wmaes47Memberterrytica is not a Realtor®… I am a Realtor® in Colorado…
terrytica is a real estate sales person and does not belong to the National Board of Realtors in the United States or in Costa Rica.
I am really sick and tired of people saying they are Realtors® and don’t even know what a Realtor® stands for in the United States.
terrytica. Call yourself a Real Estate Specialists or Real Estate Sales Person, but not a Realtor®… period.
Now I have said my peace and I mean it.
August 10, 2006 at 1:25 pm #178058DavidCMurrayParticipantThat’s an interesting observation. For the record, only members of an official Board of Realtors can call themselves “Realtors”. I an unaware that there exists a Board of Realtors or its equivalent anywhere in Costa Rica. Can someone correct me, if I’m wrong?
August 10, 2006 at 3:02 pm #178059*LotusMember“Costa Rica Real Estate Brokers Board” This is some sort of real estate association in Costa Rica. I do not have the web address and really don’t know much about them.
August 10, 2006 at 4:51 pm #178060wmaes47MemberDavid
There is a Board of Realtors in Costa Rica, who have joined the US base National Board of Realtors®.
Cooperating Association Name:
Costa Rica Global Association of REALTORS®
Cooperating Association Abbreviation: CRGAR
Country: Costa Rica
Region: North America
Regional Coordinator: Deborah Valledor
Address Line 1: Attn: Cynthia Duran, Hacienda Pinilla
Address Line 2: Post Office Box 66, Santa Cruz
City, State, Zip: Guanacaste
Country: Costa Rica
Phone Number: +506-681-4414
E-Mail: info@costaricare.net, cduran@haciendapinilla.com
Web Address: http://www.costaricare.netThe N.A.R. website is http://www.realtor.org/
“When Is a Real Estate Agent a REALTOR®?
A real estate agent is a REALTOR® when he or she becomes a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, The Voice for Real Estate®, the world’s largest professional association. The term “REALTOR®” is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and abides by its strict Code of Ethics.”At my last count, there were seven members to the National Association of Realtors®.
August 10, 2006 at 6:55 pm #178061scottbensonMemberThis is where the wild wild west of Costa Rica and the U.S. meets. There is no MLS and No Realtors Association like in the U.S.
Unlike in the U.S. none of these organizations have teeth that control Realtors.In Costa Rica there are two or more groups of real estate organizations.
Costa Rica Global Association
http://www.costaricare.netCosta Rican Real Estate Association (CCCBR)
http://www.camaracbr.or.cr/The first organization is in Gunacasta they have classes in english but screen the agents to prevent illegal workers.
The CCCBR is located in San Jose and is primarly spanish speaking. Their classes are in Spanish and that weeds out most illegal workers.
None of these organizations are regulated by the Costa Rican Goverment and have no teeth if a agent does somthing wrong. How ever they are both trying to clean up the real estate market and pushing for regulation and liscensing.
For the qualification to be apart of the U.S. national board of realtors all they need to do is follow the regulations of the country and attend classes as well as pay the 60 dollars a month dues. This doesnt mean they have any education or liscens in real estate law in Costa Rica.
How ever picking a agent you might want to look for one that is associated with any one of these because they will more than likely be legal and knowlageable about the Costa Rican ways.
August 10, 2006 at 8:31 pm #178062wmaes47MemberScott
The first one Costa Rica Global Association of REALTORS® is the only agency in Costa Rica listed in the NAR directory.
I do hope that they will adhear to the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Realtors® and I really hope that there is someone in place to monitor this company.
As far as the other two you mentioned, I do belive as you have stated. They are trying their darndest (sp) to make a viable and honest real estate association.
Thanks for your input…
August 10, 2006 at 9:38 pm #178063scottbensonMemberToday I just checked and the second one is too.
I was supprised but CCBR is listed under the National realtors in the international section.
I am looking at joining Global but I don’t know if I want to drive all the way over to Guanacasta for classes. How ever it would be a nice vacation!
Well you know even here in the states Ethics is hard to control just imagine in CR where they don’t have a liscens to take away. This is why they need to push the goverment, but I belive they have a larger problem and that is people working there illegaly! When I talked to Marta at Global she said that is why they check the realtors documents to make sure they are not tourists.
August 10, 2006 at 10:14 pm #178064AndrewKeymaster1. Thanks for the ´heads-up´ telephone call Bill
2. This site has also committed the sin of using the Realtor word in the past and we try to keep it straight however, when one is marketing on the internet, if you don´t use the word ´Realtor´ then you won´t get the necessary ´traffic´ for the keyword. Needless to say most of the traffic for ´Costa Rica Realtor´ probably goes to sites that do not have any qualified Realtors working with them.I´ll be back in my home office on Friday afternoon after we finish horseriding around the Arenal volcano.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comPS. I´m at the foot of Arenal volcano and the internet speed & access is bloody awful…
August 10, 2006 at 10:35 pm #178065linlsd1MemberYou are probably talking about CostaRicanlandSales.com CR Properties.
They pay you $500. to come down and look at their lots in Parrita.August 10, 2006 at 10:45 pm #178066terryticaMemberHey Scott, hope you are having a good time….
I asked a simple question, if anyone has an answer I would appreciate it. Meanwhile you guys need to take a good look at where you are at.. If you are even here. The title of Scott’s site is: We love COSTA RICA.com the NAR as I understand it is the NATIONAL association of realtors… National as in all 50 STATES. This is not the states. I suppose my lawyer is not a lawyer either because he does not belong to the BAR Association?
Why do people come here because they supposedly LOVE Costa Rica, then want to change everything to be like it is in the USA???
While I agree the real estate industry could use regulation and a good house cleaning, it has been my experience that some of the biggest crooks are ex-pats who are working here illegally and have big US real estate companies behind them.
REALTORS® means nothing here if the person behind it is not honest, because there are no laws to back you up and even if there were, anyone who has ever had experience with the court system here knows that you can forget that option. As Scott will tell you, you BETTER know who you are dealing with and the more references you get up front the better!!
All the real estate experience in the USA will not prepare you for the way things work here.
AND to DKT2u.. I am sorry if my mentioning how I make a living offends you, but I don’t think being rude is in the spirit of this board either. -
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