Working with a realtor before making the decison to relocate

[CBCarby]

My wife and I are looking at retiring in Costa Rica in about two years. We are planning a trip in the early part of 2014 (January February) to find out if we will like it or not.

We are concerned about the heat and humidity of the beach area. We presently live in a coastal town in British Columbia and like the ocean.

We are also looking at the central valley.

My question is should we be contacting a realtor in each area or work with one person?

I am a licensed mortgage broker and also a licensed realtor here. Have been since 1986. I don’t like people to waste my time and would like to let a realtor there know that we would not waste his/hers.

[barbara ann]

I was a licensed broker in the states. My advice is to be very careful. Licensing is not required here, education is not required, etc. Attorneys should also be by recommendation. Because you are in the industry you should be able to judge the quality and honesty of the person you decide to work with. Good luck, Costa Rica is a great place to live. We have lived in the Central Pacific for 4 years and it is warm and humid.
I believe that welovecostarica.com published a list with climate averages for different parts of the country.

[CBCarby]

[quote=”barbara ann”]I was a licensed broker in the states. My advice is to be very careful. Licensing is not required here, education is not required, etc. Attorneys should also be by recommendation. Because you are in the industry you should be able to judge the quality and honesty of the person you decide to work with. Good luck, Costa Rica is a great place to live. We have lived in the Central Pacific for 4 years and it is warm and humid.
I believe that welovecostarica.com published a list with climate averages for different parts of the country.
[/quote]
Thank You Barbara ann
You word have been taken wisely.

[costaricafinca]

I would suggest for your first trip, just visit as many areas that sound like they have what you want, and take notes.
Most of us living here, would suggest you rent for a while to see if both the area and country is for you.
We are from the interior of BC and have lived here nearly 14 years.

[dkarr]

I dont think you need a realtor at this stage. I always advise clients if its your first visit to treat more as a vacation and visit a few different places that provide some contrast in style/climate. Once you have narrowed down the search and decided that you want to pursue Costa Rica further you can then seek out an agent in that specific region, good agents will also be able to point you in the right direction for other parts of the country as well. The welovecostarica recommended realtors network is one of the best places to start.

[rf2cr]

[quote=”dkarr”]I dont think you need a realtor at this stage. I always advise clients if its your first visit to treat more as a vacation and visit a few different places that provide some contrast in style/climate. Once you have narrowed down the search and decided that you want to pursue Costa Rica further you can then seek out an agent in that specific region, good agents will also be able to point you in the right direction for other parts of the country as well. The welovecostarica recommended realtors network is one of the best places to start.[/quote]

You might want to check out the area around the north end of Lake Arenal (Nuevo Arenal to Tilaran), it is cool green and beautiful with a wonderful mixed Tico and Gringo community. We are 90 minutes from the Guanacaste beaches and around two and half hours from San Jose.

[bogino]

The Coastal sides (both) are persistently and brutally hot and in many cases humid depending on whether north or south. Many people actually enjoy that sort of climate. If that’s too much for you then the great thing about CR is that you can find a beautiful setting to live in in areas like Atenas..Grecia…Orosi Valley….Arenal…etc. and where the climate is excellent all year round and yet you’re never that far for the beaches (in some cases less than an hour)so that when you do want to spend a day or weekend there it’s mostly a short trip.

As far as a realtor, I myself have been working with 1 for 4 or 5 years now that is associated with a well known firm and provides me regular updates on potential properties. She knows I won’t actually be buying for another 2 years or so but continues to provide good service. Prior to your first trip, do some internet browsing and get set up with several brokers so you can view properties when you’re here and then keep poking around. Finding the right associate to work with you can be challenging and requires patience since many want an immediate sale otherwise they won’t be as inspired to work with you.

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