Latin America Real Estate Guide

Important Resources for Expats, Retirees and Investors Wishing to Visit, live in, buy property, or invest in Costa Rica

Help From the US Government and Uncle Sam While you're in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's US Embassy The best resource for US Citizens traveling to, living, buying or investing or simply wanting to retire and kick back in Costa Rica.

Visa Requirements

Non-Immigrant Visa Requirements for People wishing to visit Costa Rica for tourism purposes.

Immigrant Visa Visa requirements for people moving or coming to live to Costa Rica from the United States or abroad.

Migracion (Spanish) This is the official Costa Rica Government Immigration site that has Visa Requirements for people migrating to or visiting Costa Rica.

Visa Request Page for US Citizens (Spanish) US citizens can get their Costa Rica Visa via email. This site also touches on the I-94 Form.

Info on Temporary Residence Article talking about the requirements and procedures that are necessary in order to get a temporary residence permit for Costa Rica.

Info for Foreign Corporations Entering Costa Rica

Assistance to US Companies The U.S. Commercial Service in San Jose offers help and assistance for U.S. companies wishing to enter the Costa Rican market.

Tourism and Fun

ICT The Instituto Costarricense de Turismo or ICT is the official Costa Rica Tourist and Tourism information website. It also has valuable information for travellers and destinations.

Certification in Sustainable Tourism Program This program has a rating system for tourism companies and businesses and is designed to rate the degree in which companies comply with the official government's sustainable model of natural, as well as cultural and social resource management.

National Chamber of Tourism In Spanish it's the Camara Nacional de Turismo This is Costa Rica's National Chamber of Tourism's website.

Ocean View luxury apartments for sale in Playa del Carmen Mexico. Playa del Carmen Real Estate is known to be a well paying investment with a history of home appreciation because it's such an attractive vacation destination.
Priced from $350k to over $500k for the penthouses.
1 block to beach 2 to 5th ave.
Brand New building with modern architecture and great amenities.
Spectacular ocean view.

These apartments are for people wanting to live in luxury ocean view property with modern installations.

Dont delay on this one, they are selling fast, 50% sold out already.


To make an offer, ask a question or find out more information about these beautiful vacation homes in Playa del Carmen, please contact David Archer by following the link below.

Luxury Playa del Carmen Real Estate

Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful tropical countries in Central America. It has some spectacular land buying opportunities for Costa Rica real estate investors. But buying land or property in this tropical paradise does come with it's share of risk. The unfortunate fact is that the risk is pretty great if you fail to do your homework.

The Harsh Reality

There have been complaints from foreigners that have purchased property in Costa Rica and have subsequently ran into title problems or have even lost their home due to fraud or being sold homes where sellers provided false documents, misleading information, etc.

Some home buyers have lost their homes in regions or areas where Costa Rica laws and government regulations fail to protect the interests of home buyers or where local laws are in direct conflict with national legislation. Perhaps they bought a home which was allowed by a local regional government entity but was in direct conflict with national law and was therefore unlawfully built.

A great deal of people have lost their properties to so called Squatters. Squatters are basically people or groups of people that simply invade your property and start living there without permission. The crazy thing is that Costa Rica law favors squatters, especially if they invade property which could be considered agricultural.

The laws may determine that if someone invaded your piece of land and uses it for agricultural purposes they can apply to take YOUR title away and make the land legally theirs. Costa Rican courts have historically leaned toward favoring squatters over wealthy investors.

These expropriation events are more frequent in Costa Rica's Zona Marítimo Terrestre areas which is a popular real estate investment haven.

There is a Bright-side

The Costa Rica coastline is synonymous of paradise on earth. It is a country with very attractive real estate opportunities, especially for international retirees, ex-pats and foreign property investors. Home and land value has a long history of showing steady appreciation and growth.

Even with the global recession, Costa Rican home prices are expected to behave pretty well. There may be ups and downs in the real estate scenario but long term investors and experts affirm that Costa Rica real estate is a safe and profitable investment for long term buyers.

5 Tips to Help Mitigate the Risks Involved With Costa Rica Real Estate Investments:

So, if you are one of the many people who have fallen in love with the country and want to own your own piece of paradise on earth, these tips can definitely minimize the risks associated with buying land and property within this nation.

1. An exhaustive title search is a must and should only be done at the Central Depository or Registro Publico as it is known in Costa Rica.

2. Make sure these two very important documents, namely the deed (escritura) and the land registry (catastro) are completely the same. Discrepancies in these documents may well make you a "lose your home candidate" so make sure any differences between these documents are taken care of and fixed way BEFORE you write the check.

The reasoning is that simply because you have a legal document to support your ownership rights it doesn't mean another legal document cannot take those ownership rights away. So watch your behind and get this right.

3. Determine if squatters are present on your property. If they are, stay clear of this land deal. It doesn't matter how cheap or spectacular the deal sounds. Remember the rule that says "If it seems too good to be true then it probably isn't."

Reminder: There are people that will greatly lower their asking price and try to sell you their property fast when they find out squatters have invaded their land. They will offer you irresistible prices, terms and conditions to get you to buy quickly. However, buying land that has been invaded by squatters will likely turn out to be a nightmare for you.

4. Make sure no conservation or "green" laws are in direct conflict with property ownership in the area you wish to buy. This is especially true if you are looking for property in the Zona Maritimo Terrestre. Local or municipal law may permit the sale of property but national or country wide law may forbid it. So make sure your piece of paradise on earth allows for private ownership at both the local and national levels.

And even if no conflict of laws exists now it doesn't mean some new law in the future wont restrict your use of the land or take it away. So staying in tune with the latest legislation is a must.

5. Research, research, research! Do your homework before making any payments. Study real estate rules and regulations and also find out whether the property owes anything in terms of taxes, mortgages, liens, old unpaid utility bills, etc.

Final Words of Advice

Following the tips above can save you many headaches and mitigate much of the risk involved in buying Costa Rica property. It won't however, shield you 100 percent. Remember, Costa Rica is a developing nation with it's own laws and regulations. That may sometimes be in direct conflict with your status as a foreign land owner.

On the other hand, the beauty and the peace that comes with an investment of this sort makes it well worth it for most of us. You just have to be aware that dangers do exist. Hiring a good attorney will save you potential headaches.

This Article was originally published on VivaRealCostaRica.com Photo used on this entry taken from flickr, provided by user stitch

Ocean View lot in Guanacaste in beautiful Flamingo. One of Costa Rica's most attractive regions.


These home sites in Villas Over flamingo are spectacular. They have a huge flat building site with easy access and water and electricity at the site.
The internal roads will be finsihed with pavingstones and landscaping. Views of Potrero, Flamingo, and Conchal seem to extend into infinity and the sunsets are breathtaking.
5 minutes below the property the property is the famous and beautiful white san beach called Playa Penca and groceries and other amenities are all very close.
Don't miss this chance to have your piece of heaven with views to match.


To make an offer or request further information please contact Martin Gill by following the following link:

Ocean View property in Flamingo Guanacaste

When we think of the Caribbean, most of us think of only Islands. Countries like the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, The Cayman Islands, Jamaica, The Virgin Islands, etc. come to mind.

But what about Central American Countries Like Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, etc., and South American Countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, etc.???

These are also part of the beautiful Caribbean. We just don't think of them as such. Yes, the Caribbean is mostly made up of Island Nations and Territories but the following Continental Countries also have Caribbean Coasts and Islands within the Caribbean:

• Belize
• Colombia

• Costa Rica
• French Guiana
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Suriname
• Venezuela

So the next time that you are thinking about embarking on a Caribbean Journey, why not look toward some of these places as well. You'll find the same tropical climate and beautiful beaches you'll obviously find in the island setting and you'll also find access to a vast new continental territory.

This article was originally published on VivaRealCaribbean.com

Beautiful Home for sale in Santa Ana. One of the most luxurious neighborhoods in Bogota Colombia.



This beautiful home has 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and is located in a very secure part of town.









This beautiful 4 bedroom 5 bathroom home is located in the North Eastern part of Colombia's capital city and is one of the most sought after locations for wealthy real estate investors as well as the country's elite.







To make an offer or request further information please contact Julio Corredor by clicking on the following link.

Real Estate in Bogota - Santa Ana

This blog has the intention of bringing you the best real estate news and happenings affecting the Americas. We will focus on real estate trends and prices throughout Latin America and the Caribbean as well as listing many of our showcase properties for sale and for rent in any given country.

All of the properties highlighted here can be found at our Latin America Real Estate Search Portal, VivaReal.net

There will also be news that is pertinent for expats, retirees and investors interested in Latin America laws, regulations, visa requirements, investment scenarios, interviews and a whole lot more. We will try to list as many useful resources as possible including Consulates and Embassies, helpful guides, tips on surviving in a foreign land, etc., etc.

Hope you like our site, join our feed and stick around. It's going to be a wild ride!

P.S. If anyone has suggestions or wishes to list their property, ask a question, or even write a guest post please contact me using the contact form at the top.