Choosing Real Estate Agent in Costa Rica

You will need an honest and reliable realtor if you are planning on buying real estate in Costa Rica. Most travelers do not have many contacts when they are new to a country so it can be hard to find qualified help buying property. In Costa Rica there are no laws requiring realtors to have education or training like in the U.S. and there are no laws requiring realtors to have a real estate license. It may seem like finding a good realtor in Costa Rica is impossible but you just need to know what to look for.

Even though realtors in Costa Rica are not regulated like they are in the U.S. they must have a legal permanent residency or be a citizen of Costa Rica to work legally in the country. The first thing you should ask when choosing a realtor is if they are a citizen or have legal residency. If they do not this is a red flag because they have tourist status and cannot legally conduct business.

You will also want to find out how long they have lived in Costa Rica and how long they have been selling real estate. You will want a realtor with experience and who is familiar with the municipality where you are trying to buy real estate.

You will also want to find out the number of homes a realtor has sold and how many they have assisted buyers in purchasing. This is an important question because it helps you determine how experienced and successful they are.

You should always ask for references from their last few clients. This is the best way to see if a realtor is will do a good job because you can learn first hand how they treated past clients and if their clients were satisfied with the job the realtor did for them.