Costa Rica Expertise LLC

Beach house before destruction order.

Beach house is on its way down!

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

If they have property in the maritime zone, expats can look forward to a hard time this year from municipalities up and down the coasts. If that is not enough stress for 2008, the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía will be in line to add more tension. Some expats may be losing their comfy beach houses if they are located in the wrong places.

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By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Today many property owners seem to be drunk on blue sky.

Blue sky is not a brand of guaro — an alcohol derived from pure sugar cane — or other intoxicating beverage, but an addiction to the recent skyrocketing real estate prices. Most are familiar with the term. It means the intangible portion of a price above what is reasonably supported by the current market.

Those with real estate training use the term to represent the difference between the price a seller puts on their property and what the market probably will bear in price.

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Officials there brush off complaints about delays

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

In more and more cases, buying property in Costa Rica can hold an innocent property buyer hostage for years, bankrupt them and even kill them with stress and strain.

Only a few years ago, it was rare to read about property fraud in the local press. Nowadays, it is probably one of the most important topics of the news. Sometimes even a legally perfect property can carry hidden problems. Costa Ricans and savvy expats can use these complications to sour even the best and honest real estate transaction.

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By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Legal circles are buzzing with the expectation that the Sala IV will soon open up the Zona Maritima Terrestre — the maritime zone — to foreigners. They may soon be able to hold and develop public land next to the beach without making under-the-table deals.

The first 200 meters, 656 feet, of coastal land inland from high tide is Costa Rica’s maritime zone. The first 50 meters of the 200 meters, 164 feet, is un-exploitable beach land. The rest, 150 meters, 492 feet, is public land. This area can be developed by private parties through a concession with the state.

Much of the nation's tourism infrastructure at the beaches can be found at least partly on concession land.

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Another Gringo gets a property surprise

By Garland M. Baker
Special to A.M. Costa Rica

Why take the long way around when you can get three witnesses to say a driveway is a public road, and voilà, like magic, it becomes public.

Then bulldozers do a great job of tearing down private entranceways.

This is what happened a week ago to one U.S. citizen from Chicago. Four years ago the man fell in love with Costa Rica, as many foreigners do, and bought a farm in Cartago. The title to the property was squeaky clean and had no annotation of easements or any other restrictions.

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