Below find answers to frequently asked questions about Costa Rica and buying property in our developments.

What rights do foreign property owners have?
Costa Rica is known as the "Switzerland of the Americas" because of its social, political and economic stability. The rights of landowners are highly respected in this peaceful country, whether owned by nationals or foreign citizens. Unlike the case of many other countries where people have had negative experiences in regard to owning land, the rights of the landowner are established and protected in the constitution of Costa Rica, whether a local national or foreign citizen..

How can I be sure of ownership, title, etc?
Our properties are registered with the Costa Rican Land Registry.  Each lot has its own registry number. Ownership of each property is through registration to a corporation, which is registered in the Costa Rican Mercantile Registry.  All titles of ownership to the land and registry information for the corporation are available from the appropriate registry office. Title insurance is also available through First American Title and Stewart Title.

How do I hold ownership to the property?
Each property is represented through the shares of the corporation that owns that particular piece of property. As a purchaser, your possession of the shares of the corporation indicates ownership of the subject property. Our lawyer in Costa Rica holds an original of the sales contract and other documents relating to the property and corporation until you have completed payments for your purchase.  His legal obligation is to insure you enter in full possession of your purchase, of both the corporation and property, once you have fully paid for the transaction. There are significant advantages to corporate ownership, which we discuss further below.

Isn't it costly and time consuming to file corporate returns?
We offer an inexpensive administration package to take care of all of your corporate obligations, including municipal land tax and national income tax declarations required of every corporation.  Since these corporations do not produce goods or services, they are considered inactive and therefore pay no income tax. They must still file an annual tax report indicating this inactivity however, a service we provide our owners for $145 per year.

What are the advantages of holding property via a corporation?
By purchasing land via the formation of a corporation in Costa Rica, our owners are not subject to land transfer taxes when a property is sold, since only the ownership of the corporation changes hands.  An anonymous corporation provides privacy to its owner(s), making it difficult for foreign government offices (IRS, Revenue Canada, etc) to obtain information about who owns the shares of the corporation, providing discretion which many foreign investors desire. Furthermore, there is no capital gain tax paid in Costa Rica when you sell a property owned by a corporation.  You also avoid inheritance taxes when you pass along the shares of a corporation to your children, as long as you leave the shares of the corporation to them in your will.

Do your properties have access to utilities?
Our properties are fully serviced by public roads, with water and electric hook-ups at the property lines of each lot.  

If I buy land in one of your developments, do I have to build right away?
There are no time limits on building.  

Do I have to use your construction services?
You are welcome to use any builder.  You can even build your own home if you desire, but must comply with local building codes and requirements.

Are there restrictions or home owner association dues?
We do require that buildings be at least 1000 square feet.  We also require that you trim your lot at least once per year.  We provide this service at about $100 per acre.  Currently only two phases of our developments have formed homeowner associations.  The dues are very low compared to the US and run approximately $80 per year.  

What about squatters?
Some people may have heard stories of squatters taking over land in Costa Rica.  We've worked in the area for nearly 20 years and we have never seen it happen.  Since we reside here on a permanent basis and our employees reside in the communities in which our developments are located, we are a constant presence on each individual site.

Can I become a permanent resident in Costa Rica?
You can obtain residency in Costa Rica if you wish.  You need not give up your citizenship in your home country of origin. As a citizen, you have access to high quality free medical care and free education for your children, however low cost medical care is available to non citizens as well, at costs much lower than in the United States.  Our lawyer can assist you in obtaining residency if you desire.

How available are quality health care services?
Construction has now been completed on an 85,000 square foot hospital located just a few miles from our developments.  Costa Rica is noted for providing high quality health care, comparable to that in the United States.  

Is heath care affordable in Costa Rica?
Health care is available to all permanent residents, at very little cost.  The average per capita spending on health care in Costa Rica is about $600 per year, compared to nearly $6000 per year in the US.  Furthermore, life expectancy in Costa Rica exceeds that of the US.  An outpatient hospital visit costs about $27 versus $377 on average in the US.  

What are you doing to protect the environment?
All of our work is completed with great respect for the environment, using sustainable wood products.  All of our developments are on prior pasture land and we never clear primary forest. We maintain natural buffer zones and protected areas within our developments, in excess of what is required by law.  We also give a percentage of all sales toward environmental protection