As with every real estate purchase one undertakes it is vitally important to choose the right real estate agent for the job; especially when one is purchasing overseas in a foreign country such as Costa Rica. Though real estate transactions are done here in a fashion which overlaps with some your home countries, there are always distinct differences. In as much as Costa Rican transactions are concerned, the first thing a buyer must know is that currently there is no licencing required as in your home country. Up until recently just about anybody could intermediate real estate transactions without having to be licensed. Now though, real estate licensing is not required per se,  but all those participating in real estate transactions now as agents or brokers must be registered with the SUJEF (General Superintendant of Financial Institutions) as per article 15 of Law 8204-Law on Narcotics, Psychotropic Substances, Non Authorized Drugs, Money Laundering, Sponsering of Terrorism and Fabrication of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Also worthy of mention is that two Real Estate Boards do exist, CRGAR, the Costa Rica Global Association of REALTORS based in Guanacaste, CCCBR the Costa Rican Chamber of Real Estate Brokers, based in San José. We sincerely recommend that anyone planning on working in the real estate industry here complete both these courses to be sure! However, just because an agent or broker is a member of either of these institutions a buyer cannot automatically assume that said agent is competent, ethical and honest. Ditto for any international designations, titles, memberships, franchises and or logos; there is not a lot of adult supervision here so buyer beware. So do your homework and thoroughly check out a variety of agents before selecting one. Like in any industry, there are very few excellent ones with proven track records. 

At any rate the following are just few reasons why you should consider Sol Realty buyer representation when looking to purchase real property in Costa Rica:
 

1) Sol Realty has over 20 years of real estate experience in Costa Rica, with hundreds of millions of dollars of closed transactions under its belt.

2) Expertise-Having been on the ground and in the trenches here for over 20 years we know the Tamarindo real estate market's history, the players involved, both past and present, the particularites of dealing with Municipality of Santa Cruz, and whom to consult when having to deal with various government agencies such as INVU, SENARA, Registro Nacional, Catastro, Colegio de Abogados y Architectos etc, Tributacion, Immigration etc. 

3) Ethics-This one is an obvious prerequisite. 

4) Negotiation Skill Set-With over 20 years of and hundreds of millions of dollars of closed deals, this is our specialty. Basically coming to a ''meeting of the minds'' in record time without drama or fanfare. 

5) We are always on the cutting edge in the latest in changes in real estate law, corporate law and tax law and know an ample array of specialists to whom to send our clients at any given time or conjecture in the market. 

6) And finally, our full cultural integration into Costa Rican society; with over 20 years here and with having Costa Rican families and children, we are fully integrated with the culture and are fluent in Spanish. These are tools which are extremely useful in developing a true insight into why one would want to purchase property here in the first place. Costa Rica is not for everybody and we'll be the first ones to tell you that a purchase here might not be right for you in terms of an investment or otherwise. Fortunately for most of our clients Costa Rica does have a lot to offer them and has an incomparable quality of life, and that is why the vast majority of our clients become our friends for life.