So you visit Costa Rica, and out of the places you visit, you fell in love with the OSA PENINSULA, Costa Rica. You can see having a vacation house, spending the cold, grey winter months in a warm sunny climate. In your mind, you can visualize your dream home. You can buy land and houses in Costa Rica if you are not a citizen. A couple of things to keep in mind. There are different types of land you can buy.
Titled land
The best is a titled land. A title means it can be yours forever and can be passed down to your family.
Plano land
Then there is a plano land. Basically, someone is selling the land without a title, but the land has been surveyed. Usually, this type of land is cheaper. It can get titled, but there is some red tape involved. If you are living here full-time, it would be ok, maybe? There is a new law that states, if you can have everyone sign off on the land and how long they have lived on the land, at least 10 yrs, then you can start getting the land titled.
Maritime land
The third land is maritime land. What you are buying is a lease to use the land; the leases last for 20 yrs and you can renew for a new lease. All beachfront land is public up to 200 meters from the high tide mark. If you build your house past the 200-meter mark, you should be ok.
Water rights
It is very important when buying any land to find out about the water rights. Some Barrios on the Osa Peninsula are not giving out water permits, not for a lack of having enough water, but because they need to build bigger pump stations to supply the water is the problem.
Osa Land Office
Osa Land Office is a great real estate company. Please go to their website and look at all their 5-star reviews.
Jeff Lantz, the owner of Osa land office, has been living in the southern Part of Costa Rica for going on 35 yrs. It all started on a beach 35 years ago, as the story goes in Jeff’s own words.
I remember the beginning like it was yesterday, helping a surfer from California buy a property here in the Osa Peninsula near a local surf break. I wasn’t in the real estate business at the time, but there was no one else around to help him. So over a few cervezas, he persuaded me to figure it out, then left the next day and would anxiously wait for me to contact him. I had already bought property myself in Osa, and prior to that in Zancudo and Pavones in the late 80’s, so I already had some understanding of how it worked. I recruited a local lawyer, a topographer, and consulted the institutions in Golfito and San Jose, did the due diligence, and closed the deal on his behalf with a power of attorney. So it was a grassroots thing, dawning on me that I could provide a good service and make a buck in the jungle. Osa Land Office was born.
Jeff has been here for over 35 years. What does that bring to the table? Knowledge, wisdom, and making all the legal transactions stress-free!
- Osa Land Office https://osalandoffice.com/
The Osa Land office is located in the Puerto Jimenez Airport. Wake up every morning with a view like this!
