Plain English. For investors, not lawyers.
The guides I wish every foreign buyer read before they wired a deposit — title, escrow, concessions, companies, taxes and residency, from an attorney whose only client is you.
Why the Realtor's Recommended Lawyer Can't Fully Protect You in Costa Rica
The conflict is structural: whose repeat business matters more — your one deal, or the agent's dozens?
ReadDue diligenceThe Water Letter: The Document That Can Make Your Costa Rica Lot Unbuildable
Roughly 1 in 4 water-availability requests are now rejected. The three sources and how to verify before you buy.
ReadRentalsAirbnb & Short-Term Rentals in Costa Rica: The 2026 Rules Foreign Owners Keep Getting Wrong
The ICT registry, VAT, the new 12.75% platform tax and the municipal patente — the full compliance stack.
ReadResidencyDoes Buying Property in Costa Rica Get You Residency? The Honest 2026 Answer
Buying does not auto-grant residency — but a qualifying investment lets you apply. The real rule.
ReadResidencyCosta Rica's Investor Residency After the July 2026 Sunset
Law 9996's incentive window closed in mid-2026 — the reduced $150k minimum applied through then. Confirm the current threshold with DGME.
ReadTaxesSelling Your Costa Rica Property as a Non-Resident
The 2.5% buyer withholding, 15% capital gains, and how to actually get your money out.
ReadTaxesCosta Rica Property Taxes for Foreign Owners in 2026
The complete numbers: annual property tax, the luxury home tax, and the corporation tax owners forget.
ReadEstateEstate Planning for Your Costa Rica Property: Forced Heirship & Probate
Why your US or Dutch will isn't enough, and how the mandatory local sucesorio actually works.
ReadFinancingCosta Rica Mortgages & Developer Financing for Foreigners in 2026
Real rates, down payments and the legal fine print — with the independent-lawyer review that protects you.
ReadDue diligenceBuying Off-Plan in Costa Rica: How to Keep Your Deposit Safe
Fideicomiso escrow, the 'Ventas a Plazo' seal, and what happens if the developer defaults.
ReadLocationGuanacaste Property Guide for Foreign Buyers 2026: Tamarindo vs Nosara vs Flamingo
The legal due-diligence differences by town — a risk map, not a realtor brochure.
ReadUS taxUS Citizens Buying Costa Rica Property: The IRS Reporting Traps
FBAR, Form 5471, and why holding in an S.A. can cost you $10,000/year. Coordinate before you structure.
ReadComparisonCosta Rica vs Panama for Property Investors in 2026
An independent attorney's comparison, not a sales pitch: currency, visas, ownership and the real trade-offs.
ReadHolding structureThe Share-Transfer Trap: Buying a Costa Rica Property Held in a Corporation
Sellers push share transfers to dodge the transfer tax — but you inherit every corporate liability.
ReadDue diligenceCosta Rica Property Scams in 2026: The 6 Red Flags That Precede Almost Every Loss
Named fraud typologies and the registry check that kills them before your money moves.
ReadTaxesThe Luxury Home Tax (Impuesto Solidario) and the January 15 Deadline
Do you owe it? The trigger is construction value, not land — and the deadline catches owners every year.
ReadBusinessCosta Rica Corporation Annual Obligations Checklist 2026
RTBF beneficial-owner filing, the legal-entity tax, and the deadlines that can freeze your property deal.
ReadBusinessThe Real Cost of Hiring Employees in Costa Rica
CCSS, aguinaldo, cesantía and the ~40% loading foreign owners underestimate.
ReadBusinessBuying an Existing Business in Costa Rica: The Due-Diligence Checklist
The La Gaceta creditor-claim window buyers miss, and the Art. 13 publication that protects you.
ReadPermittingBuilding on Land Near a National Park or Protected Zone in Costa Rica
How to avoid the demolish-and-restore nightmare: parks, buffer zones, SETENA and INDER land.
ReadEuropean buyersFor Dutch & French Buyers: What's Legally Different About Buying in Costa Rica
No notary monopoly the way you know it, no EU consumer protections — reset your expectations.
ReadComparisonCosta Rica vs Mexico for a Beach Investment
Fee-simple title vs the fideicomiso restricted-zone trap — the legal difference that matters most.
ReadCan foreigners buy property?
Yes — the rules, the one coastal exception, and how to own safely as a foreigner.
Read the guideDo you need a lawyer?
Why your attorney must be independent — not the one your realtor recommends.
ReadTitle due diligence & fraud protectionProperty due diligence
What I check in the Registro Nacional before you wire a single dollar.
ReadTitle due diligence & fraud protectionIs it safe? The 3 scams
The three documented scams and exactly how an independent lawyer prevents them.
ReadMaritime zone / concessionBeachfront & maritime zone
The concession rules for oceanfront land, the foreigner cap and the fideicomiso option.
ReadHolding structure & residencyS.A., S.R.L. or personal name?
How to hold your property — and the residency rule most advice gets wrong.
ReadClosing costs & processClosing costs, escrow & taxes
What you really pay in 2026, how SUGEF escrow works, and the tax on resale.
ReadClosing costs & processBuying remotely (POA)
Close from abroad with a power of attorney — the process, step by step.
ReadBusiness formation & commercialStart or buy a business
100% foreign ownership, S.A. vs S.R.L., acquisition due diligence and 2026 compliance.
ReadTitle disputes / litigationSquatters & title disputes
Adverse possession, title fraud and how ownership is defended in court.
ReadEuropean buyer whitespaceBuying from Europe
A guide for Dutch and French investors: tax, apostilles and remote closing.
ReadAdministrative / permittingConstruction & land-use permits
Uso de suelo, SETENA environmental viability and the water-availability letter.
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