Costa Rica
Costa Rica is among the greatest eco-tourism destinations in the world. It boasts rainforests, 13 live volcanoes, zip-lining, sea turtle nesting areas, both Pacific and Caribbean side beaches, mountainous regions, one of the highest percentages of protected land in the world and numerous other draws. Spanish is the universal language, though English is becoming more widely-spoken in the more touristed areas. The Guanacaste region - including Tamarindo, Flamingo and other popular investment locations - generally attracts the larger share of attention from buyers.
Located outside of the hurricane belt, weather concerns in Costa Rica are more for occasional tsunamis or the annual rainy season. Among the many advantages of the tourism trade are: numerous flight options, lots of infrastructure improvements, good management options for rental properties with income potential, a number of good construction companies to choose from and fairly high standards for building, large numbers of real estate projects to choose from (beach-front condominiums and high-rises, to villa communities) good political stability and the like. The road system nationwide used to be in very rough shape but has made great strides over the last 10 years, bringing areas formerly difficult to nearly impossible to get to into tourism and real estate crosshairs.
Costa Rica has low property taxes - 0.25% - and no capital gains or inheritance taxes. There are occasionally municipal taxes depending upon location. Transfer land tax, legal fees and the like will amount to about 4-5% of the purchase price. A reputable abogado (attorney) is a wise investment. Of note, there have been problems - mostly with larger development tracts - with squatters taking-up residence on land. They are extremely difficult to get rid of once there. The government is of little help and the adverse possession rights in Costa Rica are greater than in the US or UK for example. This has been a particularly large problem in the instance of a few development parcels toward the Pacific side, which were purchased by foreigners or foreign companies but have been effectively prevented from full-scale or even partial development by the presence of interlopers.
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