Insights for Foreign Buyers · Costa Rica
The 14 Most Expensive Mistakes Foreign Buyers Make in Costa Rica
Thirty years of Costa Rica real estate experience, distilled into the questions worth asking before you commit.
Where the mistakes hide
A property purchase moves through four moments. A costly mistake can hide in any of them.
The offer
Terms are agreed before anyone has verified what is actually being sold.
The deposit
Money moves first, and questions get asked afterwards.
Due diligence and closing
Title is confirmed clean — but title is only one of the risks, and the structure gets decided in a hurry.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Fourteen mistakes. One cause.
Every one of them comes from the same place: a question that was never asked. Inside the guide:
Relying on the seller's lawyer to protect your interests
Assuming the view you are paying for is protected
Taking water availability for granted
Believing that clean title means a clean risk profile
Confusing "buildable" with "buildable now"
…and nine more.
A beautiful property and a safe transaction are not the same thing.
One is emotional. The other is structural.
THE AUTHOR
Who is behind this guide
Abraham Stern Feterman is a Costa Rica attorney who has spent more than thirty years on the purchase, structuring, and sale of real estate for foreign buyers, investors, and developers. He works with clients before terms are agreed — when decisions are still reversible and the cost of a better question is close to zero.
Legal due diligence confirms whether a transaction can proceed. Strategic due diligence determines whether it should.
FREE GUIDE
Get the guide
© 2026 Abraham Stern Feterman · Attorney at Law, Costa Rica · astern@hulbertvolio.com