Costa Rica Talk Radio #15 – Ivo Henfling Interview – Part Two
Podcast episode #15 of Costa Rica Talk Radio features the second part of my interview with Ivo Henfling. He is the owner and broker of , one of the largest real estate companies in Costa Rica.
Episode 15 show notes:
- Introduction (00:00 – 00:38)
- Song: Punto Guanacasteco (00:39 -02:02)
- Ivo Henfling Interview (part two of two) (02:03-21:23)
- Costa Rica News Roundup (21:24 – 23:45)
- Costa Rica Spanish Lessons (lesson #14) (23:46-24:19)
- Wrap up (24:20-25:17)
Part two of my interview with Ivo Henfling includes discussion about what is the next hot area in the Costa Rican real estate market. Along with discussions of the high rise condo trend in Costa Rica and straight talk about Costa Rica finance options for expatriates in Costa Rica. Ivo has been living in Costa Rica since 1980 and doing real estate full time since 1997 so he knows his stuff and provided great insights about living and buying real estate in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica in the news for this week includes the recent taxi fare increase, the CAFTA referendum vote set for October 7th, and the merger of Scotiabank and Interfin makring Soctiabank the largest private bank in Costa Rica.
Continuing with the Costa Rica Spanish lessons this podcast Tico Spanish Phrase is “Qué Me Dice”.
Thanks for being a listener of Costa Rica Talk Radio, the podcast about Costa Rica!
- Alan
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I really enjoyed fiding your podcasts and learning about how to ship goods to Costa Rica.
I have a question about customs involved in buying a condo in Costa Rica. If you haven’t done a show on this, it would be helpful.
Our offer to buy a condo in Santo Domingo was accepted by the owner last Friday. We were to wire a downpayment which our lawyer would bring to her the following week. On Monday morning, the owner called our family in Costa Rica to say that she changed her mind because a man who had seen the place a couple of days prior to our visit had returned and wanted the place. Because he was first and offered the asking price as we did, she felt she should sell to him.
We were willing to offer more for the place, but our daughter-in-law who is Tica says it is not customary to do so. Is this true? What else should we know about customs involved in buying real estate in this foreign country we love.
Sincerely,
Diana Brueggemann
Hi Diana,
There really isn’t a standard custom. The custom in Costa Rica is that there is no custom.
In your case, if you don’t have a signed Option Agreement or Purchase Agreement signed by the Seller and with a deposit in play either in escrow or with the Seller – there is no deal and the Seller can sell to anybody he wants – However be aware here of Sellers that once you accept their price then turn around and jack it up when you are about to sign – It happens so be aware. Since there is no standard customs-Each transaction can be different.
In the scenario you described, I’m afraid it appears you will need to start looking for another condo.
If you want to understand more about real estate legal transactions in Costa Rica, I would suggest my brother Roger’s book the Legal Guide to Costa Rica. He is an atty in Costa Rica specializing in real estate transactions. You order from his website: .
Good luck!
Alan