Blue Flame LP gas station ecological victory for Costa Rica

 By Ivo Henfling

GoDutch Realty wants to send a big hug and congratulations to Keith Watlington and Blue Flame, who just inaugurated the first LP Gas station in Costa Rica.
Blue Flame is the first company in Costa Rica with an LPG station that functions only for large vehicles that will use this fuel instead of the traditional diesel. Another new business started by foreign investors in Costa Rica.
It is always great news to see that my clients adjust well in Costa Rica and even more if they are successful in their new life in Costa Rica. That is the best testimonial a Costa Rica real estate agent can have when he sells a home.
I’m not saying a good testimonial is more important than a commission check, because that is not true. But my clients’ happiness makes the job so much more enjoyable.

Costa Rica real estate closing

In October last year, I had the nicest real estate closing of my life. The home buyers were Keith & Marlin Watlington and in the picture, Keith is paying the seller with a symbolical $1 bill at the closing.
Our friend and client Keith Watlington is the head of security of the new LP gas station.

Costa Rica buses

Already 100 buses function with the LPG which stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas. These buses belong to the Santa Ana, Pavas and Aserrí routes.

Inauguration

Costa Rica’s president Laura Chinchilla was in charge of the inauguration of Vice-president Alfio Pivia and Minister of Environment René Castro. The station is located in Pozos de Santa Ana.

 

Minister Castro said “this is the beginning of the transport sector cleaning their fingerprint on the environment’ and went on with saying that 70% of the contamination in the country is generated by the transport sector and this is the first step to convert the country in a Carbon Neutral country. LPG contaminates 16% less than diesel.

Change habits

President Laura Chinchilla said that it is time for the Costaricans to change their habits and the way that industry produces, so the attitude of conservationism needs to change into one of taking action and stop contaminating the environment.
We at GoDutch Realty are very happy Keith is able to form part of such an important task that Blue Flame and the public transport companies are undertaking and that another US company saw fit to invest in Costa Rica and create more jobs.

Keith and his family are adjusting very well and hopefully many expats will follow and purchase their home in Escazu through one of our real estate agents. A big hug and a pat on the back to you and your family Mr. Keith!

Blue Flame LP gas station ecological victory for Costa Rica

How to check Costa Rica property title yourself

How to check Costa Rica property title yourself

by Ivo Henfling

GoDutch Realty’s real estate agents all check title before listing a Costa Rica property for sale but we still like to share our knowledge with buyers as well as sellers of Costa Rica real estate. Many of you do not speak Spanish and it is not too easy to know where to get started on a website you are not (yet) familiar with.
Anyone who owns property in Costa Rica should check at least once a month if his/her property is legally in good shape or not. It takes only 10 minutes of your precious time. Put it on your agenda, so you won't forget and read this blog so you can learn how to pull a title search online.
Costa Rica property can be purchased in one person’s name, jointly, or in the name of a corporation or Sociedad Anonima. It is very common in Costa Rica for individuals to put property in the name of a corporation in which they own all the shares, although since 2012 you have to pay corporation taxes if you own a corporation.
You should discuss this asset protection with your tax accountant and real estate attorney so that you will be informed of the tax implications and other issues before you purchase Costa Rica real estate or make an investment.

Real Property

Costa Rican law requires that all documents relating to an interest and/or title to real property be registered in the property section of the National Registry (Article 460 of the Civil Code). Most Costa Rica real estate has a titled registration number known as the Folio Real, and the property records database can be searched with this number, by name index or ID number. Properties located in the Maritime Zone function differently. When you go to the National Registry website, you’ll find what is in the image below. Click on where the red arrow shows.

That will take you to the next screen, where you click on “Bienes Inmuebles” which means real estate.

 

That will take you to the next screen where you need to click on what you want to do next

Here you have several options, but you will be mainly interested in the following ways of doing your title search:

1. By Property number or concession - Por Número de Finca o Concesión
2. By Personal name or Corporate name - Por Nombre Físico o Nombre Jurídico
3. By Identification number - Por Número de Identificación

The registry report (informe registral) provides detailed information on the property, I’ll show you as an example my condo in Sonesta One Jaco and detail on the image what each part of the report means.

Title information

I have deleted some of the numbers, for obvious reasons. The report gives you the title number, the location, the name of the owner (individual or corporate), boundary lines, tax appraisal, liens, mortgages, recorded easements, and other recorded instruments that would affect title. Since Costa Rica follows the doctrine of first in time, first in right, recorded instruments regarding land for sale presented to the National Registry are given priority according to the date and time in which they are recorded.

Title Insurance

For purpose of the transfer of Costa Rica real estate this means that any mortgages or liens which are not recorded at the time that title is transferred are invalid. Since the certificate of title issued by the National Registry is prima facie evidence of the condition of title on the date issued, any instrument not recorded at the time the certificate is issued is invalid. This eliminates the need for title insurance since any instrument omitted from the report is deemed invalid, to my opinion.
In this case, this condo in Jaco has a suit pending or lis pendens. The term “lis pendens” is Latin for “suit pending.” A lis pendens is filed against a real property to indicate that the title of property is in question, or that some sort of lawsuit involving the property could occur in the near future. When someone files such a notice, it serves as a public notification that the property is involved in a lawsuit.

Liens and incumbrances

Obviously, every situation differs and in some cases a review of the National Registry record will not be enough to uncover all encumbrances. That is why it is important that the buyer have her or his own attorney conduct an independent title search and investigation rather than rely on the seller's attorney. A good and responsible closing attorney will pull a title search on the day of the real estate closing. A GoDutch Realty agent is ahead of the game and will pull the title search when he/she lists the property.
Some buyers feel more comfortable purchasing title insurance, in which case the title company will take care of the search and insure the title or not. In case you are looking to take title insurance, many of the attorneys we recommend on our website are star attorneys for a title company, so you can do your Costa Rica property purchase and everything else all in one office with your trusted closing attorney.

How to check Costa Rica property title yourself

Do half the people who move to Costa Rica move back again?

By Ivo Henfling

Adventure, sunshine, lower cost of living, being happy and a better lifestyle, to mention a few, are reasons that make us take the decision to move to Costa Rica or to any other country.

It is a great decision or a horrible one, there is nothing in between, no matter if you move to the city or to the beaches. If it is a happy story or a horror story does not only depend on being committed or not, there are a lot of big and small details involved.

Costa Rica Ambulance services

by Ivo Henfling

If you need ambulance services in Costa Rica to get to the hospital, make sure you know your Tico address so the ambulance will know where to find and will not get lost, or ask a local to give the ambulance the address. It's amazing how many people I sold a home in Costa Rica and it took them months to learn their address.
Because we don’t have any street addresses in Costa Rica, some of these hospitals might be a bit difficult for you to find, so it might be easier to call 911 and ask for an ambulance, so they will send a Red Cross ambulance.

Costa Rica Public Hospitals

By Ivo Henfling

If you have residency in Costa Rica you are obliged to be registered at the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social  or C.C.S.S.  though this government mannaged health care system has long been broke. To see any doctors, you will need to start standing in line at 4:00 am to get attended and most of the time they’ll give you an appointment 6 months later. The system works though for those who do not have private insurance like I.N.S. or any other insurance company, you just need to be a bit patient and bring a book.

Costa Rica Private Hospitals

By Ivo Henfling

Lately I’m seeing a lot of the inside of Costa Rica hospitals. Since I quit smoking 3 years ago, I started going to the doctor. I haven’t seen any doctor in my life and now suddenly I need to see all kinds of doctors. Most doctors in Costa Rica hold office in the same private hospital they operate in. In Costa Rica you don’t need to be referred to a specialist, you just make an appointment.
I have never been in a US hospital and the last time I was in a hospital in Europe was like 40 years ago but I hear from many clients that the Costa Rica hospital services and are outstanding and that medical services here are on a very high level. Most doctors speak excellent English because many have specialized in the US or in the UK.

Are gay people also moving to Costa Rica

by Ivo Henfling

Because I grew up in Holland it comes easy to talk about the topic and quite a few gay people email me asking that question: “are gay people moving to Costa Rica”. The answer is yes.

When I was a kid, there was a gay kid on my block and at the time nobody would talk about it. He was the first person on national TV with his partner, talking about his experiences of coming out of the closet.

Jeez, I knew when I was 12 years old that he was gay. His mom and dad were very religious, poor guy, he suffered a lot and his mom and dad probably too. That was like in 1972.

Learn basic Spanish before you move to Costa Rica

By Ivo Henfling

This picture got your attention, didn't it? Well, that's what I needed because when I start talking about learning Spanish, most people don't pay attention. Imagine, you get stopped in your home town by a Latin, asking in Spanish where the grocery store is located.

What would you say? Most would answer “why don’t you learn English”? Am I right or wrong? The other day I saw a gringo in Escazu get mad at a Tico and shout at him in English.
The poor sucker didn’t have a clue what the gringo was shouting at him. The Tico just turned around and walked away. This in turn made the gringo even madder. I enjoyed the scene from my car.