Update on our Development/house building experience

I am so sorry you and others got swindled by these scam artists.  I didn't buy into a gated community (although it was advertised as such) and only bought the lot.  NO HOA - would never buy into that again.  I got my own builder (at least he showed up), but also have had a lot of repairs needed after our 5 year warranty was over and he no longer made the free repairs (shabby repairs at best).  Now I have a list of decent and really good people to do the work needed.  Just too bad I didn't know then what I know now- things would definitely be done differently.

Also, if you need floor tiles, I suggest you use Angels - I think she is in Cartago - great tile, decent cost and delivery made on time.  Just to be honest in my thinking - with all the rain and humidity in this country, I would never have gone for a grass roof.  By my own trial and error, I have found that things I wanted in the beginning, turned out to be impractical here.  Many thousands of dollars poured down the drain.

Agreed.  Thank you Ginger, or the tips and honesty.  Glad to hear a good ending   ENJOY

Wow.  what a tale of woe and experience.  You should start listing yourselves as CR construction consultants for the perils of local development.  People buying/building houses here would be well advised to learn what can go wrong.  And it would cost them pennies to learn from you compared to what they could end up paying. 

I assume you have reported these crooks to OIJ?  That is the federal police as I understand it and would have jurisdiction anywhere in CR to arrest and prosecute the crooks you describe . 

Hope this nightmare ends soon and well for you.

If you want to read the latest devastating group venture in Costa Rica,that had been revealed awhile ago,check out--"Synergy/Synergida Mission Global Scam".I'm sure by now many of you know about it but this is what keeps on repeating itself again and again and...........This is how desperate people from the U.S./Canada are, to get out so they can come live in Costa Rica.These North Americans,tragically will have to look at themselves in the mirror and move on.To remind themselves this is what happens when you don't have your own independent legal consul. Basically,it is gringos eating other gringos alive that came under the name of God and these investors fell for it.

You've just provided an important side of the so-called pura vida. CR is a corrupted country, so how can you expect the government to get hold on them? I moved into my house in Osa about a month ago. It is not a luxurious home but quality and comfort are present. Well...I new a builder personally...and he is not from Pakistan..

@sporto505 how did things pan out with Synergida? It's 2023 just wondering if there was any true redemption from it besides from Jesus

It turned out exactly as suspected. They scammed us as long a possible and cost us as much as we could take. We are also suffering the results of their debt, bad business and alterior motives.

Worst experience of my life but we are making the best of it.

We are commencing litigation. If you wish to express your experiences with Bellazzo/Kalia/Black Beauty/Nissim please get in touch ASAP.

These guys ruined my Costa Rican dreams and have zero mercy.

If only they knew what is coming to them...

I never got too far. After 4 weeks of time I dcide to send all my money back to USA. Better keep what I got than to go litigating.

Wow.   I hate that you went through this.   You should put up signs around your property telling others not to consider living there... make it hard for him to make the development work.  Then, perhaps, he'll make good, hopefully, and you can all move on.

A few points, if not for you, but for others that haven't taken the plunge yet...

One; talk to Ticos first.  What are the prices that they would 'expect'...  who would they recommend as a builder... etc.  Your story almost never mentions any contact with the People that make this Country what it is...  you came from abroad and only assumed that you could live here in an expat enclave, use and an expat builder, live in a house built to north american standards, etc.   In a country where the temps rarely leave the 65-90 degree zone... north american building standards are nothing but rubbish.

Why isolate yourself into an all foreign environment??   because you didn't speak good enough Spanish?    Don't let that stop you from doing good due diligence.

Two; I came here and looked at some properties that were listed by 'agents' on the Encuentra24 website... and it was a good 'intro' at best.  From those listings, I found, many times, that the houses were listed here, locally, for sometimes 50-70% less.  Also... if you can chat it up a bit... the locals will tell you about other properties for sale that aren't listed by an agent.. sometimes bigger and better, or sometimes worse.. but with 'promise' .. or you can drive around the area and if it seems to be attractive to you,  look for  'Se Vende'  signs... which are For Sale signs.   They are everywhere.   And then, get introduced to a local who does construction.  Don't use north american terminology like 'Home Builder' or 'Contractor' or 'Development'...  The locals are your best resource.  Yes... many work in construction... but not every day of the year and not always building houses.. some do construction work at hotels, restaurants, etc.   It is 'skill'  that you need to find, not some dude with a 'title'.

That old saying, "when in Rome"  seems to work here... especially if this is the first time that you have lived in a Tropical place, with tons of rain, and much different building practices and materials.   

The guys in my village just built a great little concrete house with steel framed roof and big porches in less than 8 weeks.  Their client was a woman from San Ramon who wanted a country place that was quiet and that she could possible get some rental income from in the future.  They weren't 'builders' ... but they knew how to build concrete walls, install plumbing and electrical, install tile, finish the walls, etc.   Whatever they didn't know... they found out by asking somebody that did... and they were really great at being resourceful because they have been here for their entire lives.  They weren't from Canada or Texas, or Florida or Belgium.  When it came time for welding the steel framed roof... they used the best welder in the village.  When it came time to put a good finish coat over the block walls... they used the guy who is excellent at that.  The local window guy built and installed all the windows (cheap here, they are only single pane glass) for the entire house for less than $800... not per window... but for all of them together.  Etc. Etc.

Don't go to a Foreign Country and then ignore it!!    The Ticos are your best resources here in Costa Rica... not some Canadian Guy with fancy 'work' speak.

I think your situation should be a lesson to those who are only Reading Forums and asking Foreigners about 'stuff'...

Get your boots on and come and see, ask, and ask again.  But ask a Tico.  and then another one

I feel really sorry about what happened to you because I'm guessing you don't deserve it.  Hopefully, KARMA will level things out for you.

Look... when I needed to gut and renovate my house, I did a sit down with three different guys who wanted the job.  Each was from the area (like, literally 200 yards from me) and I showed them my drawings and discussed details; I luckily had not just plans, but elevations and drawing details that were important to me.   I gave them all 30 days to submit a proposal and didn't look at any of them until I had all three in front of me... sort of like how the Gov't awards contracts.

The guy who bragged about doing mostly only work for Gringos in Fortuna and Grecia and San Ramon, was the highest.  Surprise!!  Like almost 50% higher.  He was also the one who didn't ask many questions; and never requested a follow-up walk-thru.

The dude down the road from me, took me around the village to show me work he had done... and some of it is worthy of a travel brochure, as he is very talented and creative and crafty when it comes to using local materials.  His quote was the lowest.  ???   

I didn't assume that going with the lowest proposal was going to be the smartest; but we discussed things further.  I told him that I would be here every day (what else am I going to do??) and so he told me that having me here would mean that he would need one less worker.   He made some suggestions that I liked, and others that I didn't ... but we clicked.

Long Story short... it was the hardest work I've ever done.. I lost almost 40 pounds, but learned a lot.,. and it helped my Spanish.. mostly construction words and swear words, but it all helps.  We had a lot of fun, usually at the Gringo's expense, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.   All of the various workers are now friends and I know their families as well.  I will never have a problem getting somebody to do small jobs around my property... and they are great resources when I need to find ______.

For what it's worth.

Good luck to you... your experience is most likely something that no Tico has ever experienced.   

Hey... forgot to add.

The house I eventually bought was listed on an international site for $95,000  (US)...    I had a Tico friend call the locally listed phone number (whatsapp) to inquire about the price (locally it was being sold for $65K and he talked it down, quite easily, to $54,000.   He gave them my 'tico' nickname instead of his... and I went to work communicating with the realtor.  She was a lawyer and realtor and had a reputable firm in Heredia... even though the house is 90 minutes north of San Ramon.   The entire sales process took less than 3 weeks!!   I had to stall her on the final closing date because I was in the states and had to arrange another trip.   I paid cash.

So.. there really is 'Gringo Pricing'  ...   some people will poo poo on that... but we All Know it exists.  I just live with it and try my best not to get taken.

I put another $35K into the gutting the interior (did that with a crazy friend here), renovation and addition, plus lots of landscaping.  All in, I'm still under $100K.   it's a nice, solid concrete house with steel framed roof and reflective laminated aluminum roofing materials.  It stays cool.  Good breezes, lots of windows facing north and east because that is where my breezes come from, I have high ceilings and really good GE industrial ceiling fans that look great and don't have those ugly lights hanging from them.  I used mostly porcelain tile that came from EPA (like Lowe's but better) and scoured the area for other materials.  A few trips to SJ were worth the time; especially for lighting and hardware.

2 bedrooms, one big bath with enormous shower (electric 'on-demand' hot water) too big kitchen with brkfst bar, indoor laundry, and living area.  Three exterior porches make outdoor living possible even when it rains... which is often... especially between May and Xmas.  We had over 18feet of rain in my village one year!!   Sure, roads and bridges sometimes wash away... but nobody seems too moved by it.   My property is 1500 sq. meters... and one part of it is actually listed as a separate lot; so I can sell it or build a smaller house on it and move there once I'm too old to care for this garden.  I like the garden..  I grow pineapple, plantains, 3 kinds of bananas, mangos, cocos, cas, mamon chinos, manzanas de agua, guayaba, and veggie garden with herbs and some melons.  I am going to try growing a Lemon tree because they are almost non-existent here due to climate.  If it works, I'll try others... like kiwi.   My immediate neighbors are cows and we get along rather well.  I'm on a paved road that is a dead-end into a tiny village; and I'm 300 yards from the bus stop with numerous daily buses to La Foruna, San Ramon, and ciudad Quesada.. which is my go-to city for anything/everything.  I have a motor scooter, and there are pirate taxis.  no car = no headaches.

You don't have to spend $650,000 to be happy... but yes, an ocean view would be nice.   Really nice.

I settled for toucans, the occasional Puma, and giant iguanas.  Behind me are mountains and they give us good late day shade... which makes a long hot day somewhat shorter.

Peace to you and much happiness once you get over the construction hump.

@rainagain......Tell us how the property is registered in 'Registro Nacional',that you own ....That information is important because many in this group do not know what that entity is and are in other precarious 'ownership structures'.......You refer to Ticos as an imperative go between for life altering purchases...Everyone knows in this culture,as soon as a Costarricense opens his mouth there is going to be inconsistencies on everything.

Ah... Edwin...

not sure what that means.  the property had a clean title and not only did I meet the owners before the closing, but they have family in the village who are good, upstanding people; so there wasn't any risk.   I do know that realtors (or anybody else working in the property sales environment) must get a clean title (which requires a property background search) before they can register the sale with the government.  That is, perhaps, somewhat new... so there may be some old, sad stories out there.  ???

I pay property taxes and it all seems to be kosher... ????

I'm sure there are people of 'questionable character' anywhere you would go on this planet (except maybe Greenland); but I've not had too many bad experiences with Ticos.  Maybe it's because I live in and amongst them, take part in the community activities, teach English classes to villagers for Free, trade produce with my neighbors, and I'm friendly.  I also work really hard on my Spanish which enriches my experience exponentially and allows me to communicate better.   I also live in an area with few foreigners... and those that are around here do not congregate behind fences or gates and they don't just 'mix' with the locals when they need somebody to do some work for them.  Some have farms, some are artisans, etc.  Plus, we aren't in a trendy or touristy area where the 'foreigners' come and go which usually results in less contact and more opportunistic bad behavior.  A Canadian woman in my village has been here 36 years; and a Spaniard from Ibiza has been here for over 20 years.   I barely know them even though there are less than 150 people in the whole village... we didn't become 'friends' just because we aren't from here... but I wouldn't say no to them.

I have had a good experience... what can I say???????????????????????

@rainagain.....If they segregated a smaller piece of land from the 'finca madre', to sell to you,you have to make sure that piece of land is recorded with its own  Plano Catastrado,tomo-folio #'s including its own title....In your name..

i have those Planos Catastrados for all three of my lots, with property numbers and all in my name.   

But that's good info. for everybody to know.

Peace bro.

@rainagain......You know it ! Very good and great writings too,from you !

A little background, for the benefit of newcomers . . .

Historically, a plot of land was "owned" because it was delineated from neighboring plots by vegetation or fences which everyone acknowledged. In our neighborhood, plots of land are still identified by rows of trees or cañas.

Some time ago (maybe the 1950s), Costa Rica established the Registro Nacional, the National Registry. There, you can record plots of land, as rainagain's property sellers did, vehicles, births, adoptions, deaths, marriages and divorces, liens against properties and vehicles, and maybe other things. It functions like the County Registrar or Register of Deeds does in many U.S. states, but it serves the entire country here.

Way back when, the government urged landowners to have their properties surveyed and to register them in the Registro. Many owners complied, but some still have not. That can present a major problem because, for an unregistered property, there is no legal proof of who owns it. rainagain owns three lots, but if they were not registered, I could say I owned them and could sell them out from under him to an unsuspecting buyer. Who would there be to say I wasn't the rightful owner? How'd you like to be the unsuspecting buyer?

Getting an unregistered plot of land registered in the Registro is a huge headache. First, you must have it surveyed and that survey recorded in the Registro. Then, you must obtain acknowledgements from all the adjacent property owners that the purported owner really is the legal owner. That can take years and may involve paying them off. Or maybe they won't cooperate.

Like everywhere else, attorneys are privileged officers of the courts. Likewise, notaries have similar duties with respect to the Registro Nacional. It's notaries who make and change records there such as property sales, vehicle sales, and others. Notaries must also be attorneys. If you ask to have a particular property investigated, it's the notary who's doing the work.

Also like everywhere else, there are many honest and thorough attorneys/notaries and there are some dishonest and lazy ones (Just ask me.) They're difficult to tell apart, so my advice to anyone considering a major purchase (land or vehicle) is to have it researched by a notary in the Registro Nacional and then have a second attorney/notary confirm the findings of the first. It won't be too expensive and will cost a lot less than finding out either that there's a lien or other restriction on the property you're considering or that the "seller" isn't actually the owner. If that happened to you, you wouldn't be the first.

@daveandmarcia  Extremely valuable info - mucho gracias!!