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SYNDICATIONHome inspections in Costa Rica, find an inspector who knows what he is doing
By Ivo Henfling,our Escazu and Santa Ana Specialist, for the Easy Times
You fell in love with that beautiful 2 bedroom ranch house that offers these fabulous ocean views. The home has a pool and though the kitchen looks simple, you just fell in love with it. This is the home you have wanted to retire to or have as a vacation home. You have made an offer on the property through your American European Real Estate Group agent and your offer was accepted. What is the next step?
You have no idea if this home was built right, if the septic system was correctly installed and if the electrical wiring was done correctly. You don't know if this building lot was cut out of the mountain or if it was fill and if your swimming pool is secure or not. It might end up down the mountain one day.
How do you make sure that you are buying a property that will not be a nightmare in the future? A good realtor will recommend you to use a home inspector. Many don't since they fear they will lose a sale. A good realtor will make sure you do the right thing as he/she knows that if for some reason the purchase of this home will not happen because the home inspection shows electrical problems or roof problems or even worse, structural problems, you will stick to this realtor to look for another property with him/her.
Having a good and honest home inspection done is as important as making sure that you use the right attorney to transfer the title of your new property. In Costa Rica, we have different building codes than other parts of the world. Just like anywhere else, in the different areas, we have different soil, more or less rainfall, warmer or cooler climates and you can be closer to the usual earthquake epicenters. You have different options of roofing, of waste disposal, of topography and many other things that are important to the construction of the home. Also, we have different building codes than many other countries in the world. For example, we make sure that the home is well built structurally as we have earthquakes all the time. On the other hand, the electrical system of 90% of the homes is not grounded, which to a North American might sound strange.
We have many retired people in Costa Rica and some are bored to death, so they think that because they had an uncle who was an electrician back home, they can now do home inspections, just because their uncle was an electrician. Beware of all these people who think they know what they are doing. Just like we have so many real estate agents here who will tell you that they are experts, you might also hit on people who will tell you they can do home inspections. That includes those who are certified inspectors in Wisconsin ore wherever.
Today, we recommend using Tom Rosenberger, a US expat who has lived in Costa Rica for 18 years, who has built in the United States AND in Costa Rica, who is totally fluent in English and Spanish. Tom has the experience you are looking for in a home inspector and gives you different options, depending on how ample you want the inspection to be.
Tom has inspected hundreds of homes for my agents. Here is a bit on his background:
Costa Rican Land and Construction Inspector, Tom Rosenberger is a highly skilled bi-lingual professional, with over 25 years of land development and construction experience. Tom enables his clients to "See Beyond the Obvious" before committing to land acquisition and construction projects.
He is a legal resident of Costa Rica and has lived here since 1992, building and remodeling homes and condominiums, along with developing land into building lots.
Tom has performed numerous evaluations of land development and housing projects in order to determine the most profitable return on investment, along with performing investigations of construction installations, detailing methods and costs of restoration and completion.
Perhaps most importantly, Tom has learned to work with Costa Rican architects, tradesmen, government officials, and investors in resolving situations that occur during land development and construction projects. Put simply, there are few problems that he has not encountered in his broad experience. He is therefore in a unique position to provide his clients with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions when considering living or conducting business in Costa Rica.
- He can assure you that I will help you determine if the land you are contemplating is appropriate for building the housing you have envisioned.
- If you are considering the purchase of existing housing, his inspection and detailed reports will give you all the specifications and costs you will need to determine if the dwelling you are interested in has been completed properly according to the local building codes and standards your accustomed to.
If you would like to review samples of Costa Rica Property Inspection Reports and pricing click here.
TYPICAL CLIENTS
- Considering the purchase of land and want to insure it is suitable for building
- Own existing property and wish to build a home
- Considering the purchase of housing and want to make sure that all building materials and installation procedures have been 100% completed, prior to closing.
- Currently own or want to purchase existing housing for renovation
INSPECTION SERVICES
- Inspection of raw land and developed lots to determine if the property is suitable to construct the housing you envision.
- Inspection of existing housing to determine the current state of construction and detail incomplete installations or defects and their associated costs to complete, repair or replace.
If you are interested in his services, send Tom an email: tom@costaricahomebuilder.com