Some time ago, I heard of a new web site where buyers and sellers of real estate could go to get the lowdown on Costa Rica realtors and developers. Well I found it! As it turns out, they also have a forum to locate-discuss builders, contractors, architects, real estate tour operators and more!

I suspect this web site is going to be VERY helpful to buyers of real estate here in CR.

It took me almost three months to find this site as the owner has not publicized it anywhere or maybe does not know how to do it. It is open though as there is a welcome post from last May.

I know when Ryan and I started this forum (ARCR), the biggest thing was to get activity, so I would suggest that if you members have had ANY experience in dealing with realtors/developers, buying, selling real estate or building a home here in Costa Rica or maybe you know someone who has, PLEASE go to this web site, register, and tell the world how you fared! This goes for those real estate tours as well as many ask about those as well.

Others coming behind you will be eternally grateful for any recommendations or warnings you can provide! I KNOW it takes time, but think how helpful such a site would have been for YOU when you started the process.

Costa Rica has needed this FOREVER imho.

The site is: http://www.costaricapropertyforum.org/

TG

I went there, and I agree that it could become a good forum. Thanks for the tip!

Hello Everyone -

The above mentioned forum is going under if more experienced people don't start posting. What a shame to lose this potentially great resource.

Mary

Have you posted this on the other website? I think those are all valid issues. My comment about it going under is in response to a posting by the administrator.

I still think the site is potentially great if people's comfort level is increased.

mary

I have not been able to register thus far. They seem to have a bug in the system that they still need to wrok out.

I will try again in a couple days.

Hi Kahuna -

Are you comfortable discussing the "Scott Oliver scams" you referred to above? If not, can you direct me to a source for that info. I tried a term search in this forum and found nothing.

If not, its O.K. I've been reflecting on my last posting on the other website and realize that not everyone is going to be as comfortable with the threat of lawsuits as I am since I deal with the law every day, including almost daily inquiries into the possibility of filing defamation lawsuits.

Mary

Thanks. I almost bought the book on amazon.

Mary

I am the one who posted my concern on that froum about giving out names of realtors and I can assure you I am not in the real estate business. I do know a few people who are in real estate here that after talking with them about my bad experiences, I feel comfortable that they are certinally more aware of the real estate business here than the one I used, and if wanted to trash one realtor why not all of them to try to get business. I really did not appreicate the admins response to my post and my idea was just to make sure others who come here are fully aware of all the hidden expenses and other matters that they must consider before buying property here. I can certainly give details of my experience, but again I do not want to give out names, after all, I do live here. If I am overly caustions, then so be it.



Bill

I don't blame you for being concerned. They really need to address the issue and have a solution for it. For the forum to work, people need to be able to post the informatiion without fear of reprisal or law suit.

I also think it is a ligitimate concernt to know that the admin is not affiliated with the real estate business.

All in all there needs to be transparancy. So that everyone can have faith that the platform is not being manipulated. Weather you are in the biz or not is somewhat besides the point. The fact is there is nothing stopping an agent from coming on into the forum and trashing their compitition.

It seems like they have 2 or 3 big problems to resolve for the platform to be successful. I hope they can get it worked out.

To Scorp

Scorp... while I agree he was perhaps not too delicate with his reply to you, he HAS a valid point. If his forum is to work, he cannot permit anyone to make random negative comments about realtors or developers as a group. It would simply not be fair to paint the whole industry as a bunch of crooks, and while he was kinda rude in his response, I am pretty sure he was just trying to set a tone to others who might try that tactic. That to me indicates he is not going to permit abuse.

Also, I re-read his response this AM, and he indicated he thought you were a realtor and he deleted part of your post. Obviously, I do not know what he erased, but I am PRETTY sure you USED to have something in your signature here on this forum, or maybe a different one, something about "xxx Consulting? xxx Consultants?". I see you have now removed it, but could that be the reason he thought you were a realtor or realty consultant? Just asking!

I am also pretty sure which realtor you used and how SAD you will not provide your personal experiences as they are not a good company from what I have heard from several people.

and

to Kahuna



Now this makes NO sense to me Sr K.

First, he clearly stated that he was not in the realty biz. Also, even if he is, that will become very evident to everyone just by what appears there as posts and what does not.

Good heaven, I KNOW what it is like to start a new forum or web site. Give the guy a break and the benefit of a doubt. We can always crucify his butt later if he is a phoney.

Next, and this REALLY makes no sense!

YOU want anonymity to post as you please and say anything with impunity, but you deny him the same right? HUH??

HE is the one at risk there folks! He is the one the scammers will go after. Sheesh! Why go after one poster when they can shut down his entire web site and remove ALL the bad posts at one time!

Second, as for "nothing stopping an agent from trashing his competition", why of course there is. He already jumped all over Scorp for a far less offense. I doubt seriously if he will permit abuse. He also states that if someone does complain, they should give full details including if they tried to resolve the issue. He also said he wants replies from the realtor detailing THEIR side. Not sure, but to ME this sounds reasonable.

Maybe what everyone really wants is a place where the realtors get the shaft, cannot reply, and it is just a central slaughterhouse of realtors and developers. I cannot imagine anything worse. In any case, it seems to me he is not going to allow that. He is going to permit BOTH sides to tell their tale. He also makes it clear that nobody should believe just one bad post but should look for 4-5 negative posts about the same company before they believe anything.

---

Anyway, his last post says he is leaving for the US next month, and he may close the site as nobody is posting anything bad or good on any subject. What.. there are no good realtors here? That is nonsense.

Well I find this sad as now perspective buyers coming here can just line up and take their chances with no forewarning from those who have already been screwed.

TG

Hey TG,
I think you misunderstood my point. I am not negative about the site and I am sorry if I left that impression. To the contrary, I am very supportive of the concept. I am with you, it is difficult to start one of these and it takes time.

I think it is reasonable to expect that there are going to be unanticipated issues that arise when you get into something like this and I was merely identifying a couple things that need to be resolved.

I am not coming down on one side or the other with the anonymity issue. I don't have the solution, I was just pointing out that there were some issues that need some clarification.

Playing devils advocate, if he was in the real estate business and wanted to manipulate the market, would he come forward and identify himself as such. I think not. (I could totally see Scott Oliver trying to pull something like that). Once the admin is able to establish his creditability that will be one barrier to success that is eliminated. You are right, these things do get resolved over time, but these are natural questions to arise at the beginning.

Fear of lawsuit or reprisal is certainly a legitimate issue that needs to be resolved. I recently saw a clip on TV about a web site that was named something to the effect "dont-date-him.com” This guy was suing the site because he felt his reputation was ruined and the information was wrong.

Finally, let me throw out one final point. It may actually be better if he is back in the US. Certainly it would clear up any possibility that he had any interest in manipulating the Costa Rica real estate market.

PS........ maybe a little differnt format for the forum would be better. Maybe an Amazon.com type format where you list all the realitor and then allow people to come in and make there comments. I know that is a lot of work, but maybe you do it one area at a time. Just a thought.

Who is Realty Foro S.A? That is the registration of the Site. No phone number and no address other than San Jose.

It smacks of offering free advice and services to direct business; implied or overt.

JRH

Seems like there are two possibilities.

1) This site was done by someone that is looking to manipulate the real estate market. I have some concerns about this too. I looked that the same information you did. I think the registration is actually Reality Foros, which I believe is the Spanish word for forums.
Or
2) The Admin wants to remain anonyms for fear of reprisal and or litigation from realtors who may have negative things said about them

TG makes a good point. If the first proposition is true, then it will come out eventually. If the second is true than we are doing everyone a disservice to constantly criticize. I think a healthy dose of skepticism is a good idea. There are issues the admin needs to work out. On the other hand, we should remain open to the possibility that this is someone with altruistic motivations. Time will tell, but if this is one of the good guys then we are all going to feel bad with the negative treatment of someone that has gone to a lot of effort to do something good.

So, what if people just posted positive experiences to get it going? At least that would give people some place to start when they want to look for property or hire a contractor. As trust builds maybe the rest would follow.
I put my contractor on there because he has been amazing. I have no hesitation in recommending his services.
If more people would just post the people they have had great experiences with then at least there would be a place for people to start looking and making contacts.

CC

THAT IS A REALLY GREAT IDEA!!!!!!!

THAT IS A REALLY GREAT IDEA!!!!!!!

Maybe not such a "cool" idea. I see in the future every real estate agent in CR, of which there must be 25 million, posting how great they are and their positive experiences with themselves. (We know what that is called, right?) Sort of like those restaurant owners who publish letters to the editor about how good their meal was last Wednesday and, "...everyone should try the dish of the day and it is really well priced. You can even call 288-1234 for reservations, they take Mastercard, Visa, Discovery, Amex and even a hand written IOU will do in a pinch." signed, Just Another Satisfied Customer.

Have you seen Craigslist, Costa Rica? It's free so the postings go over and over again of the same thing with different prices on different days.

My point? In CR, maybe even the world, you really should get recommendations and suggestions one-on-one. Especially when dealing in real estate or construction. The experience could be very, very costly. Conflicts of interest are just a way of life here. And at the risk of being bombarded, expats tend to lead the way in scaming each other. (I can defend that conclusion. Sportsbooks, online pharmacies, human trafficking, phantom property development, phantom titles, no-permit building, imported unsafe cars, and many more targeting only internationals who really are limited on checking both people and commerce out before purchasing.)

well said JRH but help me with the part about Craig's list - I haven't seen the different prices you speak of or I am missing something ?

good point on the references - one of (if not the largest) scammers in CR has the most glowing recommendations - that's worthy of an I.P.S. check

Thanks for the compliment Bob.

As to “Craigslist”, often times, if you have the patience, you can scroll around and catch the same real estate offered by 2 or more people at the same price. Try it out. It’s kind of fun when there is absolutely nothing else to do.

On July 19 some real estate agent must have discovered “Craigslist” for the first time. I think I counted 22 postings on the same day by the same guy selling property in Playa Zancudo, Puerto Jimenez and Osa. I didn’t know that many people lived there.

The main reason we see different prices quoted by different agents is a result of what is called, “over pricing”. The seller has a fixed price in mind so to receive a commission the agents raise that price and pray they get paid. Ergo, two or three different agents and two or three different prices. At least we cannot complain of price fixing.

Take care,

thanx for the explain JRH - never really spent that much time looking cause I'm usually busy sending . . . .

let me know if you see any of mine put in by kamakazi realty (smile)

Old post but that site and forum are history. It's okay to do research online but the best way is to find out about a real estate agent is to talk to others who have already gone through the process. Real estate agent are not regulated and anyone can be a real estate agent. CCCBR is strictly voluntary but Costa Rica is a small country and word gets around as to which agents are good and which are shoddy.

You're right, I've been here for 6 months now and know already most of the ones in my area which is PLaya Naranjo and Nicoya Peninsula in general. Funny thing is that the best ones seem to be around Heredia.