The purchase of a home is one of the most expensive purchases buyers make during their lifetimes and when you move to a foreign country with a different culture where a language is spoken that is different than your own, you need a bilingual construction specialist working on your side to insure that you’re purchase will not become a nightmare.

Anyone who tells you that you do not need a home inspection in Costa Rica does not have your best interests in mind and probably has a financial interest in you paying your heard earned money as soon as possible. Many sellers will say that their house is in perfect condition because they do not want you to find out about problems with the construction. Many homes sold during the dry season end up having leaks that become evident as soon as it rains in the green season. Only a seasoned home inspector with many years of experience in Costa Rica knows the tell tale signs of water infiltration issues that exist in most homes built in this country.

Additionally, some agents try to convince their clients to close the sale without an inspection, so they can avoid the additional work of negotiating with the seller to reduce the price of the home to compensate the purchaser for defects found by the home inspector.

A contingency clause added to your purchase contract will insure that you are off the hook if significant defects are revealed by a home inspection. You will have the option to back out of the deal, without penalty or loss of your security deposit, if the inspection report reveals serious problems that would have ended up costing you a great deal of money in the future, if you did not have a home inspection done before closing.

A competent home inspector will reveal to you all items in the home that are or could be safety issues, major and minor defects, items that should be repaired, serviced or replaced as well as items that are presently acceptable but that could become a problem down the road.

Furthermore, an experienced home inspector will be able to provide you with preventative maintenance tips that should be performed to avoid problems in the future as well as recommend local contractors and service providers to make maintaining your new home easier.

There are thousands of components included in the construction of homes and it will be difficult to list every item that a competent inspector takes into account in only one article, so we will provide all the details about home inspections in a continuing series of articles in The Costa Rica Star.

The author, Tom Rosenberger has lived and worked in Costa Rica for 23 years and from his travels throughout the country inspecting property and construction he has acquired a wealth of knowledge and he helps his clients to see beyond the obvious when purchasing land and housing here. If you would like to contact Tom, you can send him an email at [email protected].

• Costa Rica Home Inspections Series, Exterior – Are They Necessary? and Why – Part 2
• Costa Rica Home Inspections Series, Interiors – Are They Necessary? and Why – Part 3