Playa Hermosa Costa Rica real estate has been getting some very good press lately.  Imagine Playa Hermosa in the New York Times.

The most recent feature on Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica was an article in the New York Times featuring one of our exclusive listings in Monte Paraiso called The Lighthouse. The article was written by Kevin Brass, a feature writer for the New York Times who has written various articles about our area and Costa Rica, so he knows what he is talking about.

Good things come in 3’s – the second piece of good press was an HGTV episode of “Beachfront Bargain Hunt” where a couple searched high and low for their own slice of beach paradise and found it in our beloved little Playa Hermosa. The first running of the episode was September 27th and the second airing is September 28th, 2015. Here is the link to the episode guide.

Beachfront Bargain Hunt – A Couple Searches the Exotic Pacific Shores of Costa Rica in Search of their Slice of Paradise

To top it off House Hunters International is filming a future episode in Playa Hermosa as we speak at a couple of our exclusive listings in Playa Hermosa.  House Hunters will not allow us to disclose the homes until they air later in the year so stay tuned.

The established press has finally gotten back around again to talking about our slice of heaven.  Get your little slice before it is too late…

Tank Tops Flip Flops Newsletter edition no. 78

Do I need a Last Will and Testament in Costa Rica?

If you are going to own any assets in Costa Rica, it is important to have a Costa Rican Will. Although the courts will accept a Will from another country, it can take months for it to be approved, before releasing your properties to your heirs. Whoever is executing your requests, will already have a lot on their hands, handling your estate, dealing with your burial etc. Without a Costa Rican Will, your beneficiary must fly down to Costa Rica and present your U.S.A. or Canada Will to a Costa Rican Probate Court. The court will obviously want to confirm that the document is valid and legal and that your death was real and not faked. Think about it; what a great scam. Showing up in another country with a bogus Will claiming you are the heir of someone’s home or land. This can take anywhere from 3 months to a year, depending on different circumstances. If you have no Will at all, it can take years to work its way through the Probate court. In the meantime, your beneficiaries will have no way to legally sell, rent or handle your properties or your bank accounts.

If you have a Last Will and Testament executed in Costa Rica in front of an attorney and notary, the process is very simple.  It can be almost immediate.  So I advise all my clients, to set this up from the very beginning when they purchase their first property. The attorney handling the closing can also prepare this document for a very reasonable fee.  In your file back home, you should have a copy of this document, along with your attorney’s information. You should also have your real estate agents contact information and any bank accounts and property managers’ information as well.

This way, in the unfortunate event of your death, it will be very easy for your heir to contact the attorney, gain access to the paperwork and legal ownership of the deed. They can talk to your real estate agent about the current value of the property, and also know who is handling the care of your property.

It is sad enough that you are no longer with us, but at least you can leave knowing that your heir will not have any difficulties obtaining ownership of your assets.