Pittier, Coto Brus, Costa Rica Real Estate

Pittier, Coto Brus, Puntarenas real estate covers a rural district in the canton of Coto Brus, in the province of Puntarenas, in southern Costa Rica. It is the fifth district of its canton, has postal code 60805 and spans 256.3 km² (99.0 sq mi). Its district seat village is Santa Elena.

The property listed for sale here is farms, so buying in this district mostly means buying land: to work it, to live on it, or to hold it as a long-term investment.

Because farms are what is listed, the buyer profiles are fairly narrow. The first is the person who wants to live on rural land, with space and a country setting rather than a lot in town.

The second is the buyer who wants a working property and will check what the land can be used for. A third option is to hold land for the longer term. Renting out is only possible income if the property and its zoning allow it, so confirm that before counting on it.

A buyer who wants a house on a farm should check whether a dwelling is already there or must be built.

The type listed for sale in this district is farms. A farm can mean very different things, so compare each one on the same points.

• Access: whether the property has legal, usable access you can travel in every season.
• Water: whether there is a supply, and whether it comes from a spring, a river or a public or community system.
• Electricity: whether service reaches the property or must be extended.
• Condition: the state of any house, buildings, fences and the land itself.
• Boundaries: whether the size and limits on the ground match the paperwork.

Pittier sits in the canton of Coto Brus, in the southern part of Costa Rica, and it is not coastal, so the maritime-terrestrial zone rules do not come into play here.

The canton seat, San Vito, is 15.9 km (9.9 mi) away in a straight line. Downtown San José is 161.7 km (100.5 mi) in a straight line, and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is 177.5 km (110.3 mi) in a straight line. Those are map distances, not driving distances.

For a farm in this district, these checks come first:

• A title search at the National Registry (Registro Nacional): who owns the property and whether it carries mortgages, liens or annotations.
• A registered survey plan (plano catastrado) that matches the title and what you see on the ground, including boundaries, size and access.
• A land-use certificate (uso de suelo) from the Municipalidad de Coto Brus and, where one exists, the canton's zoning plan, which says what can be built and for what use.
• Written confirmation of water availability from AyA or the local ASADA, plus electricity, before buying to build. Building permits come from the local authority.
• Protection areas around springs and rivers (Forestry Law 7575), and whether the land lies inside or next to a protected wildlife area.
• Property tax (Law 7509) and municipal services paid up to date.

Pittier borders six districts: Potrero Grande (canton of Buenos Aires), Biolley (canton of Buenos Aires), San Vito, Limoncito, Gutiérrez Braun and Telire (canton of Talamanca). Part of the border therefore runs into other cantons.

Inside the district, the official villages include Aguacaliente, Camaquiri, Cocorí, Coto Brus, Fila Méndez, Fila Naranjo, Fila Tigre, Marías, Monterrey, Palmira and Santa Fe. Check which one a farm is closest to.

Real travel time depends on the hour and the road, so drive the route to any property you consider, at different times of day.

A purchase usually starts with comparing several farms and asking an agent who knows the area. Agencies and agents with listings in the zone appear further down this same page.

Before you pay anything, or before investing in any property, have a lawyer or notary order the title search and review the survey plan. The transfer is done by public deed before a Costa Rican notary and pays the transfer tax (Law 6999), so ask for the full closing-cost breakdown before signing.

Foreigners can own titled property in Costa Rica with the same rights as citizens (Article 19 of the Constitution), with the exceptions the law sets.