Turrubares, Costa Rica Real Estate

Turrubares, San José real estate is what buyers find in a canton in San José province, Costa Rica, that covers 423.3 km² (163.4 sq mi). It is made up of five districts and is not on the coast. The listings here include houses, apartments or condos, lots and land, and farms, so a purchase can mean a place to live, land to build on or rural property. Because the canton is large and mostly spread out, buying here usually means looking closely at each property and its surroundings, and treating the purchase as a long-term investment.

Given what is listed, several buyer profiles make sense. Someone who wants a home to live in can look at houses or at apartments and condos. Someone planning to build can look at lots and land, and should confirm what the land allows before paying for plans.

Buyers who want rural land can compare the farms for sale. Houses are also listed for rent in the canton, so a buyer who does not plan to live here full time may consider renting a house out as income. That is a way of investing, and it works only if the numbers hold up after taxes, upkeep and any vacant periods.

Four property types are listed for sale. Each needs a different kind of attention:

• Houses: check structural condition, roof, drainage, and how you reach the property in the rainy season.
• Apartments or condos: ask for the bylaws, the monthly fees and proof that they are paid.
• Lots and land: check access, slope, water and electricity, and the registered plan.
• Farms: check boundaries, internal roads, water sources and any protected areas nearby.

The canton lies in San José province, in the Central Valley side of the country, and it is not coastal, so the rules for the beach strip do not apply here. Downtown San José is 51.7 km (32.1 mi) away in a straight line, which places the canton within reach of the capital for services and work.

Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) is 41.6 km (25.8 mi) away in a straight line, which matters for buyers who will fly in from the United States or elsewhere. The pack gives no distance to the canton seat, so the real convenience of each property depends on where in the canton it sits.

• A title search at the National Registry (Registro Nacional): who owns the property and whether it has 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 Turrubares and, where one exists, the zoning plan, since it says what can be built.
• Written water availability from AyA or the local ASADA, plus electricity, before buying lots or farms to build; building permits come from the municipality.
• Protection areas around springs and rivers (Forestry Law 7575), and whether the land is inside or next to a protected wildlife area.
• Property tax (Law 7509) and municipal services paid up to date.

The canton is made up of five districts: San Pablo, San Pedro, San Juan de Mata, San Luis and Carara. Knowing which district a property sits in helps you see how far it is from the others and from the main roads.

Real travel time depends on the hour and on the state of the road, so drive each route at the time of day you would use it before deciding. In a canton of this size, two properties that look close on a map can be very different to reach.

A purchase usually starts by comparing several properties of the same type so you can judge asking prices. An agent who knows the area can help with that, and when agencies and agents have listings in the zone, they appear further down this same page.

Once you choose a property, your lawyer or notary runs the title search and checks the plan. The transfer is done by public deed before a Costa Rican notary and pays the transfer tax (Law 6999). Ask for the full closing-cost breakdown before signing. Foreigners can own titled property with the same rights as citizens (Article 19 of the Constitution), with the exceptions the law sets.