Costa Rica is a small country that despite being only 0.03% of the land area on earth, is still home to 6% of the world’s biodiversity. From the 1990s to the present, it has been subscribed to more than 45 international environmental treaties, in addition to having a variety of laws that rigorously protect the environment. The natural wealth of our country ranges from the variety of ecosystems that make us up, to the vast animal biodiversity that inhabits them. Which is why buying farms or lots has been the oldest -and first real estate transaction here, and one we intend to keep on happening with informed clients that have the information they need.
At NATIVU Fincas we provide you with support from start to finish for the process of acquiring a farm. We like to start with a conversation in which we get information about the vision of the farm/land that you want to acquire. Several factors must be taken into account such as the objective, the desired climate, if you want views, the division of the terrain, size, etc. In order to do the search for properties with these qualities and that is also appropriate for the purpose that you as a buyer have for your farm.
Once the candidate properties have been selected, we proceed to make accompanied visits, and a process begins with time in which there is a conversation between the buyer and the advisor. In order to make an informed purchase and according to the factors discussed above.
There is useful terminology to know in the process of searching and buying a farm/land in Costa Rica. Here is a brief explanation:
Quinta:
A quinta (which means “a fifth”) is a property used for recreational purposes. The technical term comes from the fact that before one hectare of land (10,000m2) 1/5 part of it (2,000m2) was segregated so that the owners could live in it and use it for recreational purposes. Currently it is not necessary for the lot to be this size, but it simply applies to properties that are used for recreational enjoyment with family or friends.
Hacienda:
A hacienda is a very large property with one or more productive activities, they are characterized by having houses for their employees or even towns where they live. In the northern part of the country there are many of these. This may also have a recreational area around the owner’s main house, however these properties are characterized by being so vast and with spaces for the property workers to live within.
Finca/Farm:
The term “finca” is a very Costa Rican word, which although it is also used in other Central American countries, in Costa Rica it is applied in a different way. A farm is a property that is used for recreational purposes, but that also has part of the property in operation. It complies with the traits of a Quinta, but it also produces.
Proyect:
A project is an objective within a farm / quinta / hacienda to produce or generate some benefit in some way. A project can be from an agricultural project to a reforestation project to have a conservation farm. These give a farm purpose, and can be for business investment or hobby.
Thanks to the experience of our advisor from NATIVU Fincas, who is an agronomist and has been developing within this market for a long time, an analysis has been made of the types of Farms that may interest you according to your objectives and needs:
Agricultural Farms:
An agricultural farm is one whose land is used for agriculture, while a cattle farm is one that is dedicated to the breeding and sale of livestock. An agricultural farm is one that has both objectives of cultivating and raising livestock. The types of agriculture within this type of farm can be intensive or extensive production, complementary production, for cycles or periods of short or long-term production.
Conservation Farms:
The conservation farm is the one that is dedicated to the conservation and / or restoration of certain ecosystems or species by protecting the natural elements that exist in each land. There are five different protection schemes that can be installed depending on what the owner is looking for and what brings him the most benefit.
Forest Farms:
Forest farms are those that have their land destined for the planting of trees. This can be to sell wood, or it can also be related to conservation farms. Since it could have a reforestation project and a sustainable management with an important social, environmental, and cultural character.
Tourism Farms:
A tourism farm is one that turns the property into a tourist center, normally around an “axis of attraction” that can be a crop (pineapple, coffee, banana), the scenic beauty of a region (waterfalls, rivers, volcanoes) or environmental conservation, due to its proximity to a national park, beaches and natural or historical monuments.
Recreational Farms:
This type of farm is also used to say “quintas”, and as explained above: they are properties that are used for recreational purposes with family or friends. It can also be used as a business since the facilities can be recreational but it is rented for events. Normally these farms do not produce any product, but their purpose is fun.
Poultry / Aquaculture Farms:
A poultry farm consists of the breeding and production of poultry, and an aquaculture farm is one that through appropriate structures is dedicated to the technified cultivation of aquatic organisms.
In general, the purchase of a farm or farm that will not be for personal / family use, is for the development of a project. For these farms where it is desired to establish certain projects, there are regulations and permits. It is necessary to know about them before the purchase because sometimes there may be qualities of a lot that prevent obtaining these permits, or rather that make it optimal conditions for this.
If you want to start a poultry, pig or agro-industrial process project (slaughterhouses, heavy machinery, etc.) the project developer must have the permits of:
1. Operating permit from the Ministry of Health.
2. Permission from the Ministry of Agriculture (such as a certificate from Senasa, central, AyA, Senara, etc.).
3. Environmental impact study in Setena.
4. Permits from the Municipality, as well as verifying the existence and regulations of the regulatory plan and municipal construction permit.
In farms to develop real estate or hotel projects, all the previous regulations and others issued by the federated colleges corresponding to the construction phase and operating permits from the Ministry of Tourism, among others, are considered.
Advantages of Having a Farm
Value of owning land
The value of a land is divided into different aspects:
- Patrimonial Value: the property is inherited and enjoyed by the family and those closest to it.
- Economic Value: a productive farm generates income and can serve as an economic sustenance or as an additional income
- Sentimental Value: linked to patrimonial value, a property can be enjoyed in many ways by creating links with others or in time alone, this being a very important added value.
- Investor Value: the possibilities are endless with what can be developed in a property, therefore the value of a land is now very high because of the open space for investment.
- Environmental Value: conservation farm contribute to caring for the environment while other types of farms through their work outdoors or in the field help to develop environmental awareness in the people who farm them.
Development opportunity
By having a farm you have a space opportunity, in which you can develop a variety of projects and ideas that can bring you short and long term results. In addition to the benefits that having a property brings at an institutional level, since if you want to request a loan, owning a land gives you more credibility and support before these institutions.
Environmental contribution
Regardless of the objective you have for the farm, managing a land teaches values about environmental care. On farms activities are carried out that teach how to care for nature such as planting trees, caring for subsistence crops, riding horses and caring for animals, etc. All this generates a value of environmental care and promote animal welfare that is passed from one generation to another who inhabit / work / visit the property.
Quality of life
This benefit as put by the NATIVU Fincas advisor: “When we say that a farm provides quality of life it is because when we move and visit a rural area, the mind makes a change for the better (usually) and that is where Owners and Visitors experience a positive change: pure air, green and natural environment for recreation and enjoyment; activities such as horseback riding, walking in the forest, bathing in a river pool or in the sea can enhance the energy that is absorbed by our body, mind and soul. ”
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