As buyers in Costa Rica, we have to ask ourselves many questions to make the decision of location for our new home or property. We need to consider location such as mountain, beach or city, but once we know the general area, the next big choic is deciding whether to live in neighborhood or within a residential community or condominium (condominio) as it’s known in Costa Rica?
Living in A Condominium
If you decide to buy in a condominium, one big advantage is that in some cases the houses are already designed. And the maintenance of the garden, ranch, green areas is not something you generally need to worry about. This HOA fee is charged at a monthly or annual rate and the board or management of the condominium takes care of everything. Even the restricted access to green areas inside of the private urbanization can help to keep these in better condition because they are less used and better maintained.
The President of the condominium may be someone chosen by those who inhabit the urbanization. Or it could also be one of the people who developed the condominium construction project. This is a benefit because it helps the organization to be more closely controlled. Having a person in charge of your community allows you to be close to and even influence the decisions that are made.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that security in condominiums is strict and usually very safe. Most of them have a guard at the entrance 24/7 who controls the entry and exit of all vehicles and people to the urbanization. They also install security cameras around the entire area and the previously mentioned guard is in charge of monitoring them.
Living in A Neighborhood
If you choose to live in a neighborhood, you are making the decision to be part of a community of houses that are not legally related to each other. This can be a benefit, because you are in full control of the decisions made on your property. For example; who to hire for maintenance and manage your own budget for this. It also decides whether or not to have security, and of what type.
Another benefit of this is that when it comes to having family events, reunions or parties, there are no other rules to take into account. Apart from those already established by the government. Even in terms of privacy, there are some who think that living in a neighborhood brings more this.
When you live in a neighborhood, there is also access to common green areas such as children’s parks, now there are more and more dog parks, sports centers, community gyms, swimming pools, and more. And entering and maintaining these comes at no additional cost.
If you are a person who likes to live in a nearby community, governed by rules and a high level of security, then you can choose to live in a condominium. On the other hand, if you are interested in living more freely, without extraordinary expenses and in privacy, then living in the neighborhood is the best decision. Also regardless of where you decide to buy, be it a neighborhood or a condominium, at NATIVU we are ready to advise you to make the best decision!
