If you are looking to buy a Costa Rica condo or house for your own use, or for rental income purposes, it is good to have a list of important characteristics already thought through. That way, you have something to refer to when you are actually looking at properties. You might really like that one bedroom loft home, and think it is a good deal. But when you remember that you expect regular overnight guests, you will realize that you might want more privacy than an open air balcony from your bedroom.

Some keys questions to ask yourself and your family:

• Do you plan to use the home year round or seasonally?
• Do you expect many overnight visitors?
• Do you plan to buy and keep a car in Costa Rica?
• How important is internet access at home?
• How many hours are you willing to travel total door to door from your permanent home?
• Are you looking to relax and unwind when in Costa Rica, or are activities important to you?
• Do you need space for live-in caretakers or a maid?
• What is your ideal climate - there is a huge range in Costa Rica weather!

These questions can help you define your "must have" list, and your "really want" list. For our family, our criteria, other than price and number of bedrooms, looked like this:

• A pool and children's play area was really important.
• Security that is good enough that we can travel for 3 or 4 weeks without worries.
• Access to private schools for our children and good English speaking schools.
• Church community within 15 minutes.
• Doors and windows that open up the home for fresh air - with screens, please.
• Excellent high speed internet, as one of us works at home.
• A separate room for our TV, so the children have a place to be excused to when adult guests are still dining.

We found all of these things in our price range in a Costa Rica condo complex in Escazu, an upscale suburb of San Jose. And we even got a complex wide generator that runs our refrigerator and one light and one outlet in every room when there are power failures. We were relocating a young family here. Your priorities will certainly be different as you search for Costa Rica properties.

For instance, if you are looking to spend only part of the year in Costa Rica, you will most likely have other concerns and needs. Things to look for in a seasonal home include easy access from airports, good security, low maintenance, and possibly an on-site property manager.  Near the beach, air conditioning becomes more important for humidity control and in the countryside, extra fencing or an alarm will help you leave your home with fewer cares.  In many cases, it may make sense to spend a little more for a condo or home that is attractive to short term renters when you are not using it, so it will stand out in the rental pool.  You can talk to your financial adviser about the possible tax benefits of owning rental properties.

There are also tell-tale construction details that you can look for:

• Are the floors carefully installed all the way around?
• Are there electric outlets in places where you want them and are they grounded?
• Check the moldings around the floor - are they solid wood and professionally installed?
• Do the windows have screens to keep down the dust and insects?
• If you were a thief, can you figure out easy ways to break in?
• Do all the doors close tightly?
• Look out for problems like cracked floors and walls, water stained ceilings, and mold anywhere.
• Is water supply municipal or from a well and is there a back-up tank and pressure system.

Remember, we are Real Estate professionals who are Buyers Agents and are here to advise and serve you. We can help you keep that list of priorities straight while looking at a good variety of properties here in Costa Rica. Even if you are an experienced house buyer in your home country, we know the subtle things to look for here. We will use our years of experience in this beautiful country to help you match up your needs and the property that is right for you.