By Shell Johanson

Being a Costa Rica realtor in Cariari is never an easy job. There are twists and turns in every deal. Patience and nerves are always on edge. It means putting up with a lot of things from the buyers as well as the sellers, without the other party finding out about it. It’s part of the job.  

But there’s one thing that I wish I could do something about, I’m going to call it the ‘Busy Bee’. We all know this person because we all have one near. It is usually a family member, a friend or a neighbor who thinks he/she is a fountain of knowledge and loves to share his/her opinions. Never short for words, that’s for sure. The ‘Busy Bee’ is very good at screwing up real estate deals.

Let’s say Juana is selling her home, the ‘Busy-Bee’ would automatically tell her something like this:  ‘You’re selling it for WHAT?  $250K? Are you crazy? This house is easily worth $300K. Why are you giving it away?’

If Juana is the one *buying* the same golf property, then the same ‘Busy Bee’ would be saying, ‘You’re paying WHAT? $250K? You’re kidding me, right? This house is not worth $200K. Why are you doing this to yourself?’

The truth is that the ‘Busy-Bee’ doesn’t know anything about the prices of Costa Rica real estate, the status of the market, comparable properties in the neighborhood, the ‘Busy Bee’ has an opinion without having the knowledge. The ‘Busy Bee’ tries to influence the decision to buy or sell a lot more difficult than it needs to be, especially if there is a knowledgeable realtor like me involved.

I’ve seen sellers not accepting very reasonable offers on their properties because they think they should not lower the price of their home one single dollar, because they’re already giving the house away. Much later, they realize, after the house sits unsold for a long time on the market, that the ‘Busy-Bee’ did them a dis-service. You need to be extremely careful wasting a perfectly sound offer in a small niche market like Cariari and Los Arcos, where most people buy a property because they like to be close to the golf course of the Cariari Country Club.  

I have also seen buyers who love a Cariari home for sale and it suits them to a tee, yet they make the offer too low because the ‘Busy-Bee’ told them it was overpriced.  Too late, they see the home being snapped up by a better informed and happy buyer.

As a realtor and someone who has been in your shoes, I understand you’re making one of the largest purchases or sales of your life and in most cases y are edgy or skittish even. It is all very understandable and that on its own is a great reason to use an experienced real estate agent like me.

No matter if you are selling or buying real estate in Costa Rica, make sure you get a knowledgeable and professional second opinion before you make a decision. Get an professional appraiser or a home inspector involved, but PLEASE don’t listen to the ‘Busy-Bee’. Thank you.

Shell Johanson is an expert realtor in the area of Cariari and Los Arcos. Shell plays golf himself and is a member of the Cariari Country club, so he can get you introduced in the life in Cariari very well. Shell can also find you the Cariari home you are looking for, contact him now. Shell was born in Sweden, grew up in Peru, went to college and lived nearly 30 years in Canada and has lived in Costa Rica for the last thirteen years. Shell is fluent in English and Spanish. Shell lives in Cariari and therefore knows it well. He has been a member of the Cariari Golf Club from the day he arrived. He has bought and sold real estate in Cariari and built a house in its exclusive Las Alturas area.