The short answer
Most bad land purchases in Costa Rica come from a short list of mistakes: paying before the title is checked, sending money to the seller instead of escrow, and buying untitled land, land without water or land nobody has walked. Each one is avoidable.
1. Paying before the title is checked
A deposit handed over before anyone has read the registry record is the classic way to lose money. The title study comes first, and it takes days, not weeks.
2. Using the seller's attorney
The seller's attorney works for the seller. Hire your own, and choose one the seller and the agent did not recommend.
3. Sending money to the seller
Your deposit and the balance belong in independent escrow, released only when the deed is recorded in your name. Never wire money to a seller's or an agent's personal account.
4. Mistaking possession rights for a title
If there is no folio real number, the lot is not titled, whatever the seller calls it. Possession-rights land can be legitimate, but it is a different purchase at a different price.
5. Not checking water
A lot without a water availability letter cannot get a building permit. Confirm it for the specific lot, with a current letter.
6. Buying land nobody has walked
Photographs do not show a boundary dispute, a slope too steep to build on or a family living in the corner. Walk the boundary against the survey, in person or on a live video call.
7. Ignoring how you get in
Check that the lot fronts a public road or has a recorded right of way. An informal track across a neighbour's farm can be closed. Ask what the road is like in the rainy season.
8. Leaving the land unwatched
Someone who occupies land openly for more than a year gains rights. Arrange for the lot to be visited, and keep the taxes paid.
9. Assuming land means residency
Owning land does not make you a resident. If residency matters to you, confirm the investor rules before you choose a property.
Why Costa Rica needs this much care
There is no nationwide listing system and no mandatory licence for real estate agents. Anyone can advertise land, the same lot can appear at several prices, and nobody is obliged to check a listing before it is published. The buyer's own due diligence is the protection.
Questions buyers ask
Yes, for titled land bought with an independent attorney, a title study and escrow. Foreigners have the same ownership rights as citizens.