What is an MLS? It is a multiple listing service that real estate brokers and agents use to establish contractual offers of compensation (among brokers and agents). The primary purpose of an MLS is to provide a facility to publish a "unilateral offer of compensation" by a listing broker, to other broker participants in that MLS. In other words, the commission rate that is offered by the listing broker is published within the MLS to other cooperating brokers. The additional benefit of MLS systems is that any potential buyer may search and retrieve information about all homes for sale by all participating brokers.
Is there an MLS in Costa Rica? There are a few owners that have tried to create MLS websites but none of them have been successful in their process. To find a list of properties for sale that corresponds to the buyer’s need and criteria, the agents in Costa Rica need to go through all the websites of all agencies. It is a tremendous amount of work and the main reason why the expect the majority of agencies to only offer you their listings. On the other hand, a buyer that would like to locate properties for sale on his own would have to 1) find all the major real estate websites 2) browse each website one by one and contact their agents for every property they would like information on 3) try to get answers to their questions. Lots of time wasted because the majority of companies promoting real estate are not real estate agencies and they basically never update their website so the information is outdated and they don’t reply their requests and emails. We know, we try to contact them too sometimes!
Why is RE/MAX Ocean Surf & Sun different? Our Tamarindo Remax office has been open since 1999 and over the years we have been able to accumulate a lot of information on properties. With that information in hand, and also by having a full-time assistant searching on the web and compiling information on a daily basis, we have created our own database that we call an internal MLS. It is privately accessible to our team and includes all the properties available and sold in the specific areas we cover. Although we are located in Tamarindo, We don't just specialize in real estate within the Tamarindo area. We cover a broader area so you will have a much larger selection of properties to choose from.
Having this database gives us the largest tool for finding you the perfect property in Costa Rica according to your criteria and all within a very short period of time. No time wasted and more time to enjoy life! We can represent you as the buyer through any listings of any agencies and propose you a plentitude of options within your budget. It’s probably why “nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX”!
Isabelle Emond, Owner/Broker