Satisfied buyers of Costa Rica Real estate have offered their testimials for GoDutch Realty agents.

Both buyers and sellers of Costa Rica real estate offer their testimonials about their experiences with our Costa Rica real estate agents.For those of you who want to know more about the real estate agents you might want to use to purchase your property in Costa Rica, we offer you testimonials from our buyers and sellers, where they will tell you about their experiences of selling or buying real estate in Costa Rica through a GoDutch Realty agent. Our clients have bought in great locations in the Central Valley like Escazu, Santa Ana, Grecia, Atenas, Naranjo, Los Santos, Cariari and many others and they share their testimonials with you here.

Sales, Service, Satisfaction and Testimonial...

Hi folks, this is Keith and Marlin Watlington - new home buyers in Escazu. We are certainly not new to Costa Rica, Marlin is a national and our 12 year old daughter was born here - what is new to us is being new home buyers and now owners.

One might ask; what’s the deal? Where can I find a good agent? How hard is it? How long does it take? How much will it cost me? And, Will I have a good experience.

Testimonials are often motivated by emotional reactions developed by the complete experience. Some will have good experiences and some will have bad ones. In our experience we found one thing that made the overall difference - our agent.

Folks without a good agent you are more likely to have a bad experience than a good one no matter how the deal goes. We are not ones to over-complement and we expect professional service and good attention and communication. Well, ha ha, that is not often the case in Costa Rica - God bless it.

Ours was a good experience because all evolved were nice folks and we all wanted to have a good experience. This is not always going to be the case and both buyers and sellers can be a real pain in the caboose.

The wild card is the agent. The agent is the pivotal point and fulcrum in balancing the two parties and working with the other needs as well.

With no hesitation and with great esteem and admiration we highly recommend Mr. Ivo Henfling from GoDutch Realty.

The list of reasons is too long to write here and I do want to keep this short and sweet; however, Mr. Ivo has come to be more than just a good realtor and trusted advisor to our family - he has become a part of our circle of professional friends.

We found Mr. Ivo to not only know his stuff about buying and selling houses in Costa Rica, but he has been our go-to guy for many of our other needs as well. Service after the sale you ask? You bet you get it with this guy. He doesn’t disappear after he gets paid, nor does he give you that great big sigh when you ask him for more assistance. Mr. Ivo loves his work with a passion and is diligent and tenacious about moving the process along as quickly and smoothly as possible. He truly wants his clients to enjoy and be satisfied with the home buying or selling experience and it shows in everything he does.

If you want to buy or sell a house and you want the best agent in Costa Rica - give Mr. Ivo Henfling and GoDutch Realty a call today! Don’t find out later you made a big mistake with another agency - these are the folks you want to deal with.

Thanks Mr. Ivo.

Keith and Marlin Watlington

-- David Phipps and Garry McMullen

We would just like to thank Rudy and Ivo for all their help with the purchasing of the house in San Joaquin de Flores Costa Rica. Not only did they both provide excellent service during the purchase process, but they have been more than willing to answer any questions that we had even 9 months later. They have provided great information on shipping companies, general contractors and other helpful advise for the new homeowner in Costa Rica. We were so pleased with their service that we recently provided their contact information to a fellow government purchasing professional based in Vancouver, Washington, USA.

Thanks for all your help guys.

--Joni Lockwood
 

We are doing our due diligence and found your website and blog. Ivo, we love the way you tell it like it is. The world needs more of that! I often say instead of spending money on Customer Service training, companies should just encourage their employees to relate to customers as real people. Hopefully you'll help us be better buyers when the time comes.

-- Paul Darlington

I was asked to rate Mike Newhouse's performance in the Costa Rica real estate purchase done recently for me.
Mike's hospitality was outstanding, and the best of numerous realtors I have dealt with in the past. 

His commitment to ensuring my being educated about the process was great.  His willingness to dedicate time to show me the neighborhood, and acclimatize me to the Hispanic culture was way over what was expected. Mike's dedication to the completion of the transaction was also great.  His ability to tolerate unforeseen circumstances in the transaction was good.  His continuing to be available to answer questions, and to be generally friendly and helpful months after the sale completed further enhance his professionalism.

To summarize I find Mike to be a superior realtor in all aspects.  It was a pleasure to have dealt with him, and to continue his acquaintance.

--Debi & Jim Gerling

To anyone considering buying real estate in Costa Rica:
 
We cannot recommend Go Dutch Realty highly enough.  When we began casually looking at properties on the Internet, there's was the only web site that gave us all the information we were looking for.  It is professionally done, easy to navigate, and got us excited about the prospect of actually seeing some homes.  The particular homes that attracted us brought us to Brooke Bishop, the agent who specializes in the areas we were most interested in.  She impressed us immediately.  Her contacts with us were timely, informational, educational, and even fun.  She knew that the likelihood of us purchasing something on our first visit to Costa Rica was slim but she kept paying attention to us and organized a househunting tour anyway.  Although she was attentive, she is by no means pushy.  She just responds to whatever you want.  Fabulous!  We developed a wonderful e-mail relationship with Brooke and were about to meet her in person on our first trip when a family illness required Brooke to return to the United States just when we were leaving for Costa Rica.  We were so disappointed!  But Ivo stepped in without missing a beat and we saw every home we wanted to see and more.  In fact, due to Ivo and Brooke's diligence, we did end up buying a house and are absolutely thrilled!  We closed on the house a few months ago but remain in constant contact with both Brooke and Ivo.  We finally met Brooke on our more recent trip and the services she provides continued:  she took us to look at appliances for our new home, constantly suggested places for us to check out for one thing or another, and generally continues to be a great source of advice.  And it is the same with Ivo.  We know that we can count on both of them to help make our upcoming move as easy as possible.  They seem to really want to make sure that this huge change in our lives is a positive one.  We have no doubt that it will be thanks, in large part, to Ivo and Brooke.  We have no reservations in highly recommending both of them as realtors and we are extremely hopeful that they are also becoming our friends.  

Debi & Jim

-- Tony & Tina Tipton from Longview, Texas
 

Dear Ivo & GoDutch Realty,

Please accept this letter in recognition of Rudy Matthews who recently handled our residential real-estate transaction in Heredia, Costa Rica.  Rudy worked very hard for us to make the sale a possibility and he represented our best interests at every step.  He recommended only the most professional associates to handle every detail of the sale.
Rudy was always extremely accessible and easy to work with.  Since we were not in the country, we obviously trusted him with our property and possessions and we were not disappointed.  In addition to every detail of the sales transaction, Rudy arranged for property management, legal services, relocation assistance and many other details.  He was truly a full service broker.
We would be happy to recommend Rudy to anyone who is buying or selling property in Costa Rica.

-- Jessica Chou and Der Ping

Yes, GoDutch Realty’s services were an important factor in our decision of moving to Costa Rica, it has a good reputation.  Else, we will not think it is possible to do such purchase.

Because it was international purchase, it was a complicated process.  However, we appreciate the good knowledge of our real estate agent Brooke Bishop and her willingness to assist us in many challenging situations.

Our experience during the purchase transaction has been educational.  We learned a lot about the local culture.  We are still working with Brooke on the Internet and Phone connection.  We hope that it will be resolved soon. Brooke has been very responsive and helpful, we are very satisfied with her service.

It would be nice to give each client a check list and the how-to manual of the things related to follow-up steps, it will be very helpful.  For example, how to pay electricity, phone bills, property tax, choose the suitable Internet provider, apply a phone land line, etc.  

If you are looking for a responsible and dedicated realtor in Grecia properties, you should contact Brooke.
 

-- Rob & Donna in Panama City

Hi James ,
Sorry , for no response as we are on a cruise. I had 93  realtors in CR when I had my house for sale.  Ivo is the best . Even if you deal with any one in American - European real estate group, make sure Ivo takes care of you. This guy is professional like nothing you will see in CR. I have cc this letter to him. You know we are in to perfection and Ivo is that.
We are back Sunday. I will write you later.
Hugs,
Donna

-- Dick Davis and Monica Tobin in Naranjo

Although we looked at GoDutch Realty’s webpage – among many others – we did not actually contact an agent until we had already moved to Costa Rica so we could look at properties in person.

We first encountered Brooke Bishop, our GoDutch agent when asking to see a Grecia property she had listed. We subsequently viewed MANY lots and homes with Brooke in Grecia, Sarchi and Naranjo. Ultimately, after many months of hard work on her part and ours, we bought a property in Lourdes de Cirri de Naranjo through GoDutch Realty and Brooke.

The purchase process was fairly smooth. We used our own attorney in Costa Rica, and Brooke was very helpful to him during the ‘due diligence’ process. The actual closing was a breeze.

Brooke is the absolute best! She is knowledgeable, reliable and dogged in her quest to find a property that is exactly what you’re looking for. We especially like Brooke because she is honest and forthright; she doesn’t pull any punches when evaluating a property or advising buyers on the pros and cons of properties.  I can only assume she is the same way with sellers as well.

We can’t say enough good things about Brooke and her service. She is a gem; GoDutch is very lucky to have her!

Brooke is great at what she does, and she will only get better as she continues to learn her craft.
 

-- Cameron, Diane and Jocelyn Farquhar in Atenas

Cameron and I wanted to take the time to let you know how much we have enjoyed working with GoDutch Realty, and in particular with your local realtors, Isabelle and Howard Jones; we have dealt with the Joneses, primarily Isabelle, since March 2007 when we made our first property purchase here in Costa Rica which was on our first trip to Costa Rica!

Isabelle--called Isa by her friends-- made the whole process practically painless for us: she asked many questions first, in order to determine what we were looking for, by asking lifestyle, interests etc, then showed us homes that fell with in our area of interest; she took the time, to introduce us to a local attorney in Costa Rica, helped us open a bank account, and gave us advice on living in a foreign country based on her and her family's experience; In particular, both Cameron and I felt that Isa never pressured us, and in fact always gave us the pros AND cons of a property etc, which is something we never experienced in the States in dealing with realtors!

Since then, we have had several additional real estate transactions with Isa, including the latest, the sale of our home in Roca Verde in Atenas! We couldn't be more pleased with the level of professionalism, knowledge reliability and honesty exhibited by M/M Jones at every point!

We can truly say that Isa and Howard go the extra mile (and more) for their clients--we couldn't be more pleased!
 

-- Antoinette Kelley in Alajuela

Ivo, not only is his name unique but so is his service! My husband and I came here to retire in Costa Rica, but our situation was far from typical. For starters we were both in our late 20's. We had a one year old son & I was 6 months pregnant. When we started our house hunt we were disheartened to find that most realtors just ignored our wants & needs and just wanted to sell us whatever would make them the biggest commission.

After becoming frustrated with what seemed like a futile search for our dream home, a friend told us to call Ivo and directed us to his website. I went to his site and was immediately impressed by his complete knowledge of not only Costa Rica real estate but of how to make a smooth transition into life in Costa Rica. I started browsing his site and there it was, a picture of the most perfect driveway on Gods earth! Now I know it was only a picture of a driveway, but something inside me had to have it! I showed my husband the listing and we set up a meeting with Ivo.

It was the first property we went to see with Ivo. And what do you know, we fell in love with it. Now that could be the end of it, but no. Ivo insisted that we make sure we were making the right choice. He showed us a few more properties in Alajuela to make sure we had something to compare it to. Fast forward to buying the house. Ivo made sure the transaction went perfectly smooth. Now this could be the end of the story as well, but NO. We have to remember we are dealing with Super Agent Ivo!

He then assisted us in opening a bank account, getting our utilities switched into our name, getting cell phones, recommended a moving company, getting internet (which was a small miracle in itself) and several additional things that made our transition so easy. And he got it all done before my baby was due! Any time we have had a question or needed help he was there. He doesn't stop helping after the check is signed.

He is a one stop shop for everything you need to set up your new life and plan to buy real estate in Costa Rica!

--David Phipps and Garry McMullen from Vancouver

Hi Ivo:
 
In spite of your stellar efforts on our behalf and all of our best laid plans, it would now appear as though our Costa Rica relocation will not take place due to circumstances beyond our control. Our disappointment is heartfelt as is our sincere appreciation for all of your unselfish professional time and effort dedicated to us. I'm coming back to CR later this week simply to unwind our banking relationship (which believe it or not requires me to personally come to the bank versus close everything out by notarized letter!). Not sure how we can show our appreciation any more than to offer our name and contact information for use by you as a reference whenever necessary. Also happy to come up with a "testimony" for your website if it would be helpful.
 
Beyond the above, allow us to simply thank you one more time for your hospitality.
 
Kind regards and Happy Holidays
 
 

-- Dom & Alisa Porto in Escazu

When we came to Costa Rica to look at property, we worked with multiple agents of the GoDutch Realty office as we were looking at different areas of the Central Valley. GoDutch really helped establish a comfort zone when making our property purchase

We experienced great communication, follow-up, courteous, prompt and efficient work. We did not attend the closing of our property, closed through a POA, GoDutch Realty (Ivo) kept us well informed and exceptionally guided us through the process, representing our interests as meaningful as our Attorney in Costa Rica.

We are very satisfied with the post sale services my GoDutch realtors have given us. Post sale communication is on-going with Ivo and Brooke. Working with GoDutch is like becoming part of a family.
 

-- Kathy D. Peterson, Chicago, Illinois in Escazu

GoDutch Realty and Ivo played a key role in developing within me a "comfort zone" for purchasing property in another country and to retire in Costa Rica . I signed the contract and paid the deposit on my condo on the 6th day of my first visit to Costa Rica. A leap of faith?  Some people say so, but Go Dutch did not steer me wrong and I've been in my new condo for a year and a half.

My GoDutch Realty agent was knowledgeable of the geographical areas, demographic profile and cultural differences unique to a given area or neighborhood.  Furthermore, the agent was able to point out climate differences in various areas of the Central Valley. The agent's knowledge of these points helped him determine the Costa Rican area to be the "best fit" for the potential buyer, based on the buyer's (my) preferences.

Having purchased and sold several homes in IL over the span of almost 30 years, there were many steps in the process for the Costa Rican purchase that were unfamiliar to me. My GoDutch agent made the process understandable and seamless.  Almost incredible considering all elements of the process were handled via email with me in the USA (only 3 visits by me to Costa Rica as my condo was being built from the ground up) from contract to closing.  My Go Dutch agent went well beyond the expected level of service by USA standards throughout the process.   

I have been thrilled and amazed with the GoDutch service........ GoDutch has spoiled me!

If my GoDutch agent would have done any more to make my purchase any easier he would have paid for it himself.  Top notch service from beginning to end!!

You've not seen much until you've seen GoDutch!!   

--Gabriela Paniagua, Heredia

I made the purchase of a house in the Condominio Los Sauces in Heredia in the month of October 2010 .

Our Realtor was Mr. Rudy Matthews, who personally handled all our requests in a proactive and efficient manner.

In the process of approval of the bank loan, Rudy was a great help to provide the required documentation expeditiously. His suggestions and solutions were really appreciated.

We thank Rudy for all his support and congratulations to Go Dutch Realty for having an employee at this level.

Any reference I am at your service.
 

-- Peter & Edie Boyer in Orosi

Hello Ivo,


My wife and I traveled to Costa Rica from 1-14 July to conduct our own realty tour. We started in Arenal, then Atenas, Grecia area and culminated in Orosi Valley. Our objective was to choose an area where we'd like to retire in Costa Rica.  It was our first visit and we enjoyed our time albeit with quite a busy agenda.

Our three day visit in Atenas was most productive and we were delighted to meet with Isabelle Jones who provided us a thorough tour of the area and showed us many beautiful homes in Atenas and vacant lots in Atenas. We were most impressed with her knowledge and advice. We gleaned a great deal of information from her about purchasing in Costa Rica.

I would like to commend her for the hard work and diligent attention she provided us. She is a vibrant and intelligent agent with an amazing friendly yet professional personality well suited to her job. She obviously loves Costa Rica and we shared her enthusiasm which makes working with her such a pleasure. We eventually chose to buy land in Orosi Valley.

We worked with a different realtor there, but Isabelle also extended her assistance to us via email/phone links regarding land purchase, etc.

I congratulate her for her efforts and would rank her at the top of all the realtors we have worked with over the years. She is a wonderful agent with a natural flair to judge personalities, comment where necessary, but most importantly her ability to listen to clients.

Isabelle is a great asset to your company and I would recommend her to anyone seeking property in the Atenas area. We hope to visit with her in the near future when we eventually were moving to Costa Rica.

Best regards,

-- Irene and Bob Kraas, from Houston, Texas in Escazu
 

I couldn’t have asked for a better or more prepared real estate agent.  We have bought and sold over 20 properties with various agents and hands down this was the best!!! GoDutch Realty facilitated the entire process from purchase to loans to closing on real estate in Costa Rica.  They even made sure our taxes were paid for the first year so that we wouldn’t have to worry about where to go and who to pay! Ivo is the only realtor I know who continues post sales help – for us it has been four years and still if I have a question I can call GoDutch and they are prompt and friendly with help.

-- Nelleke Bruyn, from Indianapolis, Indiana in Tres Ríos
 

The GoDutch Realty’s website had a lot of good information about Costa Rica, and Ivo always promptly gave me specific answers to my specific questions. These helped prepare me for my visit to Costa Rica, also in what to expect in the houses here, no double glazed windows, and no air conditioning, for example.  Ivo was very pleasant and knowledgeable, both concerning the real estate market here and the different regions of Costa Rica.

Being Dutch, he was always very punctual, prompt in answering questions, a real go-getter.  Since I speak Spanish, I did not need too many services.

Ivo did give me advice on getting my 4 cats here, including recommending an excellent vet in Escazu who took care of my cats for a month, and for recommending an excellent lawyer for my Costa Rican residency.

Even though I have already lived here for over five years, I know that if I need any other advice he will gladly give it.  He always answers my Emails promptly, which so many businesses don't bother to do.

-- Fran Teaster in Cariari
 

It was wonderful working with Shell Johanson of GoDutch Realty.  I thought that the transaction went very smoothly.  I was actually most impressed by the fact that he listened to what I had to say about what I wanted, and then proceeded to find a house that had everything I had put on my list.  Shell was very friendly, and a great source of information about living in Costa Rica in general.

It was great to be able to call Shell on his toll-free number to ask questions.  He always responded to calls and email in a timely fashion.  Oh, and let’s not forget that we appreciated being able to work with people (both you and Roger Petersen) who speak English.

I would absolutely recommend others to work with Shell. Thank you so much for all of your help in buying our home and retire in Costa Rica.
 

-- Karen Grayzck in Atenas
 

Isa,
We have some people that are coming to look at our place on Friday, Oct. 22nd, from the U.S. They contacted us directly off of our Vivian.com ad and are not going through another realtor. Anyway, this couple also wanted to look at some other places, possibly some B&B's for sale...? They had originally worked with ******-Realty? but are having some second thoughts and asked us to refer them to a good realtor. We suggested you and told them to go to your website and give you a jingle. So, you should be getting a contact email from Bob Pascarella and his wife Amanda regarding some showings during that time. We were not sure of your schedule, etc., but figured you could work that out with them.
 
Of course we are showing them our place personally, and of course, we want to sell them our place! However, if our house is not what they want, then we want them in capable hands while they are here, and that means YOU. They are special people and we hope they are treated well.
 
Pura Vida
 

-- Gerry Neville from Chicago, Illinois in Escazu

GoDutch Realty's services were the FIRST factor in my decision to move to Costa Rica.  The other factors were the favorable year-round weather, the cost of real estate compared to the States, andthe less-hectic lifestyle of the people of Costa Rica.

My agent's ability to "zero-in" on the right properties to check out and his knowledge of property values made the real estate experience very enjoyable. My agent, Ivo Henfling, by asking the correct questions up front, narrowed the number of properties to look at. He correctly understood that condos were those units that I wanted to see most.

Since this was the first property that I have bought in my life, my only experiences with purchases were "horror stories" that I got from friends when they bought property.  The purchase was handled very efficiently by GoDutch Realty in coordination with a very good lawyer. There were no last minute changes. GoDutch Realty was very helpful in providing answers to any questions I had and also were instrumental in getting a qualified home inspector to check out the property for any flaws in construction.

GoDutch Realty did everything that I would expect from a quality real estate company. Things outside the realtor's ability to control, like delays by the condo developer in completing my condo, were unfortunate but beyond the control of ANY real estate agent.

-- Craig and Sonia Moody from Long Beach California in Escazu

When I contacted Ivo from GoDutch Realty, we talked about the areas I was interested in, we met & he took me around to various properties in the Central Valley & locations. He had great knowledge of picking out places that was in my money range & what I was looking for. The Team structure that I put together, bank in the states, local lawyer & Ivo, it went together fairly well, even the fact that I was working in Aruba at the time, but Ivo was the middle man between all here in Costa Rica which he handled very well. When buying a house in Costa Rica, there will always be the nature of things that you might need help in such as plumbing, electrical, appliance repairs, etc, when this type would arise I called upon Ivo for a person or company he might suggest & I have gotten good results, which makes things much easier to deal with.
 

-- Chuck Gleason in Cariari

I can honestly say that we would not have bought a house at this time if we hadn't been working with someone as competent, helpful and fluent in English as Shell Johanson of GoDutch Realty in Cariari.

It was not our original plan to buy this soon, but once we found the house in Cariari, he (and attorney Roger Petersen) made the rest quite easy. We really appreciate that, and I would not hesitate to recommend Shell to others in our position.
 

-- Wayne Winstead in Rohrmoser

I met Ivo Henfling, when I had a house for sale in Escazu. My experience was excellent. This house was for sale for a protracted period of time, but Ivo continued to bring clients and he had over a period of time suggestions to improve the look of the property.

My experience was very good and after I sold the house in Escazu, and was looking for a house in Rohrmoser, Ivo found me a very nice bungalow, which I live in today.

My overal experience was good, way above average, and Ivo continues to be an excellent source for help and information.

-- Marlene Henderson from California in Grecia

GoDutch Realty didn't help us make our decision to move to Costa Rica but having decided to move to Costa Rica we called a number of Real Estate Agents who ranged for TERRIBLE to Great - with the only one I would say "GREAT" being GoDutch and our newly found friend Isabelle. We found our GoDutch Realty agent extremely knowledgeable and made a huge effort to show us many properties even if we did buy the FIRST one she showed us after all her effort!

GoDutch even provided one of their top agents to translate because the bank refused to finalize our loan without a translator.  The final purchase went smoothly and everything went according to what they had promised.

We are very happy with the services of Go Dutch realtors and continue to call from time to time as friends as this is the type of people they are. I can't think of anything Go Dutch could have done for us that they didn't already do unless it was to pay for the property in Grecia!!
 

-- Daniel Guenzler in Grecia
 

Brooke Bishop was an incredibly important factor in buying my property in Grecia. Brooke was fantastic, I can’t think of anyone more helpful during an extraordinary purchase such as this. My purchase experience was a lot easier than expected.

Brooke made things easy in all aspects: lawyer, post purchase, and property management.  She went above and beyond with everything. Brooke accommodated me, and really made me feel comfortable.

I just wish I had more means to buy more property in Costa Rica.  I wasn’t expecting much, and didn’t visit Costa Rica on vacation, but Brooke made my business feel like a vacation and didn’t pressure me at all.   I literally feel bad about how much work she did versus how much work I did in this process.

Brooke is a credit to GoDutch Realty, and if she is a typical agent, GoDutch Realty is a credit to the Costa Rican real estate community.
 

-- Dr. Douglas Benn from Gainesville, Florida in Atenas

GoDutch Realty was the only agency to promptly respond to all my emails and pick me up at the airport on arrival. After 2 days of looking we found our house in Atenas. Ivo Henfling then spent 2 days showing the important things such as the CIMA private hospital, shopping, finding a lawyer, a surveyor, home inspector, private bank ...

Ivo went above and beyond what is expected. I am very satisfied with the post sale services your GoDutch realtors have offered me. Especially the free checking of my property registration  through Property Guard to ensure nobody is tampering with the ownership.

-- Doug and Ginny Wells from Charlottesville, Virginia in Escazu

Ivo of GoDutch Realty was outstanding!  He took us around to many different locations. He was very knowledgeable about the market andall the available properties.  We finally settled on a home that Ivo had shown us. After we decided on the property, Ivo worked very hard to help us negotiate the agreement with the sellers.

Because we were in a competitive situation, with multiple offers, our experience was somewhat hectic. However, Ivo kept us on tract. We finally obtained our home thanks to Ivo's hard work negotiating with the seller on our behalf. It was not an easy situation.

Also, I recall being at the closing with the sellers, our attorney, and our realtor, Ivo.  It was a complicated settlement. We were not residents in Costa Rica then and we had to create a corporation in which to place this property we had just purchased. I remember feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the way it was being handled.

Ivo was very assertive, on our behalf, ensuring that we were legally protected even at the risk of alienating the sellers, and our attorney, in the process. He did what was right and he gained a client for life! His actions were much appreciated. Ivo, you certainly deserve, and earned, all the praise. We couldn't have done it successfully without your help.  I didn't even mention the time you went to Hertz by the airport to pickup keys I left there for Ginny. You've been a great Realtor and a good friend over the past four years and we appreciate you.

Ivo has maintained excellent communications with us over the years. As a result, we purchased a second property from him, a condo in Escazu as an investment. Again, Ivo handled the all transaction details and we closed successfully. I would recommend Ivo to anyone who is seriously thinking about purchasing property in Costa Rica.

One of Ivo's most remarkable qualities is his excellent follow up. He keeps you informed daily via the internet and by phone as he works with you to find the right property. You can trust Ivo completely and count on him to smooth the way. I am happy to recommend Ivo. I am confident that he will assist you in achieving all your real estate goals - and - you'll be very happy with his outstanding service.
 

-- Coen Bijl from Curacao, Dutch Antilles in Atenas
 

GoDutch Realty’s services were an important benefit to assist with my decision to move to Atenas in Costa Rica, especially the combination Isabelle – Ivo.

In time of difficulties its easer to discuss this in Dutch with Ivo. Our agent Isabelle did an outstanding job, much knowledge about the market, very patient, and courteous.

-- Leo Shafto in Heredia

Again a sincere thanks Ivo for your follow up and professionalism, it is something severely lacking in CR.  I can see that it is no coincidence that 2 independent people recommended you without any sort of prompting.


Best wishes,
 

-- Win Canavan from San Jose, California in Escazu

My GoDutch Realty agent, Ivo Henfling, responded promptly to my emails, personally checked out any Costa Rica real estate that I located online. This kind of service and promptness is very important when you are making life changing decisions. Ivo was a pro about Costa Rica.  He drove me around the area I was interested in and pointed out different sites, where the embassies were located and thoroughly explained the financial ramifications of moving to and buying a home in Escazu, Costa Rica.

The transaction went very smoothly as Ivo, who understood all the ins and outs of the housing market here walked me through my purchase. The language was no barrier and he definitely knew the ropes here. I have had more problems buying in the U.S. and it was all in English. When the agent knows what he is doing, things go smoothly and they did for me.

Ivo helped me many times after the purchase with personal things that I needed to know, and even stayed with me until I purchased my first car in C.R. To this day, I frequently ask him questions and he always gets right back to me. It has been almost four years since the purchase and he still assists me. Now that's service.

This agent should be teaching real estate courses here in C.R. A segment of the course could be how to succeed by providing excellent service to our clients.
 

-- Sherrie & Scot Robinson from Fort Worth, Texas in Escazu

GoDutch Realty’s services were absolutely an important factor in our decision of relocating and to retire in Costa Rica. It has been a wonderful experience to work with Ivo who has expert knowledge of the Costa Rican real estate market. Ivo made it as easy as it could be.

He has been an ongoing guide for us even after our move to CR.  We are more than satisfied!

The only way it could've been easier is if he had written the purchase check.
 

-- Kristi Browning and Gary Baker from Bradenton, Florida in Mata de Limon
 

GoDutch Realty has helped us with every detail.  Ivo was amazing. He even showed us around the town of Puntarenas, when we bought our small hotel to let us know where to get supplies and etc. I couldn't have asked for a better realtor. I will always suggest using him as a realtor.

I had nightmares with other realtors, but with him he was a man of his word and knew what he was doing.
 

-- Ardon and Barbara Schambers from Michigan in Rio Grande de Atenas
 

The information and insight provided by GoDutch Realty were instrumental in our business decisions. We were pleased to have them as a resource even before we started to look at specific properties. Ivo was a no-nonsense guy right from the beginning.

We liked the resources GoDutch Realty brought to the table. They clearly knew about what was happening in the market. They addressed a number of factors beyond just selling land in Costa Rica. They continue to be a valued business partner.

They made sure there were no loose ends to deal with later. It took over a year with many attorneys involved as the several properties in Costa Rica that we bought was a very difficult transaction. We all recognized the real estate expertise.

Repeat business says it all. We are looking at additional property with GoDutch Realty.
 

-- Tom and Tina Dalby from Sweden in Escazu
 

We had a very good experience with our GoDutch Realty agent Mike Newhouse. We are delighted with the property in Escazu we bought. We have no complaints at all, everything was handled very professionally. The post sale service was excellent and we were also very happy with the legal advice we were offered. We were entirely satisfied with Mike's service and would recommend him to any future potential clients.
 

-- Carlos and Patty Thomas, Longwood, Florida in Ciudad Colon
 

Ivo Henfling was the most helpful and sincere Real Estate agent I have ever met. In the US Real Estate agents are not as helpful and are misleading and high pressure. Ivo is very knowledgeable and will go way beyond what is expected from a Real Estate agent.
 

-- Allen and Fresia Tracey from Kelvin, Ontario Canada in Escazu

My wife and I were very satisfied with the professional services provided by Ivo Henfling of Go Dutch Realty. His detailed knowledge of the Costa Rican property market was very helpful to us selecting the right neighborhood and house for our family. Ivo was very personable, very frank, and very patient with us. We would highly recommend Ivo as a reputable real estate professional to other North Americans relocating to Costa Rica.

-- Matthew and Debbie Rice from San Jose, Costa Rica
 

We have lived in CR for 5 years before meeting Ivo @ GoDutch Realty and had experienced many so called realtors. Ivo is not looking for just a quick sale,but a good sale by looking out for his client. His knowledge of what I was looking for was outstanding, but more important his knowledge of local zoning and proposed developments can save you from a nightmare of trouble later.

My wife & I buy a lot of property & our closing on our property in Escazu was very smooth. Ivo followed up and did everything he said he would. We consider Ivo our friend & stay in contact.
 

-- Janet Burke from Arizona in Escazu

GoDutch Realty’s services were a critical factor in my decision of moving and retire in Costa Rica. The willingness of GoDutch to help with more than just finding a place to stay made a big differencein my ability to embed myself in the life of the country. Finding a lawyer, opening a bank account, getting advice on certain basic things like phone lines and internet made it possible for me to make a relatively easy transition into a culture that has very different ways of doing things than what I was used to in the US.

I felt very secure in Ivo’s knowledge of Costa Rica and the real estate market. He was able to answer questions about various properties in both Escazu and other communities, and he was familiar with properties I had seen on earlier visits. When I got down to serious consideration of a purchase, not only was he willing to show me properties listed by other agents (unfortunately not always the case in Costa Rica, it seems), but he was very forthright and honest about financial arrangements and suitability of a property to my needs.

My experience during the purchase transaction is excellent. I felt he wanted to make sure that I understood everything that was going on at each step.  When he felt something was amiss in the transaction, he raised the appropriate questions to make sure that I was getting exactly what I thought I was getting. He gave me advice for making sure that the things I ordered for my condo were exactly the things I was going to get.

I am very satisfied with the post sale services GoDutch Realty has offered me. Ivo had his commission about a year or more before the condominium in Escazu was actually built, but he was very active in making sure everything went smoothly as the construction continued. He even had his wife buy fans I needed for three rooms in the condominium when I couldn’t get there to purchase them myself, and he delivered them.
 

-- Liz and Tony Smith from Bermuda in Escazu

GoDutch Realty’s services were an important factor in our decision of moving to Escazu in Costa Rica  ... and I don't know if we could have done it without them.

You can't get better than GoDutch. With our GoDutch agent, brilliant and painless ... by comparison I'm glad we didn't have the seller's agent.   He was hopeless.
 

-- Bert and Vera Altmann from California in Atenas
 

GoDutch Realty’s services were absolutely an important factor in our decision of moving to Atenas, Costa Rica. We first visited Costa Rica in 2004 and Ivo was very diligent and helpful in showing us areas and homes around the Central Valley.

When we returned in 2006, our friends who had been with us in 2004 and us, decided that we wanted him to help us search for possible homes for both of us to purchase. Both Ivo and his associate Isa Jones were most helpful in finding us an attorney, property inspector and geologist to help us with our purchase.

They both have continued with good advice and helpful information since.
 

-- Christina and Barry Minkin in Escazu
 

Although we had already made the decision of moving to Costa Rica prior to working with GoDutch, the company made our research and ultimately buying a property much easier and successful.  We were impressed with GoDutch from our first experiencevia their web site, our initial conversation with Ivo about our needs.

Upon meeting Ivo -- he actually met my flight-- to the time we spent together touring the neighborhood to see Cima, Multiplaza, neighborhood options, restaurants and whatever I wanted to see -- I knew Ivo and GoDutch were the right choice and never looked back.

Ivo has a talent for listening to people's needs as well as an intuitive ability to understand the options that will ultimately work best for a prospective buyer.  GoDutch has a great inventory of homes and property -- but so do many of GoDutch Realty's competitors -- what sets Ivo apart is who he is as a person:  genuine, caring, smart, energetic.

In Costa Rica, which is no different than the US, buyers must be vigilante in finding a trustworthy and committed agent -- Ivo is both without a doubt!   All who work with him at GoDutch bring that same sincerity and helpfulness that my family truly appreciates -- well beyond the sales transaction.

Words cannot express the deep appreciation my husband and I have for GoDutch -- both Ivo and Catalina have done the impossible to help us with the details of moving to Costa Rica including our goal to get our beloved Akitas (each 100 lbs+) safely at our new home post haste, purchasing cars, getting phone and internet service, referrals for various services.

It has been 4 years since we purchased our home and we still tap into GoDutch because they are super helpful people who we trust and who are always pleased to help us out. In fact, Catalina even helped me find Halloween costumes for my children including communicating via phone on my behalf with the Tica shop owners - that's post sales service some 24 months later!
 

-- Len Petry in Escazu

My entire experience with GoDutch Realty was excellent. I received frank, honest advice before the sale, and an uncommonly attentive service after the sale.  Ivo Henfling is a treasure chest of information and contacts that every homeowner needs from time to time.  He is very generous with his time and experience.

My experience during the purchase transaction of my townhouse in Escazu was excellent. Ivo provided a draft Offer to Purchase, and negotiated the shoals of an unusually-complex purchase process. He is very knowledgeable, and brings a good sense of humor to the process.

He told me what he thought a property was worth, even if his assessment was below asking price, and this honesty made me feel quite comfortable, and confident, throughout the buying stage.

I am absolutely satisfied with the post sale services my GoDutch Realtor has offered me.  Most agents disappear once the commission check is cashed.

Ivo makes it a point to stay in touch, and helped me solve many problems -- with local government, finding and dealing with trades people, etc. He is my "go to guy" when I need something done.

My experience with Ivo in Costa Rica was the best I have had, in any country.
 

-- Buck Kirkland in Santa Ana

I would like to thank Mike Newhouse of GoDutch Realty for showing us Condo Roble in Santa Ana. We love our new home, it couldn't have been better. The treatment we got from you to purchase and the great treatment we have got from David and the rest of the staff has been first class. We had a few minor problems but were taken care of. I would recommend you and Condo Roble to any one
 

-- Ed Marfiak in Santa Ana

Mike, thank you for all the hard work. Our experience with my GoDutch Realty agent Mike Newhouse was 100% positive and Mike went above and beyond what I expected.

We are totally satisfied about our experience during the purchase transaction of our real estate in Costa Rica.

Contact us

By Phone (506) 2289-5125/8834-4515
USA & Canada Toll-Free: 18669788315 or 18669787604

By Email

We look forward to hearing from you!