Closing Costs

When you buy a property, whether it’s a share of an existing Fruit Haven group land buy, or as a seed investor, in addition to the cost of the property itself, you will also pay a separate fee for the closing costs. The closing process involves meeting various legal requirements, many days spent at the municipality and other offices, and a good deal of paperwork.

After completing this process dozens of times, we have the experience to complete the closing smoothly, culminating in a notarized sale contract, and your ownership registered at the property registrar of the canton in which your property is located.

Each property sale webpage on our website (see “Group Land Buys” above) has the closing costs listed at the bottom of the page.

Closing Expenses

  • Tax certificates, local and national level
  • Tax certificates, property
  • Various other certificates for the property
  • Sales tax
  • Attorney fees
  • Notary fees
  • Facilitator transport
  • Facilitator fees
  • Document preparation
  • Copies, printing, scans, and other stationary
  • Attorney-in-fact transport
  • Property registry fees

To get started buying land at Fruit Haven, click “Group Land Buys” at the top, then find the Trustee Questionnaire on that page.

Closing Info

  • Original documents: You will receive a PDF of the closing document, including the registry certificate. If you want a notarized copy, this may cost extra, please ask us beforehand. Normally the notary issues 3 copies: 1 for the notary’s archive, one for the property registrar’s archive, and one for the buyer, which we store in the Fruit Haven archives since it is a title for a group-owned land. Your additional original copy can be issued at time of sale, or afterwards for an additional cost.
  • Sale price: The sale price on your closing document by default is the cadastral value, which may be lower than the actual sale price. If you want the actual sale price listed, you must pay an additional capital gains tax. Let us know before the sale if you require this.

Closing procedure:

  1. Make a promise of sale agreement as well as facilitation agreement to complete the sale process
  2. All parties sign the agreements, and funds are transfered (buyer provides the funds to seller and the closing fees to the facilitator)
  3. Facilitator will get a list of requirements to do the closing from the notary the property should be registered in the respective city: either Gualaquiza or El Pangui depending on the location – FH1, FH2, FH10 and TF in Gualaquiza – FH3, FH4, FH7 and FH9 are in El Pangui – See the map here if not sure
  4. Aquire those from the Property Registry municipal building in the city
  5. Provide those documents to a lawyer to draft the sale contract (minuta)
  6. Provide the notary the sale contract from the lawyer
  7. Buyer and seller (plus a possiblity of translator or their representative with a POA) sign the sale contract at the notary with finger prints
  8. Register the notarized sale contract at the Property Registry of the city
  9. Scan and backup the documents in fruit files and google drive, email both parties and the rest of the property owners of that property and other FH owners