Anyone can sell you the house. Almost nobody will run it.
We are a rental management company that also sells property — a very different animal from an agency that disappears at closing. We already know what these houses earn, because we operate a lot of them.
What the house actually returns
Rough, and deliberately unflattering. We would rather you walk in with a number that survives contact with reality than one that closes a deal.
What we have on the books
Luxury oceanfront villa, eight bedrooms
Ocean-view villas, new build
Six things that decide whether this goes well
Costa Rica is one of the easier countries in Latin America for a foreigner to buy in. It is not frictionless, and the friction is always in the same six places.
Foreigners own land the same way Costa Ricans do
There is no residency requirement and no local partner requirement. Titled — fee simple — property is registered in your name or your corporation’s name at the Registro Nacional, with the same rights a citizen has.
The exception is the first 200 metres from the sea
The Maritime Zone. The first 50 metres from the high tide line is public and cannot be owned by anyone. The next 150 is concession land with real restrictions on foreign ownership. We only list titled property, and we will tell you which side of that line a lot sits on before you get attached to it.
Everything goes through escrow
Funds sit with a SUGEF-registered escrow agent, not with the seller and not with an agent. Title search, survey — the plano catastrado — and lien check all happen before anything releases.
Closing costs land around four percent
Transfer tax, registry stamps and legal fees, usually split by agreement between buyer and seller. Budget four percent of the purchase price and you will not be surprised at the table.
Annual property tax is 0.25%
A quarter of one percent of the registered value, paid to the municipality. Higher-value homes also fall under the solidarity tax. Both are low by North American standards, and both are frequently under-registered by sellers — which matters at resale, not at purchase.
Then somebody has to actually run it
This is where most foreign purchases go sideways. A house eight hours away with nobody watching it does not stay rentable. We manage what we sell — same team, same monthly statement, same people who answer the phone.
Budget four percent
| Line item | Typical |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax | 1.5% |
| Registry stamps and fees | ~0.8% |
| Legal and notary | 1.25% – 2% |
| Escrow and due diligence | ~$1,500 flat |
| Typical all-in closing | ~4% of price |
Tell us what you are looking for
Including the things that are not on any listing sheet — whether it has to rent while you are away, whether you want neighbours, whether you will actually drive that road in October.
Already own something here?
We will tell you what it rents for before you decide whether to sell it.