Quick answer: Before a property reaches your shortlist, we run the same diligence that ordinary buyers only do after they have fallen in love with a place — registry title, survey, water availability, legal access, zoning, and maritime-zone status. The point is that your discovery trip tours only genuine candidates, not problems dressed up as listings.
Ready to talk specifics? Book a strategy call and we will map your situation against the options below.
Why we vet before you travel, not after
Most overseas property failures happen because diligence runs after emotional commitment. A buyer sees a beautiful place, wants it, and diligence becomes a search for reasons to proceed rather than an honest test. We invert that: the checks happen before a property earns a place on your list, so the trip is spent comparing sound options rather than discovering which ones are unsound.
The registry check
First and non-negotiable: an independent National Registry search confirming title, ownership, boundaries, liens, mortgages and annotations. Costa Rica has a functioning registry, but not everything offered for sale is properly titled — possession rights and untitled land circulate. A property that cannot produce a clean folio real number does not advance.
Survey, water and access
Three checks that quietly kill deals. Survey verification that the physical property matches the registered plano. Water — the water letter confirming a connection will be provided, without which a lot may be unbuildable; this is the most common expensive surprise on rural and coastal land. Access — confirmation of a registered right of way in the registry, because driving to a property does not establish a legal one.
Zoning, permits and the maritime zone
Municipal zoning and permit checks, including whether existing construction was legally permitted. And for anything coastal, the decisive question: is it titled, or is it concession land inside the 200-metre maritime zone — where the first 50 metres is public, the next 150 is leased not owned, and foreigners face a 49% cap and a five-year residency requirement. Buyers routinely believe they are getting title when they are getting a concession; our vetting settles that before you see it.
Structure and qualification
For clients using a purchase to qualify for investor residency, we additionally confirm the property can be titled in the form DGME expects — increasingly the applicant own name rather than a corporation — so the asset that anchors your residency actually qualifies. Getting this wrong after purchase can mean a transfer and a second transfer-tax hit.
What survives our vetting
Less than you might expect, which is the point. Properties with title defects, no water letter, unregistered access, permit problems or a misrepresented maritime-zone status do not reach your shortlist. What does reach it has been through the checks that protect you — so your decision is about fit and preference, not hidden risk.
The three checks that silently kill the most deals
Of everything we verify, three failures account for most of the properties that never reach a client shortlist, and they are worth understanding because they are invisible in a listing. The first is water. A building lot without a water letter — written confirmation from the local authority or ASADA that a connection will be provided — may simply be unbuildable, and it is the single most common expensive surprise on rural and coastal land. A beautiful lot with no water availability is worth a fraction of its asking price.
The second is the maritime-zone trap. Coastal buyers routinely believe they are acquiring title when they are acquiring a concession — a lease from the municipality within the 200-metre zone, where the first 50 metres is public, foreigners are capped at 49%, and a five-year residency requirement applies. The third is access: driving to a property proves nothing about a legal right of way, and access across a neighbour land without a registered easement can be withdrawn. All three are established by registry and municipal records, not by asking the seller — which is exactly why we run them before you ever see the property.
What our vetting cannot and should not replace
We are deliberate about a limit here. Our pre-shortlist vetting is designed to spare you touring problems, but it does not replace your own independent legal representation on the specific transaction you choose. When you move to purchase, an attorney working for your side — reviewing title, structure and contract terms, and willing to tell you not to proceed — remains essential. We would be wary of any firm that positioned its own vetting as a substitute for your independent counsel; the two are complementary layers, and a buyer should insist on both.
That is also why we welcome clients doing their own diligence alongside ours. A vetting process that discourages independent verification is a red flag, not a convenience. Ours is built to withstand it.
Frequently asked
Do you use my own attorney or yours?
Independent legal representation for your side is the standard we work to. The vetting is conducted so that your interests, not the seller, are protected.
What is the single most common problem you find?
Water availability on rural and coastal lots, followed by confusion between titled property and maritime-zone concession land. Both are invisible in a listing and decisive in reality.
Can I still do my own diligence?
Absolutely, and you should feel free to. Our vetting is designed to complement independent verification, not replace your right to it.
What is the most common problem you find?
Water availability on rural and coastal lots, followed by confusion between titled property and maritime-zone concession land, then unregistered access. All three are invisible in a listing and decisive in reality, which is why we check them before you travel.
Does your vetting replace my own attorney?
No — it complements independent legal representation on the transaction you choose, and should never replace it. We encourage clients to verify independently; a process that discourages that would be a warning sign.
How long does full property diligence take?
For a straightforward titled property with an engaged attorney, a few weeks — registry search, survey, water and access confirmation, zoning and permit checks. Coastal concession properties and pre-construction purchases take longer and carry additional questions.
What is a water letter and why does it matter so much?
Written confirmation from the local authority or ASADA that a connection will be provided. Without it a lot may be unbuildable — the most common expensive surprise on rural and coastal land, and one of the first things our vetting confirms.
Where to start
Decision-stage questions are best answered against your actual numbers, timeline and family situation rather than a general article. Book a strategy call and we will tell you plainly whether Costa Rica fits — and, if it does, which route and structure suit you. If a country other than Costa Rica is the better answer for you, we will say so.
This article is general information, not legal, immigration, tax or investment advice. Program terms and figures change and are applied to individual facts; those cited were accurate at the time of writing and should be confirmed. Engage qualified counsel and your own tax adviser before acting.