Owner financing: buy your lot without a Costa Rican bank loan

Owner financing at Yakú

Owner financing available — ask for terms.

Terms are set case by case and given to you in writing.

Terms subject to approval and contract. Down payment, term and interest rate are agreed case by case, in writing. Financing requires identity and source-of-funds checks and a contract reviewed by your lawyer. Interest rates in Costa Rica are capped by law.

What owner financing is

Owner financing means the seller, not a bank, lets you pay part of the price over time.

• You agree on the price and the payment plan directly with the seller.
• The agreement is written in a contract and signed before a Costa Rican notary.
• In general, the seller's right to be paid is protected by a guarantee recorded in the National Registry. Which structure applies is set in the contract.

Why it helps a foreign buyer

Bank credit in Costa Rica is harder to get for non-residents, especially for land.

According to Costa Rican real-estate firms, local bank loans for non-residents exist but usually require a large down payment (often 20–40 %), more paperwork and higher rates than in the US, and raw land is often harder to finance than a finished home. No official statistic on loans to foreigners is published. Sources: Dominical Realty, RE/MAX Costa Rica, Coldwell Banker Costa Rica.

With owner financing you deal with one counterpart, the seller, and your own lawyer reviews everything.

How it works, step by step

The process has five steps, and nothing is final until the contract is signed.

1. Ask for the terms. Tell us which lot you like on WhatsApp (+506 8980 1919). We send you the current terms for that lot in writing.
2. Review with your lawyer. Your own independent Costa Rican lawyer reviews the terms and the draft contract before you commit.
3. Identity and source-of-funds checks. The seller verifies your identity and where the funds come from, as Costa Rican rules require.
4. Contract before a notary. The purchase and the financing are signed before a Costa Rican notary.
5. Payments, title and guarantee. You make the payments agreed in the contract. How the title and the guarantee are recorded is set in the contract.

What to ask the seller

Ask for everything in writing, before you pay anything.

• Is owner financing available for the lot I like?
• What are the down payment, term and annual interest rate, in writing?
• What is the cash price, the total amount payable, and the number and amount of payments?
• Are there any fees or charges besides interest?
• Can I pay early, and is there a penalty for it?
• What happens if a payment is late or missed?
• In whose name is the title recorded while I pay, and what guarantee is recorded?

What to ask your lawyer

Your lawyer works for you, not for the seller.

• Does the contract match the terms I was given in writing?
• Is the interest rate within the legal cap for the period when we sign?
• How are the title and the guarantee recorded in the National Registry?
• What happens to my payments if I stop paying, or if the seller fails to deliver?
• Are there taxes or reporting duties in my home country?
• Is the seller's legal identity confirmed in the National Registry?

Sources

• Dominical Realty — How to finance real estate in Costa Rica as an international buyer (May 8, 2026)
• RE/MAX Costa Rica — Financing in Costa Rica for foreign buyers
• Coldwell Banker Costa Rica — Can foreigners get financing to buy property in Costa Rica?
• SUGEF — supervised financial entities
• National Registry of Costa Rica