Your Costa Rica Property May Support A Private Loan Request
GAP Equity Loans helps qualified property owners prepare a clear, lender-ready financing file built around the property, requested amount, loan purpose, repayment plan, and exit strategy.
Loan requests start at US$50,000. GAP does not require or pull a credit score. There is no fixed down-payment requirement. Terms range from 6 months to 3 years. Once the complete file is in and GAP due diligence is finished, qualified loans close within 10 business days.
This page is about property-backed loans: US$50,000 to around US$1 million, short term, six months to three years, secured on one property.
From US$1 million upward we run a completely separate programme — long-term institutional capital, funded in staged drawdowns, structured around the project rather than a single property. None of the rates, terms or timelines on this page apply to it.
What Property-Backed Financing Actually Means
Property-backed financing — also called property-backed finance, a property-backed loan or private lending — means the decision rests on the property rather than on your income history.
That is the whole difference, and it is why people come to us after a bank has said no. A bank assesses you: your documented income, where it is earned, how it is taxed and how long you have earned it. Income earned abroad is harder for a Costa Rican bank to assess, and self-employed or retirement income is harder again. Property-backed financing starts from the other end — the property, its title, and a repayment plan that makes sense.
Because of that, nationality and residency are not obstacles. We work with borrowers of any nationality, wherever they live, and Costa Rican residency is not required.
Who It Suits, and Who It Does Not
It is worth being straight about both.
It tends to suit:
- Owners whose income is real but awkward to document — self-employed, retired, or earning in several currencies.
- Buyers who need to move faster than a bank moves, particularly against a closing date that will not wait.
- Owners buying before selling, who need a bridge rather than a thirty-year commitment.
- People releasing equity from a property they already own here, for a project, a purchase or a business.
It suits less well:
- Anyone wanting a long, low-rate mortgage of the kind available at home. These are shorter-term arrangements, generally 6 to 36 months, so they work where there is a clear plan to repay or refinance.
- Anyone without a realistic repayment plan. A good property is not enough on its own — the exit matters as much as the security.
If the second list describes you better than the first, we would rather tell you now than three weeks into a review.
What Decides Whether Financing Is Possible
Four things, in roughly this order:
- Clear title. Registered ownership, and any existing mortgage or lien understood up front. Existing charges do not automatically rule a file out, but they have to be on the table from the start.
- The property itself. What it is, where it is and how readily it could be sold if it ever came to that.
- The repayment plan. How the loan gets repaid or refinanced, and when.
- The documentation. A clean, consistent file moves; a file assembled in pieces stalls.
Our fee for arranging and structuring a loan is a consultant fee, agreed and set out in writing before anything proceeds.
A practical option when the property and repayment plan make sense.
Property-backed loan requests start at US$50,000. Qualified borrowers of any nationality can be reviewed. Terms range from 6 months to 3 years. Once the complete file is in and GAP due diligence is finished, qualified loans close within 10 business days.
GAP reviews the property, title, liens, location, marketability, value, loan purpose, repayment plan, and exit strategy before preparing a lender-ready file.
Private financing is built around the complete file. A strong property matters, but clear title, realistic value, practical loan amount, organized documents, and a clear repayment plan matter too.
Owning property is the starting point, not the whole review.
Private financing is secured by Costa Rica real estate, but the file is reviewed as a complete opportunity. GAP looks at the property, requested amount, title, liens, ownership structure, use of funds, repayment plan, and exit strategy.
GAP works only with first-lien positions. Smaller loans are commonly secured by a registered first-position mortgage on the Costa Rica property. Some transactions may use a trust structure when appropriate, while preserving GAP’s first-lien position.
A lender-ready file normally includes
- Property location, access, condition, and marketability
- Estimated value and requested loan amount
- Title, liens, taxes, and ownership details
- Plano Catastro and current property photos
- Use of funds
- Repayment plan and exit strategy
- Corporate information where a corporation owns the property
Private property-backed loans are generally shorter-term.
These requests are usually reviewed for a specific purpose: accessing equity, completing a project, improving a property, refinancing an existing obligation, or bridging a timing issue.
Terms range from 6 months to 3 years. Interest-only payments are common, with the principal normally due at the end of the agreed term.
Rates Are Reviewed For Each File
Qualified borrowers of any nationality can be reviewed.
Rates and terms depend on the property, loan size, title, equity, loan-to-value, repayment plan, exit strategy, and lender review.
Lower leverage, clean documents, stronger collateral, and a clear repayment plan generally support a stronger file.
Why Borrowers Use Private Financing
- Accessing equity in an existing property
- Completing construction or improvements
- Refinancing or paying out an existing obligation
- Creating short-term liquidity
- Supporting a property-related business need
- Bridge financing while selling or refinancing
- Funding a time-sensitive property opportunity
When Private Financing Can Be Useful
- Foreign income or a limited Costa Rica credit history
- A property type that does not fit a bank’s preferred profile
- A need for a focused property-backed review
- A shorter-term financing objective
- A file where the property, title, equity, and repayment plan are clear
Different properties can support different financing needs.
Home Equity-Style Requests
A home may support a private loan request when the title, equity, location, documents, and repayment plan are suitable for review.
Commercial Property
Commercial properties may be reviewed when value, title, marketability, business purpose, property condition, and repayment plan are clear.
Construction Projects
Construction and unfinished-property requests may be reviewed with a clear budget, timeline, permits where applicable, and a practical use-of-funds plan.
Existing mortgages and liens can be reviewed.
An existing mortgage, private loan, lien, annotation, or other obligation does not automatically prevent a review. It needs to be disclosed early so GAP can understand the title, available equity, payoff structure, and proposed closing plan.
Depending on the structure, existing debt may need to be paid out or handled as part of the closing. That is reviewed with the property, title, lender requirements, and closing attorney.
A clear file helps the review move properly.
1. Send Basic Details
Start with the property location or pin, requested amount, estimated value, use of funds, existing debt, ownership details, and repayment plan.
2. Initial Review
GAP reviews whether the property, amount, title situation, purpose, and repayment plan appear practical for a deeper review.
3. Organize The File
Where appropriate, GAP identifies the most important property, title, corporate, photo, and supporting documents needed next.
4. Financing Structure
Qualified files may be prepared for financing review. The proposed terms depend on the individual property-backed opportunity.
5. Legal And Closing Review
Legal fees and closing costs are reviewed as part of the loan structure and include GAP’s fee where applicable. The closing attorney or Notary Public prepares the legal documents and handles registration.
6. Proper Funds Handling
GAP never accepts cash. Funds move through the appropriate banking and closing process.
A practical first point of contact.
Lawsen Tellier helps coordinate the day-to-day review and follow-up of property-backed financing opportunities throughout Costa Rica.
He can help borrowers understand what information is most important first, what can be gathered as the file develops, and what may need attention before a deeper review.
His background in construction, property review, and Costa Rica private lending operations helps keep the early file practical and organized.
Good preparation can save time.
Once the complete file is in and GAP due diligence is finished, qualified loans close within 10 business days.
Timing still depends on the property, title, liens, documents, legal work, banking, lender review, and closing requirements. Clear information at the beginning helps avoid unnecessary delays.
What Can Slow A File Down?
- Missing or unclear property documents
- Unresolved title, lien, tax, access, water, or permit issues
- Incomplete corporate records or signing authority
- An unrealistic value or loan amount
- An unclear use of funds, repayment plan, or exit strategy
Examples of properties behind past loan files
These examples help show the types of collateral and projects often involved in property-backed loan files.
Home Equity-Style Loan Files
Examples of residential properties used as collateral in past loan files.
Commercial Loan Files
Examples of commercial properties used as collateral in past loan files.
Construction Loan Files
Examples of construction and staged-build projects from past loan files.
Tell us about your property and financing goal.
Send the basic property and loan details. GAP can explain what information is most important first and how the review begins.
We Do What Banks Won’t
Property-backed private lending · Fast approvals · No bank bureaucracy
Where private lenders often focus in Costa Rica
A strong location does not guarantee approval or funding, but it helps. A more marketable property is easier to review, value and understand, and easier to sell if repayment does not go to plan.
Every file is reviewed case by case, and a property outside these areas can still be sent in. Each region has its own page explaining what a lender checks there.
