Due diligence · Vetting · Power of attorney
Owner's Representative Services
Trusted eyes — and, when you need it, a signature — on the ground for owners who cannot be here.
Overview
Not every project needs full management, but every remote owner needs someone local they can trust. Our owner's representative service is focused help on the decisions that carry the most risk: evaluating a lot before you buy it, estimating what your plans will really cost, vetting an architect or builder before you sign, or stepping into a project that has gone off track. For clients abroad we can also act under a limited power of attorney, so signatures, permits and payments do not have to wait for your next flight. When you want ongoing oversight rather than focused help, full project management covers the whole build.
What's included
- Land and site evaluation before you commit to a purchase
- Feasibility studies and construction cost estimates
- CFIA registration, reference and track-record checks on architects and builders
- Mid-project takeovers and resolution of disputes, delays and defects
- Acting under a power of attorney for owners who live abroad
How it runs
Four stages, in this order.
- 01
Consultation
A call about the lot, the project or the problem, then an agreed scope and fee for exactly the help you need.
- 02
On-site assessment
A visit to the lot or the job site, a review of the documents, and conversations with whoever is already involved.
- 03
Findings
A written report in plain English with the risks, the costs and the options, plus our recommendation.
- 04
Representation
If you want us to carry it forward, we act for you — in meetings, on site, or under a power of attorney.
Who we work with
For owners building in Costa Rica — often from somewhere else.
Bilingual, start-to-finish project management for expats and investors building in Costa Rica.
International buyers & expats
Building a home to live in full time, or a vacation house to come back to every year.
Real estate investors
Developing vacation rentals or properties held for long-term return.
Eco-community builders
Building in Alegría Village, Ecovilla, Serena or another community with its own design rules.
Remote owners
Running a project from abroad and needing someone trustworthy on the ground between visits.
Local practice
Built to Costa Rican standards, not imported ones.
Whatever the service, the underlying method is the same. Structure is reinforced concrete block and beam or light-gauge steel, sized against the seismic zone your lot sits in. Overhangs are deep enough to keep driving rain off the walls. Foundations are raised and drained. Timber is treated or naturally resistant, and detailed to stay out of ground contact.
These are not preferences. They are what has been shown to survive here, and they are why we do not simply execute a set of plans drawn for a different climate without redesigning the parts that would fail.
See the full build standard- Delivered in
- Santa Ana Lindora · Pozos · Río Oro
- Escazú San Rafael · Guachipelín · Jaboncillos
- Santa Cruz Tamarindo · Playa Langosta · Senderos
- Carrillo Playas del Coco · Playa Hermosa · Ocotal
- Curridabat Guayabos · Lomas de Ayarco · Hacienda Gregal
- Belén Cariari · La Asunción · San Antonio
- Garabito Herradura · Los Sueños · Jacó hills
- Peninsula Papagayo Nacascolo · Papagayo master plan
- Nicoya & Cóbano Nosara · Playa Guiones · Santa Teresa
Field notes
Read before you commit.
- Moving guide · 2026 ·
Moving from Florida to Costa Rica
Residency, the Caja, taxes and costs — plus the part only a builder tells you: Florida teaches you wind and humidity, and Costa Rica grades you on earthquakes first.
Read the article → - Buyer guide · 2026 ·
How to buy a house in Costa Rica as a US citizen
Offer, escrow, title study, notary, registry — the real sequence of a Costa Rican purchase, and the checks a builder runs on a house before you sign.
Read the article →
Questions
Owner's Representative Services in Costa Rica
What should be checked on a lot before I buy it?
At a minimum: the estudio registral for ownership and liens, the plano catastrado against what is on the ground, the uso de suelo, legal access, slope and drainage, and whether water and power can actually be connected. A lot that fails any of these can be expensive or impossible to build on, and almost all of it can be checked within the due-diligence period of the opción de compra-venta. In Nosara and Santa Teresa, water availability alone can decide whether a lot is buildable; our guide to buying property as a US citizen covers the legal side.
Can you take over a project that is already underway?
Yes. We start with an audit of the site and the paperwork — contract, permits, the CFIA bitácora, and payments made against work actually completed — to establish where the project really stands. Then we recommend whether to continue with the current team under tighter controls or to re-bid the remaining work under construction management.
How does a power of attorney work for a construction project?
In Costa Rica a poder is granted before a notary. For a construction project it is usually a poder especial limited to specific acts — signing permit applications, contracts or payments up to a limit you set — rather than a broad poder generalísimo. From abroad it can be signed at a Costa Rican consulate, or before a local notary, apostilled and then protocolized in Costa Rica. Your lawyer drafts it; we act within it.
Next step
Tell us about the lot.
Send us the plano catastrado and a rough idea of what you want to build. We will come back with a feasibility read on what the site actually allows, what it is likely to cost, and how long permitting will take in your cantón.
Replies within one business day. Consultations in English or Spanish.