Todd Cutter, Broker Owner, 2Costa Rica Real Estate

2Costa Rica Real Estate is a full-service brokerage, but what sets us apart is our people — the advisors, marketing team, and admin staff who build genuine relationships with clients. Real estate is ultimately a relationship business, and the trust our agents provide, in what is often the most significant financial decision of a client’s life, means everything.

We’ve built a team that runs much like a family, with remarkably low turnover and a culture that’s hard to replicate.

The pandemic marked a clear before-and-after for Costa Rica’s real estate market. The country has always drawn people chasing a dream — a home on the beach, a slower pace of life in the tropics. What changed was urgency: buyers stopped waiting for “someday” and started acting now. That shift drove prices up across many destinations, including Costa Rica, and raised the bar on what luxury meant here. Luxury itself is subjective; it isn’t always about price. It can mean quality of life, lifestyle, or destination.

What we’ve seen since is more institutional development, with brands like St. Regis, Waldorf, and Four Seasons bringing global recognition and loyal clientele to Costa Rica. At the same time, boutique developments have shifted toward experience and lifestyle rather than scale — the bigger difference between Costa Rica and many other global destinations. This was never about 500-room hotels; it’s about immersion in nature and the spirit locals call Pura Vida, or “pure life.” Costa Ricans use that phrase to say hello, goodbye, and everything in between, but its essence is to live life to the fullest. That ethos, more than anything, is what continues to draw buyers to the luxury market here.

Luxury means something different to every buyer. Our advisors’ first job is understanding each client’s priorities. For some, it’s a resort experience — concierge service, wellness amenities, a gym, direct beachfront access, room service. For others, it’s privacy: two acres or two hectares of jungle, surrounded by monkeys and sloths, with room to breathe.

What makes Costa Rica unique is that it can support both extremes, and everything in between — beachfront, hillside, the volcanic highlands. What’s luxury to one buyer may not be luxury to another, and that range is exactly what the market offers.

For me, luxury is freedom, liberty, and the ability to spend time with family. I’m a homebody at heart — when I’m not working, I want to be with my wife and my two kids.

My version of a luxury property would be a standalone beachfront home outside a gated community, where I could start the day with a cup of coffee watching the waves break and end it with a walk on the sand to watch the sunset. It would mean a slower life than the one I live today, running this business.

It starts with understanding the buyer — what’s motivating them to come to Costa Rica. Are they relocating? Investing? Increasingly, we’re seeing buyers driven by geopolitical uncertainty, looking for a change of scenery entirely. Others want a place for their family, or a legacy property for their children. From there, we scope the investment against their budget.

Because we have ten offices across Costa Rica, covering essentially every primary tourist destination in the country, we can match clients to the right location, not just the right property. We deliberately avoid discussing specific listings in preliminary conversations — buying the right property in the wrong location is a recipe for disaster. We start by learning the buyer’s goals at a high level, then draw on 25-plus years of experience here to find the right fit before the property search even begins.

About 90% of our clients buy from abroad. Many use powers of attorney registered with local counsel, and we offer access to international escrow so funds can move easily, whether through Costa Rica or the United States. Our team, alongside a network of attorneys and other professionals, manages the process end-to-end — due diligence, registration, inspections, and post-closing needs like property management, furniture, and interior design.

I see two. The first is underdeveloped areas poised to benefit as buyer mindsets shift toward remote living and the growing global focus on health and wellness — regions that align well with Costa Rica’s ecosystems, culture, and protected national parks.

The second is timing. Prices spiked after the pandemic and are now correcting, which makes this a buyer’s market in most parts of the country. As in any market, that won’t last forever, so the priority for our clients is to buy while prices are still coming down. Rising U.S. interest rates mean more sellers — many of whom have held on because of Costa Rica’s low operating costs — may soon come to market at reduced or opportunistic prices.

Build a team you trust before you make a decision — whether that’s 2Costa Rica Real Estate or another firm of your choosing. Don’t go it alone here, any more than you would investing in Manhattan or Manchester.

That means an experienced, educated real estate advisor and an equally qualified attorney, and a team that can answer your questions so you’re making a diligent, informed decision rather than a hopeful one.

The relationships. I’ve stepped back from day-to-day transactions to work on the business rather than in it, but nothing beats watching an agent guide a client through the process and come out the other side as friends — sometimes neighbors.

It’s true on the sell side, too. When our advisors guide sellers through to closing and maintain a genuine relationship afterward, that’s a sign of success. When buyers and sellers can look back at the end of a transaction and know real value was added, that’s the ultimate goal — and what gives me the greatest satisfaction.