Referral Partner Opportunities With GAP Investments

If you work with property owners in Costa Rica — as a consultant, a property manager, an attorney, an accountant or a relocation adviser — you already meet the people this market is built for. You just may not recognise them as loan candidates, because they do not look like people who need money.

This page explains who is referable, what to send, what happens afterwards and how you are paid.

Why the opportunity exists at all

One practical gap creates much of it. Banks set their own requirements, which can make bank loans harder for newcomers. Bank loans can also take many months, if not longer, to close. That leaves many owners without a bank option: people who bought for cash on arrival, own their property free of debt, have provable income, and would have arranged a loan quickly back home.

They are not distressed and they are not poor credit risks. They are solvent owners who do not fit a bank’s requirements, and they may not know a private option exists. That gap is where a referral becomes valuable to everyone involved.

Who is worth referring

Four things make an owner referable, and you can establish all four in a normal conversation.

They own titled property. Registered at the National Registry with a folio number. Land held by possession alone, and concession property in the coastal band, cannot carry an ordinary lien — worth knowing before anyone gets hopeful.

They need $50,000 or more. That is where loans start; there is no upper limit.

There is a reason and a timeline. Completing a build, expanding a business, bridging a sale, buying something before it goes. A purpose you can state in a sentence is a good sign.

They can say how it gets repaid. A sale, a later refinance, business cash flow. This is the single most useful thing you can establish, because it is the first thing a lender asks.

What does not work

Saving everyone time matters as much as spotting the good ones. Property with no folio number. Concession land near the beach. An owner who wants to borrow most of what the property is worth — files sit comfortably below value, not close to it. And an owner who cannot describe how the principal comes back at maturity.

What to send

An introduction does not need a package. Name and contact, where the property is and the folio number if you have it, roughly what it is worth, how much they are looking for, what it is for, and when they need it.

If all you have is a name and a phone number, send that. We would rather have a short conversation than have you do work that belongs to us.

What happens next

We take it from there. That means the Registry study showing existing liens and annotations, the appraisal, the owner’s documents, the company books and signing authority where a corporation holds the title, and the loan structure — the full document list is here if you want to see what the owner will be asked for.

The file is then presented to lenders, who decide individually. Rates run 9% to 16% annually depending on what the file shows, terms from six months to three years, and the borrower’s closing costs, legal fees and GAP’s loan origination fee, depend on the loan and are deducted at closing.

GAP closes loans within 10 business days once the required documents are complete. When a company owns the property, its paperwork can delay a closing. If you can nudge an owner to get their company books current early, you will have done more for the timeline than anything else.

How you are paid

Earn up to 20% of GAP’s loan origination fee on a referred loan that GAP accepts and that closes and funds. The loan origination fee is part of the loan fees the borrower pays at closing, so what you earn is a share of GAP’s fee on the transaction rather than a percentage of the loan itself.

Two conditions sit inside that sentence and both matter. The loan has to be accepted by GAP, meaning the file came through the review described above. And it has to close and fund — the fee is paid on completion, not on introduction, so a file that stalls or an owner who changes their mind earns nothing. Where a particular introduction lands within that range is agreed with you at the time.

No lending experience is required. You introduce the lead and GAP reviews the file. You are not expected to structure anything, assess the collateral, or manage a lending process.

Why this fits your existing work

A real estate consultant meets buyers who cannot finance and sellers waiting on a sale that has not closed. A property manager knows which owners are carrying a cost they would rather not carry, and which properties are held free of debt. An attorney or accountant sees the balance sheet and the property records at the same time. A relocation adviser meets people three months after they arrive with capital and no local options.

In each case the referral solves the client’s problem rather than selling them something — which is the only kind of introduction worth making if you want to keep the relationship.

A note on the other side of the transaction

Some referral partners end up lending themselves once they see how the files are put together. There is no requirement to, and no conflict if you do. The lender side is explained here, and the currently open files are here.

If you have someone in mind, or you simply want to know whether a particular situation is worth a conversation, get in touch — there is no cost to asking and no obligation attached to an introduction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can refer a borrower to GAP?

Anyone who works with property owners, such as consultants, property managers, attorneys, accountants or relocation advisers. No lending experience is required.

How much does a referral partner earn?

Up to 20% of GAP’s loan origination fee on a referred loan that GAP accepts and that closes and funds.

When is the referral fee paid?

On completion, once the referred loan closes and funds.

What makes a property owner referable?

Titled property, a need of US$50,000 or more, a clear purpose and a plan to repay the principal.

WhatsApp us at +506 4001 6413 to get started, call or email info@gap.cr.

Article by Glenn Tellier (Founder of CRIE and Grupo Gap)