About Us

They share a love for the flora and fauna that abound in this area. They are committed to enhancing the land they develop through reforestation, erosion control, and education of their clients in wise stewardship of the natural resources. Dan and Terry live in the communities they have created and remain active in the everyday operation of the developments.

Terry Penland started coming to Costa Rica in 1991 on sightseeing and offshore fishing trips. The natural beauty and biodiversity of the Southern Pacific Zone made an indelible impression on this outdoorsman. Terry continues to study and appreciate the abundance of plant, animal, insect and bird species.

Terry retired from his dental practice in Illinois and moved to Ojochal in 1997. He and his partners developed a 200-acre cashew farm in Ojochal into a residential community and developed 310 acres in San Buenas. He has built three homes in Costa Rica, including a home in Costa Verde Estates.

Costa Verde Estates is the culmination of Terry’s experience and learning in the best management practices to protect natural resources.

“When I saw the farm that is now Costa Verde Estates, it was mostly cleared land used as cattle pastures. I saw the potential for restoring it with native species. I wanted to create the best world possible,” Terry says. His goal is to build a community with excellent roads and drainage, large lots that cannot be subdivided, privacy and seclusion – and vast forested areas that will never be developed.

“No matter what happens in the rest of the area, this will remain our own little Eden,” Terry says.

Dan Aalfs retired in 1987 from a CPA career in Eureka, California to devote full time to his independent investments, including timberland in Northern California and various other land investments in Alaska and Tennessee. In 1999, while en route to Nicaragua, he stopped in Costa Rica for 10 days. He left owning a farm he purchased from Terry on the Sandalo River, Ojochal. He has spent three to six months a year in Costa Rica ever since.

Dan and Terry purchased the Costa Verde Estates property in 2006. Their combined development experience in Costa Rica enabled them to avoid common pitfalls and earned them reputations as leaders in environmental conservation. They strive to maintain the indigenous vegetation and are replanting areas with native hardwood species, many of which are now on the endangered list.

Dan plans to develop other land holdings into three projects by 2020. He has built two homes in Costa Rica. He enjoys hiking and tennis and lives in Tres Rios with his wife, Rebecca.

THE STAFF
Kristi Penland is Terry’s daughter and a partner in Costa Verde Estates, for which she serves as administrative officer. Moving with her parents to Ojochal in 1997, Kristi attended local colegio (high school) and became fluent in Spanish. She worked in the San Isidro office of a successful bilingual attorney, learning the local legal procedures and real estate requirements. She earned her Costa Rica attorney’s license in 2010 and have her office in Uvita, offering legal services to a variety of clients. Kristi and her husband Alonso Solano have two children and live in Escaleras.

Alonso Solano is operations manager of Costa Verde Estates. Born and raised in Costa Rica, Alonso uses his local knowledge and contacts to solve problems and facilitate all aspects of construction procedures. Alonso has lived in Quepos and San Isidro. He is fluent in both english and spanish and is currently earning his civil engineering degree at a local college. He and wife Kristi Penland live in Escaleras with their two children. 

   
John Hansen is landscaping director of Costa Verde Estates. He gained 20 years of horticultural experience at a large wholesale nursery in Northern California, where he and Terry became friends while working together. They have remained friends for more than 35 years. When Dan and Terry purchased Costa Verde Estates, John was happy to move to Costa Rica and be a part of the team.

John is putting his plant-growing expertise to good use at the on-site nursery for exclusive use by Costa Verde Estates owners. John offers his professional experience to help Costa Verde Estates owners design their gardens and landscape their lots. John lives in Ojochal in a house he built in the project developed by Terry and a partner.

                                                                                              # # #

The staff of Costa Verde Estates is highly qualified and experienced and is there to assist clients in selecting builders, landscapers, architects, lawyers, and other service providers.
Upon request, Dan and Terry will gladly provide prospective buyers with a list of their previous clients.