Clear & concise

Guides

How buying property in Mexico works, step by step, plus 196 articles on costs, tax, rentals and life in the Riviera Maya.

The buying process in 4 steps

Buying in Mexico is different from the US and Canada. Read these in order before you make an offer.

1Step 1IntroductionEach country has their own rules for buying Real Estate and when you first buy in Mexico it can seem confusing! If you…Read step 1 →
2Step 2Fideicomiso or CorporationA Fideicomiso gives a foreign buyer all the property rights and privileges of a citizen, with the additional advantage…Read step 2 →
3Step 3Buying ProcessWhen making your initial offer, this should be done using a written Offer to Purchase contract, ensuring no confusion…Read step 3 →
4Step 4Closing and Title TransferAt this point, both parties should be able to execute the purchase/sales agreement (compra-venta), start the closing…Read step 4 →

Articles

Investment & Rental

Rental income, ROI, property management and resale.

Investment & Rental

How Reviews and Reputation Compound (or Sink) a Rental Property's Long-Term Value

A rental property's review history is easy to underestimate as an asset, since it doesn't appear on a balance sheet the way the physical unit does. But in a booking-platform-driven market like the Riviera Maya, review count and rating quality function almost like a second, invisible layer of property value — one that compounds steadily when managed well and erodes quickly when neglected. Why Reviews Function Like an Asset Booking platforms weight search ranking heavily toward listings with...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Boutique Hotel Conversion: Turning a Larger Property Into a Small Hospitality Business

Some owners of larger Riviera Maya properties — a multi-unit villa, a sizeable beachfront home, or a small apartment building — eventually consider converting it into a formally operated boutique hotel rather than continuing to run it as a collection of separate vacation rental listings. It's a meaningfully bigger commitment than short-term rental hosting, with real licensing requirements most owners underestimate at first. What Actually Changes When You Cross Into "Hotel" Territory Operating...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Golf Course Community Living: HOA Structures and Membership Costs

Golf course communities occupy a distinct niche in the Riviera Maya market, anchored by destinations like the Mayakoba development north of Playa del Carmen, home to the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón course, and Playacar, home to the Robert Von Hagge-designed course south of downtown Playa del Carmen. For buyers drawn to this lifestyle, understanding how HOA (homeowners association) structures and golf membership costs actually work matters as much as the appeal of the fairway view itself....

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Marina and Boat Slip Ownership in Puerto Aventuras: A Niche Investment

Puerto Aventuras stands apart from Playa del Carmen and Tulum for one specific reason: it's built around a private marina, and a meaningful slice of its real estate market involves properties with direct boat slip access or slip ownership itself. For buyers drawn to the boating lifestyle, or simply curious about a genuinely different Riviera Maya investment angle, it's worth understanding how this niche actually works. What "Marina Ownership" Actually Means Here There are a few distinct ways...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Comparing Rental Performance: A New Development vs. an Established One, One Year Later

One of the most common questions from buyers choosing between a brand-new development and an established building comes down to a single practical concern: which one actually rents better once the dust settles? The honest answer is that each has a different performance curve over the first year, and understanding that curve matters more than comparing sticker prices alone. The New Development's First-Year Curve A newly delivered unit in a new development typically starts with real...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

The Realistic Timeline From Purchase to First Rental Booking

Buyers often assume that closing on a Riviera Maya property and welcoming the first paying guest happen within a few weeks of each other. In practice, there's a meaningful gap — sometimes a few months, sometimes closer to a year for pre-construction purchases — filled with steps that are easy to underestimate from a distance. Here's a realistic sequence. Phase 1: Closing the Purchase (Timeline Varies Widely) For a resale property, closing typically takes a few weeks to a couple of months once...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

What Happens to Existing Bookings If You Sell a Rental Property Mid-Season

Selling a rental property that already has confirmed bookings on the calendar is more complicated than selling a vacant home, and it's a detail that catches sellers off guard mid-transaction. Buyers care about it too — a well-managed transition can actually be a selling point, while a mishandled one can create real friction at closing. Why This Comes Up So Often in the Riviera Maya Because so many Riviera Maya properties are actively operated as short-term rentals, it's common for a seller to...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

What Cancellation and Refund Policies Actually Protect You as a Host

New hosts often set their cancellation policy without much thought, treating it as a minor listing setting rather than one of the more important financial decisions they'll make. In a market as seasonal as the Riviera Maya — where hurricane season overlaps directly with part of the calendar — the cancellation policy you choose has real consequences for both revenue and risk. The Main Policy Tiers, and What They Actually Mean Airbnb currently structures its standard cancellation tiers as...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

How Currency Fluctuations Affect Rental Income When You Convert It Home

Earning rental income in Mexican pesos while budgeting in US or Canadian dollars adds a layer of financial complexity that many first-time Riviera Maya owners underestimate. The peso has moved substantially against the dollar over multi-year periods, and how you manage that exposure can meaningfully change your actual take-home return, separate from how well the property itself performs. Why Exchange Rates Matter for Rental Owners Specifically Even when a booking platform charges...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

Understanding Guest Damage Deposits and Liability Under Mexican Law

Damage deposits feel like a simple concept until something actually gets broken and an owner has to figure out what they can legally withhold, from whom, and how. The rules differ meaningfully depending on whether you're dealing with a short-term platform guest or a long-term lease tenant, and both differ from what many US and Canadian owners assume based on their home-country experience. Short-Term Guests: Platform Rules Govern Most of This For bookings made through Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Building a Rental Business Across Multiple Units: Lessons From Owners Who've Scaled

Buying a second or third rental property in the Riviera Maya feels like a natural next step once the first one is cash-flowing. It's also where a lot of the assumptions that worked fine for one unit start to break down. Owners who've actually scaled to three, five, or a dozen units tend to describe the same handful of lessons — often learned the hard way. The First Unit Teaches You the Wrong Lesson A single rental can be managed with a spreadsheet, a group chat with a cleaner, and a fair...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

Property Management Company vs. Self-Managing Remotely: Making the Call

This is one of the first real decisions every remote Riviera Maya owner faces, and it's rarely as simple as "pay someone or don't." The honest answer depends on how much time you actually have, how far you are, and how much risk you're willing to carry personally. Here's how to think through it clearly. What Self-Managing Remotely Actually Involves Self-managing doesn't mean doing everything personally from another country — it usually means the owner handles pricing, guest communication, and...

Aug 29 · 4 min read