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

Legal & Ownership

Fideicomisos, title, notaries and owning property as a foreigner.

Legal & Ownership

A Plain-English Glossary of Mexican Real Estate Terms Every Buyer Should Know

Buying property in Mexico comes with a vocabulary all its own, a mix of Spanish legal terms, acronyms, and concepts that don't map cleanly onto US or Canadian real estate language. Rather than leaving you to piece these together from scattered sources, here's a reference glossary covering the terms you're most likely to encounter, grouped by theme, so you can look things up as they come up during your own search and closing. Ownership and Title Terms Escritura Pública The official public deed...

Aug 28 · 5 min read

Legal & Ownership

What Happens to Unfinished Developments When a Developer Goes Bankrupt?

Pre-construction pricing is one of the biggest draws in the Riviera Maya market, but it comes with a real risk that buyers need to weigh honestly: what happens to your money and your unit if the developer runs into serious financial trouble before the building is finished? Mexico's insolvency framework does provide a legal process, but it's worth understanding upfront that it doesn't offer the same buyer protections you might expect from a US context. Mexico's Bankruptcy Process: Concurso...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Buying From a Foreign Seller vs. a Mexican Seller: Does the Process Differ?

A meaningful share of Riviera Maya resale listings are owned by other foreigners, retirees, investors, or former vacationers who bought years ago and are now selling. Buyers sometimes wonder whether purchasing from a fellow American or Canadian seller is simpler than buying from a Mexican national, or vice versa. The honest answer is that the core process is largely the same either way, but a few real differences are worth understanding. The Core Transaction Structure Doesn't Change...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Can a Fideicomiso Be Contested? Understanding Trust Disputes

Most fideicomisos operate exactly as intended for decades without incident, quietly holding title while beneficiaries live in, rent, or eventually sell their property. But trust disputes do happen, most often around inheritance, divorce, or allegations that a trust wasn't properly established or modified. Understanding how these disputes typically arise, and how they're resolved, helps you avoid becoming part of one. The Three Parties in Every Fideicomiso Every fideicomiso involves a...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Understanding Your Contract's Force Majeure Clause (Relevant After Hurricanes)

The Riviera Maya sits in an active hurricane zone, and anyone buying property here, whether pre-construction or resale, should understand how their contract handles a storm event before signing, not after one hits. The relevant legal concept is force majeure, and how it's written into your specific contract can significantly affect what happens to deadlines, deposits, and obligations if a hurricane disrupts your transaction or your property. What Force Majeure Means Under Mexican Law Mexican...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

What Is a Cesion de Derechos and When Does It Come Up?

If you spend any time reading Mexican property contracts, you'll eventually run into the phrase cesión de derechos, or assignment of rights. It's one of those terms that shows up in several very different contexts, from fideicomiso transfers to pre-construction contracts to ejido land deals, and understanding which version you're dealing with matters for how the transaction actually works. The Basic Concept At its core, a cesión de derechos is a legal mechanism where one party (the cedente,...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Buying Beachfront: The Federal Maritime Zone (ZOFEMAT) Explained

Beachfront property is the single most sought-after category of real estate in the Riviera Maya, and it's also the category with the most misunderstood legal wrinkle: the federal maritime-terrestrial zone, known as ZOFEMAT. Before you fall in love with a listing because of "direct beach access," it's worth understanding exactly what that phrase does and doesn't mean. What ZOFEMAT Actually Is ZOFEMAT (Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre) is a strip of land, defined by federal law as twenty meters...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Do You Own the Beach in Front of Your Property? A Common Misconception

It's one of the most common questions from buyers considering a home along the Riviera Maya coastline, and the honest answer surprises a lot of people: no, you don't own the beach in front of your property, and neither does anyone else, Mexican or foreign. Here's why, and what it actually means for your day-to-day experience as an owner. The Beach Belongs to the Nation, Not to Adjacent Property Owners Under Mexican federal law, beaches and the twenty-meter strip of land immediately inland...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Water Rights and Well Access for Rural or Land Purchases

Most condo and villa buyers in the Riviera Maya never think twice about where their water comes from; it's simply connected to a municipal or development-managed system. But if you're considering raw land, a rural property, or an agricultural parcel outside the main tourist corridors, water rights become a real legal and practical issue you need to understand before you buy. Water in Mexico Is a National Resource, Not a Private One by Default Under Mexican law, all water within the national...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

What Happens to a Fideicomiso If the Trustee Bank Merges or Fails?

If you own Riviera Maya property through a fideicomiso, it's natural to wonder what happens to your trust if the bank managing it merges with another institution, gets acquired, or in a worst-case scenario, fails outright. It's a reasonable question, and fortunately, Mexican banking and trust law addresses it directly. Your Property Isn't the Bank's Asset The most important thing to understand is that a fideicomiso creates what's often described as a "separate patrimony" (patrimonio...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Can You Add or Remove a Beneficiary From an Existing Fideicomiso?

Life circumstances change after you've already set up a Mexican bank trust, whether it's a marriage, a divorce, adding a family member to the property, or updating who should inherit it. The good news is that fideicomisos aren't locked in stone. Beneficiaries can generally be added, removed, or changed, though the process runs through both the trustee bank and a notario, and it isn't instantaneous. Why You Might Need to Modify a Fideicomiso Adding a spouse after marriage, or after the trust...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Legal & Ownership

Fideicomiso Beneficiary Rights vs. a Direct Titleholder's Rights: What's Actually the Same

Foreign buyers hear the word "trust" attached to their Mexican property purchase and sometimes assume they're getting a lesser form of ownership compared to a Mexican citizen holding direct title. In practice, the two are far more similar than most people expect. Here's a clear-eyed comparison of what a fideicomiso beneficiary can and can't do, and where the real differences actually lie. Why the Fideicomiso Exists in the First Place Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution restricts foreigners...

Aug 28 · 4 min read