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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

All articles

Money & Costs

Using a HELOC or Home Equity to Buy in Mexico

Since Mexican banks rarely offer financing terms that feel familiar to US and Canadian buyers, a lot of cash purchases in the Riviera Maya are actually funded indirectly — through a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a cash-out refinance on a primary residence back home. It's a popular route, but it comes with its own set of trade-offs worth understanding before you tap it, particularly around collateral risk and how the numbers actually compare to financing in Mexico directly. How It...

Aug 28 · 3 min read

Money & Costs

Understanding IVA (VAT) on Mexican Real Estate Transactions

Value-added tax trips up a lot of foreign buyers because the rule everyone half-remembers — "real estate is exempt from VAT in Mexico" — is only partly true. IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado) does exempt certain residential transactions, but it shows up in plenty of places around the deal that buyers don't expect, and getting this wrong in your own budgeting can leave a real gap between what you planned to spend and what actually shows up on your closing statement. The General Rule: 16% on...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

What's Included (and Not) in a Listing Price in Mexico?

A quoted price in the Riviera Maya rarely tells the whole story, and assumptions about what "comes with the property" can lead to an uncomfortable conversation right before closing. Knowing what's standard — and what almost never is — helps you compare listings accurately and budget for the real total, rather than discovering the gap between "listing price" and "out-the-door cost" only once you're already committed. Reading Between the Lines of a Listing Description Listing descriptions vary...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

How Property Appraisals Work in Mexico and Why They Matter for Taxes

An avalúo — a formal property appraisal — sounds like a routine box to check, but it quietly influences several tax calculations that follow you through ownership and eventually into a future sale. Understanding what it is, who performs it, and how it's used helps buyers see why this modest upfront cost matters well beyond the closing table, and why cutting corners on it rarely pays off. What an Avalúo Actually Is An avalúo is a professional valuation of a property's current market value,...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

Capital Gains Tax When Selling Property in Mexico

Every seller eventually asks the same question: how much of the sale price actually gets taxed away? In Mexico, the answer depends heavily on your residency status, your paperwork, and which of two calculation methods gets applied at closing — and the difference between them can be tens of thousands of dollars. It's one of the most consequential financial decisions in the entire ownership lifecycle, and it's largely decided by preparation done long before the sale itself. How ISR on Capital...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

Wire Transfer vs. Currency Broker: Moving Large Sums to Mexico Safely

Moving six figures across an international border is the single largest financial transaction most buyers will make outside the property itself — and the method you choose to move it can quietly cost or save you thousands of dollars. The choice usually comes down to a traditional bank wire or a dedicated currency broker, and the two are not equivalent, even though both ultimately land the money in the same place. What a Bank Wire Actually Costs Banks charge two separate costs on an...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

How Much Deposit Do You Need to Reserve a Property in the Riviera Maya?

Before you can even get to a purchase contract, most Riviera Maya transactions start with a reservation deposit — a smaller, earlier payment that takes a property off the market while due diligence and paperwork move forward. Knowing what's typical, and what that money actually protects, keeps buyers from either overpaying upfront or losing a property to a faster-moving buyer in a market where good units, especially in popular pre-construction developments, can move quickly. Why Sellers...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

Budgeting for Ownership: HOA Fees, Insurance, Maintenance, and Utilities

The purchase price is only the headline number. What actually determines whether a Riviera Maya property is a comfortable second home or a recurring financial headache is the monthly and annual cost of keeping it running — HOA dues, insurance, maintenance, and utilities. Buyers who skip this part of the math often end up surprised by their first full year of ownership, particularly if they're used to budgeting for a home in a cooler, drier climate where buildings simply don't take the same...

Aug 28 · 5 min read

Money & Costs

Currency and Payments: How Exchange Rates Affect Your Purchase

Pricing in the Riviera Maya's resale and pre-construction markets is overwhelmingly quoted in US dollars, which can lull North American buyers into thinking currency risk isn't part of the equation. It is — just not always where you'd expect it. Understanding how the peso-dollar relationship actually touches your purchase helps you avoid surprises at closing and over the life of ownership, and it matters more in 2026 than it has in some recent years given how much the peso has moved. Why So...

Aug 28 · 4 min read

Money & Costs

Financing Options for US and Canadian Buyers

If you've bought a home in the United States or Canada, you're used to a 20% down payment and a 30-year mortgage from a bank down the street. Buying in the Riviera Maya works differently, and the sooner a buyer understands the real financing landscape, the less time gets wasted chasing options that don't exist. Most purchases here are still made in cash, but that doesn't mean financing is unavailable — it just comes from different sources, at different rates, and with different paperwork....

Aug 28 · 5 min read

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

Money & Costs

Property Taxes in Mexico: Understanding the Predial

If you're used to US or Canadian property tax bills, the Mexican predial is going to feel like a rounding error — and that surprises almost every new owner in a good way. What Predial Actually Is Predial is Mexico's annual property tax, collected at the municipal level — meaning Playa del Carmen (officially the municipality of Solidaridad), Tulum, and Cancún each set and collect their own. It's based on the cadastral value of your property, an official valuation set by the municipality, which...

Aug 28 · 3 min read

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The buying process in 4 steps

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