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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

Investment & Rental

Check HOA Rental Restrictions Before You Buy an Investment Unit

It's one of the most avoidable mistakes an investor can make in this market: buying a condo specifically to run it as a short-term rental, only to discover afterward that the building's HOA bylaws prohibit exactly that. The reglamento condominal (condominium bylaws) governs what you can and can't do with your unit, and it should be one of the first documents you review, not the last. Why HOA Rules Matter More Than Many Buyers Expect A Mexican condominium's reglamento is a legally binding...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

How Hurricane Risk and Insurance Affect a Rental Investment

Buying on the Caribbean coast means buying into hurricane exposure — there's no way around that fact, and any investor evaluating a Riviera Maya property should factor storm risk and insurance costs into their return calculations from the start, not treat them as an afterthought. How Real Is the Risk? The Atlantic hurricane season runs officially from June 1 through November 30, with the most active stretch typically August through October. The Riviera Maya has experienced a direct major...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Land Banking in the Riviera Maya: Buying Raw Land as a Long-Term Play

Not every investment in this region involves a finished condo. Some buyers take a longer, quieter approach: buying undeveloped land now, holding it for years, and either developing it later or selling to a developer once the surrounding area has grown into it. Land banking can work well in a region expanding as fast as the Riviera Maya — but it comes with a different, and in some ways higher, risk profile than buying a built unit. Why Investors Consider Raw Land Lower entry cost per square...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Flipping Property in the Riviera Maya: Does It Actually Work?

The idea is tempting: buy pre-construction at a discount, wait for the building to finish, sell for a quick profit before ever renting it out. Flipping has worked for some investors in this market — but the mechanics, taxes, and timing risks are different enough from a US or Canadian flip that treating it the same way can quietly erode or eliminate your margin. How Flipping Actually Happens Here There are two common versions of a flip in the Riviera Maya: Assignment/cesión de derechos (rights...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

High Season vs. Low Season: Understanding Rental Income Seasonality

If you only look at annual average rental numbers for a Riviera Maya condo, you're missing the story that actually matters for cash flow planning: this market swings hard between a strong winter high season and a much softer late-summer and fall stretch. Understanding that rhythm — and budgeting for it — separates owners who get blindsided by a slow September from those who planned for it. The Shape of the Riviera Maya Season High season generally runs from mid-December through April, driven...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

What Amenities Actually Drive Bookings in Tulum and Playa del Carmen?

Not every amenity that looks good in a sales brochure actually moves the needle on bookings. With thousands of active listings competing across Tulum and Playa del Carmen, understanding which features guests genuinely filter and pay for — versus which ones are just nice-to-haves — should shape which building and unit you buy, not just how you decorate it. The Amenities That Consistently Matter Reliable, Strong Wi-Fi With a meaningful share of bookings now coming from remote workers and...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Furnishing a Rental Property in the Riviera Maya: Budget and Sourcing

Buying the condo is the easy part. Turning an empty concrete box into a rental guests will pay a premium for — and leave five-star reviews about — takes a real budget and a plan, and it's a step many first-time investors underestimate badly. What Furnishing Actually Costs Budgets vary by unit size and finish level, but as a general planning range: Unit type Typical furnishing budget (USD) Studio / 1-bedroom $15,000 - $20,000 2-bedroom $20,000 - $30,000 3-bedroom / villa $30,000 - $50,000+...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

How to Read a Rental Pro Forma Before You Buy an Investment Condo

A glossy sales brochure showing "12% projected annual return" is not the same thing as a rental pro forma you can trust. Developers and sales teams have every incentive to make the numbers look good, so learning to read — and stress-test — a pro forma is one of the highest-value skills you can bring into a Riviera Maya property purchase. What a Pro Forma Should Actually Contain A legitimate rental pro forma breaks the numbers down step by step rather than jumping straight to a headline yield....

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

VRBO vs. Airbnb vs. Long-Term Rental: Which Strategy Fits Your Property?

Once you own a condo in the Riviera Maya, the next decision shapes your entire return: do you chase nightly bookings on Airbnb or VRBO, or hand the keys to a single tenant for a year at a time? Each strategy comes with a different revenue ceiling, a different workload, and a different regulatory footprint — and the right choice depends more on your property and goals than on which platform has the flashier app. Airbnb: The Default Choice for Most Owners Airbnb dominates short-term booking...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Working with a Property Manager: What It Costs and What They Do

Owning a rental condo two thousand miles from home only works if someone local is handling guest check-ins, fixing the air conditioning at 11 p.m., and making sure your unit stays compliant with Quintana Roo's tightening short-term rental rules. That's the job of a property manager, and understanding what you're actually paying for — and what you're not — will save you from an unpleasant surprise on your first monthly statement. What Property Managers Actually Do A full-service property...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Investment & Rental

Pre-Construction vs. Resale: Which Is the Safer Investment?

Every buyer touring the Riviera Maya eventually faces the same fork in the road: sign up for a condo that exists only as a rendering and a construction schedule, or buy something you can walk through today. Both paths have produced good outcomes for US and Canadian investors, and both have produced expensive lessons. The right answer depends less on which option is "better" in the abstract and more on your timeline, risk tolerance, and how much homework you're willing to do before you wire a...

Aug 29 · 5 min read

Investment & Rental

Realistic Rental Yields: What Investors Actually Earn

Marketing materials love round, optimistic yield numbers. Here's what the actual data looks like for a typical, well-managed Riviera Maya short-term rental in 2026 — gross and net, not just the headline figure. Gross vs. Net: The Number That Actually Matters Gross short-term rental yields across the Riviera Maya typically run 7-11% annually for a well-located, well-managed property. That's the number most listings lead with. The number that actually determines whether the investment works for...

Aug 29 · 3 min read

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The buying process in 4 steps

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