The Mexican Adventures of Mavis and Clovis:
"Clovis, get your butt over here right now and look at this here house!"
"Mavis, it's a right purdy house but we don't need no house right now."
"But, Clovis, it's for sale and at a right nice price. We might be able to afford it once Mama dies and leaves us her money."
"Mavis, we'ins are in this here country for only one week."
"Mexico is a beautiful country, Clovis, and I wants to come back real soon and I don't wants to have to pay for another hotel!"
"Ok, Mavis. Let's buy us a house."
This isn't as farfetched as you might think. Impulse buying in Mexico happens—a lot—and results in many unhappy people with a house to unload once their infatuation with Mexico wears off.
My wife and I have lived in Mexico for two years and are still renting. We are perfectly content with renting. We may rent for the rest of our lives. I do not know. What we do know is that many expatriate wannebees come to Mexico, develop an infatuation, buy real estate impulsively, and end up very unhappy.
What we advise folks to do is rent first and buy later. This only makes sense. If you rent first you can try out all the neighborhoods in the city you have chosen to see if you really like it. If not, you can move on to another neighborhood or even another town. Do not get tied down right off the bat. You will have enough cultural adjustments to make without the headache of a money-pit (houses are money-pits no matter the culture).
Another reason not to buy first is the language barrier. Unless you are good, very, very good, in Spanish how will you know if you are being ripped off or not? I have been in Mexico for two years; I live in a town that has virtually no English speakers. This has allowed me to develop a level of fluency. I would no more trust my Spanish in house buying than I would trust the man in the moon. I may someday but not yet. Get the picture?
Having said all that, it is possible for a foreigner to buy a house in Mexico. However, be forewarned, it is not the same as in America. It is not the same at all.
For example, there are no disclosure laws here in Mexico. It is "buyer beware." In addition, there are "restricted zones," along the coast, where foreigners are prohibited from buying or building a house. You have to know this stuff.
I am providing you a list of web sites that you absolutely need to read and virtually memorize. Know what you are getting into before you come here like Clovis and Mavis and decide, on a lark, to buy a house. You will be glad you did!
Buying Property in Mexico:
http://www.solutionsabroad.com/a_buyingland.asp
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/buymexre.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/MEX/austin/real_estate.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/conwaymortgages.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jking/jkpropertyappraisals.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/rrwalters/rrwsamsayshouse.html
A few of these maybe helpful:
Real Estate Agents:
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/rrwalters/rrwsamsayshouse.html
http://www.mexconnect.com/amex/fenixindex.html
http://www.sanmiguelguide.com/houses_for_sale.htm
http://www.abcrealty.com/
http://209.15.138.224/inmomex/b_guanajato1.htm
http://www.mazinfo.com/mazhomes/buying%20in%20Mexico.htm
(I cannot endorse any of these real estate agencies since I am a renter and not a buyer. I provide them as a resource only.)
The point is that an American can buy real estate in Mexico but you need to do your homework first! I cannot stress that enough. And, if you are not fluent in Spanish, then you will eventually have to trust someone you do not really know to interpret for you and manage the affairs of the purchase and any remodeling.
It is a scary enough event to buy a house in America where you speak the language. Try to imagine buying a house in Mexico where you do not speak Spanish.
Good luck!
Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Transitions Abroad. He lives with his wife in Guanajuato, Mexico.
His new book, Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World Country can be seen at http://www.lulu.com/content/126241
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