He had spent thirty-four years as a pipefitter in Ontario. She had taught elementary school. They had done everything right — and then Mexico real estate took it all.
A Mexico real estate closing comes with a standard reassurance: “Don’t worry — the Notario handles everything.” That statement is true. However, it leaves something important out.
Most international buyers read the contract. Few understand what the contract cannot protect them from. In Mexico, the answer often comes down to a single legal standard — Ad Corpus Mexico
A home inspection tells you what the building looks like. It doesn’t tell you if you can legally own it — and in Mexico, that’s the more expensive mistake.
Quintana Roo’s irregular development list just grew to 118 — and buyers were still signing contracts on flagged projects while authorities were shutting them down.
A certified broker, a licensed notary, a model home on a finished street — and buyers still lost everything. This is how Merida’s preventa fraud actually worked.
Eighteen developments shut down in Tulum. Developers were still marketing them while authorities were closing them in. Here’s what buyers were never told.
Two men in custody. Twenty-two victims. More than 12 million pesos gone. They signed at a notary and never owned the property.
The Quintana Roo government named 26 Tulum developments selling properties without legal permits. Fourteen cleared the list. Twelve didn’t. Here’s what buyers who had already signed faced.
Two Mexican nationals arrested for selling properties they didn’t own. Nearly a million dollars gone. The mechanics of this fraud are identical to what buyers face in Mexico every day.
