Before paying, check the developer, land, permits and reviewed contract. Document payment release, delivery, refunds, specifications and the final ownership structure; possession and construction completion are separate from legal transfer.
In this guide
- Step 1: Evaluate the location and intended use
- Step 2: Investigate the developer and contracting entity
- Step 3: Verify the underlying land
- Step 4: Check project permissions and legal unit creation
- Step 5: Review the reservation before paying
- Step 6: Match the contract to the promised unit
- Step 7: Map the payment exposure
- Step 8: Confirm final-balance financing
- Step 9: Plan the foreign ownership structure
- Step 10: Budget beyond the installments
- Step 11: Inspect before acceptance
- Step 12: Complete the formal closing
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources and further reading
Step 1: Evaluate the location and intended use
Choose the use you need to support: personal occupation, long-term rental or permitted short-term letting. Inspect access, utilities and nearby services. Compare competing completed units and other projects expected to deliver in the same period.
Do not assume that future infrastructure, rental income or appreciation will arrive as advertised. Ask which claims are contractual commitments and which are projections.
Step 2: Investigate the developer and contracting entity
Identify the legal entity signing the agreement and its authority over the project. Review completed developments, delivery records, owner feedback, construction quality and post-delivery support. Ask how the project is financed and who bears the risk if funding changes.
Use PROFECO’s commercial and contract resources where applicable. A complaint search is useful context, not a guarantee about a provider with no recorded complaints.
Step 3: Verify the underlying land
Have independent counsel confirm the owner, title, boundaries, liens, disputes and the developer’s rights. Determine whether the land has an agrarian history and whether the proposed units can be transferred as planned.
If ejido or pending conversion appears in the documents, resolve the issue before assuming the project has transferable private title. Our land-status guide explains the checks.
Step 4: Check project permissions and legal unit creation
Request relevant land-use, construction and environmental authorizations. Verify them with the issuing authority for the actual project rather than relying only on a brochure copy.
Establish the condominium regime, unit identification and registration process. Ask what must occur before the notario and trustee bank can formalize the acquisition, and which steps remain incomplete.
Step 5: Review the reservation before paying
The reservation should identify the unit, price, currency, recipient, deadline and refund conditions. Ask what happens if your lawyer identifies a defect or the developer changes the project.
Verify the payee independently. A refundable label is incomplete without the circumstances, deductions, refund timing and process for requesting payment back.
Step 6: Match the contract to the promised unit
NOM-247-SE-2021 addresses covered residential property marketing and contract requirements. Ask counsel whether the provider and transaction fall within its scope and whether the applicable adhesion contract is registered with PROFECO. Match the actual agreement to the registered model where required.
| Contract area | Detail to resolve |
|---|---|
| Unit and specifications | Area definition, layout, finishes, appliances and allowed substitutions |
| Common areas | Promised amenities, delivery dates and responsibility for unfinished work |
| Timing | Delivery, grace periods and separately defined title transfer |
| Payments | Currency, installments, release conditions and additional charges |
| Failure or changes | Delay remedies, cancellation, refunds and dispute procedure |
| Handover and defects | Inspection, written defect list, repair process and warranties |
Swipe or scroll sideways to compare all columns.
Contract registration does not establish clean title, completed permits or the developer’s financial ability to finish construction.
Step 7: Map the payment exposure
List every payment from reservation to final closing. Identify the recipient, due date and any verifiable construction milestone. Ask what protects funds if work stops and whether a claimed escrow service actually holds them subject to agreed release conditions.
Calculate how much capital is exposed before receiving a completed unit and formal rights. Do not confuse an installment schedule with an assurance of delivery.
Step 8: Confirm final-balance financing
Obtain lender eligibility and property requirements before assuming you can finance at delivery. A future appraisal, interest rate or approval is not guaranteed.
Review developer finance for interest, balloon payments, default, currency and when title transfers. Keep sufficient reserves for delays or a different financing outcome. See the mortgage guide.
Step 9: Plan the foreign ownership structure
Determine whether the parcel and residential use require a fideicomiso. Ask which bank is involved, when the unit becomes eligible for the trust and what documents, charges and permit steps are needed.
A promise that foreign buyers can close later is not the completed structure. Coordinate the bank, notario and buyer’s counsel before setting the final payment conditions.
Step 10: Budget beyond the installments
Include acquisition tax, notario and registry charges, bank costs, legal work and currency transfers. Add furnishing, utility setup, insurance, condominium dues, maintenance and management.
Ask whether initial condominium contributions, unfinished amenities or service arrangements create additional costs. Do not rely on rental income beginning immediately on the advertised delivery date.
Step 11: Inspect before acceptance
Arrange an independent inspection appropriate to the unit. Compare the delivered layout and finishes with the contract; test utilities and document defects, missing items and incomplete common areas.
Agree the written defect list, repair deadlines and acceptance conditions with counsel before signing a release or making a payment that limits your remedies. Keys do not establish that every promised item has been delivered.
Step 12: Complete the formal closing
Coordinate the final deed or trust, applicable taxes and registration with the notario and bank. Confirm release of relevant liens and obtain formal documents and registration evidence.
Keep the contract, amendments, payments, inspection records and warranty documents. Establish who handles aftercare, condominium administration and any continuing developer obligations.
Frequently asked questions
Does a PROFECO-registered contract guarantee the project?
No. It concerns the contract model. Title, permits, construction, developer finances and delivery still need separate review.
Can I assume a mortgage will fund the balance at delivery?
No. Borrower and property eligibility, valuation, timing and loan terms must be established. A future approval can change or fail.
Is delivery the same as legal ownership transfer?
Not necessarily. Physical handover and the deed or trust formalization and registration can be separate milestones. Define both in the agreement.