Why Use a Realtor When Buying Property in Mexico

Hi to Everyone! Sorry to have been away soooo long! It has been a very busy time here in our sleepy little town. We have moved into a new home, the kids came to visit for a couple of weeks and this all happened during the busiest months of the year. While I have been away from blogging I've done a couple of really neat things, spent a Sunday in Merida, went to a Oaxaca festival and the Guiness Book of World Records Cochinita Festival. I will be posting pictures in a couple of days.

In the meantime, my partner and buddy Susan wrote the following article about our company. Please give it a read:

Mayan Living Real Estate is registered Mexican corporation S.A. de C.V. and has been successfully in business for over 10 years.

We highly recommend that you consult professionals and/or legal counsel when considering any investment whether domestic or international. We are your eyes and ears on the ground here in Mexico and will take you step by step through the buying or selling process. We make ourselves available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we now also offer a Bi-lingual Concierge service for all of your needs. This service will assist you in getting power, water and telephone service, buying furniture, renewing FM3, FM2, and just generally where to find everything you need for you new home. We have bi-lingual agents as well working for Mayan Living that can assist you in all you translation needs. When you purchase or sell with us you can be certain that our notaries and lawyers conduct a title search, review all property documents and dot all the “i’s” and cross all the “t’s.”

We strictly follow a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice that promote the fair, ethical and honest treatment of all parties in a transaction. Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of an accredited Mexican Real Estate Company. Mayan Living Real Estate can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows smoothly.

By Mexican contract law, a contract must be written in Spanish and signed on Mexican soil to be enforceable. We have our company notaries and lawyers prepare and follow through with this for you.

Why use a Realtor:

Mayan Living Real Estate can guide you through the buying process making sure everything flows smoothly from initial offer to closing
Mayan Living Real Estate can help you determine your buying power. That is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give your agent some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, we can refer you to our exclusive lending partner who is qualified to help you.
Mayan Living Real Estate has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties that are right for you. There are a couple of things you'll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
Mayan Living Real Estate can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Our Agents have access to a variety of informational resources. We can provide local community information on utilities, hospitals, schools, etc. Mayan Living Real Estate can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Our agents can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
Mayan Living Real Estate provides due diligence, meaning we investigate all the details of your potential investment, during the evaluation of the property you choose. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Our agents can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and this can sometimes be hindered in the confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Mayan Living Real Estate and our notaries and attorneys can help you resolve issues that might cause you problems at a later date.
Mayan Living Real Estate can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs or if a problem in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Mayan Living Real Estate is the best company to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).
When selling your home, Mayan Living Real Estate can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing (if applicable), terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
Mayan Living Real Estate markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your agent can recommend repairs, cosmetic work and provide staging guidance that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. In many markets over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Mayan Living Real Estate acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc.
Mayan Living Real Estate will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. Studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your agent, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your agent will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
Mayan Living Real Estate can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. And avoid a lot of possible pitfalls. We will help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.
Mayan Living Real Estate has the facts on comparable pricing, neighborhood trends and housing market conditions, data you can use to set your best course of action and maximize your homes resale value when you are ready to sell.
Mayan Living Real Estate can negotiate the best deal. There are myriad negotiating factors, including price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs, furnishings or equipment. By negotiation alone, your agent often saves you more than the cost of their service.
Mayan Living Real Estate has years of experience in the housing market here in Mexico and is knowledgeable about developments and trends in real estate in our area.
Our guarantee is that Mayan Living Real Estate will be there with you every step of the way!