How do I know if a property is ejido land?

A title search conducted by your notario will surface ejido classification. The notario checks the Registro Público de la Propiedad (public property registry) and the cadastral records for the property. If the land is ejidal, it will show up in these records as comunal/ejidal rather than propiedad privada. The critical protection: insist that the title search is completed before you sign the promissory agreement or pay any significant deposit. In Tulum especially, where ejido land issues have been documented repeatedly, some developers have been known to begin pre-sales before the ejido conversion process (dominio pleno) is complete — insisting on a pre-signed title confirmation from your notario protects you.

What should I do if I receive different wire instructions than expected?

Treat any change in wire transfer instructions as a potential fraud attempt until proven otherwise. The specific protocol: (1) Do not respond to the email or follow the instructions yet. (2) Call your notario, agent, or developer at a phone number you have independently verified — not one provided in the suspicious email. (3) Verbally confirm the wire instructions match. (4) If you cannot reach them, delay the transfer until you can. The inconvenience of a delayed wire is always preferable to a misdirected one. Business email compromise (BEC) attacks specifically target the moments when large wire transfers are expected — this is when fraudsters act. No legitimate professional will pressure you to wire funds before you've verbally confirmed instructions.

What happens if I discover a property was double-sold after I bought it?

Double-selling (selling the same property to two buyers simultaneously) is a serious fraud and is unfortunately possible in Mexico if the promissory agreement is not registered promptly. In a double-sale dispute, Mexican courts generally give priority to the buyer whose deed was registered first at the Registro Público de la Propiedad — not necessarily the buyer who paid first. Your practical protections: (1) Ask your notario to file a preventive annotation (anotación preventiva) at the public registry as soon as the promissory agreement is signed — this puts the world on notice that a sale is pending and blocks duplicate registrations. (2) Ensure your closing and registration move quickly. (3) Title insurance (Stewart Title, Fidelity National) covers pre-existing title defects including double-sale scenarios that weren't discoverable at closing.

Should I agree to under-declare the purchase price on the deed?

No — and this deserves emphasis because the pressure to under-declare is genuinely common in Mexico. The seller's motivation: reduced ISR (income tax) withholding on their capital gain, which the notario is legally required to remit. Your motivation not to agree: (1) If you under-declare, your adjusted cost base for Canadian capital gains purposes is the declared amount, not what you actually paid — meaning your eventual gain in CAD is inflated by the under-declaration. (2) Under-declaration may constitute participation in tax fraud in both Mexico and Canada. (3) If the transaction is ever reviewed by CRA or SAT (Mexico's tax authority), the inconsistency between documented evidence and the declared amount creates serious exposure. (4) Mexican acquisition tax (ISAI) is assessed on the declared value — under-declaring reduces your official asset value, which can complicate future sales. The correct answer to 'everyone does it' is 'not anymore, and not with my transaction.'

How do I verify a developer's track record before buying pre-construction?

The minimum verification checklist for any pre-construction developer: (1) Physical visit to at least one completed project they've delivered — not renderings, not a sales presentation, an actual building you can walk through and talk to residents in. (2) Confirmation from at least three prior buyers who closed with this developer within the last three years. Get their names from the developer and contact them independently — don't accept references who are also current buyers or investors. (3) Legal entity verification — confirm the developer's Mexican corporate registration (RFC) is valid and matches the entity named in your contract. (4) Confirm the SRE permit for the fideicomiso is in place for the specific development (not just generally applied for). (5) Review the developer's financial structure — are they using buyer deposits to fund construction (dangerous) or do they have construction financing in place from a lender? (6) Have your attorney review the purchase contract specifically for force majeure clauses, delivery guarantee terms, and penalty provisions for late delivery.

Is the high-pressure 'this unit will be gone tomorrow' tactic always dishonest?

Not always — in genuinely competitive markets like Puerto Vallarta's premium condo segment, units at good prices do receive multiple offers and can be committed to quickly. The difference between legitimate urgency and a pressure tactic: legitimate urgency doesn't require you to skip due diligence, just to move quickly within a due diligence framework. A legitimate seller will allow your attorney to review the contract before you sign — even if they need your answer within 24–48 hours. A pressure tactic specifically targets the steps designed to protect you: 'sign today or lose it' combined with 'no time for a lawyer to review it.' If anyone asks you to skip attorney review, title search, or independent verification under time pressure, that is a red flag regardless of how plausible the urgency sounds.

What recourse do I have if I've been scammed in a Mexico real estate transaction?

Your recourse options depend on the type of fraud: (1) Contract fraud / developer non-performance: file a PROFECO complaint (federal consumer protection), engage a Mexican litigator for civil action, and contact the state real estate association if AMPI members are involved. Recovery through litigation takes years and outcomes are uncertain — prevention is far better than cure. (2) Wire fraud (funds sent to a fraudster): contact your bank immediately — wire recalls are possible within a very narrow window (minutes to hours). File a police report in Canada. Contact the Canadian Consulate in Mexico. Report to RCMP's cybercrime unit. Recovery rates for wire fraud are low once funds have cleared to a foreign account. (3) Title fraud (bought ejido or invalid title): pursue civil action against the seller and agent through Mexican courts; claim under title insurance if you purchased it. Engage the Canadian Consulate for consular assistance. (4) Unlicensed agent fraud: report to AMPI (if the agent falsely claimed membership), file criminal complaint with the Mexican Ministerio Público, and consult a Mexican litigator about civil action.

Does the fideicomiso protect me from fraud?

The fideicomiso protects you from some risks but not others. What it protects: it confirms the property is legally purchasable by a foreigner in a restricted zone, establishes your recognized ownership through a licensed bank, and provides a legitimate legal framework for your ownership rights. What it doesn't protect against: a fraudulent seller who didn't actually own the property they sold you, ejido land that should have been caught in due diligence, double-selling that happened before the fideicomiso was registered, or developer fraud in a pre-construction scenario where the fideicomiso doesn't yet hold the specific unit. The fideicomiso is a legitimate ownership structure — not a fraud-prevention tool. Your actual fraud protection comes from the title search, your independent attorney, title insurance, and phone-verified wire transfer protocols.

How do I know if a property is ejido land?

A title search conducted by your notario will surface ejido classification. The notario checks the Registro Público de la Propiedad (public property registry) and the cadastral records for the property. If the land is ejidal, it will show up in these records as comunal/ejidal rather than propiedad privada. The critical protection: insist that the title search is completed before you sign the promissory agreement or pay any significant deposit. In Tulum especially, where ejido land issues have been documented repeatedly, some developers have been known to begin pre-sales before the ejido conversion process (dominio pleno) is complete — insisting on a pre-signed title confirmation from your notario protects you.

What should I do if I receive different wire instructions than expected?

Treat any change in wire transfer instructions as a potential fraud attempt until proven otherwise. The specific protocol: (1) Do not respond to the email or follow the instructions yet. (2) Call your notario, agent, or developer at a phone number you have independently verified — not one provided in the suspicious email. (3) Verbally confirm the wire instructions match. (4) If you cannot reach them, delay the transfer until you can. The inconvenience of a delayed wire is always preferable to a misdirected one. Business email compromise (BEC) attacks specifically target the moments when large wire transfers are expected — this is when fraudsters act. No legitimate professional will pressure you to wire funds before you've verbally confirmed instructions.

What happens if I discover a property was double-sold after I bought it?

Double-selling (selling the same property to two buyers simultaneously) is a serious fraud and is unfortunately possible in Mexico if the promissory agreement is not registered promptly. In a double-sale dispute, Mexican courts generally give priority to the buyer whose deed was registered first at the Registro Público de la Propiedad — not necessarily the buyer who paid first. Your practical protections: (1) Ask your notario to file a preventive annotation (anotación preventiva) at the public registry as soon as the promissory agreement is signed — this puts the world on notice that a sale is pending and blocks duplicate registrations. (2) Ensure your closing and registration move quickly. (3) Title insurance (Stewart Title, Fidelity National) covers pre-existing title defects including double-sale scenarios that weren't discoverable at closing.

Should I agree to under-declare the purchase price on the deed?

No — and this deserves emphasis because the pressure to under-declare is genuinely common in Mexico. The seller's motivation: reduced ISR (income tax) withholding on their capital gain, which the notario is legally required to remit. Your motivation not to agree: (1) If you under-declare, your adjusted cost base for Canadian capital gains purposes is the declared amount, not what you actually paid — meaning your eventual gain in CAD is inflated by the under-declaration. (2) Under-declaration may constitute participation in tax fraud in both Mexico and Canada. (3) If the transaction is ever reviewed by CRA or SAT (Mexico's tax authority), the inconsistency between documented evidence and the declared amount creates serious exposure. (4) Mexican acquisition tax (ISAI) is assessed on the declared value — under-declaring reduces your official asset value, which can complicate future sales. The correct answer to 'everyone does it' is 'not anymore, and not with my transaction.'

How do I verify a developer's track record before buying pre-construction?

The minimum verification checklist for any pre-construction developer: (1) Physical visit to at least one completed project they've delivered — not renderings, not a sales presentation, an actual building you can walk through and talk to residents in. (2) Confirmation from at least three prior buyers who closed with this developer within the last three years. Get their names from the developer and contact them independently — don't accept references who are also current buyers or investors. (3) Legal entity verification — confirm the developer's Mexican corporate registration (RFC) is valid and matches the entity named in your contract. (4) Confirm the SRE permit for the fideicomiso is in place for the specific development (not just generally applied for). (5) Review the developer's financial structure — are they using buyer deposits to fund construction (dangerous) or do they have construction financing in place from a lender? (6) Have your attorney review the purchase contract specifically for force majeure clauses, delivery guarantee terms, and penalty provisions for late delivery.

Is the high-pressure 'this unit will be gone tomorrow' tactic always dishonest?

Not always — in genuinely competitive markets like Puerto Vallarta's premium condo segment, units at good prices do receive multiple offers and can be committed to quickly. The difference between legitimate urgency and a pressure tactic: legitimate urgency doesn't require you to skip due diligence, just to move quickly within a due diligence framework. A legitimate seller will allow your attorney to review the contract before you sign — even if they need your answer within 24–48 hours. A pressure tactic specifically targets the steps designed to protect you: 'sign today or lose it' combined with 'no time for a lawyer to review it.' If anyone asks you to skip attorney review, title search, or independent verification under time pressure, that is a red flag regardless of how plausible the urgency sounds.

What recourse do I have if I've been scammed in a Mexico real estate transaction?

Your recourse options depend on the type of fraud: (1) Contract fraud / developer non-performance: file a PROFECO complaint (federal consumer protection), engage a Mexican litigator for civil action, and contact the state real estate association if AMPI members are involved. Recovery through litigation takes years and outcomes are uncertain — prevention is far better than cure. (2) Wire fraud (funds sent to a fraudster): contact your bank immediately — wire recalls are possible within a very narrow window (minutes to hours). File a police report in Canada. Contact the Canadian Consulate in Mexico. Report to RCMP's cybercrime unit. Recovery rates for wire fraud are low once funds have cleared to a foreign account. (3) Title fraud (bought ejido or invalid title): pursue civil action against the seller and agent through Mexican courts; claim under title insurance if you purchased it. Engage the Canadian Consulate for consular assistance. (4) Unlicensed agent fraud: report to AMPI (if the agent falsely claimed membership), file criminal complaint with the Mexican Ministerio Público, and consult a Mexican litigator about civil action.

Does the fideicomiso protect me from fraud?

The fideicomiso protects you from some risks but not others. What it protects: it confirms the property is legally purchasable by a foreigner in a restricted zone, establishes your recognized ownership through a licensed bank, and provides a legitimate legal framework for your ownership rights. What it doesn't protect against: a fraudulent seller who didn't actually own the property they sold you, ejido land that should have been caught in due diligence, double-selling that happened before the fideicomiso was registered, or developer fraud in a pre-construction scenario where the fideicomiso doesn't yet hold the specific unit. The fideicomiso is a legitimate ownership structure — not a fraud-prevention tool. Your actual fraud protection comes from the title search, your independent attorney, title insurance, and phone-verified wire transfer protocols.

Reviewed on March 2026 by the Compass Abroad editorial team

7 Most Common Mexico Real Estate Scams Targeting Canadian Buyers

The seven patterns that repeat in Mexico real estate fraud: ejido land sales (invalid title), wire transfer interception, fake ownership or double-selling, under-declared property values, pre-construction developer fraud, unlicensed agent fraud, and high-pressure deposit schemes. Each has a specific mechanism, specific red flags, and a specific protection. Knowing all seven before you sign anything is the most effective fraud prevention available.

This guide is organized by scam type, not by severity. All seven are serious. The three most financially catastrophic — ejido land, pre-construction developer fraud, and wire transfer interception — are also the three most preventable with proper professional guidance. We cover how each scam works in practice, how to identify it before it happens, and what your protection looks like.

Key Takeaways

The most financially catastrophic Mexico real estate scams involve ejido land (title-invalid sales), pre-construction developer fraud, and wire transfer interception — three patterns that account for the majority of serious Canadian buyer losses.
Under-declared property values are not just a tax issue — they dramatically increase your capital gains tax exposure on eventual sale and may violate Canadian reporting obligations. The pressure to under-declare is common; always resist it.
Unlicensed agent fraud is preventable: require AMPI membership, independently verify the membership online, and check transaction history with prior clients. Mexico's agent licensing gap is real but has a known solution.
Wire transfer interception (business email compromise) targets real estate transactions specifically because of the large wire amounts involved. The protection — phone verification of wire instructions — is simple and non-negotiable.
High-pressure deposit tactics are a red flag, not a buying incentive. 'This unit will be gone tomorrow' is often true in PV's competitive market but is also used by unscrupulous sellers to suppress due diligence. Never commit a deposit before your attorney has reviewed the contract.
Every scam on this list is substantially harder to execute against a buyer who has a vetted buyer's agent, an independent Mexican attorney, and a competent notario. These professionals are not optional overhead — they are your primary defenses.

Mexico Real Estate Fraud: Key Facts

Ejido Land Coverage: ~50% of Mexico's total land area — concentrated in rural and some coastal areas; Tulum has documented ejido complications
Wire Fraud Impact: BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks cost real estate buyers hundreds of millions USD annually — Mexico transactions are targeted
Under-Declaration Common In: Mexico: seller often requests under-declared value to reduce ISR withholding — resist even if 'everyone does it'
Mexico Agent Licensing: No mandatory federal licensing — AMPI membership is voluntary; anyone can claim to be an agent
Pre-Construction Risk Level: Higher than resale — developer insolvency is the most common source of significant buyer loss in Mexico
Double-Selling Mechanism: Possible only when promissory agreement is not registered at the Registro Público — register early to block duplicate sales
Notario Role: Notario Público is mandatory and legally verifies title — but the notario protects the transaction, not you specifically. Your attorney protects you.
Title Insurance Availability: Stewart Title and Fidelity National offer title insurance in Mexico — rare for a developing market and worth using
PROFECO Recourse: Mexico's federal consumer protection agency — provides some recourse for contract violations but recovery is slow and uncertain
Escrow Services: Third-party escrow (separate from notario) is available and adds significant protection for large transactions

Scam 1: Ejido Land Sales — Invalid Title That Can't Be Yours

How It Works

Ejido land is communally held agricultural land that cannot be sold as private property without a specific legal conversion process called dominio pleno. When a developer builds on unconverted ejido land and sells units, the buyer receives a contract — but the underlying land has no legal basis for private title transfer. The buyer can't actually own the unit, and the fideicomiso (even if set up) is legally void because the land it purports to hold is not private property.

This scam appears in two forms: deliberate (the developer knows the title is invalid and sells anyway) and negligent (the developer believed the ejido conversion was complete when it wasn't, or relied on informal agreements with ejido community leaders that don't constitute valid dominio pleno). Both result in the same outcome for the buyer: they have paid for something they cannot legally own.

Where it's most common: Tulum has been the highest-profile market for ejido complications, but it can occur anywhere in Mexico where rapid development has preceded proper land regularization.

Red Flags

Developer refuses to provide a notarized title certificate before signing the promissory agreement
The property is priced significantly below comparable non-ejido properties in the area
Developer mentions "ejido agreements" or "community permission" instead of presenting clean private title
Closing timeline is aggressive — being rushed is often a strategy to prevent title verification

How to Protect Yourself

Never sign a promissory agreement or pay a significant deposit without written confirmation from your notario that the title search has been completed and the land is confirmed private title (not ejidal). Your notario will check the Registro Público de la Propiedad and cadastral records. For developments in high-risk areas like Tulum, consider purchasing title insurance through Stewart Title or Fidelity National — one of the few protections available after-the-fact against a title defect that slipped through due diligence. Read our full fideicomiso guide to understand how legitimate fideicomiso setup works.

Scam 2: Wire Transfer Interception (Business Email Compromise)

How It Works

Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a sophisticated fraud where criminals compromise — or convincingly spoof — the email account of your agent, notario, developer, or attorney. At the point of closing when large wire transfers are expected, the fraudster sends wire instructions (or modifies previously legitimate instructions) that redirect your transfer to a fraudulent account. You believe you're wiring to the notario's trust account; you're actually wiring to a money mule network account that immediately forwards the funds offshore.

This is not specific to Mexico — it happens in Canadian real estate transactions too. But Mexico transactions are particularly targeted because: the buyer and seller are in different countries (reducing the chance of in-person verification); wire transfers are the only payment method for large amounts; and the buyer is often unfamiliar with the exact expected wire instructions.

Red Flags

Wire instructions arrive via email only, without prior discussion of the bank or account
The account number or bank is different from what was mentioned in earlier discussions
Email request for urgency: "please wire today before the bank closes"
Slight email address discrepancies (the fraudster's address vs legitimate: johnsmith@notaria vs johnsmith@notaria.com)

How to Protect Yourself

The rule is absolute: always verify wire instructions by phone call to a number you have independently confirmed, before sending any wire transfer. Not a number provided in the email. Not a callback to the number in the email signature. A number you saved from an earlier in-person or video call, or that you independently looked up. Confirm: the recipient name, bank name, account number, and SWIFT/routing code. Send a small test transfer (if your institution allows) before the full amount. Use an FX specialist with dual-confirmation protocols rather than a direct bank wire — MTFX and similar services have internal fraud detection that catches anomalies.

Scam 3: Fake Ownership and Double-Selling

How It Works

Fake ownership occurs when someone presents themselves as the owner of a property they don't actually own. In Mexico, this has occurred through forged property registry documents, impersonation of deceased or absent owners, and fraudulent power-of-attorney claims. The buyer pays in full and later discovers the "seller" had no legal right to sell.

Double-selling is a related fraud where a legitimate owner sells the same property to two buyers, often within a short window, before either registration is complete. The first buyer to register their deed at the Registro Público prevails; the second buyer loses their purchase price with only a civil lawsuit as recourse.

Red Flags

Seller cannot produce the original escritura (deed) — only a photocopy
Seller pushes for a very fast closing before a full title search is complete
Property is priced significantly below market without a clear explanation
Seller is acting under a power of attorney — especially for an absent or deceased original owner

How to Protect Yourself

Your notario's title search is the primary protection against fake ownership — it confirms the legal owner of record at the Registro Público. For double-selling protection, ask your notario to file a preventive annotation (anotación preventiva) at the public registry as soon as the promissory agreement is signed. This puts the world on constructive notice that a sale is pending and blocks any parallel registration. Title insurance (Stewart Title, Fidelity National) provides coverage if a defect slips through due diligence. The step-by-step buying process includes these protections as standard steps.

Scam 4: Under-Declared Property Values

How It Works

This is less a scam perpetrated on you and more a fraud the seller invites you to participate in. The seller (or their agent) asks that you declare a lower purchase price in the official deed than you actually paid — sometimes significantly lower. The seller's motivation: reduced ISR (Mexican income tax on capital gains) withholding, which the notario calculates based on the declared price.

The harm to you: (1) Your legal adjusted cost base is the declared amount, not what you actually paid. When you eventually sell, your taxable capital gain in Mexico (and in Canada under CRA rules) will be calculated on the artificially low basis — inflating your declared gain and your tax. (2) Participation constitutes potential tax fraud in both Mexico and Canada. (3) If the discrepancy is ever investigated by SAT (Mexico's tax authority) or CRA, you face potential penalties and liability.

Red Flags

Seller or agent asks for part of the payment to be made in cash or in a separate unrecorded transaction
"We can save some taxes if you declare a lower amount on the deed"
Agent or seller implies this is standard practice ("everyone does it")

How to Protect Yourself

Declare the actual purchase price, always. If a seller requires under-declaration as a condition of sale, walk away. The legal exposure is not worth any savings the seller is offering you, and the long-term cost to your capital gains position can be significant. For a worked example of how under-declaration affects Canadian capital gains reporting, see our Canadian tax guide for foreign property.

Work With Professionals Who Can't Be Pressured

The right buyer's agent and independent attorney are your best defenses against every scam on this list. Get matched with a vetted, AMPI-member agent with Canadian buyer experience.

Get Matched With an Agent

Scam 5: Pre-Construction Developer Fraud

How It Works

Pre-construction fraud operates on a spectrum: at the criminal end, developers collect deposits with no intention of building. More commonly, developers are genuinely attempting to build but are undercapitalized — they are using buyer deposits to fund construction rather than having independent construction financing, and when sales slow or construction costs escalate, they run out of money before delivery.

In both cases, the buyer has paid 20–50% of the purchase price and now has a developer that cannot deliver. Bankruptcy proceedings in Mexico are slow. Recovery for unsecured creditors (which is what most pre-construction buyers are, legally) is uncertain and often incomplete. Buyers sometimes wait 3–7 years for partial recovery through legal proceedings.

Red Flags

Developer has no completed, delivered projects — only renderings
Developer asks for deposits directly to their bank account (not a trust account)
Delivery timeline keeps extending without penalty to the developer
Developer has no verifiable construction financing from a recognized lender
High-pressure to commit before the "first phase discount" expires
Very high promised returns (15%+ annually) in pre-sale marketing

How to Protect Yourself

Only buy pre-construction from developers with two or more fully delivered projects. All deposits should go into a fideicomiso de garantía (third-party trust) held by a bank independent of the developer — so your money is protected even if the developer becomes insolvent. Have an independent Mexican attorney review the purchase contract specifically for delivery guarantees, penalty provisions for late delivery, and refund protections. Limit your deposit to 30% or less before construction is substantially underway. Check the developer's reputation with prior buyers independently — not references the developer provides.

Scam 6: Unlicensed Agent Fraud

How It Works

Mexico has no mandatory national real estate licensing law — anyone can hang a sign and call themselves a real estate agent. Fraudulent agents operate in two modes: simple incompetence (they lack the knowledge to protect your interests, recommend unvetted notarios, miss due diligence steps) and active fraud (they steer buyers to specific properties where they have undisclosed kickback arrangements with sellers or developers, pocket part of the deposit, or disappear after receiving their commission on a problematic transaction).

The AMPI (Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios) is Mexico's voluntary professional association — membership is a positive signal but not a guarantee. Some legitimate, ethical agents work outside AMPI; some AMPI members are poor agents. The real verification is track record with Canadian buyers.

Red Flags

Agent cannot provide contact information for three Canadian buyers they've closed with in the past two years
Agent recommends only properties where they have a selling relationship with the developer
Agent discourages you from hiring an independent attorney ("the notario handles everything")
Agent is vague about their commission arrangement — who pays, how much
Agent is also acting as the notario's assistant or has a direct financial relationship with the recommended notario

How to Protect Yourself

Verify AMPI membership directly on AMPI's website. More importantly, request contact information for three Canadian buyers the agent has closed transactions with in the past two years — and actually call them. Ask specifically whether the agent recommended an independent attorney, whether there were any transaction problems, and whether the agent was transparent about their fees. Use vetted buyer's agents through Compass Abroad — our agents are pre-screened for Canadian buyer experience and transaction track record. Read our lessons learned guide for specific agent vetting criteria.

Scam 7: High-Pressure Deposit Schemes

How It Works

This operates at the intersection of legitimate urgency and manufactured pressure. A property is presented as uniquely available, immediately in demand, and about to be taken by another buyer. To secure it, you must pay a deposit immediately — often before a lawyer has reviewed the contract, before a title search has been initiated, or before you've had time to independently verify anything.

In some cases the "other interested buyer" is entirely fictitious. In others, the urgency is genuine but being used to compress due diligence. The deposit structure is often favorable to the seller: non-refundable under most conditions, held by the developer or seller rather than in escrow, and not contingent on title or due diligence findings. Buyers who pay deposits under pressure and then discover title problems or contract problems often discover they have waived their right to a refund.

Red Flags

"We have another offer coming in — you need to decide today"
Deposit is asked for before a formal written contract is signed
Deposit is non-refundable with no due diligence conditions
Deposit is to be sent directly to the seller or developer (not into escrow or notario trust)
Contract review by your attorney is presented as unnecessary or too slow

How to Protect Yourself

Establish a rule before you start touring: you will not pay any deposit before a lawyer has reviewed the contract. This rule eliminates the high-pressure deposit tactic entirely — you simply aren't in a position to comply with the demand without violating your own rule. Any legitimate seller who truly needs an answer quickly can allow 24–48 hours for attorney review of the promissory agreement. If they cannot, the urgency is either manufactured or the property has problems that won't survive scrutiny. The promissory agreement should have standard refund provisions: your deposit is returned if the title doesn't come back clean, if the property doesn't match its legal description, or if the seller defaults. Verify these conditions are in the contract before signing.

Don't Navigate This Alone

Every scam on this list is substantially harder to execute against a buyer who has a vetted buyer's agent, independent attorney, and competent notario. Get matched with professionals who've seen all seven.

Get Matched — Free

Mexico Real Estate Scams: Frequently Asked Questions

Related guides: