The coveted coastline of Mexico, now available for foreign investment, is experiencing a luxury development boom. (PRWEB) April 8, 2005 — The well kept secrets of Pacific Mexico’s dramatic cliffs, coves and sand have long attracted the Hollywood set looking for a quiet escape. Since opening up to foreign investment, Mexico has seen an explosion [...]

Punta Mita Answers Key Questions About Mexico’s Hot Real Estate Market Wednesday April 12, 7:47 am ET Upscale Resort Community Capitalizes on Growing Trend; Team of Real Estate Experts Makes Purchasing Resort Homes a Convenient, Personalized Process PUNTA MITA, Mexico, April 12 /PRNewswire/ — With a wealth of rich culture and history, combined with a [...]

What’s Doing In Puerto VallartaBy TIM WEINEROctober 7, 2001 Puerto Vallarta first appeared as a dot on the map of Mexico in 1918, and for two generations thereafter remained a little village. Then Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton showed up. They quickly became the world’s hottest couple. He was starring in John Huston’s film of [...]

Valuation of Property in Mexico Valuing a Property for Tax: If you own a house in the USA, Canada or Europe, you are required to pay tax to the government, usually based on a rate-able value of the property. In Mexico, the Rate-able value is known at the Catastro, and is set by an officer [...]

Buy or Build, or “Fixer-Upper”? Buying land and commissioning a house on it will provide you with much better value for your money: The price of land and construction will be less than an equivalent house bought built.The downside of this, of course, is that you have the additional time, effort and expense of project [...]

Outline Property Purchase Procedure If you have hired a lawyer (which is recommended but not compulsory) then he/she will likely act as an intermediary between you and the Notary Public / Seller. The exact process will vary in each case, but you (or your lawyer) will follow a process that goes along these lines: Find [...]

The Role of the Notary Public in Mexico The Notary Public is the most important person you will deal with when you make a property investment in Mexico. Do not confuse the role of the Notary Public in the US or UK with its counterpart in Mexico: they are quite different. In the UK for [...]

Ejido (Agricultural) Lands Ejido lands have a long history in how they came into being. Essentially, they are similar to “commons land”; after the revolution, communities and peasants were handed strips of land, in the main, to grow crops on, and they are called “Ejidos”. You CAN buy Ejido land, but the sale requires the [...]

Financing Your Mexican Property Investment Historically and in many cases today, most property/real-estate deals in Mexico are cash only. Mexican Banks are now beginning to offer mortgage products for the purchase of real-estate in Mexico, although 30-40% deposits are required and interest rates are not as attractive as those in the US, Canada and Europe. [...]

Costs and Taxes When you buy property in your home country, you are usually faced with the associated costs like agent fees and taxes. Mexico is no different, although the net value of these costs as a percentage of the property values may be lower overall, but this is not guaranteed as professional fees have [...]

What can a foreigner buy in Mexico? The regulations on the sale of real property to foreigners are found in Mexico Foreign Investment Law. The law gives a Mexican company with foreign capital many more rights than a foreign national. A foreign national can acquire land almost anywhere in Mexico with the permission of the [...]

What can a foreigner buy in Mexico? The regulations on the sale of real property to foreigners are found in Mexico Foreign Investment Law. The law gives a Mexican company with foreign capital many more rights than a foreign national. A foreign national can acquire land almost anywhere in Mexico with the permission of the [...]

The History of Land Ownership in MexicoThe History of Mexican Land To really understand how ownership in Mexico works, it is important to understand the history of property ownership and its evolution in Mexico. If you picture a country that has been dominated by foreign owners since the early 1500′s, you will begin to see [...]

Manifesting Your Construction Recording the Cost of Your New Construction WHAT IS MANIFESTING? Manifesting is simply recording the amount you spent on your construction, or remodel, in order to add this to your cost basis. Adding to your cost basis is the key to reducing your Capital Gains Tax. Proper documentation and Manifesting Your Construction [...]

Capital Gains in Mexico In a classic western movie called “The Searchers”, starring John Wayne, an Indian spoke in his native tongue, and a Cowboy asked what he said. John Wayne replied, “It’s not so hard to understand if you speak Niyuki Comanche.” Well, the same goes for understanding the Capital Gains Laws in Mexico. [...]

Buying Real Estate in Mexico – Separating Fact from Fiction The “Wild West Days” of buying property in Mexico are over. Banking on the words “That’s the way we do business here!”, and trusting “Thy Seller”, have given way to U.S. Title Insurance and bonded escrow accounts. During the last ten years, property in Mexico [...]

Real Escapes: Mexico Dreaming By Taylor AntrimForbes.comApril 7, 2005Original article on Forbes.com For real estate fantasists, nothing beats an empty stretch of beachfront. Just add house.Back in 1996, Huey Rodeheaver of St. Louis, Missouri, bumped north from the Mexican resort town of Ixtapa in a rented jeep, searching for “pretty beachfront.” He was preparing to [...]

The Luxury of Home, in Mexico SU CASA? Unmistakably Mexican, houses like this one at Four Seasons in Punta de Mita, Mexico, are designed for foreigners. New real estate practices are making Mexico attractive to American second-home shoppers. New York TimesBy JANELLE BROWN Published: January 7, 2005 JOANNA SMITH and her husband, Roger, a retired [...]

Mexican haciendas becoming hot targets for AmericansBy STEVE McLINDENBankrate.com March 27, 2005Original article on SeattleTimes.com Onward, the Mexican land rush. Lured by beachfront vistas, quaint colonial backdrops and a historic construction boom, thousands of Americans are heading down Mexico way to snap up vacation homes, retirement villas and investment properties. Heartened by sweeping reforms in [...]

Pacific Mexican RenaissanceThe coveted coastline of Mexico, now available for foreign investment, is experiencing a luxury development boom. (PRWEB) April 8, 2005 — The well kept secrets of Pacific Mexico’s dramatic cliffs, coves and sand have long attracted the Hollywood set looking for a quiet escape. Since opening up to foreign investment, Mexico has seen [...]

Mortgage FinancingHave you seen that perfect property on the bay, but you’re not quite prepared to cash in your US or Canadian investments to make it yours? Are you set to make the move to Puerto Vallarta, but just a bit shy of ready cash for a condo? Now you can stock up on suntan [...]

Marine LivingLights twinkle on soaring masts against the twilight sky, as boats rock gently in their moorings and buoys chime soothingly in Vallarta’s sweet breeze. It’s a beautiful scene, and one that can be easily enjoyed in the Bahia de Banderas without ever boarding a boat. Dockside life can be enchanting from the terrace of [...]

Golf Fairway LivingResiding on a beautiful golf course and owning prime Costa Vallarta real estate is any golfer’s dream. As the sport fast becomes a favorite pastime for many seniors, snowbirds and year-round residents, this dream is becoming a reality for many. Even for those who have yet to swing a club, buying a home [...]

Stewart Title Insurance an interview with Mitch Creekmore With the gratifying news that Stewart Title plans to open more offices in Mexico, Mitch Creekmore shook my hand with trademark strength. “Of course we consider Puerto Vallarta a key market and are already looking at office space in the Marina area. Within three months we should [...]

Real Estate News Vallarta real estate, following strong after 2004 sales numbers doubled those of the previous year. It is difficult to give absolutely accurate numbers, since there is no reporting system for the real estate that developers have sold. Vallarta real estate, following strong after 2004 sales numbers doubled those of the previous year. [...]

Buying Real Estate in Puerto Vallarta The following information offers a simple and concise summary about owning real estate in Mexico. It is supplied courtesy of Century 21 Giovanna and has been slightly revised by our editorial staff to focus primarily on purchasing real estate in the Vallarta area. AlternativesIt is a common misconception that [...]

Closing Costs for Buyer & Seller Closing costs for the buyer are different from what many foreigner buyers first expect in Mexico. Because the majority of the Bay of Banderas is in the restricted zone, a foreigner buyer must own his residence in a trust. This trust is administered by a Mexican bank and has [...]

Explanation of Closing Costs 2005 The closing procedure generally takes from 30 to 45 days and these costs are paid by the buyer.Note: All amounts are in US Dollars, with an exchange rate of $10.50 pesos per dollar. When a property is acquired through a Purchase-Offer or when a Trust Transfer Domain is carried out [...]

Real Estate Trends Update 2005-2006 The growth of the Vallarta real estate market continues to be very strong, with sales tripling for the local real estate association’s MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and doubling for developers compared to the 2003-2004 season. The growth of the Vallarta real estate market continues to be very strong, with sales [...]

The Developments of Puerto Vallarta 2004 Every year, in the Summer/Fall edition of ‘Vallarta Lifestyles,’ we produce a special section on the real estate developments that are currently in development in and around Puerto Vallarta. Last year the section had 32 pages. This year’s special section totals 52 pages; which alone should tell you what [...]

The Developments of Puerto Vallarta 2003 For the past five years, Vallarta’s real estate market has been driven forward by developers who continue to produce a wide array of products for an increasingly more sophisticated buyer.These developers range from small, single-family homebuilders who produce one or two homes a year to “mega” developments that actually [...]

The Future of Nayarit The late 90s were a time of many changes in communication, in business and in tourism. Some of those changes were due to the technological advances allowed, and even forced, by the Internet, which is rapidly becoming a major power in itself. Other changes were due to education. There again, the [...]

Real Estate Trends Update 2002 Preparing the Vallarta Lifestyles Real Estate Market Update, something we have done for the past six years, was not quite as easy as it has been in past years. Although the marketplace has experienced strong growth during this time, it has become more difficult to write about in the last [...]

Best of the BestThe June issue of the Robb Report, a magazine that focuses on the luxury market, selected the Four Seasons Punta Mita hotel as the “Best of the Best” luxury resort… in the world. Although they were referring to the Four Seasons hotel, what would the hotel be without the geography and amenities [...]

Taking Control of Trust Fees Watch out for boilerplate trust agreements. Over the years, many foreigners frustrated with the fees they have to pay to the bank acting as their trustee have contacted me. Unfortunately, I usually find that when their trust was set up they had unwittingly agreed to pay the fees the bank [...]

Why AMPI? Do I really need a real estate agent to help me buy or sell a property in Mexico? The answer is YES! When you’re ready to think about buying or selling your property, you need to ask yourself the following questions: Do you have the time, energy, sources of information, and contacts to [...]

The Developments of Puerto Vallarta 2000 This fast, smooth, well signaled thoroughfare has paved the way for the more demanding clientele who find even the insuperable charm of the pristine tropics unworthy of the slightest nuisance. On the other hand, first-class golf courses, now mushrooming in the area, could transform Vallarta into the number one [...]

A Ten Year Retrospective The last decade of the millennium has brought a multitude of changes to the real estate market of Puerto Vallarta. The effects of this can be seen by the expansion of the market itself beyond the confines of the Bay of Banderas. New phrases have been coined to describe the growing [...]