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Buying Mexico Real Estate
Purchasing a home in Mexico is a long-term commitment, and we strongly recommend you seek expert guidance. A Go Mexico Way discovery tour includes seminars with professionals in the field and they are happy to answer your questions.
The Ejido
When purchasing Mexico Real Estate, you’ll want to make certain there is a clear title, just as you would anywhere else.
Following the Mexican Revolution, large haciendas and land holdings were transformed into ejidos – land that is owned communally. Each family has the right to use the land, and their children inherit this right. But the property itself belongs to the ejido. Avoid ejidal land.
Construction
In Mexico, building techniques are quite different from those in many areas of North America and Europe. We have never seen a basement in the Chapala area.
Because water pressure is variable, water is stored in underground cisterns, then pumped as needed to rooftop tanks where gravity provides the water pressure. Many lakeside homes have pressure systems.
Until very recently, sheetrock was never used for interior walls, so older homes are quite solid.
Very few people use air-conditioning and we have never seen a furnace here. Thick walls and high ceilings help keep homes cool, and ceiling fans are sufficient on all but the hottest days. In cold weather, when the temperature drops to a shivering 36 degrees F, folks put on a sweater or two, bake bread or pop a roast in the oven. But even in winter, most days are sunny.
It Doesn’t Look That Big!
It can come as a surprise when a house you’re looking at doesn’t seem as large as it should. There’s a reason.
When measuring the total area of a house in Mexico, all roofed spaces are included. This means that carports, terraces and bodegas are counted as living areas.
Finding a Mexico House to Buy
Naturally, a realtor can assist you in finding a house or condo, and there many good English-speaking agents on Lake Chapala’s north shore.
In addition, you’ll find homes for sale in the Guadalajara Reporter, a weekly newspaper, as well as in the Chapala Review and El Ojo del Lago magazines. Do check the bulletin board at the Lake Chapala Society. Super Lake and El Torito markets also have bulletin boards.
To look at properties before visiting, we like Access Lake Chapala.com for browsing Chapala Real Estate, as it offers information on the various towns and neighborhoods. Google Earth maps, color photos and a virtual tour are shown for each property.
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