# Is it difficult to sell your home in MEX for fair value?



## challenger2 (Mar 29, 2013)

New to the forum with plans to rent before buying in Northern Baja on Sea of Cortes (San Felipe) after retiring in the next 3-4 years, possibly sooner. I have found real estate websites (American agents/brokers) for that area and I'm curious about the "back end' of owning land or a condo/home there. Since most of us tend to settle in American communities abroad with home features that are familiar or desired---is it difficult to sell and get fair value? Buying in an American settlement may be expensive or undesireable to Europeans, locals or others. If a homeowner is forced to sell for health, family issues, etc. and return to the US or another desireable location, what can you expect? 

Some of the above real estate sites show some very nice homes complete with furnishings (0ne included a car) for $80 - $120k. This area offers a desert climate and little known crime or other threats that could scare off most expats and only 125 miles from the US border. There's no info provided on how long they've been on the market so Im also curious how long or difficult it can be to sell property and get a fair price or even appreciation? I expect that it can vary greatly depending on location but what do you see ---let me know what part of Mexico you have observed.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

challenger2 said:


> New to the forum with plans to rent before buying in Northern Baja on Sea of Cortes (San Felipe) after retiring in the next 3-4 years, possibly sooner. I have found real estate websites (American agents/brokers) for that area and I'm curious about the "back end' of owning land or a condo/home there. Since most of us tend to settle in American communities abroad with home features that are familiar or desired---is it difficult to sell and get fair value? Buying in an American settlement may be expensive or undesireable to Europeans, locals or others. If a homeowner is forced to sell for health, family issues, etc. and return to the US or another desireable location, what can you expect?
> 
> Some of the above real estate sites show some very nice homes complete with furnishings (0ne included a car) for $80 - $120k. This area offers a desert climate and little known crime or other threats that could scare off most expats and only 125 miles from the US border. There's no info provided on how long they've been on the market so Im also curious how long or difficult it can be to sell property and get a fair price or even appreciation? I expect that it can vary greatly depending on location but what do you see ---let me know what part of Mexico you have observed.


This is just one data point. The house I bought had been on the market for at least 2 years before I bought it. It is a traditional urban house in a lower middle class neighborhood in Guadalajara, about 80 years old, not modernized, and it was not advertised anywhere except with a sign on the front door, for what that is worth.


----------



## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

You might want to look at the more traditional methods--like that used by Tundra Green--to see what might happen.

Because property taxes are low, and mortgages not at all common, it's much easier to just keep your house on the market indefinitely in MX, for many people. If that is uncomfortable to you, you MAY want to consider renting indefinitely.

What made me decide that renting will be our choice when we make the move is our kids. None of them lives in MX. None of them has the desire to live in MX, at least at this point in their lives. Why would we, in addition to all the issues of dealing with our stuff when we die, burden them with needing to try to sell a home in a country where they have no ongoing presence.

It's hard enough for kids who live in a different city. Harder still in a different state. The issues for kids in a different country are astronomical.


----------



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Fair value in Mexico, as elsewhere, is a nebulous concept. We bought our home at Lake Chapala through a real estate agent but in Chiapas by walking the street and inquiring until we found what we wanted. Keep in mind that whether you buy through a real estate agent or directly through the seller, disclosure means nothing here and you are on your own without recourse to the selller. Whether through the seller or an agent, they will screw you to the wall if you are inattentive. In most of Mexico, real estrate agents are useless or nonexistent and you will find a home only by walking the streets until you spot the home you seek whether there is a for sale sign or not.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mickisue1 said:


> …
> What made me decide that renting will be our choice when we make the move is our kids. None of them lives in MX. None of them has the desire to live in MX, at least at this point in their lives. Why would we, in addition to all the issues of dealing with our stuff when we die, burden them with needing to try to sell a home in a country where they have no ongoing presence.
> 
> It's hard enough for kids who live in a different city. Harder still in a different state. The issues for kids in a different country are astronomical.


You are more considerate of your kids than I am. I made their life easier by getting rid of most of my accumulated stuff when I moved to Mexico. But I bought a house here, even though I know it will cause a head ache for them.


----------

