# House Ownwership In Mexico Facts



## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

I have had a few thoughts of my own on owning a house in Mexico and wonder if any posters have any input? There are the Restricted Zones 100 klms from any international border and 50 klms from any ocean, fideocomisos then apply to foriegners. The previous FM2 or FM3 status to own or sell and low property taxes and zoning rules that seem regional etc. There are different condo systems here also to consider and those fees and administration differences. For example I own on my factura property to the middle of the street and have to maintain my sidewalk outside my gate and when they resurfaced the street last year the municipality sent me a bill for $2,500 pesos as my part and when paying my property taxes needed to pay this bill first. I have seen streets with no pavement, street lights or sidewalks and probably no fire hydrants in nicer mostly finished areas. I asumme the nieghbors did not want to pay for them to be finished. Alan


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## cuylers5746 (Mar 19, 2012)

*Home ownership in Baja*



AlanMexicali said:


> I have had a few thoughts of my own on owning a house in Mexico and wonder if any posters have any input? There are the Restricted Zones 100 klms from any international border and 50 klms from any ocean, fideocomisos then apply to foriegners. The previous FM2 or FM3 status to own or sell and low property taxes and zoning rules that seem regional etc. There are different condo systems here also to consider and those fees and administration differences. For example I own on my factura property to the middle of the street and have to maintain my sidewalk outside my gate and when they resurfaced the street last year the municipality sent me a bill for $2,500 pesos as my part and when paying my property taxes needed to pay this bill first. I have seen streets with no pavement, street lights or sidewalks and probably no fire hydrants in nicer mostly finished areas. I asumme the nieghbors did not want to pay for them to be finished. Alan


Hi AlanMexicali;

Baja is an interesting place to try and own property by a ******. Realty set's in eventually. There's only a small strip about 30 miles wide by 62 miles long in Nothern Baja that falls out of the 100 km 65 km Fronteer zone. About 10 years ago, I heard that one enterprising ****** actually bought a small place that's now not part of a National Park there. Maybe someone else could chime in here? Is there still only one ****** that own's fee simple in Baja?

The Bank Fideocomisos has always seemed to me some kind of bad joke. Like you pay some Bank $1200 USD or more a year for the guarantee if the Federal Govt. comes and takes your property, they'll pay you for it???? Funny thing, read the fine print....it's only for the land. Most
homes in Mexico are brick and mortar and represent a far greater cost than the land. So, how are you going to move that? 

Oh, and in Mexico a lot of Coast Property right on the beach is on some sort of Commission that you have to renew every year. You don't own anything! Some Politician take a fancy to your property or the Federal Govt. wants it for some groin or something, and yep - at the end of the year for your Commission they just tell you. No, you can't renew it and you have almost zilch for rights to stop them.

Actually where you live in Mexicali, unless they need the land to expand a main Carretera or something you're probably a whole lot more same up there owning with a Bank Fideocomisos
than down along the coast in Baja.

As far as paving the streets? A buddy of mine (another ******) was asked last year, that the city finally was ready to pave their street. Did they want it done? Well it's a brecha street with cobble stones and a good job at that. The citizens voted not to have it done, as they did not want to have to put up "topes" later to stop the fast driving of the local teenagers on this now improved road. Unless you want your teeth chattering you can't drive too fast on cobblestone streets? 

Funny antidote to this story. This year a new Mayor was elected and he moved with his family into a home two blocks away from my buddy. The local Police for his security put several new asphalt "topes" up on his block and every other block within several blocks of the new Mayor's house. 

You can't seem to get through life in a straight line - and not to many of them here in Mexico either!

Cuyler


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

It may vary by location, but in my experience owning by fideicomiso isn't as big a deal as some make out. Mine includes both house and land. The document states a beneficiary if something happens to me before my 50 years are up (likely, since I'm 65 and have 44 years to go).  A fee is due once a year, equivalent to about $365, and that's it as far as the trustee bank is concerned. My place is about 500 meters from the sea but not beachfront, so I can't comment on the Federal Zone concessions, and my street was already paved before I bought. I did have to fix the sidewalk and driveway, though.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

The Federal zone is twenty meters from mean high tide and that property is public. If you want to build anything on that 20 meters you need to apply for permission and pay for the right


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## Souper (Nov 2, 2011)

I own property in the restricted zone, I understand my fideocomiso,l I don't see the onerous wording you do. I've consulted attorneys about it, and been told it is a safe form of ownership.
I also have a concession, it is granted for fifteen years, no I don't own the land, but I was never told I did, it is primarily to stop others from setting up business on my beachfront land, blocking my view. 
I just don't see the problems some do.


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## terrybahena (Oct 3, 2011)

We own a house on the beach (not in Baja), and might be 20 meters back. The house is in my husband's name only for now because he is a Mexican National and I am not (yet). We and the other people in this town with places on the beach- all Mexicans- got legal documents called loosely "rights to the beach". This is to keep a hotel from coming on and utilizing the beach in front of my house, but of course I know the gov't here can do anything they want, so I'm sure this document affects them not at all.

We do pay a type of "property tax" yearly, not much....but the garbage gets picked up for free!

Our road is in the process of being paved, it's been in the process the entire 3 months I've lived here, and before I got here....hopefully it will be done sometime soon! I'm ok with the topes, alot of people and my dog walk on our road, and it's soo much better than the potholes & mudholes we enjoy right now. (and yeah yeah I know the potholes will return just with asphalt...)


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

terrybahena said:


> We own a house on the beach (not in Baja), and might be 20 meters back. The house is in my husband's name only for now because he is a Mexican National and I am not (yet). We and the other people in this town with places on the beach- all Mexicans- got legal documents called loosely "rights to the beach". This is to keep a hotel from coming on and utilizing the beach in front of my house, but of course I know the gov't here can do anything they want, so I'm sure this document affects them not at all.
> 
> We do pay a type of "property tax" yearly, not much....but the garbage gets picked up for free!
> 
> Our road is in the process of being paved, it's been in the process the entire 3 months I've lived here, and before I got here....hopefully it will be done sometime soon! I'm ok with the topes, alot of people and my dog walk on our road, and it's soo much better than the potholes & mudholes we enjoy right now. (and yeah yeah I know the potholes will return just with asphalt...)


Once it is finished being paved expect a bill taped to your mailbox or hand delivered. I had to pay it before they would allow me to pay my predial when they resurfaced my street.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Here everyone on the street has to agree to pay or the paving or cobble stoning never starts


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

terrybahena said:


> We do pay a type of "property tax" yearly, not much....but the garbage gets picked up for free!


I know that life in Playa Ventura is very different from life in the D.F., and I rent a small apartment rather than own a house, but I was surprised to read that terrybahena is pleased that garbage pickup is free. It's always been free here in the big city, as far as I know. Does anyone pay for garbage pickup?


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## CeeZeeMex (Oct 26, 2011)

We have owned oceanfront for 5 years, the first year our street was paved( concrete) , city paid, we did not. Taxes do go up each year by7-8% but there is a 10% early pay discount. Bank trust is easy and efficent.


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