Real Estate

Most rentals are arranged directly with owners or local agents rather than through a national platform — expect to pay first month + a deposit (often 1 month), sometimes in cash. Longer-term leases (6–12 months) get meaningfully better rates than short-term/ vacation pricing. Get any lease in writing, in a language you both understand, even for informal arrangements.

Under Mexican law, foreigners cannot directly own land within 50km of the coast or 100km of an international border — which covers nearly all of Baja California. Instead, foreign buyers use a fideicomiso, a bank trust where a Mexican bank holds legal title and you hold all beneficial rights (use, rent, sell, will to heirs), renewable in 50-year terms. Alternatively, buying through a Mexican corporation is common for investment/commercial property. Both are well-established, routine structures — not a workaround, just how foreign coastal ownership legally works here. The same rule is why long-term RV parks lease pads rather than sell them — that lighter-weight option is covered in Where to Stay.

• A notario público (a specialized, government-licensed attorney role — not the same as a US notary) is legally required to close a property sale and verifies title, liens, and taxes.
• Get an independent title search and your own attorney to review before you sign. We'd call this the non-negotiable one — the notario works for the transaction, not for you, and the agent is paid when it closes.
• Closing costs typically run roughly 5–8% of the purchase price (acquisition tax, notario fees, trust setup if applicable, registration).
• Property tax (predial) in Mexico is notably low compared to the US — often a small fraction of a comparable US property’s tax bill.

Look for agents affiliated with AMPI (Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios), Mexico’s national real estate association. Membership signals some baseline accountability, though it isn’t a formal license requirement everywhere — so treat it as a filter, not a guarantee, and still ask how many closings they've done in the specific town you're buying in.