Would be best read this before purchasing a home in Mexico : How to Lose Money in Mexican Real Estate I have had at least two people come in to see me each week due to problems purchasing real estate. There are a few common themes and many times problems can be avoided if one is careful from the start. There is an old saying here in Mexico, “Don’t leave your brain at the border.” The frenzy to buy and failure to look for “red flags” and do due diligence brings back memories of former Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan comments about “Irrational exuberance.” With the recent spike in prices in real estate values many people have jumped on the bandwagon to buy real estate or be an agent and sell it. Purchasers and sellers need to know that here in Mexico there are not government protections as many assume or enjoyed in their home countries. There is generally no title insurance or escrow accounts nor any licensing for people to sell real estate and no disclosure laws. Anybody who is over 18 can print business cards and say they sell homes or land and there are no training requirements, not even to have finished elementary school nor be able to read or speak Spanish, the language of the country and the language in which all the documents and deeds are written in.