A field guide for foreign property owners Buying & recovery
Buy safely. Or recover what you lost.
Talk to a Mexican-licensed attorney with U.S. legal studies, in your language. You'll get an objective assessment, whether you're about to buy or already invested.
You are not alone
Seven in ten foreign buyers who hire a lawyer here were already defrauded.1
If you found this page after something went wrong, you are in good company, and you have options. The first step costs nothing but a conversation.
Buying, or recovering? It starts the same way.
A confidential review, then a clear plan in writing. Three ways we work, depending on where you stand today.
We help foreign owners across all of Quintana Roo — the Riviera Maya and beyond: Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cancún, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, Bacalar and Cozumel.
Title & possession verification
We confirm the seller actually owns the property. Clear title, legal possession, and proper registration of the deed before the Public Registry.
How this protects youDue diligence & closing
Contract review, lien and debt check, trust setup, and closing with the public notary. Nothing taken on trust alone.
What we checkFraud recovery & disputes
Lost a deposit? Didn't get what the seller or developer promised? We lay out your options: mediation, an administrative complaint before PROFECO (Mexico's consumer-protection agency), pressing charges, or filing a lawsuit. An objective pathway forward.
See your options
Read this first
A document is only as good as its registry entry.
The most common way foreign buyers lose everything here is paying on a private, unnotarized contract for a property the seller does not actually own. We check the things that decide whether you really own it, not how official the paper looks.
- Clear title held in the seller's name
- Legal possession, not just a private contract
- A real, current entry in the Public Registry (RPP)
Who you are working with
A name, a face, and credentials you can check.
You should know exactly who you're working with, and be able to verify it yourself.
If a case isn't worth your money, I'll tell you. You deserve an objective answer.
The opposite of how you were burned
You were misled once. Point by point, here is how working with us is the reverse of how the scam worked.
The scamAn anonymous “broker” or “lawyer.” No name, no license to check.
UsA named, photographed attorney, licensed by the Mexican Department of Education.
The scamPay cash, or wire to a personal account.
UsStaged payments to a traceable account, never cash.
The scamA private contract, and “just sign today.”
UsA notarized deed, with title and possession checked in the Public Registry.
The scam“Other buyers are interested. Hurry.”
UsNo pressure. Take the time to verify everything.
The scamVague fees, then more money demanded later.
UsFlat fees, quoted in writing before you pay.
The scam“Trust me.”
Us“Verify me.” And we show you how.
Clients who arrived worried, and left informed.
One of our first clients, in her own words. Names are shortened to protect privacy.
My husband and I fell in love with a community in Playa del Carmen and bought an apartment. It fell short of everything we were promised, in looks and quality. When we tried to push back ourselves, the developer's lawyer was rude and dismissive. Jorge stayed with us until we got out of the deal and got our money back. He's knowledgeable, and genuinely good at explaining how things work.
A calm first step.
No pressure, no jargon, no surprise bills. Here is how it works.
Tell us what happened
Share your situation through a confidential form or a call. Everything stays private.
Honest assessment
We review your documents and tell you where you really stand. Sometimes that means telling you not to spend money on this.
A written plan & flat fee
If we can help, you get a clear scope and a fixed price in writing, before you pay anything.
Not ready to talk? Start with the facts.
Plain-English guides written by a real attorney, so you can spot trouble yourself and decide on your own terms.
Contract red flags
The warning signs in a Mexican purchase contract: deposits, title, and who actually holds the money.
See the red flags How-toVerify a Mexican lawyer
Check a cédula on the official SEP registry in minutes, so a fake lawyer can't fool you.
Read the guide RecoveryDeveloper never delivered?
You paid, the unit never came, and your demand letter was ignored. Why a letter stalls in Mexico, and the steps that actually move it.
What actually worksConfidential · the guides are never behind an email wall.
The questions people ask us first
Honest, specific answers. The same ones we'd give you on the phone.
How do I know this law firm won't scam me too?
Every claim we make is verifiable. Our attorney is named and photographed, and you can verify his license as a Mexican Licensed Attorney on the official SEP registry. Our fees are flat and quoted in writing before you pay anything.
Is a private, unnotarized contract valid in Mexico?
A private contract can create obligations, but you own real property only through a public deed (escritura) before a notario público, registered in the Public Registry of Property (RPP). A document is only as good as its registry entry, not how official the paper looks. We verify title and legal possession before you commit.
I paid a deposit and the developer disappeared. Can anything be done?
Often yes, though we never guarantee an outcome. Options can include a complaint to PROFECO (Mexico's consumer-protection agency), a criminal complaint with the state prosecutor (Fiscalía), civil action, and bank or payment recovery. The first step is a confidential review of your contracts and payment trail.
Do you work with buyers outside Playa del Carmen?
Yes. We serve foreign buyers and owners across all of Quintana Roo, the Riviera Maya and beyond: Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cancún, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, Bacalar, Cozumel, and the wider coast. We work remotely with clients abroad by video, phone, and WhatsApp, across U.S. and Canadian time zones.
Honest from the start: we never guarantee an outcome or promise “your money back.” Anyone who does is a warning sign. And if a case isn't worth your time and money, we'll tell you that too. How we work
The next step
Tell us what happened. We'll tell you the truth.
Confidential, and in plain English. No pressure, just a clear sense of where you stand.
Confidential · no obligation · no pressure to continue