Living In Cabo · Buyer's Guide
The No-BS Guide to Buying Property in Mexico: 33 pages covering every legal step, every closing cost, and every mistake buyers make — including the 27-point pre-offer checklist we run with every client.
1M+
Americans own in Mexico
50+
Years of legal protection
#1
Brokerage partner in Baja
The Problem
Then they spend the next three months learning expensive lessons the hard way. This guide is the antidote.
01
Every travel blog says something different about fideicomisos, closing costs, and restricted zones. You need one source that actually knows.
02
The Mexican legal system has real protections for foreign buyers — but only if you know what to ask for and who to work with.
03
The buyers who get burned are the ones who show up unprepared. This guide is the preparation.
What's Inside
Everything you need to know before making an offer on a property in Mexico — written by a team that has closed hundreds of these transactions.
01
The short answer is yes. The long answer is the framework that's protected over 1 million American owners since 1971.
02
The 3-party bank trust structure, what it costs, what happens if the bank fails, and why it's not a loophole.
03
The 50-kilometer rule, where it applies, and how to navigate it as a coastal buyer.
04
From accepted offer to keys in hand in 40-45 days. Every step, every document, every gotcha.
05
A full itemized breakdown of the 4-8% closing costs. No surprises at the notary's office.
06
Cabo San Lucas, the Corridor, San Jose del Cabo, East Cape, and Pacific Side. Pricing, lifestyle, and who each region is for.
07
Every one of them learned the hard way by someone else. Don't be the next one.
08
The real monthly budget for a comfortable life in Cabo — housing, food, healthcare, and the gotchas nobody mentions.
09
Seven stubborn misconceptions about Mexican real estate — and what's actually true.
10
Your purchase timeline, plus the exact 27 items our team verifies on every property before a client signs anything.
The 60-Second Quiz
Answer four questions and we'll match you with the communities that fit your budget, lifestyle, and timeline.
“Living In Cabo partners with Ronival — the largest and most trusted real estate brokerage in Baja California Sur. Our team has guided hundreds of Americans and Canadians through the buying process in Los Cabos, and every chapter of this guide is built on what we've seen work and what we've seen fail.”
Living In Cabo
In partnership with Ronival Real Estate
For Cabo Homeowners
Get a free, no-obligation valuation of your Los Cabos property, plus what every foreign seller needs to know before listing:
Yes — 100% legally, with full rights to sell, rent, remodel, and pass to heirs. Because Los Cabos sits in Mexico's coastal "restricted zone," foreigners hold title through a fideicomiso (a renewable bank trust) or a Mexican corporation. Chapters 1-3 of the guide explain both in plain English.
Plan for roughly 4-8% of the purchase price, covering acquisition tax, notario fees, trust setup, escrow, and registration. Chapter 5 breaks it down line by line, in dollars.
It is when the title is verified, the money moves through licensed escrow, and a notario publico oversees closing. Nearly every horror story traces back to skipping one of those three steps — the 27-point checklist in Chapter 10 makes sure you never do.
Most purchases are cash, but developer financing and cross-border mortgage options exist. The guide covers when each makes sense.