How do you verify a developer and a real estate agency in Mexico?

Legal texts quoted here are the versions published by Mexico's Chamber of Deputies, read on October 17, 2026. The English wording is ours; the Spanish text is the one that counts. PROFECO is Mexico's federal consumer protection agency.

What documents must a developer put in front of you?

The Federal Consumer Protection Law (art. 73) applies to land developers, builders, promoters and others who advise on and sell homes to the public. Article 73 Bis requires them to make available, among other things:

For lots, NOM-247-SE-2021 (numeral 4.10) applies its terms, except those specific to housing, and requires the contract to be registered with PROFECO.

How do you check the contract and its PROFECO registration?

Contracts used by home sellers must be registered with PROFECO (art. 73). Any difference between the registered text and the one you are given is treated as not written (art. 86 Quater). PROFECO's Public Registry of Adhesion Contracts lets you look up models by company name, trade name or registration number.

NOM-247-SE-2021 (numeral 5) asks that advertising include the contract's registration number, and that the seller's website show the registered model (numeral 4.2). If someone asks for money before showing you the contract, stop: a seller cannot accept any payment until the contractual relationship is in writing, except investigation expenses (art. 75).

If you do pay a down payment (an anticipo), ask for a receipt. The NOM (numeral 4.4) requires the seller to tell you beforehand that it will be credited to the price and how to request a refund.

What should you check about a real estate agency?

• Legal name, tax ID (RFC) and address. The contract must carry them (art. 73 Ter, sec. III), and the NOM (numeral 5) asks for the trade name and legal name.
• Registration of its contract. Ask for the number and look it up in PROFECO's registry.
• The agent's ID. The NOM (numeral 5.5) asks for one showing a name, validity and a phone number for complaints.
• Authorization to sell. Article 73 Bis, sec. III, requires showing the provider's authorization to promote the sale.
• Complaint channels and an address for notices. The NOM (numeral 4.1) requires free, accessible channels.
• Payment goes straight to the developer. The deposit and every payment go to the developer's account named in the contract, with a receipt (NOM, numeral 4.4). If an agent asks you to pay into their account or by message, stop. Ask any agent for all of the above, Esteban included.

How do you verify the property at Nayarit's Public Registry?

According to its procedures page, Nayarit's Public Registry of Property and Commerce issues certificates on the existence or absence of liens, limits on ownership and preventive notes, as well as a registry history. You request them with the property's folio real or registry reference. If the land may have ejido origins, read our guide on ejido land.

Which project permits should you ask for?

The NOM (numeral 5.6.2) asks that land-use, construction, subdivision and condominium licenses and permits be made available to you. For developments that affect coastal ecosystems, ask whether an environmental impact authorization was required, which the law demands in the cases its Regulation sets (General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, art. 28, sec. IX).

What this guide does not cover

It does not rate any specific company or cover online fraud. It does not explain the bank trust either, which has its own guide.

This guide is informational. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Talk to a notary or lawyer you trust before you pay.