When you’re in the market for a home to buy in Mexico, or if you’re an existing homeowner here with a house to sell, you’ll probably hire the services of a realty agent to help you market and sell your property.
Here are some general tips and insights to consider as you begin your search for a realty agency (and agent) to work with to buy or sell a home in Mexico.
The agency ought to have a strong local presence
The realty agencies you approach, and the agent working with you, should be well established locally in the area you’re searching in.
The agency and its agents ought to be accredited by one of Mexico’s realty associations: AMPI is the most widely recognized, although regional associations also exist.
The agency and agent you choose should have a strong local presence—this usually means that they have been in business for at least several years and that the people who are helping you to buy or sell a property live in and know the locality well.
Consider the person, not the brand
Most buyers and sellers will find an agency, and then be connected to an agent through that agency.
When you’re working with an agent to buy or sell a home in Mexico, it’s usually the individual person, more than the firm they work with, that makes the difference between a good and an average agent.
Working with an agency that is legally established and has a good reputation is important, but the true value of the association will be forged in the relationship between the agent and the buyer and/or seller, not the agency per se.
Big brand agencies have global recognition, but they are all independently owned and run businesses. Shop around and find someone who you feel confident and comfortable working with.
First impressions count
Observe carefully how the agent you contact behaves and communicates with you after your initial contact with them or their agency. The best agents work hard to cultivate an immediate rapport with their potential clients, and they do this by being responsive and asking the right questions, for example:
- How promptly do they respond to your inquiries?
- To what extent did they answer your questions?
- What questions did they ask you that helped to widen your perspective?
- What is your first impression of the agent?
- How many questions did they ask about you and your intentions, to get a better understanding of your needs and situation?
- Did they follow-up on promises to research and present adequate properties for your review?
The association is about you and your needs
The agent should take the time to understand your needs and aspirations and match your tastes and style to the properties they present you with. If, at any time, you feel that you are not being understood, you should say so and, if necessary, find some other person to help you.
You ought to feel comfortable with the person who is helping you to find your home in Mexico, or helping you to market and sell your existing home. A close working relationship built on trust and mutual understanding is essential to cultivate confidence that the agent will work in your best interests and help you to achieve your goals.
Local knowledge matters
Whether you seek an agent through a big-name brand firm or a small local independent agency, you’ll do best when you find a person locally that is well known in the community.
The better agencies are staffed by people who have lived in the locality for a good while and know the area and its communities well. These types of people can give you informed comment and meaningful insight about the location’s areas as well the lands and properties available for rent and purchase there.
As you scout for options of agencies and agents to work with, be sure to check how well established the agency and its people are in the locality where you want to buy. This is also important when you’re selling as you want an agent that is able to draw on their local knowledge and experience when they are talking to potential buyers.
Consider your existing contact network
When you begin scouting, don’t forget to consider any good realty agents you might already know in Mexico—perhaps the person you worked with to find a rental property, or if you own a property, the person who sold you that property.
Other friends and local contacts you may know in the locality might also be able to connect you to experienced agents they know and consider to be possible candidates to help you find or sell a home in Mexico.
Consider the overall value proposition
When you are seeking an agent to sell your property in Mexico ask them what services they offer in return for their fees—and also test their attentiveness.
The least expensive may not be your best choice. Experienced realty agents in Mexico know that the buying and selling processes required to transact a property sale can be complex—procedures and paperwork can also be time-consuming, and they are rarely (if ever) routine.
Property sales transactions require a lot of energy and work to complete properly—and their time needs compensating through a reasonable fee. Learn more about realty agents’ services and their fees.
Consider the agents’ networking capabilities
Whether you are buying or selling a home in Mexico, the better realty agents tend to have strong local (and sometimes regional) networks of people and organizations they know and work with.
Realty agents who have been in business for a long while and have weathered the ups and downs of the property market through the years are usually “integrated” into their local community. They will be known by other agents; they will be plugged-in to local databases and other information sources, and they will be proactive and collaborative in their approach.
If you are buying, ask how they learn about properties that come on to the market, how they attract new listings, and how they work with other agencies—some of whom may hold the listing for the property you decide to buy.
If you’re selling, ask questions about their contact network and affiliations and how they will use their network of contacts to market your home, how your property will be featured on their website as well as other property listing sites and networks the agency is associated with.
Good agents create connections and save you time
A good realty agent can be a key contact that helps you to find the ideal home for your lifestyle in Mexico, and/or can help you to find the ideal buyer for your existing home here.
For buyers, a good agent with an intimate knowledge of the local area and a highly professional approach to real estate can be an invaluable contact and assistance service because most of the time, there will be an over-abundance of properties to choose from. Having someone who can curate a shortlist of appropriate homes and steer you clear of certain properties which do not fit your plans, or that are situated in areas not suited to you, can save you valuable time—a non-renewable resource.
For sellers, a good agent will provide a professional suite of marketing services and combine those with their networking and sales skills to find an appropriate buyer for your property in shortest possible timescale.
Learn more about property in Mexico
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