How safe is purchasing a home / property in Mexico ?

Question

We were thinking of buying in Mexico, however a friend told me that if you are not a Mexican citizen then the government holds a 50 year land lease or the deed for your property and take the property away. She told me that the Mexican Trust took her property away and sold it to someone else. Anyone familiar with how Mexican purchase works? Thanks

Answer 1

I get different answers on this.  I know that Mexico allow people to steal property near the beaches.   Non Mexicans can't own these properties.   Inland maybe a bit different though.  But it is a third world nation, and I wouldn't trust them.

Answer 2

This can in fact happen and often does. And I'm not sure if it's only for those who are not Mexican citizens. I do believe it can be any property. If it is left empty for awhile, that is when you will return to find that you no longer own it and someone else lives there. This happened to my father in law. He lives in Los Angeles but has properties in Mexico as well. He just has to make sure that someone is visiting them every so often or they will consider them abandoned and sell them.

It probably also depends on where exactly you are planning to purchase. If you are buying into some resort type property you might not have the same issues as you would right in the heart of Mexico, that's where they tend to make their own rules.