Complaint Rating:

I was sent this link from a friend who knows I was thinking about buying in baja:
http://www.thesqueakywheel.com/complaints/2007/JUL/complaint15574.cfm

The complaints I found when searching for Mexico real estate complaints, Baja real estate complaints, and about the developer I was thinking about buying from had very important things for me to think about. I think I was getting caught up in the hype of what the sales people were saying instead of taking the time and being objective about the costs, and the risks. I don't want to be stuck with a property with chronic problems, in a foreign country with no government protections. I am glad that these warnings were available for me. I am complaining about the lies and scams that are being promoted as fact by the Baja Real Estate community. It is important to understand these people have a lot to gain by getting us to go there and buy. It would be a good deal if there was a government that provided services and agencies for consumer protection. If the realtor and seller don't deliver the product they say they are selling there is no board of realtors to help you. The realtors are not licensed. There are no inspections of construction done by government building inspectors on houses or condominiums. When you see eroded concrete in the area it is because contractors were able to water it down and install it without using qualified workers. Americans are spoiled, we assume there are oversites. There are no oversites on Mexican construction. The people who are realtors are not going to tell you this unless you know to ask about it. In ten years the new construction of today will be riddled with major problems. In Real Del Mar you see it in houses that are only a year or two old. I would say buy a lot and build your own home, but take an American engineer to inspect the lot and do soil compression tests because they are selling lots that don't have the proper compaction to support a house , so the foundations crack and move. Don't trust the sales people, there is NO way to hold them to anything they tell you. You are walking into a lawsuit in a foreign country if you don't take a lot of time first, and use a Mexican attorney before you buy. There are many scams where Americans put deposits on property of $5,000. to hold it and even though they were told they could get it back, they don't. The whole process is riddled with risk from the beginning to the end. This is true in Rosarito, Tijuana, Loreto, all Baja. I believe it is true in all Mexico. Ask about how the realtors, builders, etc. are regulated, and what your rights are, and who will help you if you have a problem. If you don't ask about this first, you will be in major trouble later.