By Thomas Lloyd

An important aspect of purchasing real estate in Mexico is finding the right broker. It is not a requirement to have a Mexico real estate license, so anyone can sell real estate. However, there is a professional association that adheres to ethical standards. This association is called AMPI (the Spanish acronym for Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals) and is recognized by NAR (National Association of Realtors in the United States). Since real estate is a major investment, it is important to choose a broker who belongs to this association to ensure you are dealing with a reputable company in the Cancun real estate market, or any region throughout Mexico.

A good broker should respond to your inquiries, and as you build a relationship, you can determine if this person will do the best job for you. It is very important that you find a broker who has extensive experience working with non-Mexican buyers, as the process is much more complicated.

Once you find a broker you feel will do the best job for you, stick with that broker. Provide him or her with as many details about your ideal property and price range, so appropriate options can be presented to you. Working with one good broker will streamline your search, saving you lots of time and effort.

Consider using a buyer's broker. These brokers concentrate on working with buyers to find what they are looking for. Most brokers are listing brokers, who essentially work for the seller. They spend much of their time hunting for properties to list, and their first goal is to sell you their listings.

Buyer's brokers are accustomed to showing properties from many sources, with the goal of finding the right property for their clients. Your buyer's broker will guide you through the entire Mexico purchase process, beginning with the property search as well as closing and post-closing assistance.

[Note: Services of a buyer's broker do not cost you more, since commissions are built into the sales price and are shared by listing brokers.]