Glossary · Tribu Raíz

Land and its origin

Ejido: A form of social land tenure created by Mexico’s land reform. The land belongs to a community, not to an individual; whoever farms it holds rights over a parcel, not full ownership. Buying "ejido land" without converting it first is the most common source of disputes on the Riviera Maya.
Dominio pleno (full ownership): The procedure by which an ejido parcel stops being social property and becomes private property, registrable at the Public Property Registry. Without it, no deed holds up against third parties.
Assignment of rights: Transfer of the rights an ejido member holds over a parcel. It is not a sale of ownership: what changes hands is a right within the ejido, with that regime’s limitations.
Land use: What the urban development plan allows on a plot: housing, retail, hotel, nothing at all. A beautiful lot with the wrong land use is useless for the project you have in mind.
ZOFEMAT: The Federal Maritime Land Zone: the twenty metres of beach measured from the high-tide line. It belongs to the Nation and is not sold, only granted under concession. Anyone offering you "private beach" as property is describing something that does not exist.

Fideicomiso (bank trust): The instrument through which a foreign national acquires property in the restricted zone (50 km from the coast, 100 km from the border). A bank acts as trustee and the foreign buyer as beneficiary, with rights to use, enjoy and sell. It is not a lease and not a loan: it is the legal way to hold the property.
Due diligence: The review of everything backing a property before buying it: titles, liens, debts, permits, land use, ownership regime. It is the only part of the process you pay for in order NOT to buy.
Public deed: The document issued by a notary which, once recorded at the Public Property Registry, makes your ownership enforceable against anyone. A private contract, however well signed, does not replace the deed.
Condominium regime: The legal structure that splits a building or complex into private units and common areas. Setting it up is a formal act: without it, what you buy is not "unit 4B" but an undivided share of the whole property.
Pre-sale: Buying before it exists. NOM-247 requires the seller to display the full construction project and the scale model from promotion until handover, and to walk you through them on request.

ISAI (acquisition tax): Property Acquisition Tax. Paid by the buyer to the municipality, calculated on the transaction value, around 2 % in Quintana Roo. One of the closing costs no listing ever mentions.
Closing costs: Everything paid on top of the price: acquisition tax, notary fees, appraisal, registry recording, lien-free certificates and, where applicable, setting up the bank trust. Ask for them in writing before putting down a deposit.
Appraisal: A valuation made by an authorised appraiser. Used for taxes and lending; it is not the same as an asking price, and often not close to it.

Notary public: A state-appointed professional vested with public faith who drafts the deed and answers for its legality. In Mexico the buyer usually chooses the notary, who represents neither party.
Licensed real estate advisor: In Quintana Roo, anyone charging to market or broker property must appear in the state register. The listing is free to check and tells you whether they meet that requirement; it does not tell you whether they are good.
RAN: National Agrarian Registry: the institution recording ejidos, their parcels and who holds rights over them. It is the source for whether land is ejido land and what state it is in.
PROFECO: Mexico’s consumer protection agency. It keeps the Public Register of Standard-Form Contracts, where home sale and pre-sale contracts must be filed. That register is public and searchable by provider.