I recently closed on my place at BVG. I have an attorney close to Notary 6 who speaks perfect English. PM me if you want her name and number Someone mentioned Juan José Corona Barssé and I would avoid using him. Another BVG owner used him and did not get the protection I received from the developer and now has issues in closing. I had no issues and it was because my attorney insisted on things that Juan José Corona Barssé did not for this other owner. Anyway closing costs all in were about 4.5% plus bank trust, so on a $60,000 home figure about $5200 - $5500 range plus attorney fees of about $1000. And yes always hire an attorney
Real Estate Attorneys are not needed for real estate closings in Cancun. They are nothing but a waste of your money. The person that does all the work for you is the Notary Public. If you get a good Notary they will do the transaction properly. An attorney in Mexico has less legal backround and legal training then the Notary. The Notary can be called into court to testify and be held responsible for any transaction. And Attorney is just someone who claims to do all the work, yet they let the Notary sign off on anything they do, since they cannot legally even notarize any document as an Attorney can in the USA. Most attorneys do not even need to pass a bar exam to practice. Also note that as I said before, speak to Carmen Bianca who can really make your transaction go smooth, and she has all the right contacts. Of course if you feel more comfortable with the hiring of an Attorney, do so, but be forwarned that the Notary will have the final say over your paperwork and not the Attorney.
gabesz, I have a friend who is an attorney who is married to a notario. They have a running discussion as to who is the higher up the food chain. After nearly 20 years they have yet to declare a winner. There is typically only one notario involved in a real estate transaction, is there not? To whom does the notario have a fiduciary duty. Certainly not to both the buyer and the seller, nor to the lender if there is one, nor to the bank/trustee. I, for one, want someone who is duty bound to me and I must take exception to your statement that "they are nothing but a waste of your money." A recent transaction took two attorneys working together, both presumably with "less legal backround and legal training than the notary" but for opposite sides of the deal, to straighten out the mess caused by a notario. Can a notary prepare the trust agreement?
TJ is right, if you hire an attorney to represent you in a real estate transaction then that attorney has your interests, and only yours, in mind. The attorney I recommend, Fernando Doblado, has a master's degree in international law from the University of California at Berkeley, which is one of the better law schools in the U.S. If you have someone like Carmen looking over all your papers before you get to the Notario, then the need for an attorney is debatable. If you do not, them, imho, you ought to have an attorney. I've worked with 5 different Notarios in Cancun. All but 1 has made a significant error.
I have heard good opinions about Doblado, and used one of his .... what? partners -not sure-, employees -not sure either, and had a good experience. So lately I went there again about my tenant issues, there was nobody in the office for that, but they recommended me another one "who works with them". A BANDITO :evil: I saw him several times, and he didn't want to talk about honoraries (why???), until he had no choice. Then, he told me my case could take from 2 to 6 months or more :shock: and... HE CHARGED BY THE HOUR. Of course, the longer it takes, the better for him. I have already heard that: "ah, there is a complication" etc... What interests did he have in mind???? So be very careful.
Oh, by the way, I tried several notarios also. The best one I found is Nancy Magana, Notario no 25, she is nice, competent, and not expensive.
Yes, Nancy Magana is the only one of the Notarios I've worked with who did not make an obvious glaring error! She's very careful. Doblado's office is large, it has several location around the country. And he has a number of associates that he works with. I've had nothing but totally professional experiences with the people in Doblado's office. If they tell you something will be ready by Tuesday then it is ready Tuesday morning, they are prompt and do what they say when they say. They are very professional. And the woman who answers the phone in his office is 100% bilingual.
