BUYER’S GUIDE · FIRST-TIME BUYERS

Buying your first home in Mexico.

Between Infonavit, bank financing, notarios, and escrituras, the process has its own vocabulary. Here’s the plain-language version.

How much can you actually afford?

A common rule of thumb: keep total housing costs — mortgage payment, predial (property tax), and maintenance — under roughly 30% of your net monthly income. Most lenders expect a down payment between 10–20% of the purchase price.

Financing options

Infonavit

For formally employed workers who contribute to Infonavit. Often the lowest-cost option if you qualify.

Fovissste

The equivalent program for public-sector employees.

Bank mortgage (crédito hipotecario)

Commercial financing based on income, credit history, and RFC standing — widest availability, but rates vary by bank and profile.

Co-financing

Combine Infonavit with a bank mortgage to borrow more than Infonavit alone would allow.

The process, step by step.

Check your credit & get pre-qualified

Pull your credit report and talk to your bank or Infonavit/Fovissste before you fall in love with a listing you can’t finance.

Define your real budget

Include closing costs (roughly 4–6% of price), not just the down payment. Your total housing cost — mortgage, predial, maintenance — should stay near 30% of net income.

Clarify who represents you

Ask any agent to explain who they represent, what buyer-side work is included, and how commission or service fees would be handled before you commit.

Tour homes & make an offer

Once you find the one, your agent submits an offer and, if accepted, you put down an apartado (good-faith deposit) to take it off the market.

Sign the contrato de compraventa

The binding purchase agreement — price, timeline, and the enganche (down payment) schedule.

Avalúo & escrituración

A licensed appraiser values the property, then a notario público prepares and files the escritura — the deed that actually transfers ownership.

Move in & register your predial

Update the property tax (predial) records in your name and keep your certified deed copies somewhere safe.

Use this as a starting point. Financing requirements, fees, taxes, and transaction steps vary by buyer and property. Confirm the numbers with your lender and have the documents reviewed by a qualified notario or independent adviser before signing or sending funds.

Your first home deserves someone in your corner.

Meet a buyer’s agent, ask how representation and compensation work, and decide whether they are the right person to negotiate beside you.

Get Your Own Agent — Free