Playa Del Carmen Realtors

…for when you decide to buy…

Last week something major happened in my life.

I brought a woman back to my apartment.

Wow! You should have seen the shock on her face.

The whole evening I’d been passing myself off as some kind of sophisticated guy.

Then she walked in to see a collage of beer labels, a collection of empty tequila bottles, and an apartment messier than most college dorms.

She wasn’t impressed, and the night didn’t end as I had hoped.

Something had to change.

So I woke up the next morning and went looking for a new place to live.

After three years I was thinking that now was the time to buy a place in Playa Del Carmen.

One that will at least help me seal the deal.

So for the last week I’ve been having some very interesting experiences with local realtors.

There Are So Many Playa Del Carmen Realtors!

Being a naive imbecile (at the best of times), I thought that finding a realtor would have been easy.

It was more difficult than I thought – specifically, I was bombarded with choice.

I normally can’t even decide which chips to buy at the supermarket.

How are you supposed to make a decision when there are literally hundreds of Playa Del Carmen realtors to choose from?

Playa Del Carmen is a rapidly-expanding city.

The whole Riviera Maya is part of a huge development plan from the Mexican government, and Playa Del Carmen is at the heart of it all.

So it’s growing.

And it’s going to keep growing for many years.

There is huge demand for Playa Del Carmen realtors because of the quantity of new developments on the market.

So being a local realtor can be very profitable.

Which is why they were all jumping and shouting and acting as if we had known each other for years and years.

Typical sales bullshit.

I’ve never had as many lunch and drink offers as when I started making inquiries about buying a place in Playa Del Carmen.

My Impressions Of Playa Del Carmen Realtors

Of course I accepted all these lunch and drink offers because you should never turn down free food and alcohol.

So over the last week I’ve met many of the local realtors.

I’m not saying this is absolute, but the following is what you could expect from most of the Playa Del Carmen realtors.

  • They’re paid almost exclusively via commission. It’s what I would expect, especially when it’s such a competitive market.
  • I find that most of them spoke English. Some were fluent and these were the guys who sold more expensive properties. Others were good enough. There are some Playa Del Carmen realtors who don’t speak English and that made for a lunchtime that involved lots of pointing and gesticulating.
  • They are highly unregulated compared to the States or other western countries. Like most professions here, realtors don’t have to follow a strict set of laws and codes that are in force elsewhere in the world. After saying that, I believe that most Playa Del Carmen realtors are honest people.
  • They were trying hard to get my $$$, but they weren’t con men or swindlers taking a chance.

One Bad Experience With A Playa Del Carmen Realtor

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing.

I met one realtor for lunch and visited a couple of properties.

He then invited me to a little Mexican bar and started ordering tequilas.

Soon some of his colleagues had turned up, and before I knew it, we’d smashed a couple of bottles.

I could barely even stand.

I certainly couldn’t read.

And it was only 7pm.

Then what does the Playa Del Carmen realtor do?

He gets out the contract and starts asking me to sign!

Ruthless bastard!

Then his friends join in with encouragement!

They honestly thought they could get me so wasted that they could peer pressure me into signing a Spanish contract.

It probably said that I was handing over my soul along with an over-inflated price.

Who do you think I am – you witless Mexican wanderer?

How To Deal With A Playa Del Carmen Realtor

Chastened by that experience, I got some local advice from a friend.

My mistake was that I was too eager.

Because of one woman I couldn’t get into bed, I thought I needed to buy my own place in the next fortnight.

He sat me down over a sobering cup of coffee and gave me a run down of how to deal with a local realtor.

  1. Firstly, get as much information as you can about them. Work address, home address, business cards, office number, cell number, email addresses, etc, etc. The more info you, have the stronger position you are in.
  2. Secondly, if you’re seriously interested in a property, then ask for references. There is no reason why a reputable real estate company cannot provide a range of genuine references.
  3. Thirdly take your time. Everything in Mexico runs on a slow pace. But the real estate business goes quick quick because of the competition and commission. Just by going slow, you’ll at least get a few more free lunches as you make a decision.

The Most Important Rule About Playa Del Carmen Realtors

Do not – under any circumstances – sign a contract or hand over any money without first bringing either a respected local attorney or a trusted local acquaintance.

Preferably both.

A Spanish-speaking local friend can also give you good advice.

But don’t accept the recommendation of the realtor.

The bottom line is that before you make a purchase, make sure you get reliable local support.

Some Playa Del Carmen Realtor Recommendations

As I mentioned before, there are many different Playa Del Carmen realtors to choose from.

When you come to Playa Del Carmen, you can check them out for yourself.

Three of the biggest of these are Top Mexico Real Estate, C21 Caribbean, and Remax Playa Exclusive.

You can use these to get an idea of property prices and make some initial inquiries about buying a house, an apartment, or property in the area.

However, there is no reason not to use a smaller local company here.

Just make sure you’ve got local backup to help you through it.

So, how does the story end?

Well, I’m still looking for a place to buy, but I’m not as over-eager as I was before.

But I have tidied my own apartment in case I meet someone cute in Playa Del Carmen tonight!

Maybe you’ll get lucky and it will be you…

Lots of love,

Rufus

Rufus signature

It’s your turn. Do you have any suggestions, tips, or recommendations about realtors in the area? Leave them in the comments section below!

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