Services
Due Diligence
Someone in the room who reads the documents and explains them to you.
Buying property in Mexico, especially on the Oaxacan coast, can be very different from buying elsewhere. I accompany you through the process: checking title documents, reviewing contracts before you sign, and connecting you with trusted notarios and real estate attorneys in the area who have the experience, knowledge and understanding of your specific needs. I am not a notario público and not a licensed attorney. My role is to make sure you understand every document and that the right professionals are doing the formal work.
What this is
Due diligence and accompaniment through a property transaction: reading and reviewing documents with you, checking the form of land tenure and property title, reviewing contracts before you sign, supporting you coordinating third parties, and translating what is being agreed.
What this is not
Not legal representation. I am not a notario público and not a licensed attorney, I do not give legal opinions, and I do not sign or execute documents on your behalf.
What is due diligence, exactly?
It is the layer between you and the formal legal system. I read the documents, ask the awkward questions, and make sure nothing moves forward that does not make sense. The notario executes the deed and the lawyer gives the legal opinion; I make sure both are engaged, informed and on schedule.
Most problems in Mexican property transactions are not dramatic fraud. They are ordinary things left unchecked: a deed in a deceased relative's name, an unpaid predial, a boundary that does not match the plan, a seller who is one of four heirs, or a document that turns out to be an Acta de Posesión rather than a public deed.
What I check before you commit
Which form of tenure the property carries, titled land with an escritura pública, communal land with an acta de posesión, or ejidal land, and what that means for your specific purchase. Whether the person selling is the registered owner or acta holder, and whether there are co-owners or heirs who also have to sign. Whether the property is registered in the Registro Público de la Propiedad or documented at the community level through the comisariado, and whether anything is recorded against it.
Then the mundane list: property tax paid up to date, water and electricity accounts clear, the measurements on the deed matching the land in front of you, and any construction on the plot being legally recognised.
Working with the notario
In Mexico the notario público is a state-appointed official who executes the deed and is the single most important person in your transaction. You get to choose which one. I coordinate with them, gather what they need, and keep the file moving. Notarías are careful, which also means slow, and a file stalls when nobody is chasing it.
Where a transaction is complex (inheritance, a company purchase, a dispute, an unusual land history), I will tell you plainly that you need an attorney and help you engage one. That recommendation is part of the service, not an upsell.
What this includes
- Review of title documents and ownership history
- Checking whether land is titled, communal or ejidal, and what each means for the purchase
- Contract review and plain-language explanation before signing
- Coordination of the notario and, where needed, an attorney
- Translation and interpretation at appointments
- Tracking closing steps, deadlines and outstanding documents
What this does not include
- Acting as a notario público
- Acting as a licensed attorney or giving formal legal opinions
- Litigation or dispute representation
- Drafting or executing the deed
- Guaranteeing outcomes of a government or registry process
Common questions
- Are you a lawyer?
- No, and I say so at the start of every engagement. I am an advisor who accompanies you through the process, reads the paperwork with you and coordinates the licensed professionals. The notario executes the deed and, where the situation calls for it, an attorney gives the legal opinion.
- What is the difference between an Acta de Posesión and a public deed?
- A public deed (escritura pública) is title, executed by a notario and registered in the Registro Público de la Propiedad. An Acta de Posesión records that someone possesses a piece of land; it is not ownership in the same registered sense. Understanding which one you are being offered is one of the most important checks in a Puerto Escondido purchase.
- Can you help if I already started a purchase somewhere else?
- Yes. People often come to me mid-process when something stops making sense. I will read what has been signed so far and tell you honestly where you stand, including if the answer is that you should stop.
What clients say
After years of trying to get my Acta de Posesion sorted, Kat made it happen with zero stress. She delivered ahead of schedule, and I had complete peace of mind the whole way through. She is thorough, reliable, honest, and humble, with real connections that get things done. If you are navigating property or legal processes in Puerto Escondido, she is exactly who you want on your side.
Reviews collected from the Google Business profile and direct client messages.