Almost any time you buy a home in the US you’re going to pay $400 or so to have someone do a home inspection. I don’t think there is really a specific person that does this type of work in Mexico. I definitely haven’t heard of anyone in Zihua. If you are buying a new condo, you should expect to receive a one year warranty, and this may give you some peace of mind that any issues that arise in the first year should be resolved. However, most used homes and condos are sold “As Is”, so you are generally responsible for doing your own home inspection.

So here’s your DIY Mexican Home Inspection. This won’t be all encompassing, so if your home has a pool, soaking tub, solar panels, an alarm system, zipline, etc, then you’ll definitely want to kick the tires there, or perhaps have an expert take a look to make sure there aren’t any expensive upcoming repairs. This is geared more towards houses, but some of these checklist items are valid for condomiums, too.

First thing: check the access and perimeter -entry gates or doors and check the security of the property. Is there an electric fence or good lighting? Do the security measures compare similarly with the neighbors? You don’t want to be the one house on your street with the easy-to-jump wall.
Most crime here is more opportunistic, so if you leave a bicycle in front of your house, you’re gambling a bit. Some basic security is important.

Continuing outside, as most properties are concrete, has the concrete been cared for or is it falling apart, especially along the support beams and columns? You are looking for cracks and specifically exposed rebar. All of this is repairable, but should be a priority if you buy. It also will give a good indication of how well the house as a whole has been cared for. Concrete is generally pretty low maintenance, but it does require some maintenance.

You need to check for signs of termites on all wood windows, doors, cabinets, and shelves. Termites are the worst!

On the roof, and windows, you’ll want to check for evidence of leaks and issues of drainage. It’s a bit difficult, but the easiest way is to look for signs of water running down walls, where you’ll see faded paint lines where the water flows.
The same goes for any outdoor patio areas…. Where does water flow? Obviously you want to make sure any water drainage is flowing away from the property. We can have heavy rains in the Summer here, and the downpours can wreak havoc on your property.

If the home uses tinacos, the water tanks you see on the roofs of Mexican properties, then take a look inside. Has the tinaco ever been cleaned? Can you easily access the tinaco and clean it? How’s the water pressure in the showers and sinks?

You can often see the drainage tubes leaving the house. You want 4” tubes for all the toilets, otherwise you may have some issues with clogged toilets.

Do you have a cistern? What size is it and how does it look? The properties that don’t have a big enough cistern often have to order water trucks to keep up with demand, as the city limits the amount of water you receive per month. Check to see if the cistern is full. If no one is staying on the property then it should be full of water. We can sometimes have periods of three or four days where water isn’t delivered, so a cistern that holds 10,000 liters or more should be enough to cover 6 to 8 people during those dry periods.

Take a look at the water heaters, or boilers as they are called here. How many do you have? Is the number sufficient for the number of rooms in your property. What condition are they in? We had to replace one of our two water heaters upon purchasing our house.

How big is the propane tank? For a four bedroom property like ours you’ll probably want at least 180 liters. This should last 4 to 6 weeks without having to order a gas truck to your house for a refill. Follow the propane lines, as they should not be buried in concrete. You’ll want to be able to locate all the propane lines easily to prevent potentially dangerous hazards.

Open up the registro, aka the poop box, in front of your property, if you can, and check the sewer drainage for good flow.
We learned the hard way that our registro was a mess and needed work.

The A/C units may be the biggest portion of an electricity bill, so you’ll want to see what type of A/C units you have, how old they are, and how well insulated the house is to keep the cool air in. Can you easily access the outdoor unit, the condenser, for maintenance and repair? Do you have energy efficient air conditioners installed? A new A/C unit with installation will cost $600 to $1,000USD.

Is your Electricity grounded? You can check the outlets to see if they are grounded with the GFCI tester to prevent potential hazards. How many outlets are there? Older houses generally didn’t put a lot of emphasis on outlets with maybe two or four in a room, while newer houses will have at least four outlets on every wall.

Take a look at the electricity bill if you can. If you are buying a multi-unit property then you really should have at least two meters. Because Mexico subsidizes electricity up to a point, if you only have one meter for a two or three unit property, then you may end up getting put into a higher priced bracket, paying three times the electrical rate of your neighbors. Normal use for a two bedroom house over two months is generally 1,500 to 5,000 pesos.
If you need 230volt power then you should check that, too. We changed from 115v to 230v on the advice of others and it was fairly expensive. I still don’t know if it was worth it. How many circuit breakers are there?
Most new homes may have 40 circuit breakers, but that’s generally not the case here in Mexico. You may have to do a lot of electrical work to add appliances to your property.

If you want decent internet then contact Telmex or Megacable to see if high-speed internet is available at the home. If the home currently has internet there are apps to test the internet speed. There are some areas in Zihua with nice homes that still don’t have access to high-speed internet.

Other things to consider: How close is the house to the neighbors? Do you have access to all 4 walls of your house, or you’ll you have to gain permission from a neighbor to access a wall if there’s an issue? Oftentimes electrical or plumbing runs exterior to the house.

If your house has tight property lines with the road or neighbors, then I’d now recommend getting a surveyor to check your boundaries and make sure the entire house falls within your property lines. A surveyor, known as a perito in Mexico, will charge around 7,000 pesos to measure your property boundaries.

I’d highly recommend visiting the property during all hours, to see if there are any sounds, restaurants with loud music, barking dogs, street noise, etc that you wouldn’t be able to handle on a day-to-day basis. And really get someone with a good sniffer to comb over the property. It would be a bummer to buy something and then realize there’s often trash smells wafting through your house. And on the subject of smells, where is trash deposited? Does everyone put trash in front of their house, or in one spot on the street? And does it appear to be picked up regularly?

If you get serious about purchasing, do an inventory of the property before making an offer.
Homes are generally sold with the contents included, and tools, plants, furniture, and so on can disappear between an offer being made and you putting a deposit on the property.

I hope this gives you a few things to think about before buying in Mexico. Good luck!