How to Buy Land in Playa Del Carmen and the Riviera Maya

If you are looking to build your dream home or just take a different approach to the property ladder, buying land offers some good options. Of course, like most things in Mexico, the process is different and there are some things you need to consider before purchasing. So, in this article we will take on most of the questions our readers ask us about buying land.

Our Video About Buying Land

We sat down with a local realtor to ask the questions about everything that is involved in buying land. We cover a lot of topics related to buying property here in the area. We hope you find it informative.

If you would like more information about some of the things mentioned in this video, below is the email contact for Sebastian and his associate. Both of them are able to give valuable advice about the process of buying here and provide further resources for you.

Some important details to include in your introductory email are:

What you are looking for and where.
A phone number and best times to reach you. This can make for faster communication.

Buying land for building or land banking?

There are two options for those that want to buy land in the Rivera Maya. You can buy land to build on or the hold the land as an investment. Here are more details about both options.

Buying land for building. You can buy land in master planned communities, in parts of the city of Playa Del Carmen, beachfront property, and wooded land outside of town. For those looking to build, each option offers a different opportunity. Each option has different restrictions and knowing about these will guide you to the best option for your plans. For example, most master planned communities have restrictions for you to build in a certain timeframe to prevent speculation.
Buying land for land banking. This is the process of buying land, holding it, and selling it at a later date for a profit. Land usually always holds its value and will appreciate over time. Where you do even better is when educated speculation comes into the equation. This means predicting where values will appreciate faster. Factors such as improved services near the land, infrastructure projects and the general direction of growth for an area. Being good at predicting where prices will increase is based on foreknowledge and experience. For most people, this means working with an experienced realtor that has insight into future developments that will affect the price of land. Out best advice is working with a realtor that has 10 years experienced in the area, and perhaps a track record of personally investing in land.

Note: One place that land banking is not allowed sometimes, are planned communities. This eliminates speculation buying.

Why the Urban Development Plan is the First Step

What is the Urban Development Plan? These are the plans and zoning that effect what you can do with land that you want to purchase. These plans control:

If the land is residential, zoned for mixed use or commercial.
The density usage of the land. Some municipalities restrict the percentage of the property that you can build on. Other restrict how many units you can build. These are just some examples of what this plan include.

Each municipality in the state has different plans. So, it is good to consult these first when thinking about buying land and what you want to do with the land that your purchase. A good real estate agent will be able to get these for you.

Where are some of the places you can buy land in Playa Del Carmen and nearby?

Here is a rundown of areas within Playa Del Carmen and other places in the Riviera Maya.

Corasol Neighborhood on the North End

This was the area known as Grand Coral. It was sold to a new developer and there are some major advances to development in this area. The area stretches from the beach to the 307 Highway. Corasol is a gated master planned community.

In this community you have the Gran Coyote Golf Course. A few places to eat, a couple of all-inclusive hotels, condos, and a few homes. Even though there is development here, it is still preserving 66% of the overall area as green space.

What is for sale in this area for land?

There are residential lots and master planned lots for developers that want to build condominiums. There are some beachfront lots available in this community.

To see more about the Corasol neighborhood, see our article and video here.

Playacar Master Planned Community

Playacar is the large private gated community on the south end of Playa Del Carmen. Playacar is divided into Phase 1 & 2. This was one of the first master planned communities in the area. It was conceived in the 1980’s when developers and the government started to look at Playa Del Carmen to duplicate the tourism model that worked for Cancun. Playacar was designed as an upscale

Phase 1 is low density with houses and villas a short walk to the beach. This part of Playacar starts just south of the Cozumel Ferry Pier. This part of the Playacar mainly is residential and a few smaller hotels with no commercial businesses.

Phase 2 is the larger portion that extends from the beach to the 307 Highway. in the center is the Hard Rock Golf Course. Along the beach there are mainly large all-inclusive hotels. In the center and back side of this phase are houses and condos. This part of Playacar offers commercial centers, with a mix of tourist options and businesses that appeal to residents. There are fewer lots available since this is an older developed community.

Downtown of Playa Del Carmen

About 10 years ago the average person could buy a house or land at an affordable price in the downtown. Then Playa Del Carmen started to change, and land started to get more expensive. Most of the land only made sense to build more than one level of housing and many small houses and lots were bought to build 4 or 5 story buildings on. Today, the downtown is pretty much out of reach for the average person, and no one really buys land to build a single-family home in the urban center. However, if you wish to develop something, there are still opportunities to buy land in the downtown and build on it.

Below is out map of the downtown area and the different neighborhoods. It is a clickable map that has descriptions of each area of the downtown. It is from our article about the best areas to live in the downtown of Playa del Carmen.

The other side of the highway

The 307 Highway is a major divide in Playa Del Carmen. It divided the downtown touristic center from the more residential area. This will be one of the areas where costs are lowest for land.

If land is not in a planned community, it will be important to know the surrounding area and what is near the land. Zoning laws are very open in Playa and sometimes you have a car mechanic next to a residential lot or animals that will bother you with noise. There are also businesses called Sala de Fiestas. These are rentable spaces that house parties. it might seem fine when you look at the property, but you don’t want a loud party going until 4am every weekend. So, caution should be exercised when looking at lots in this part of the city.

Master planned communities

When we mentioned master planned communities, we are not talking about fraccionamientos. Those are planned communities with housing that is built and for lower- and middle-class Mexican families. Master planned communities with land for sale are places like Playacar and Corasol. There are also these types of planned communities on the other side of the highway and south and north of the center of Playa.

People like to buy in these communities because there is infrastructure, and they are designed with green spaces and other communities services. Each one offers different public spaces, but often you find pools, a club house, and some sports facilities.

Note: Some planned communities that are still in the process of being developed, do not get finished and buyers can end up disappointed. It is important to work with a realtor that knows the reputation and financial status of developers.

Beachfront land

In almost everyone’s mind, beachfront land is the most ideal property to buy and the stuff of dreams. However, there is a limited supply of land on the beach. This is especially true in Playa Del Carmen. There are more opportunities south of Playa Del Carmen, some of which is not associated with any town. Some of the beachfront areas you cannot even get into to see if you are not a resident. So, working with a good realtor will give you access to these hidden and secret areas with land for sale.

Places to buy land outside of Playa Del Carmen

If you like the feel of the Riviera Maya with its more modern cities and beach centric lifestyle, but not in Playa Del Carmen, there are some other areas you might want to look at.

Going south from Playa Del Carmen you will find some smaller communities like Paamul and Puerto Aventuras. Puerto Aventuras is a gated community on the beach side of the 307 Highway. this area is well liked by families and boat lovers because it is one of the only ports in the Riviera Maya. In Puerto Aventuras you can buy marina front land or beachfront land.

Akumal is another town. It is a town of just over 2000 persons. Most of this community is close to the beach and is homes and not condo buildings.

land Playa Del Carmen — A street in a planned community just north of the downtown of Playa Del Carmen where people have bought land and built houses.

What should you expect to pay for land in the Riviera Maya?

There are a ton of factors that go into pricing land in the area. The biggest factors is location and the second is services that are nearby. These can be electricity, roads, sewer, highspeed internet, and

Basic land in the jungle can be as cheap as $10 USD per sq. meter.
Land in the downtown of Playa can range from $300-$700 USD per Sq meter roughly.
On the other side of the highway, you can find land from $50,000-$100,000 USD as an average. It will depend on if it is in a master planned community or just in a local neighborhood.
Beachfront land starts over $1000 USD per sq. meter. Prices will depend on location and the quality of the beach it has.

Where is it best to search for land for sale?

In most countries there are websites that combine all listings, so potential buyers can search for that perfect piece of land. The multiple listing services (MLS) are not country wide in Mexico. In fact, in the Riviera Maya there is no such thing. So, this means googling and searching over websites to see what land is for sale. Here are some VERY important details that will prevent you from getting scammed or wasting your time while looking for land.

It is good to surf the internet to see what prices are and what is available. BUT this should be only basic research, and you should not depend on the information to be correct. Why? Many websites, even professional looking real estate websites, post properties that are not listed with them or just copy photos and listings to fill their websites. Many times, you will see the same listing on multiple places online for different prices. Sometimes this is a scam, even showing you fake paperwork, or it is a false lead to get new clients but then they say it is not available and try to sell you something else. This is where you need to START with a good realtor.
A good realtor will have already screened properties to make sure there are no liens, make sure it is legally possible to purchase. They will also screen planned communities and the developers to see if they are financially stable and have a good reputation in order to deliver on what is promised. (See our article on how to get off on the right foot with a realtor in the Rivera Maya).

Building process and options you have to build on your land

For most people, buying land and building on it will be their first experience doing so. Knowing the urban development plan will be your first roadmap as to what you can do with your land. After you have found land that you like and you know what is permitted on the land, what is the building process like? Well, you have several options depending on where the land is located.

If you are building a bigger project, you will need an environmental impact study.
Check the ground mechanic and structure. The Riviera Maya has a lot of caves and limestone that needs to be thick enough to support what you want to build.
After these things are checked off, you start with the plans and then permit process.

Once you have these ready, the building phase begins.

You can work with an architect that already has services in place to take your project from concept to reality.
Construction companies are kind of a step down from using an architect. They offer plans and building of your home.
Some planned communities will have approved plans and builders ready for you.
A very few owners get involved in being the general contractor of their project. This can be done, but you need to know how construction is done in the Riviera Maya to make sure it is being done correctly, plus learn all the construction terms and how labor works locally.

Building on Beachfront Land

Beaches in Mexico are federally owned. So, permits are federal and not through the local municipalities. There are strict environmental considerations, how far from the water line you can build, and how much of the land you can build on. The process is slower, and it is important to know all the restrictions before you to purchase. Avoidance of the rules or started ahead of getting permits can shut down your projects for an indefinite time.

The main agency you will need to work with is SEMARAT. SEMARNAT (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)

This federal agency regulates environmental impact, especially for coastal and ecological zones.
Key Document: Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente (LGEEPA).
Also look for Environmental Impact Authorization (Manifestación de Impacto Ambiental – MIA), required for coastal construction.

What red flags should you be aware of when buying land?

This section is very important to read thoroughly! This advice just might save you a fortune and a lot of headaches. Based on experience and knowledge of the area, we want to go through some of the types of real estate deals and properties that you should stay away from or use extreme caution.

Buying property on your own

This means looking on your own and not using a realtor. Here are some of the things you really should know about going this route. Some people look for that obscure property that is just right for them. This means it might not be a normal property that you see advertised online. You also might want to look at the lower end of the price spectrum, and this is where many realtors don’t concentrate their time because there is a lot less commission for cheap properties and/or issues with titles or buildability of the land.

If you are buying land on your own, you will need a lawyer to look over the paperwork. Expect the process to take longer and possibly not work for you in the end.

Ejido land

What is ejido land? One of the easiest illustrations to explain is how the United States moved indigenous people to reservations. Mexico took another route and said that most rural land belongs to the communities. The land (ejido) is divided up by community leaders and people are given permission to use the land. The land is not titled and cannot be sold to other people. There is a process where some community land can go through a process to become titled land, but it is a complex and lengthy process.

Tip: If some rural land seems really cheap, it probably is not fully titled land and most likely not available to you. There are various levels of paperwork that go with land, each one with different requirements. Almost all good realtors will tell you not to get involved in trying to make a purchase of ejido land.

“Eco Communities” or rural planned communities

This is a personal pet peeve that I have seen people fall victim to. Normally these are plots of land sold in an “ecofriendly” development outside of cities (sometimes in the middle of nowhere). They show cool houses with solar panels and mention community gardens where you can even grow some of your own food. There are a lot of variations of this idea, but normally they fail. Why? Because on paper they look good, but in reality, they do not work.

Here are some of the reasons they do not work.

The developer has only the concept and expects to make money from presales to fund the project. This means the project is not fully funded and often projects get abandoned when sales do not meet expectations or developers skip town after selling a few lots.
If you are thinking about living part of the year in Mexico and then using your property to rent out the other part, you might find a problem. These communities are outside of towns where tourists are not looking to rent. Even if you have a great house, how many tourists are going to want to rent in your location at one time? Then there are 20-50 other houses for rent in the same community. there are just not enough people willing to rent in these outlying areas. So, you end up with a house just sitting there which needs maintenance and someone looking after it. It can become a big expense just to own a house that sits there a lot of the time.
In Mexico most people find themselves going to the grocery store and other markets more frequently. I personally go at least 3 times a week to buy food. If your community is 20-30 minutes away from a store, that means a lot of driving and time spent just getting supplies. This is different than living in a small town where you can at least get most basics.

Conclusion

Buying land and holding it or building that dream home can be very rewarding. It is not what a majority of people do, so that should tell you that it does require more planning and knowledge about how things function. You can replace some of the that time researching and use a really good realtor that has experience with local regulations and how buying land works.

We hope this article has prepared you a little more with the idea of buying land and how to best go about it. If you do want to work with Sebastian who appears in our video above, the email link below will connect you to him or his associate. He is someone that we feel confident that can assist our readers with accurate information and be able to answer any other questions you might have.