Working With Merida Mexico Realtors

Introduction

To start off, I want to say that Yucatecan people are absolutely wonderful to be around. If this weren't the case, we would not still be here. But this article will address some of the differences that we sometimes see between Yucatecan real estate agents and Canadian or American agents up north.

While this article focuses on Merida Realtors, there are also foreign realtors doing the same thing.

Most important of all, it's important to have a good realtor and a good lawyer that you trust when making a purchase. Doing it yourself to save a couple thousand dollars is really not worth the risk.

1. Prefer to get 100% of nothing

This is not always the case, but you will find this scenario much more frequently than you would in Canada or the US. So what do we mean when we say that people prefer to get 100% of nothing. This speaks to the stubborn character of some people, as it pertains to business. It is their way or the highway, even if that means that they won't get any money at all. We're only talking about fair offers here.

Let's look at an example...

When I moved down here for the second time, I started looking for a home. I knew what I wanted and spoke perfect spanish. I had a realtor who wasn't all that great. I trusted him with the transaction, but property searching was not being taken seriously. Little did I know, the offer and transaction is typically fully executed by your lawyer here, not by the Realtor.

So I would book viewings and we would go see them together. I do not recommend doing this as it back fired on me and there really isn't any point in paying a realtor their commission if they don't help you find the home, since the offer is done by the lawyer, not the realtor.

Back to it....

I ended up finding a nice home and booking a viewing. I let the agent know that I was coming to see the home and had a realtor, but he wouldn't be able to make it. Fast forward a couple of conversations and I let the agent know that we would be making an offer. After being asked several questions, I let this lady know that all these details would be explained in the offer. She claimed that "she was my agent". I was floored...

I reiterated that I had an agent. After going back and forth between everybody. My actual agent agreed to give half of his commission to her. She had done the work of showing me the property and my agent would communicate with the lawyer from here to set the deal up.

What happened next was shocking...

This lady spoke to the development company and trash talked me to the point that the development company would not take my calls, much less give us the details needed to make an offer. I called this lady and explained that she was blocking herself from making any money off this deal. She had already done the work. I asked her if she was truly set on receiving 100% of nothing rather than 50% of the commission. She said yes.

After becoming a Merida Realtor myself, and through conversations with other agents, I came to learn that this is not all that uncommon.

2. Very hard-working vs lazy

Just like anywhere else in the world, you have very hard-working Realtors and very lazy Realtors. In other parts of the world, a lazy realtor and their clients can get by.

Why?

Because there is an MLS and every realtor is checking and posting to the same MLS. So even if a listing agent is lazy, his listing will be viewed by everyone that input the right criteria in their MLS search. In Merida however, there is no MLS. So whether you are looking to buy or sell, you need to have a hardworking agent that creates signs, has good traffic to their website, networks with other agents and posts on the available sites such as Point 2 Homes and facebook marketplace, and sends out flyers. These items are mostly for the listing agent.

When hiring a Realtor, ask them what activities they will truly take on for you and let them know that you will be asking for proof and progress reports. This way, they know they will be held to a certain standard and you can avoid working together from the beginning if you see you're not on the same page.

3. Client Theft

Let's talk about theft. While there are many great Realtors in Merida and the surrounding coastal towns, there are also a fair share of agents that wouldn't hesitate to steal a client.

Conclusion

In conclusion Merida is a wonderful place to live and there are many wonderful Realtors here as well. You now have an idea of some of the cultural differences you may encounter while looking at Merida Homes for sale.

Make sure to take your time and properly interview your Merida Realtor and Lawyer before you start looking at homes. You don't want to find the perfect home and then lose it to poor Real Estate or Legal representation

If you're looking to buy or sell, we at TrustFirst would be happy to sit down with you to talk about your needs and provide a list of properties that match your criteria.