Under construction
Work is underway. Your job is documentation and pace: confirm each stage before you pay for it, and keep a written record of every change.
Last reviewed September 2026 · Sources
0 of 4 done
Walk the site — or have your architect or an independent inspector walk it — at each payment stage. Photograph the work, note it against the stage definition, and only then release the payment. The inspection habit is what keeps the payment schedule meaningful.
Site conversations produce 'while we're at it' changes constantly. Each one gets a short written note — what changes, what it costs, what it does to the date — signed before the work. A running change log is the difference between a project that drifts and one that is managed.
Facturas are official Mexican tax invoices. They document what you spent building, which becomes your cost basis and reduces capital gains tax when you eventually sell. Ask for them as work is invoiced and file them with your property documents — reconstructing them years later is usually impossible.
The punch list — the dozens of small unfinished items at the end — is where projects stall, because the builder's leverage ends with the final payment. Hold the agreed retention until every item is done and verified. 'Nearly finished' is a state that can last months if the money has already moved.
Tick steps off as you go — your progress is kept on this device, nothing is sent anywhere. A finished checklist is a well-prepared file, not a verified transaction.
Payments running ahead of work completed.
Verbal changes on site that nobody wrote down.
Materials substituted without approval.
- Builder
- DRO
- Architect
- Municipal inspectors
- Stage inspection records
- Change orders
- Invoices (facturas)
- Progress photos
This guide was last reviewed in September 2026. Laws, rates, and municipal requirements change. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm anything you intend to rely on with your notario or an independent Mexican attorney.
Article 27, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Foreign nationals cannot hold direct title inside the restricted zone; the bank trust exists because of this article.
Municipal planning and land-use offices, Baja California Sur
Land use (uso de suelo), construction licensing, and permit requirements differ by municipality.
Ley del Notariado para el Estado de Baja California Sur
Defines what a notario must verify, certify, calculate, and file for a property transfer.
Talk it through before the next step.
A session works through your actual situation: what matters at this stage, what is still unknown, and what should happen next.
Building Clarity Session · $295 · 60 minutes
If you move into a larger paid Baja Property Insider advisory engagement within 14 days, this session fee can be credited toward that engagement.
