You have decided that Mexico is the place for your real estate investment dollars and are ready to go shopping. This can be a wildly successful adventure - or a total disaster - and, if it is a disaster, you may never know why. After all, you were standing there - cash in hand - and “those people” just didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t make the deal. Here are three early deal-breakers you may not have known about - and how to avoid them. (Photo by Christian Frausto Bernal)

Inappropriate Appearance: The right to dress any way one wants is highly prized in the U.S., where it is not uncommon to see people shopping for real estate in all manner of casual (to sloppy) attire. This practice is not appreciated in Mexico, where people choose to look their best, as a statement of respect for themselves and others, no matter their station in life. Yucatan Living has a short article on this Mexican cultural characteristic. Showing up to view even investment property in Mexico looking like a hobo will result in the seller being polite, but completely turned off and probably insulted. The price of that particular piece of real estate just went up and you are probably not going to be allowed to purchase it anyway.

Inappropriate Familiarity: Many Americans think the still common Southern custom of adding Miss or Mr. to the first name of adults is, to say the least, quaint - but they know they have to say “Mr. Joe” or “Miss Suzie” if they expect to buy that great piece of investment property south of the Mason Dixon Line. Good Southern manners do not stop at the Rio Grande. As one moves farther south, these customs only become more entrenched and the rules more complex. You can get the full scoop on the Mexican rules of familiarity from the International Trade and Quality Center at Missouri Southern State University. Needless to say, inappropriate familiarity, in Mexico, will get you two things: a smile from the person who has been offended and frozen out of any deal you thought you were going to make.

Inappropriate Attitude: It is a foolish waste of time and money for anyone who is a racist, arrogant, or rude to attempt to invest in real estate in Mexico (or, for that matter, to even try to live in Mexico). Shopping for investment real estate is not the time to let the seller know that you believe your country (or culture) is “better” than theirs because they will now be certain of two things: (a) Your culture is not better than theirs because it produced you and (b) you are unacceptable as a neighbor. The Mexican seller will never confront an “Ugly American” but it is a sure bet that the offender will not be purchasing the property in question… at least not at anywhere near a reasonable price. Even if the deal goes through, it is a safe bet that the buyer will be selling out and headed back where they came from within about a year.

The guiding rule for getting anything you want in Mexico, including a great deal on investment real estate, is to have respect for yourself and others and to actually be a nice person.