How to check a Tulum real estate agent before you trust them

Ask any Tulum agent six things before you pay anything: who they represent, where your deposit goes, who checks the title, whether you can choose your own lawyer, what permits the developer holds, and what they have sold here. The answers, in writing, tell you more than any badge.

Registers and memberships exist, and we cover them below, but none of them checks the property you are buying or the contract you are about to sign. These questions do.

What to ask an agent, and what a good answer sounds like

1. "Who do you represent in this deal, and who pays your commission?" A straight answer names the seller, the buyer or both, and the amount.
2. "Where does my deposit go, under what document, and how do I get it back if the deal fails?" You should see a written agreement that names who holds the money and the conditions for returning it before you send anything.
3. "Who will check the title?" The answer should be your own legal representative and the notario, a government-appointed notary who acts as the legal authority on the transaction, not a US-style notary. Be wary of an agent who offers to handle that check themselves.
4. "Can I choose my own lawyer?" The answer is yes.
5. For pre-construction: "What permits does the developer hold, and can I see them?" Ask for the documents, not a summary. Our page on pre-construction payment plans covers what to check on the developer.
6. "What have you sold here, and can I speak to a past buyer?" An agent who has closed deals in the area can point to them.

Signs to slow down: pressure to pay a deposit before you have seen a contract, a request to send money to a personal account, a property that cannot be visited, and permits that are "on the way".

What registers and memberships tell you

SEDETUS. In Quintana Roo, where Tulum sits, the state department for urban and territorial development (Secretaría de Desarrollo Territorial Urbano Sustentable) issues real estate advisers a registration number called a matrícula and keeps a public list of them, the padrón. Its advisers section also publishes the state's law on real estate services, a code of ethics and a complaints form. A listing on the padrón tells you the state knows who that adviser is.

AMPI. The Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios is a national trade association founded in 1956 that trains and certifies its members. Membership is a professional affiliation, not a state registration.

Neither one tells you whether a particular property is sound, whether its title is clean or whether a developer holds its permits. That is the work of the six questions above, your own legal representative and the notario.

Our own record

Tulum Land and Property has worked the Riviera Maya since 2021, with a decade of experience behind it. We are a team of seven and have completed more than 100 property transactions. Ask us any of the six questions above. We would rather you did.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules on real estate advisers are set by the state and can change. Confirm anything that matters to your purchase with your own legal representative and the notario.

Sources: SEDETUS, real estate advisers section, sedetus.qroo.gob.mx/asesores (read October 26, 2026); AMPI, ampi.org (read October 26, 2026); Tulum Land and Property's own figures, confirmed by Michael Gill, September 30 and October 11, 2026. Top photo: Blogtrepreneur, CC BY 2.0.