Real Estate

Apartments, houses, lots and commercial space:

each is bought and let on its own terms. Apartments in the towers of Zones 10, 14 and 15 come with a lift, a guardhouse at the entrance and a monthly maintenance fee that pays for security and common areas, and a good listing says whether rent includes it. Houses divide into those inside a gated community, behind a barrier and with the same kind of fee, and those on an open street in an ordinary neighbourhood, which cost less and leave security to you. Land runs from a family lot in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas to new plot subdivisions on the edge of Escuintla sold in monthly instalments, where the question that matters is whether water and electricity already reach the plot. Anything changing owner belongs in property for sale, monthly and yearly lets in property for rent, and the lake house at San Marcos La Laguna or the beach house at El Paredón let by the weekend in short-term and vacation rentals.

Dollar rents in Zone 10, quetzal rents in San Cristóbal:

the currency on a listing tells you which market you are in. A modern one- or two-bedroom apartment in Zones 10, 14 or 15 runs from about US$700 to US$1,500 a month, while a three-bedroom apartment in a gated complex in San Cristóbal, in Zone 8 of Mixco, lets for around Q4,000 to Q5,000. Asking prices leave room to negotiate. To compare two places fairly, check whether maintenance is included, how many parking spaces come with it and whether it is furnished. Most landlords ask for a deposit of one month, sometimes two, a twelve-month contract and proof of income, and some want a guarantor as well.

Registered title or possession rights only:

that difference decides what you are actually buying. A registered property carries its own registry numbers, and with them a notary you choose yourself can obtain the certificate showing who owns it and whether a mortgage or lien sits on it; the name on it should match the seller’s DPI. Outside the cities, many lots change hands with possession rights only: the seller occupies and works the land but holds no registered title. That is why they are cheaper, and turning possession into registered title is slow work for a lawyer rather than a formality.

Water hours, cracks and roof stains in a resale house:

an existing home shows its problems in predictable places. Ask how many hours a day the mains water arrives and whether there is a cistern or a rooftop tank, and in a tower whether the building has its own cistern and generator. Diagonal cracks running from the corners of doors and windows deserve a builder’s opinion; fine hairlines in the plaster render rarely mean much. Look for brown rings on the ceiling under a flat concrete roof and for rust along the overlaps of a corrugated metal roof. In a gated complex, ask to see the maintenance fees paid up. Never pay a deposit to hold a place you have not seen in person, or to someone who will only meet once the money is sent.

Listing a house, a lot or a room to let:

put the zone or municipality and the name of the gated community, if there is one, in the first line, then land and construction in square metres, bedrooms, bathrooms and parking spaces. Give the price in the currency you will actually accept and say what it covers, whether maintenance, furniture or water. For a sale, state which kind of papers the property has; for a let, the deposit, the contract length and whether you ask for a guarantor. Photograph every room in daylight, plus the street and the gate, which many people judge before deciding the drive is worth it. For a lot, say where the boundary markers stand: whoever drives up from Escuintla to see land in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas will want to walk the boundary before anything else.