Hi Vivian,
As a point of reflection for your consideration, please allow me to tell my story so far in the Tulum property market.
I am a British architect living and working in Berlin, Germany. In 2017 I met a Mexican woman from Tulum through mutual friends who was looking for design advice for a property she was developing in her neighborhood, the Vileta district (Region 15, south west of the main town). Long story short, she insisted that I come to Tulum to “see for myself” the exciting pace of development in Tulum. Whilst at first skeptical, I did book a flight for a weeklong midwinter holiday. What I saw in terms of development there convinced me that it is an exciting growing market, and I decided to get involved myself. To cut an even longer story short, I now have a business partner in Mexico City who is a British chartered surveyor, and has been working on development projects in Mexico for almost fifteen years and is a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. He brings with him an internationally active legal team, as well as building engineers and facility managers. I am leading the design side of the projects. We have already finished speculative designs for a typical quarter hectare (2500m2) 12-17 unit boutique holiday and residential apartment complex on the south side of Tulum on the Kukulkan Road connecting the town to the beaches. You can see our Kukulkan project, here:
Tulum, Kukulkan “The Art of Living, together” project introduction video
I was in Tulum for a second research visit and to meet my partner in february this year (2019). While there I met three other architects developing properties in and around Tulum, as well as brokers and land agents, and facility management companies. In my professional opinion Tulum is a fantastic investment opportunity, with over 2 million(!) holiday makers visiting every year, and a shortage of rental properties. Add to this the new rail link from Cancun to Chetumal stopping at Tulum which is planned to open by 2025, at which point property values will soar, making right now the optimal moment to get a foot in the door.
Back to us, Lichterman Rogers Development Partners (incorporation pending): We are all set up and ready to roll offering design, management, legal and facility management services, and are looking to find individual investors as well as major equity partners to get our first development off the ground. All investments would be though a bank owned trust fund, or fidecomiso, which we will set up on a project by project basis, and I would advise is the best mechanism for property ownership in Mexico. Following the first project we aim to expand through the region. This is an exciting moment, and through perseverance and with a little patience, we know we will land the right investors to get our show on the road!
