Buyers ask me all the time what actually protects them when they're buying property down here — and the honest answer usually involves the notario, the fideicomiso, and a proper title search. But there's a federal rule most people have never heard of that's specifically aimed at how developers and sellers are allowed to market and sell residential real estate in Mexico: NOM-247-SE-2021. I check for it now on every presale I bring to a client, and buyers should know what it does and doesn't cover.

What NOM-247 Actually Is

NOM-247-SE-2021 is a Norma Oficial Mexicana — a federal technical standard — issued by the Secretaría de Economía. It sets rules for how residential real estate, mostly new-construction and presale product sold by developers, has to be advertised, contracted, and delivered. It's a consumer-protection rule, not a property-law rule, and that distinction matters for what it can and can't do for you.

What It Actually Requires

Advertising Has to Match What You're Buying

A developer can't advertise square footage, finishes, amenities, or delivery dates that don't match what's actually in the contract and what actually gets built. If the brochure shows granite counters and ocean-view balconies, the unit you close on has to match.

Contract Terms Have to Be Spelled Out

Price, payment schedule, specifications, and delivery date all have to be written into the contract in plain terms — not left to a sales conversation or a verbal promise. If there's a delay penalty or a change process, that has to be in writing too.

You Get a 5-Business-Day Cancellation Window

On presale and developer contracts, buyers have the legal right to cancel without penalty within 5 business days of signing. That's a real cooling-off period — it exists specifically because presale contracts get signed with a lot of excitement and not always a lot of due diligence.

Minimum Warranty Periods

The standard sets minimums the developer has to honor: 5 years on structural elements, 3 years on waterproofing, and 1 year on other finishes and systems. Those are floors, not ceilings — some developers offer more, but they can't offer less.

Contracts Get Registered with PROFECO

Developer sales contracts are supposed to be registered with PROFECO, the federal consumer protection agency, through its Registro de Contratos de Adhesión. That registration is a layer of federal oversight on the contract terms themselves — it doesn't mean PROFECO is watching your specific purchase, but it means the contract template had to pass through their review.

Where This Applies — and Where It Doesn't

NOM-247 is aimed at new-construction and presale purchases from developers. It doesn't really come into play on a private resale between two individuals — there's no developer marketing or delivery timeline to regulate.

And it's worth being direct about this: NOM-247 is not a substitute for title and lien due diligence. It doesn't confirm the seller actually owns clear title, doesn't check for liens or encumbrances, and doesn't replace a proper review at the Registro Público de la Propiedad. That's a separate process, and it's not optional just because a developer's contract is NOM-247 compliant. I've written about what that process looks like step by step here, and about how title actually gets held — fideicomiso or escritura pública — in this post.

What I Check Before I Recommend a Presale

When I'm working with a buyer on a presale or developer contract, I confirm the contract is PROFECO-registered, that the 5-day cancellation clause is actually in the document, and that the warranty language matches the NOM-247 minimums — not just marketing language that sounds like it does. None of that replaces the legal and title work your notario and lawyer do, but it's one more thing that should hold up before you sign.

If you're weighing a presale purchase and want a second set of eyes on the contract terms before you commit, or you want to understand what the closing costs and carrying costs actually look like once you own, I've broken that down here — happy to walk through your specific situation.