Prices are often much cheaper than most areas of the U.S., but in many locations prices of houses and lots are as expensive as the U.S., one example being Mexico City. U.S. banks have begun to give home loans for properties in Mexico, but, so far, not for other Latin American countries.

Many websites advertising and selling Mexican and Central American real estate exist, but they may need to be researched.In Costa Rica, real estate agents do not need a license to operate, but the transfer of property requires a lawyer.

In investment finance, private equity real estate is an asset class consisting of equity and debt investments in property. Investments typically involve an active management strategy ranging from moderate reposition or releasing of properties to developme or extensive redevelopment.

Investments are typically made via private equity real estate fund, a collective investment scheme, which pools capital from investors. These funds typically have ten year life span consisting of a 2-3 year investment period during which properties are acquired and a holding period during which active asset management will be carried out and the properties will be sold.

The real estate business in Mexico and Central America is different from the way that it is conducted in the United States.

One important difference from the United States is that each country has rules regarding where foreigners can buy. For example, in Mexico, foreigners cannot buy land or homes within 50km of the coast or 100km from a border, while, in Honduras, they may buy beach front property. There are also different special rules regarding certain types of property: ejidos—communally held farm property—cannot be sold to anyone, but that does not prevent them from being offered for sale.

Some similarities include a variety of legal formalities (with professionals such as real estate agents generally employed to assist the buyer); taxes need to be paid but typically less than those in U.S.; legal paperwork will ensure title; and a neutral party such as a title company will handle documentation and monies in order to smoothly make the exchange between the parties. Increasingly, U.S. title companies are doing work for U.S. buyers in Mexico and Central America.