Buying property remotely: a due diligence checklist for cross-border buyers

Roughly one in four of our buyers closes on a property they have never physically visited. The transaction works because the due diligence is sequenced correctly, the third-party reports are commissioned from independent professionals, and the final inspection is video-walked with our team on the ground. Here is the 22-point checklist we use.

Title and ownership

1. Public Registry title search — Independent attorney pulls 10-year chain of title. Look for liens, encumbrances, easements, pending litigation, and unrecorded transfers.
2. Survey — Recent (within 24 months) registered survey. Measure against the deed description. Discrepancies are negotiating leverage or a deal-killer.
3. Boundary verification — Visit by surveyor or local attorney to confirm physical boundaries match registered ones. Coastal properties especially: sand encroachment, neighbor fence creep, communal-access disputes.
4. HOA / condominium documents — Bylaws, financial statements last 2 years, reserve fund balance, pending special assessments, percentage of rental units, restrictions on short-term rental.
5. Property tax certificate (current) — No outstanding balance, paid through current year.
6. Utility certificates of no debt — Electricity, water, sewer, gas. Outstanding utility debts attach to the property in many jurisdictions and become the buyer’s problem.

Structural and environmental

7. Independent home inspection — Local licensed inspector, 60-100 page written report with photos. We coordinate scheduling and translate the report if needed.
8. Termite / pest report — Especially critical in tropical climates (Mexico, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Florida). Soft framing repairs are 5-figure surprises.
9. Roof and waterproofing report — Separate from general inspection if property is above USD 500K or older than 15 years.
10. HVAC, plumbing, electrical — Age, condition, code compliance. Photographic documentation of any visible irregularity.
11. Environmental disclosures — Flood zone (FEMA map for US, equivalent municipal maps elsewhere), seismic risk (Japan, California, Mexico), volcanic / hurricane exposure, prior contamination (oil tanks, dry cleaners, brownfield adjacency).
12. Pool, well, septic inspection — Where applicable. Septic pump-out certificate, well water potability test, pool equipment age and condition.

Legal and zoning

13. Zoning verification — Confirm the current and intended use are permitted. “Vacation rental” is not allowed in many residential zones; we have seen buyers close, list on Airbnb, and get fined within 60 days.
14. Short-term rental license — Check whether the property already has a valid STR license (transferable or not), whether the municipality is currently issuing new ones, and quotas / moratoriums.
15. Building permits closed — Any renovation done in the last 10 years should have an issued building permit AND a closed-out final inspection. Open permits transfer to the buyer.
16. Litigation search — Court records search on the seller and on the property address. Pending divorces, contractor liens, neighbor lawsuits.

Financial

17. Recent comparable sales — Pulled from local registry (where public) or paid MLS access. Adjusted for date, size, condition. We provide a 1-page comp summary.
18. Rental comparables — If you plan to rent. Pull AirDNA / similar for short-term, local broker rental survey for long-term. Compare gross yield, occupancy, average daily rate.
19. Total carrying cost estimate — Property tax, HOA, insurance, utilities (estimated baseline), property management, maintenance reserve (1% of value annually is a healthy assumption).
20. Wire instructions verified by phone — Twice. Once to the law firm landline (look the number up independently — do not use the number on the email). Once to your bank’s wire desk to confirm receiving instructions match what the firm gave you. Wire fraud on cross-border closings runs into the millions per year. Do not skip this.

Final on-the-ground verification

21. Video walk-through 48 hours before signing — Our team on the ground walks the property top to bottom with a phone gimbal while you watch live. We check every room you ask about, run faucets, flush toilets, open every window, photograph any sign of recent paint covering damage, and confirm the keys you will receive at closing match the locks present.
22. Closing documents in your language — Final closing deed must be translated (or accompanied by a certified bilingual notary’s verbal translation) so you understand exactly what you are signing. Notary signs your power of attorney holder; you wire from your bank to the notary’s escrow; deed registered same day.

What can still go wrong

Even with the full checklist, expect one or two small surprises in the first 90 days post-closing. Common ones:

• A small utility transfer error that takes a phone call to fix.
• An HOA registration that needs your in-person signature when you next visit.
• A neighbor or local property manager assuming you want to use the same vendors the seller used (you may not).

What we do not see when the checklist runs cleanly: title disputes, undisclosed liens, structural surprises, or financial blow-ups. Those come from skipping items, not from being remote.

Our standard remote-closing service

We coordinate items 1–22 for you across the seven jurisdictions where we operate most actively: Mexico, Portugal, Spain, UAE, Japan, the US (FL, NY, CA), and the UK. We retain the local professionals, you wire them directly (we never touch your funds), and we deliver consolidated reports plus the live video walk-through 48 hours before signing. Most buyers fly in for the first vacation a few months after closing, by which point the keys, utilities, and management are already in place.