Selling your Property?
Mayan Lake Realty (MLR) is here in every way to help you sell your property on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. We aim to make this process as stress-free and easy as possible for you.
Just call us (+502 4601 2775) to discuss your requirements and we can walk you through the procedure depending on what you need. We can help you with an assessment and official survey of the property in order to help you decide on an asking price.
Prices can vary enormously around the Lake depending upon a multitude of factors: lake-front, views, steepness, boat or road access, water/electricity access, etc.
All properties need to at least be registered with the local municipalidad. They can also be registered with the Central Registration for Properties in Quetzaltenango. However, if your property is Lake Front then registering with OCRET as well as the Central Registration for Properties in Quetzaltenango can help, especially if buyers wish to get a bank loan/mortgage for the purchase. However, it is not obligatory.
In order to sell, we need for all legal papers to be in order. We can recommend good local lawyers (and English speaking if necessary).
Our commission is the standard 5% of the selling price. In order to list your property for sale we require that you sign a Listing Agreement with us which details the scope of obligations on each side. This is signed byt both MLR and the Seller.
We are exclusive agents for the Lake Atitlan area for Century 21/Antigua Fine Homes.
This means that your listings will have the extra exposure of a worldwide
reach through the Century 21 real estate system, as well as ours.
We can arrange for photographs to be taken; it can include drone images and/or video as well. We generally suggest having a professional photographer to do this and we work with good, economic local photographers.
We create a listing, translate it into Spanish so it will appear on our English and Spanish websites, AND it will also be listed in English and Spanish on Century 21/Antigua Fine Homes’ website.
We will promote your property on Social Media and vet all potential buyers. All viewings will be with at least 24 hours’ notice given to owners and their guardians/key holders.
We request potential buyers to submit offers. You can then accept, refuse, or counteroffer. When you decide to accept an offer, we will also be there through the sale process with your lawyer (we can also recommend good, local lawyers and English-speaking ones as well). Often the same lawyer works for both Seller and Buyer, this is quite common here.
For further information on the Selling Process, in easy-to-understand bullet points, please see our Blog post (COMING SOON!). Also please Contact Us. Please note that the real estate business in Guatemala is different to that in other countries.
Want to Buy a Property?
Can a foreigner buy property/land in Guatemala? YES! This may be one of your first questions when beginning your journey to purchase property in Guatemala. We work exclusively in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala and are here to help you through this potentially daunting task of red-tape, unfamiliar laws and customs, as well as possibly a different language too!
Purchasing property or land around Lake Atitlan is a relatively easy process, however, there are several pitfalls and difficulties that can arise, but we will be with you every step of the way to help you navigate through all of this.
We have an extensive Q&A Section (click here – COMING SOON) that may answer the questions you have. Otherwise, please Contact Us and we can talk you through everything, find you a good lawyer, a surveyor too if you wish, all so that you can purchase that Dream Home on Lake Atitlan!
Need a Property Manager?
Mayan Lake Realty (MLR)’s Property Management offers you convenience, piece of mind, and assurance that your property is in good hands, while you are not there. Every client’s requirements are different, so we take the time to work with you to create the best Property Management Proposal for you and your property.
We can assist with almost everything, from paying the guardian, housekeeper/cleaner and utilities, through to helping with general maintenance and keeping your accounts, as well as managing rentals and overseeing more major maintenance or construction work.
This also includes regular visits to the property as well.
Our general services include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Processing and bookkeeping of all monies receivable and payable.
- Conducting administrative procedures for property/ies.
- Inspect properties regularly and report to the owner on a regular basis.
- Making necessary deposits and payments for the management of operating expenses; for these, we recommend having a local bank account, which we can help to open.
Maintenance
- Owning a property can be quite a challenge in Guatemala, not only when the owner lives in the premises all-year round, but what happens if you are away for much of the year?
- What do you do when something breaks down, or a maintenance issue arises and there is no one to take care of it? We simply turn what could be a nightmare into a simple, stress-free issue for the property owner.
- We have a carefully-selected network of professional, skilled, reliable, and cost-effective workers from international architects to excellent local carpenters, plumbers, electricians, builders etc.
- We solicit competitive bids for contract services and capital expenditures, such as roof or dock replacement etc., generally with a minimum of three bids per job
- We charge a monthly fee (depending which of the above is requested, how large the property is, and where it is located), plus commission on major maintenance and construction work.
Renting
- Establishing appropriate tenant selection and aiming for customer satisfaction in order to increase rentals.
- We not only carefully vet tentative renters and tenants, but we make their stay as pleasant as possible, from answering questions prior and post booking via email, sending our Extensive Welcome Notes Pack and information on individual rentals, providing a warm welcome; to attending their needs before, during and after their stay, and establishing a friendly relationship. We aim to get more referrals and keep them coming back to rent with us. We go above and beyond most other agencies with regard to this. We provide a personal touch that often other agencies do not. We simply turn what could be a nightmare into a simple, stress-free issue for the property owner.
- If there is a renter for one year, we will draw up the necessary contract and sign it on your behalf (if you are absent).
- However, we can happily manage your properties on these sites (AirBnB and VRBO) if you wish along with the inventory of properties we already have here and our SuperHost category on AirBnB.
- Conduct inventories for long-term renters (6 months or more).
- Suggest rent adjustments as appropriate.
- Market your property thoroughly, to ensure a rapid turnaround; this includes being featured in the rental sections of chosen media and social media.
- Provide regular records and collection of rental monies.
- We charge commission on all rentals, the percentage rate varies depending on whether the clients are previous clients, friends of the owner, or brought in by MLR. We provide extensive Welcome Notes and transport needs to all our rental clients.
We charge a monthly fee (depending which of the above is requested, how large the property is, and where it is located), plus commission on rentals and a management fee on any major maintenance and construction work over Q2,000.Having an on-site property manager to get the job done and have peace of mind, is the perfect solution!