Read before you buy

Presales (preventas): the risks, in plain language

Multilistado publishes new developments and presales because agents and buyers ask for them. We also believe you deserve the whole picture: in Mexico, thousands of people have lost their savings in presales that were never delivered. Nobody — not us, not the agent, not the developer — can guarantee a presale. You decide, with the full information.

Our position: a presale is an unsecured loan you make to a developer, in exchange for a promise. Treat it like one. Multilistado does not verify developments; the "risk level" shown on each development is calculated only from what the developer declares and you must verify every point yourself.

How the risk level works

HighPresale with few or no verifiable safeguards (no trust/escrow, no permit, no PROFECO contract). Money at real risk of total loss.
MediumSeveral safeguards declared (permit, escrow, registered contract) but still under construction: delays, changes and default remain possible.
LowerImmediate delivery: the unit exists and you can escriturar. Normal property-purchase risks still apply (title, liens, condominium regime).

The score adds points for each safeguard the developer declares (trust/escrow 25, building permit 20, PROFECO contract 15, zoning 10, condo regime 10, delivered projects 10, delay guarantee 10) and is never a recommendation.

What actually goes wrong

Cases in Mexico where buyers lost money

Public, documented cases. Sources linked. If you know of another documented case, write to contacto@multilistado.mx.

Development / developerWhereYearWhat happenedAffectedSources
Casas GEO (Valle de las Palmas, Hacienda Las Delicias y otros)
Corporación GEO		Nacional / Tijuana, BC2014–2019Bankruptcy proceedings in 2014 (≈21 bn MXN debt) and liquidation in 2019; homes, deeds and deposits never delivered; developments never handed over to municipalities.
Empresa liquidada; PROFECO recuperó solo 18 casas		~10,000 (PROFECO); 900 quejas por ≈380 MDP[1] [2] [3]
Homex — Hacienda Santa Rosa
Desarrolladora Homex		Querétaro (y nacional)2014–2018Bankruptcy 2014–2018. Notaries unpaid so deeds were never issued; promised water wells did not exist; drainage and lighting never built.
Empresa en quiebra		~3,600 familias en Santa Rosa; ~1,300 casas abandonadas[1] [2]
Urbi
Urbi Desarrollos Urbanos		Mexicali, BC / nacional2013–2016Liquidity collapse 2013; bankruptcy 2015–2016; buyers' refunds and deliveries stuck in proceedings.
Salió del concurso en 2016; reclamos de consumidores en gran parte no reconocidos		PROFECO presentó reclamos por 118 consumidores[1] [2]
Proyectos 9 — Torres LaLo, LoLa, Moca, Volga, SOHL, Las Palmas, Brhiza del Mar
Proyectos 9 (José Aurelio Lobatón)		Monterrey / San Pedro, NL; Playa del Carmen, QR2018–2026Collected presale money for 8+ towers; all sites abandoned or unfinished; refunds refused; alleged Ponzi scheme.
Dueño en prisión preventiva; oficinas cateadas y Torre Lola asegurada (sep 2026)		420+ denuncias; >1,200 MDP + 3.7 MUSD; ~2,000 compradores[1] [2]
Torre ConcordiaApodaca, NL2024–2025Project cancelled in 2025 citing permit problems; refunds promised within 120 days only partially paid.
Devoluciones pendientes		Decenas de compradores[1]
Vita Poniente
Condesi (hermanos Ríos García)		Zapopan, Jal.2017–20214 towers + hotel sold 2017–18 with delivery promised for 2019; construction never started.
Denuncia ante FGE Jalisco (2021), estancada		~250 inversionistas[1]
Torre Comdesi, Av. Guadalupe
Comdesi		Zapopan, Jal.2017–2026Presale 0.8–2.4 M MXN; building left unfinished, ownership changes, no civil-protection permits.
Inconcluso; FGE investiga		200+ afectados[1] [2]
Vertikal López Cotilla, Vertikal M.O., Lagoon Park
Constructora Arriba Jalisco / Ars		Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlajomulco, Jal.2023–2026Three towers sold in presale, never built.
Órdenes de aprehensión contra 3 dueños, prófugos		83 denunciantes; 80.6 MDP[1] [2]
SÚUT
Desarrollos Turísticos LT (Francisco Pérez Lobato)		Playa del Carmen, QR2022–202491 units sold; construction loan and presale funds diverted; work stopped in 2024.
Desarrollador detenido (nov 2024); complejo abandonado		50+ compradores; >200 MDP[1]
Solemn Skyview y otros
Akela Development Group		Tulum, QR2021–2025Condos sold on land the company did not own; construction never began; founders dead or fled. Local lawyers count 70+ undelivered presales in Tulum.
Litigios lentos en tribunales de QR		Cientos de compradores[1]
Condominio Árvore
Kritarq S.A.P.I.		Cancún, QR2023–202650-unit project; buyers paid in 2023–24; foundations never finished; company went silent in 2025.
FGE QR prepara cargos contra 4 directivos		40+ compradores[1]
Torre Triana (Malecón)
Grupo Universal Inmobiliario		Mazatlán, Sin.2017–2025Presold 2017 with 2020–21 delivery; developer stacked >200 M MXN in liens on the land; abandoned since 2022.
Abandonada; acciones civiles y penales		~70 familias (MX/EE.UU./Canadá); >200 MDP[1] [2]
Pedregales de Misnebalam
Grupo Inverco		Mérida, Yuc.2018–2025Sold houses and lots without construction permits; nothing built.
Resoluciones de PROFECO a favor de compradores; juicios pendientes; FGR/UIF		~700 compradores; 150–500 MDP[1] [2]
El Encino, Quercus, El Roble, Tierra Noble Juriquilla
Camelot, Generación de Desarrollo Sustentable, Carther		Querétaro / Huimilpan / Colón, Qro.2018–2025Lots presold without zoning or urbanization permits; no services.
400+ carpetas detenidas en la FGE de Querétaro		2,000+ denunciantes; ~30,000 ventas irregulares; ≥15 mil MDP reclamados[1] [2]
"Cártel inmobiliario" de Tijuana — Brisas Santa Fe II, Vistas del Mar, Laderas del Mar, Encanto del Mar
Christian Pablo López Ortiz y socios		Tijuana, BC2023–2026400+ lots sold on 10-year plans without municipal permits; homes seized; offices sealed while buyers were still paying.
4 detenidos (despojo, extorsión, asociación delictuosa)		300+ denuncias[1] [2]
Paraíso Jurásico, Jacarandas, Praderas Tijuana-Tecate, Paraíso del Mar
HASED Inmobiliaria		Tecate / Tijuana, BC2020–2026Sold ~1,300 lots on land owned by third parties; buyers evicted by court order.
La empresa sigue vendiendo; denuncias sin respuesta		200+ familias en Tecate; hasta 62 mil USD c/u[1] [2]
"Cártel inmobiliario" de Benito Juárez (130 edificios)
Varios desarrolladores / exfuncionarios		Ciudad de México2008–2022264 floors built above zoning (~800 units); good-faith buyers on excess floors cannot get deeds; demolition possible.
Exfuncionarios procesados; regularización caso por caso		~800 departamentos; daño estimado 7,140 MDP[1] [2]
Roniz / Kaza InmobiliariaTijuana, BC2023–2026Fake home "transfers"; deposits of 0.4–0.95 M MXN taken, nothing transferred.
3 órdenes de aprehensión; sospechoso prófugo		19 carpetas; >21 MDP[1]
Torre OAK 58 — Lomas de AngelópolisPuebla2021–202458-floor tower presold; buyers paid 4–18 M MXN each; never built.
Denuncias en FGE Puebla (caso reportado en prensa, no verificado directamente)		~100 compradores[1] [2]
Proyecto de dos torres (64 unidades c/u) de empresa de Nuevo LeónTijuana, BC2017–2025Delivery promised 2022; neither tower delivered; buyers paid 5–6 M MXN and many still service bank loans.
Sin resolver (caso reportado en prensa)		~140 compradores[1]

Before you pay one peso — verify

  1. Building permit + zoning — ask for the document number and confirm it at the municipality (Desarrollo Urbano).
  2. Who owns the land — get a certificado de libertad de gravamen from the Registro Público de la Propiedad; the owner must be the developer or a trust, and it must not be ejido.
  3. Where your money goes — deposits should go to a fideicomiso/escrow released against construction milestones, never to a personal account or cash.
  4. Contract registered with PROFECO — the law requires developers to use a registered adhesion contract; check the registration number.
  5. Developer track record — visit projects they say they delivered; search the company and its partners in news and PROFECO. New company with no history = maximum risk.
  6. Delivery date and penalties in writing — with a real penalty and a refund clause, not "aproximadamente".
  7. Your own notary and lawyer — not the developer's. Get the promesa de compraventa reviewed before signing.
  8. Never pay more than you can lose — if losing the deposit would ruin you, do not buy a presale.

Official resources

This page is informational and is not legal or financial advice. Multilistado is an open, community-run platform with no guarantees of any kind (see our terms). Consult a lawyer and a notary before signing anything.