It happens when you don’t know anyone in the country. Before you put money down, have a licensed Salvadoran attorney who isn’t part of the sale check the title.
Tell us about the property or see what the title check costsAll six can be checked before you sign. The first three come from the property registry: look at them before any deposit changes hands.
Not the person holding the keys, and not the person who says the land is theirs. The one recorded as owner.
A beautiful lot with an attachment on it still has the attachment after you pay for it.
Who it passed from, to whom, and when. This is where inheritances that were never properly closed show up — the most common problem, and the most expensive to fix.
That the measurements on the deed are the measurements of the land you walked. They do not always agree.
What you want to build cannot always be built there.
Before which notary, and registered afterwards. A deed that is never recorded does not give you what you think it gives you.
From another country, in a language you may not read, against a registry you have never opened, almost nobody can run these checks alone. A licensed Salvadoran attorney runs them, and you get the answer in writing before your money moves.
Houses, apartments and urban lots with an ordinary chain of title. The fee includes the seller’s power of attorney the municipality requires.
Beachfront and maritime-zone land, large rural parcels, commercial property, or a title with several heirs on it.
We tell you which one applies, and why, before you pay anything. The standard check is $800 in professional fees, plus 13% VAT. Registry, cadastral and municipal charges and other expenses are billed at cost and vary by property. Our fee is not an hourly rate, and not a percentage of what you are buying. We have no stake in whether you buy.
Most title problems here are fixable. Finding one does not mean walk away; it means do not sign yet.
If the check turns something up, you get three things: what it is, in plain language; what it would take to put right; and a written quote to do it. You are free to take that quote anywhere. Having us do the work is your choice, and it is not part of the price above.
The fee is not refundable, including if you decide not to buy. The work happens either way — and finding out that you should not buy is the most useful thing this can do for you.
Take the same six checks on one printable page, with a box to tick for what you have actually been shown, not what someone told you was fine.
We would rather be clear up front than have you find out later.
This is the first step of the title check. Tell us where the property is and we will confirm which of the two prices applies, and send you a payment link — usually the same day. Nothing is charged until that is in front of you. If we are not the right fit, we will say so first.