Seven ways a purchase goes wrong

1. “I don’t have the certificate, but trust me, it’s clear”

There is no clear title until the Registry says so, in writing and with a date. The certificación extractada costs $8.86: when someone does not have it, money is not the problem.

And one from six months ago will not do. Request it fresh, and request it again immediately before signing.

2. The mortgage “that gets cancelled afterwards”

Recorded debts on a property do not dissolve at signing. Either they are cancelled before the deed, or they are cancelled under conditions written into the promise of sale, or they become yours.

“Afterwards” is not a condition. It is a hope.

3. The seller is not the owner

A relative with an expired power of attorney. A power that served another purpose and does not authorise a sale. An heir who has not yet accepted the estate. A company whose representative no longer represents it.

All of that shows up on paper, and none of it shows up in the house.

4. Land you cannot legally reach

A road existing does not mean a right of way exists. Without a recorded easement, a lot cannot be built on or resold: it becomes a blocked asset, and it is normally discovered after the purchase.

5. The fence is here and the plan says there

What is on the ground and what is registered are different properties more often than anyone admits. It is resolved with a survey and a georeferenced technical description by an authorised surveyor — the CNR requires a signed and sealed plan plus a digital file with a closed polygon.

If the area differs, the correction is a separate procedure, and it is one a standard legal proposal does not include.

6. The deed nobody registered

Until the CNR records it, you do not own a property: you own a receipt. It is the quietest failure of the seven, because on signing day everyone feels it is finished.

Ask for the registered testimonio. Not the signed deed: the registered one.

7. The debts that stay behind

Municipal dues and water and electricity balances follow the property, not the person who left them. The municipal clearance and the utility statements are requested before signing.

What none of the seven have to do with the agent

A Real Estate agent introduces you to a property. That is their job and often they do it well. But none of these seven things are their responsibility, and in El Salvador no law even regulates the activity of a broker — a bill was introduced in 2017 and never passed.

The part that comes after you liked the house is covered by nobody by default. It has to be hired.

Frequently asked

What does it cost to check all of this before buying?

The registry certification costs $8.86 and a full legal due diligence runs about $800 plus VAT and expenses. Against the price of a property it is the cheapest fraction of the whole operation, and the only one that can stop you losing all of it.

Who detects these problems?

The registry and capacity issues, an attorney reading the Registry and the documents. The boundary issues, an authorised surveyor. The building itself, a technical inspection — which is precisely what almost nobody does in El Salvador.

What if I already bought and a problem appears?

It depends which one. Some are fixed with procedure and money: area rectifications, registry corrections, cancellation of liens. Others end in litigation. The cost difference between catching it before and catching it after is usually one or two orders of magnitude.