Buying in Guadalajara

Houses in Guadalajara run from the barrios of the old city to the hillside colonias in the north-west. Colinas de San Javier is the top of the range by a wide margin, with the largest lots in the municipality. Below it, Prados de Providencia and Monraz hold established houses on quiet streets near Los Colomos, while Americana and Guadalajara Centro offer period houses that come with the city around them, and cost a good deal less than the north-western colonias. For a gated development on a larger lot, that search belongs next door in Zapopan.

What to consider before buying

A period house in the central colonias is the most rewarding and the most demanding purchase here. Catalogued buildings restrict demolition and alteration, so establish what you are allowed to change before you fall for a courtyard. Structural surveys matter on houses this old, particularly roofs and the original installations. Further out, the question is different: check the street's drainage, since the city has known flood points and a heavy storm in the rainy season finds them. For a large new-build house with a garden, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga to the south is where the metro area is growing.