BestFSBOGuide.com team
Carmen Ortiz
Americas research editor
Carmen oversees the source-checking for BestFSBOGuide's coverage of the Americas, from the US settlement-and-title process and the post-2024 commission rules to the notary-and-public-deed systems of Latin America and Mexico's restricted-zone bank trust. She verifies each figure and legal step against the relevant state, provincial, or national authority, since almost nothing about a sale carries unchanged from one country, or one US state, to the next.
The Americas hold two very different transaction models under one heading: the US and Canada, where a title or escrow company and a recorded deed do the work, and Latin America, where a public notary and the public registry decide when a sale is real. Carmen’s coverage keeps those straight, down to the US state that needs an attorney at closing and the Mexican coast where a foreign buyer holds title through a fideicomiso.
She pays closest attention to the numbers that shift underfoot: US commission practice after the 2024 settlement, transfer taxes that swing by state and province, and the ISR or capital-gains treatment a Latin American seller owes. Each is traced to its official source before it runs.
Areas of focus
- Verifies US settlement, title, and post-2024 commission rules, and Latin American notary-and-registry procedures
- Tracks transfer and capital-gains taxes across US states, Canadian provinces, and Latin America
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