Types of purchase

Buying land from the owner in Argentina: benefits and risks

By Nico F. · Updated October 14, 2026 · Leer esta nota en español

General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules, exchange rates and prices change and every case has its own details. Before you pay, sign or apply for residency, check the current rules with an Argentine notary (escribano), lawyer or accountant.

Quick answer Buying land from the owner saves the commission of a broker (corredor), but it also removes the person who is supposed to check the title, the liens and the seller's identity. That job falls to the buyer, who normally does it through their own notary (escribano). Before handing over a deposit (seña), it is wise to have the title report (informe de dominio) and the inhibition search (inhibiciones) in hand, confirm the seller's marital status and the signature of every heir if there is an estate, ask for a written receipt and make clear who holds the money.

What changes when you buy land without a real estate agent?

Brokerage (corretaje) is the contract in which a broker brings the parties together (arts. 1345 and following of the Civil and Commercial Code). An owner who sells their own lot is not acting as a broker. What you lose is professional oversight:

There is also no commission. If someone who presents themselves as a "friend" or a "finder" (captador) charges one, that is a separate issue (see below). And the consumer protection law reaches anyone who sells on a professional basis, even occasionally (Law 24.240, art. 2): a developer is inside it, and a private individual who sells once probably is not, although a lawyer should confirm that reading.

What should you check before paying?

What to check Why
Registered owner, attachments and mortgages: title report (informe de dominio) The notary needs the registered title and a certificate from the registry on the legal status of the property and of the persons involved (Law 17.801, art. 23). The certificate is valid for 15, 25 or 30 days depending on the notary's domicile and works as a priority reservation (arts. 24 and 25)
That the seller's title matches the registry Transferring a real right requires title and delivery (título y modo, Civil and Commercial Code, art. 1892), and what is not registered cannot be asserted against good-faith third parties (art. 1893)
Inhibitions They are searched in the personal registry (Law 17.801, arts. 30 to 32)
Marital status and spouse's consent Disposing of the family home requires the spouse's consent (art. 456), and so does selling registrable community property (bienes gananciales: in the default regime, assets acquired for value during the marriage; art. 470)
Open estate If the owner died, the heirs hold the deceased's rights as an undivided whole (art. 2280), and disposing of an undivided asset requires everyone's consent (art. 2325). If one heir cannot sign, court authorization is needed in the probate proceeding, which a lawyer handles. See buying a lot when the owner has died (in Spanish)
Earlier purchase agreement in favor of someone else A prior buyer prevails over later attachments if they contracted with the owner, paid at least 25% before the court order, have a certain date on the agreement and registry or possession publicity (art. 1170)
Occupants Possession for 10 years with valid title (justo título) and good faith, or for 20 years without them, can give a right to adverse possession (usucapión, arts. 1898 and 1899). See adverse possession in Argentina (in Spanish)
Tax and municipal debts See debts on a lot before buying (in Spanish)
Power of attorney of someone selling on the owner's behalf A power of attorney ends with the death of the principal or of the attorney, with exceptions (art. 380): have the notary review it

If the sale is in installments with the deed deferred, Law 14.005, as amended by Law 23.266, also applies: the owner must register a declaration that it will sell in installments, with a notarial certificate on the title and a subdivision plan, the purchase agreement (boleto) must be provisionally registered within 30 days, and the buyer can demand the deed once 25% of the price is paid. See lots in installments: what to check (in Spanish).

If the lot is in a rural area, a foreign buyer must also check the status of Law 26.737, which is currently under court challenge: see Argentina's rural land law and foreigners.

Can someone who is not a licensed broker charge a commission?

Law 20.266, art. 33, requires a license to work as a broker and says that anyone who acts without meeting the conditions has no right of action to collect payment. Broker licensing is a provincial matter, and the three provinces covered here work differently:

For a buyer, the practical effect is that an unlicensed intermediary cannot claim a commission, but there is also no guarantee, no ethics tribunal and no duty to check the title. If you use a broker, check the license with the provincial body (the Colegio in Neuquén and in Chubut, the Inspección General de Personas Jurídicas in Río Negro), using the contact details on that body's own official website and not ones the broker supplies. Infobae reported on July 13, 2026 that the national government planned to send a bill ending mandatory enrollment in a professional college and repealing sanctions for practicing without a license; a bill is not law. Until a law changes them, Law 20.266 and the provincial laws apply.

How do you hand over the deposit without taking a risk?

By default, the deposit (seña) confirms the contract. Only if the contract expressly says so can a party back out: in that case, the buyer who withdraws loses the deposit and the seller who withdraws returns it doubled (Civil and Commercial Code, art. 1059). If it is of the same kind as the price, it is credited toward the price (art. 1060). A debt in dollars is paid in dollars (art. 765, under the current text of the Code).

Useful practices, which are recommendations and not rules:

Who drafts the purchase agreement and who pays each cost?

The law does not say who drafts the purchase agreement (boleto), which obliges the parties to sign the deed (arts. 1017 and 1018). Transferring real estate requires a public deed. It is best to have the buyer's notary draft or review it: see what a purchase agreement without a deed protects and the purchase agreement template. Costs are a matter of agreement: according to the guide of the Colegio de Escribanos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, the seller pays for checking their own title and the buyer pays the registration costs and the notary's fees, unless the parties agree otherwise, and stamp tax is split depending on the province and what was agreed (in Buenos Aires Province, in halves). It is wise to confirm the rules for Río Negro, Neuquén and Chubut with the notary. See the cost of buying land in Argentina.

What red flags does a direct sale have?

More in land scams in Argentina and their red flags and how to verify a lot (in Spanish).

Checklist before you sign

For the full process from search to deed, see the guide to buying land in Argentina. If the lot is sold through a developer trust, see lots in a fideicomiso.

See also: land prices in Patagonia.

See also: the title search (informe de dominio).

Sources

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