Buying property in Argentina,
explained honestly.

If you've spent any time researching Buenos Aires real estate as a foreign buyer, you have probably already typed three questions into a search bar. Almost everyone does. Here are the honest answers, the way we'd give them to a friend.

1. Is it really easy for a foreigner to buy here?

Yes. You don't need a DNI (national ID). You don't need to be a resident. You don't even need to be in the country at closing. Power of attorney works. What you need is a CDI, a tax identification number any Argentine accountant can obtain in 48 hours.

Properties are priced in US dollars and have been since 1977. The vast majority of transactions are paid in cash USD, which sounds unusual until you realize that's how the country has hedged against inflation for fifty years. A clean transaction can close in ten days.

The only restrictions worth knowing: foreigners cannot own land within fifty kilometers of an international border or large body of water, and foreign nationals cannot collectively own more than 10% of the land in any single province. For 99% of city buyers, these limits are irrelevant.

The local broker is the only adult in the room.

2. Can the government seize my property?

No. Property rights in Argentina are protected by the federal constitution and by bilateral investment treaties with most major countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China and many others). There is no precedent in the modern era of foreign-owned residential real estate being expropriated in Buenos Aires.

What changes from administration to administration are tax regimes, not ownership. The Milei administration has, in fact, simplified the regime, eliminating prior extra taxes on foreign sellers, reducing the wealth tax, and freeing the rental market. We track every change and share what matters in our Field Notes.

3. Do I really need a local broker?

Argentina has no escrow system. There is no centralized MLS. Due-diligence is performed by the buyer's chosen notary, not a title company. There is no nationwide standardization of listings, contracts, or commissions.

In other words: the protections you take for granted in your home country don't exist here. They are replaced by a system of trusted professionals. A system that works well for locals who have been inside it for decades, and works terribly for foreigners trying to enter cold.

You don't need a broker. You need the right broker. The one with the notary on speed dial, the accountant who handles your CDI, the immigration lawyer if you decide to stay, and the property manager for when you fly home. That's what MGNI is.

Getting your funds into the deal.

Argentina's currency rules are the part that makes foreign buyers nervous, and fairly so. It is also the part where a good local broker earns their keep. Here is the honest version.

You may not need a local account at all

Many of our deals settle in US dollars, in cash, at the notary's office, the way Argentine real estate has worked for decades. If that is your situation, you may never need an Argentine bank account, and we will tell you so plainly rather than manufacture a step you do not need.

When you do, the choice is yours

If your file calls for a local account, there are two ways to open one, and you decide which:

• By power of attorney. You grant a POA and we open and run the account remotely on your behalf. No flight, no queues, often inside forty-eight hours. The hands-off route, for buyers who would rather we carry it.
• Yourself, with our guidance. If you would prefer not to hand anyone a power of attorney, you do not have to. We walk you through opening your own account, step by step, so your signature stays on every page. The account is in your name, under your control; we are simply the guide beside you.

Two ways to bring the money in

Once the account exists, funds move through one of two regulated channels:

• MULC, the official market. The straightforward, by-the-book route at the official exchange rate.
• CCL, the financial dollar (contado con liquidacion). A legal mechanism that routes funds through a dollar-denominated security. Because its implied rate often differs from the official one, the spread can fall in your favour, sometimes enough that the transfer itself works out cheaper than going the official way.

This is a capability we provide, not a product we push. Whichever route you take, the account, the title transfer, and the tax registration all sit under one file, at one desk, so nothing slips through the cracks between a lawyer, a bank, and a broker who have never spoken to one another.