Apartment Hunting

Airbnb is generally vacation rentals.  If you are looking to stay in Mexico long-term, you want a long-term rental, which will normally be 6-12 months.  Some Airbnb hosts will do a long-term rental for you, but it will typically be quite a bit more than a long-term rental you can get through a rental agency or individual. 

In order to limit exposure and to stay safe, I would only work with a reputable rental agent (often these are the same as real estate agents) and not go directly to an individual landlord.  The rental agent will be able to show you multiple properties, should speak English as well as Spanish, and as such, may be able to negotiate a better deal for you, especially if you are not fluent in Spanish.  They will also explain the lease to you and so forth.

Thanks again Caribegal! I appreciate your insights. What kind of fee do they normally ask?

With the ones I'm familiar with in Playa del Carmen, it's the landlord/owner paying the fee, not the renter.  The agent gets more exposure for their property.

Of course, I see signs all over by individuals renting an apartment, but I would use an agent for all the reasons I mentioned in my first post.  They also know what is available and can make the search quicker.

Best of luck finding a place.  Post back what you do find as I am sure others would find it interesting!

go on and google real estate agents where you are looking and some reputable ones may have us or skype number for contact.