Frequently asked questions

In Mexico, foreigners cannot directly own property within 50 km of the coast or 100 km of the border. The banking trust is the legal vehicle that enables this purchase: a Mexican bank acts as trustee and the buyer as beneficiary, with full rights of use, rental and sale. Setup takes 4-6 weeks and there is an annual maintenance fee.

In the Riviera Maya, closing costs typically range from 6% to 8% of the property value: acquisition tax (2-4% depending on the state), appraisal, lien certificates, public registry fees and notary fees. We provide a detailed breakdown before you sign the offer.

Yes. Pre-construction works identically for Mexicans and foreigners: you make an earnest money deposit, sign a private purchase contract, follow the payment plan during construction and at delivery the trust is set up (if applicable) and the deed is recorded. We recommend independent legal counsel when signing the private contract.

Every private contract we recommend includes a delay penalty clause — typically 1-2% of the amount paid per month overdue, or full refund with interest if delays exceed 12 months. Before signing, we review this clause and verify the developer's delivery track record.

We do not publish an average ROI: it changes by zone, by season and by how professionally the unit is run, and a regional average hides exactly those differences. What we do publish is measured occupancy and nightly rate per zone in the profitability map, and each unit's estimated income on its listing, with the source and date of the data. Location matters most: being inside the tourist core and within walking distance of the beach or a main avenue changes the outcome more than any other variable.

It depends on your horizon and on whether you need cash flow. Apartment in a consolidated zone: rental cash flow, with slower appreciation. Lot in a developing zone: zero cash flow and idle capital, with appreciation concentrated in the early years of the zone's development. We do not publish an appreciation rate for either: it depends on the zone, the stage and the market cycle, and it is not a fixed or guaranteed rate. If your horizon is 5 years or more and you do not need monthly income, land fits better; if you want income from year one, the apartment.

RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) = ADR × Occupancy. It is the most useful metric for comparing properties because it combines average rate and occupancy into a single number. A property with USD 180 ADR and 70% occupancy has RevPAR of USD 126. Our market report updates RevPAR monthly by zone and unit type.

Very few. Most Mexican banks only grant mortgages on completed, deeded properties — which excludes pre-construction until delivery. BBVA, Santander and Scotiabank have exceptional programs for certain pre-approved developments. The most common path is direct developer financing during construction, then refinancing with a bank at delivery.

A scheme where the developer finances the property balance during construction and/or post-delivery, bypassing banks. Typical rates: 0% during construction (24-30 months) if you pay 30-40% down, or 6-9% fixed annual rate in MXN for 3-7 year post-delivery terms. No banking paperwork, but requires careful contract review.

It depends on the zone, the season and management quality, so we do not publish an average amount. What you can see: measured occupancy and nightly rate per zone in the profitability map, and each unit's estimated income on its listing, with its source and date. From the gross income you need to deduct the property manager fee, operating costs (utilities, cleaning, maintenance) and the effect of low season; that deduction is the difference between gross and what actually reaches you.

If you live more than 2 hours from the property, a property manager is practically mandatory: they handle bookings, check-ins, cleaning, reviews and 24/7 emergencies. The usual fee is 20% of gross income, and it varies by operator and by the scope of the service. Self-management saves the fee but requires local presence or trusted contacts — plus 10-15 hours per week of operational work.

We combine four sources: AirDNA and Rentalizer for short-term rental occupancy and ADR, public Cadastre records for real transaction prices, continuous web scraping from Inmuebles24 and EasyBroker for listing prices, and direct developer data for inventory and absorption. The score is recalculated weekly.

Every development goes through a completeness score (13 key fields: real images, confirmed price, delivery date, floor plan, etc.) and an internal approval gate where our team verifies the developer, visits the site when possible and confirms legal status. Only developments with a score ≥ 70% are published.

No. Our commission is paid by the developer as part of the industry-standard commercial scheme (typically 4-6% of sale price). For the buyer there is no additional cost to using Propyte versus going directly to the developer — plus you get specialized advice and independent market data.