Buying · Stage Guide

You already own

The purchase is done. What matters now is keeping the ownership clean: taxes current, trust in good standing, beneficiaries correct, and records where someone could actually find them.

§ IWhat Usually Happens Next

Last reviewed September 2026 · Sources

0 of 4 done

Tick steps off as you go — your progress is kept on this device, nothing is sent anywhere. A finished checklist is a well-prepared file, not a verified transaction.

What this usually costs each year

Annual property tax (predial): About 0.115% of cadastral value, owner-occupied; Residential rentals are taxed at roughly double that rate, and vacant urban land considerably higher. Predial is based on cadastral value, not on what you paid. Source
Bank trust cost: About $2,000–$3,000 USD to set up, then $500–$1,000 USD a year; The annual trustee fee must be current before a bank will authorise a transfer. Source

Checked September 2026. Figures move, and each transaction is calculated on its own numbers — confirm with your notario or attorney before relying on them.

Baja Property Insider is not a real estate brokerage. We hold no listings, represent no seller, and nothing on this page is a valuation, an appraisal, or a recommendation to buy or sell.

Where the rules change →

§ IIWhat To Watch For

An unpaid trust fee. Banks can and do let trusts fall out of good standing.

Beneficiaries that no longer match your wishes or your home-country estate plan.

Renting the property without the tax registration that renting requires.

§ IIIPapers And People

Who Is Involved

Bank / trustee
Municipality
Accountant
Notario

Documents That Show Up

Registered deed
Trust agreement
Annual predial receipts
Improvement receipts

Sources And Last Reviewed

This guide was last reviewed in September 2026. Laws, rates, and municipal requirements change. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm anything you intend to rely on with your notario or an independent Mexican attorney.

Article 27, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Foreign nationals cannot hold direct title inside the restricted zone; the bank trust exists because of this article.
Ley de Inversión Extranjera (1993), Title II, Chapter III
Establishes the fideicomiso route and the 50-year renewable trust term for foreign beneficiaries.
Ley del Notariado para el Estado de Baja California Sur
Defines what a notario must verify, certify, calculate, and file for a property transfer.
Fideicomiso reference, ML Realtor
Restricted-zone boundaries, trust term, and beneficiary rights.
Cabo San Lucas property taxes and fees, The Latinvestor
Annual predial rates and the buyer-side share of closing costs.
Mexico real estate closing costs 2026, Living in Cabo
Bank trust setup and annual trustee fee ranges.

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§ IVGet Guidance

Talk it through before the next step.

A session works through your actual situation: what matters at this stage, what is still unknown, and what should happen next.

Estate & Succession Clarity Session · $295 · 60 minutes

If you move into a larger paid Baja Property Insider advisory engagement within 14 days, this session fee can be credited toward that engagement.

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All stage guides Buying

Baja Property Insider · Buying · Stage Worksheet

You already own

Last reviewed September 2026 · bajapropertyinsider.com

The purchase is done. What matters now is keeping the ownership clean: taxes current, trust in good standing, beneficiaries correct, and records where someone could actually find them.

What usually happens next

01 — Confirm the registered deed came back from the Public Registry and store a copy safely.
Registration can take weeks to months after signing, and many owners never check. Ask the notario's office for confirmation and keep a copy of the registered escritura somewhere retrievable — it is the document every future sale, refinance or succession starts from.
02 — Set reminders for the annual property tax and the annual trust fee.
Predial is paid to the municipality yearly — early in the year often carries a discount. The trust fee is paid to the trustee bank on its own schedule. Neither sends reliable reminders abroad, and both accumulate quietly; a calendar entry in January is the whole fix.
03 — Check who is named as substitute beneficiary on the trust, and whether that is still right.
The substitute beneficiary clause is what happens to the property if you die — it generally controls over your home-country will for this asset. Names go stale through marriage, divorce, death or a change of mind. Reading that page once a year is the cheapest estate planning there is.
04 — Keep receipts for improvements — they can reduce the tax owed when you eventually sell.
Documented improvements with proper invoices (facturas) raise your cost basis and lower the seller's capital gains tax when you sell. Cash work with no invoice generally counts for nothing. File the facturas with the deed from the day the work is done.

What to watch for

An unpaid trust fee. Banks can and do let trusts fall out of good standing.
Beneficiaries that no longer match your wishes or your home-country estate plan.
Renting the property without the tax registration that renting requires.

Papers and people

Who is involved: Bank / trustee · Municipality · Accountant · Notario
Documents that show up: Registered deed · Trust agreement · Annual predial receipts · Improvement receipts

Notes

Gerardo Sánchez Aramburu

Independent Attorney Partner

Some steps on this sheet are judgment calls, not paperwork. When one of them turns out to matter for your transaction, an independent Mexican attorney is the right next reader — someone answerable to you, not to the deal. Gerardo works directly with foreign buyers and owners in Baja California Sur, in private 30-minute consultations.

Book directly: bajapropertyinsider.com/legal-guidance

Sources and last reviewed

Last reviewed September 2026. Laws, rates, and municipal requirements change. Treat this page as a starting point and confirm anything you intend to rely on with your notario or an independent Mexican attorney.

Article 27, Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos — Foreign nationals cannot hold direct title inside the restricted zone; the bank trust exists because of this article.
Ley de Inversión Extranjera (1993), Title II, Chapter III — Establishes the fideicomiso route and the 50-year renewable trust term for foreign beneficiaries.
Ley del Notariado para el Estado de Baja California Sur — Defines what a notario must verify, certify, calculate, and file for a property transfer.
Fideicomiso reference, ML Realtor — Restricted-zone boundaries, trust term, and beneficiary rights. (https://mlrealtor.com.mx/guides/fideicomiso/)
Cabo San Lucas property taxes and fees, The Latinvestor — Annual predial rates and the buyer-side share of closing costs. (https://thelatinvestor.com/blogs/news/cabo-san-lucas-property-taxes-fees)
Mexico real estate closing costs 2026, Living in Cabo — Bank trust setup and annual trustee fee ranges. (https://livingincabo.com/blog/mexico-real-estate-closing-costs-2026)