Sayulita Real Estate
Homes, Land and Buying as a Foreigner

Yes, through a fideicomiso. A Mexican bank holds title as trustee under a permit from the foreign ministry, and you keep the right to use the home and rent it out. A Mexican company with foreign shareholders can own outright, but only for non-residential use; a home still goes in a trust.

In September 2026, brokers tracking the Vallarta-Nayarit MLS showed a median asking price of about US$680,000 for Sayulita, and condos that sold in the past year went for between about US$436,000 and US$773,000. Many sellers here never list on the MLS, so treat any single figure as rough.

Up to 50 years, and the law lets you ask to extend it. The extension is something you request, so note the end date. Brokers on this coast put the bank’s annual fee at roughly US$500 to $1,000; ask each bank for its fees in writing before you choose.

It is communal land from Mexico’s land reform. Until dominio pleno is complete, a parcel stays under agrarian law rather than ordinary property law, so the usual deed-and-trust purchase doesn’t apply. Once it is converted and recorded in the public registry, it is private land like any other, and a foreigner can hold it in a trust.

The risk is buying on a promise that conversion is coming. Buy only once it is finished, checked by your own attorney rather than the seller’s.

Start with the 2% acquisition tax Bahía de Banderas charges in 2026, on the higher of the price and the appraisals. Notary, trust, appraisal and registry fees come on top, and brokers’ estimates for the total run from about 4% to 12% of the price. Ask the notary for a written estimate before you sign the promissory agreement.

No. Mexico has no national license to sell real estate, so anyone can call themselves an agent. Ask whether yours belongs to AMPI, the national real estate association, whose Riviera Nayarit chapter covers Sayulita, and hire your own attorney either way.

Guests owe the 5% lodging tax in Nayarit’s state tax law, and furnished rentals carry 16% VAT. On the income itself, the general rule for a non-resident owner is 25% of the gross rent with no deductions, withheld by the bank when the home is in a trust. Platforms withhold under their own rules, so have a Mexican accountant confirm which apply to you.

In 2026, Bahía de Banderas charges 0.7416 per thousand of cadastral value a year on an urban property with a building, and 1.854 per thousand on an empty urban lot, with a yearly minimum set in UMA, the federal index unit. Seniors, retirees, pensioners and people with disabilities who live in the home can qualify for half off.