Buyer Guides · Los Cabos
Buying Property in Los Cabos as a Foreigner
Six questions decide almost every purchase here, and the published answers are mostly vague or out of date — the transfer tax alone changed twice in eighteen months. These are current as of August 2026, with the numbers and where they come from.
- The Fideicomiso: How Foreigners Legally Own Property in Los Cabos Every property in Los Cabos sits inside Mexico’s restricted zone, and most buyers here are foreign — so the bank trust is not an exception in this market, it is how the market works. This is what that instrument actually does. Reviewed August 14, 2026
- Closing Costs in Los Cabos: What a Buyer Actually Pays in 2026 Most closing-cost guides for Los Cabos are quoting a transfer tax that no longer exists. Here is the current arithmetic, item by item, and what actually moves the number. Reviewed August 14, 2026
- Capital Gains Tax When You Sell Property in Los Cabos The tax on selling is where foreign owners in Los Cabos lose the most money, and almost always for the same reason: the deductions were never documented. That decision is made on the day you buy, not the day you sell. Reviewed August 14, 2026
- HOA Fees in Los Cabos: What They Cover and How to Verify Them For most buyers in Los Cabos the HOA fee is a larger annual cost than the property tax — often several times larger. It is also the number most likely to be quoted loosely, and the easiest to verify properly if you ask for the right documents. Reviewed August 14, 2026
- Escrow, Title and the Notary in a Los Cabos Purchase The two questions behind every US buyer’s nerves in Mexico are the same: where does my money sit, and who guarantees I own it afterwards. In Baja California Sur both have clearer answers than the rest of the country — and the reason is that escrow here sits outside Mexican law on purpose. Reviewed August 14, 2026
- Renting Your Los Cabos Property on Airbnb: Rules, Taxes and Permits Short-term rental is legal in Los Cabos and the tax mechanics are more settled than most buyers expect. The thing that actually stops owners is not the government — it is the condominium rulebook they did not read before closing. Reviewed August 14, 2026
