Yes. Anything within 50 km of the coast sits in the constitutional restricted zone, so instead of holding title directly you hold it as beneficiary of a bank trust called a fideicomiso. You get full ownership rights — live in it, remodel it, rent it, sell it, leave it to your heirs. It is not a lease and the bank cannot act without your written instruction.

Budget around $6,000 USD all in at closing. That covers the SRE federal permit, the bank's one-time trustee acceptance fee, the trust deed work, the first year's trustee fee and IVA on the bank charges. After that it's roughly $500–$1,000 USD a year.

The part most guides get wrong: it's essentially a flat cost. It's the same on a small lot as on a beachfront villa, so on an inexpensive property it eats a much bigger share of your budget. Fee schedules do vary by bank — ask your notario to quote more than one.

The trust runs 50 years and is renewable, and you name substitute beneficiaries so it passes to your heirs without Mexican probate.

Usually 45 to 60 days from accepted offer to signed escritura, assuming clean title. The SRE permit is often approved within a week; the time goes into due diligence, the bank trust and the notario's queue. Cash purchases move faster than financed ones — mortgages for foreign buyers in Mexico exist but are slower and pricier than what you're used to at home.

Plan on 7–12% of the purchase price in the restricted zone: 3% acquisition tax in Los Cabos, notario fees, registry inscription, about $6,000 for the trust and permit, plus appraisal and legal review. On a low-priced property expect that percentage to run higher, because the trust cost doesn't scale down with the price. Get exact figures from your notario in writing before you sign.

Ejido land is communally held agrarian land. It can only be sold once it has been formally privatized and titled, and that process is sometimes claimed but not completed. Buying un-regularized ejido land means you may hold a document that no court will treat as ownership. The tell is usually a price well below the neighbours and a title chain that doesn't survive a notario's review.

Generally yes, subject to your HOA rules — check those before you buy, because some buildings restrict or ban it. You'll also need to register for the state lodging tax and handle Mexican tax filings on the income. Owners who treat that part casually tend to find out the expensive way.

No. You can buy as a tourist. Residency matters for other things — long stays, importing a vehicle, local banking, and the capital gains exemption when you eventually sell — so it's worth understanding early even if you don't need it on day one. The guide walks through the routes.

A small team that lives here. Between us we have more than twenty years in Baja, we run a relationship-based direct booking agency working with owners across Los Cabos and San Juanico, and we've bought property here ourselves — so the questions you're asking are ones we've already had to answer for our own purchases.

Start with a free one-on-one call. We'll talk through what you're looking for, what's worrying you, and which licensed local brokers, attorneys and notarios we'd point you to. You'll have a team with real experience behind you the whole way.