Guide · Buying

Property appraisal (avalúo) in Mexico: who signs one

The three kinds of avalúo in a Mexican purchase: credit appraisal (SHF register), tax appraisal (state or municipal register) and cadastral value.

Checked on against the official sources at the bottom of the page.

In short

In a Mexican purchase the word avalúo covers at least three different documents with three different signatories: the bank appraisal a lender requires for a mortgage, the tax appraisal a state or municipality accepts to set the acquisition-tax base, and the cadastral value that the municipal cadastre assigns. A federal law (LTFCCG art. 6) requires a lender to rely on an appraisal by an “authorised appraiser” for secured home credit, and the authorised appraisers and valuation units for mortgage purposes appear in a register published by the federal mortgage society, SHF. Tax appraisers are registered by the state or municipality, so a valid report in one place may not work in another.

1. The credit appraisal

Under the federal law on secured credit (LTFCCG, art. 6), the lender’s binding offer for housing credit is conditional on, among other things, “the carrying out of an appraisal by an authorised appraiser”. The SHF (Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal, a federal development bank) publishes, on gob.mx, a public consultation page with two documents: the register of valuation units with their professional appraisers (a PDF dated 11 November 2025) and a catalogue of appraisals. The page carries the standard notice that “the legality, veracity and quality of the information is the strict responsibility of the agency”. The register lists people and firms; this guide does not reproduce it. You can check yourself whether the unit that signed a report appears on the SHF register.

The binding offer itself obliges the lender for 20 calendar days under the same article: see the binding offer.

2. The tax appraisal

For the acquisition tax and the income tax on the sale, the law may require a registered appraiser or accept one among several.

  • Mexico City. For tax purposes appraisals can be made only by the tax authority and by (i) valuers registered with the tax authority, (ii) credit institutions, (iii) civil or commercial companies whose specific object is appraisals, (iv) the property directorate, and (v) corredores públicos (public brokers) who meet the code’s conditions (Código Fiscal, art. 22). Art. 118 states that appraisals for the acquisition tax must come from those persons and follow the city’s technical valuation manual, on pain of suspension or cancellation of the registration.
  • Benito Juárez (Quintana Roo). The tax base is the highest of the agreed price, the value in a cadastral card, a valuer’s appraisal and the seller’s last declared value. The appraisal must come from persons registered in the Registro Estatal de Peritos Valuadores Inmobiliarios para fines fiscales, validated by the state tax authority, and be no older than six months (Ley de Hacienda, art. 26, as amended 16 Dec. 2024).
  • Guanajuato. The base is the highest of the registered fiscal value, the transaction value and the expert value by certified tax experts, certified valuers or valuation units; a bank appraisal can also be filed. The appraisal is valid for one year for this tax (Ley Hacendaria Municipal, art. 42, in force since July 2026).

The same document type thus has different registers, validity periods and sign-off. Ask the notary which appraisal your municipio accepts before ordering one.

3. The cadastral value

The cadastral value is not an appraisal ordered by the buyer. It is the value the municipal or state cadastre assigns from its unit-value tables, and it appears on the cédula catastral (cadastral card). See cadastral value. It often competes with the price and the appraisal as the tax base.

When an appraisal changes your income tax

An appraisal is also used by the tax authority. LISR art. 125 lets the taxpayer ask for an appraisal from a corredor público or credit institution authorised by the authorities, and says that if an appraisal exceeds by more than 10 % the price agreed for the sale, the whole difference is treated as the buyer’s income. That is a federal rule for any buyer, not only foreigners.

Appraisal and the escritura threshold

The federal civil code ties the form of a sale to the “appraised value” (arts. 2317 and 2320): see the deed.

State registers of appraisers

Some states keep their own registers. The Jalisco valuation law read (decree 17160, older version) creates a Registro Estatal Profesional de Peritos Valuadores and requires appraisers to register; it also provides for suspension where an appraiser advertises with a registration number in a misleading way. The rules in other states were not read; ask the state or the municipal treasury.

What it costs

The valuer’s fee is set between you and the valuer (no scale was read in the laws above) and is part of the buyer’s bill; see closing costs in Mexico. A developer must disclose the appraisal cost among the expenses beyond the price (LFPC art. 73 BIS, item XI).

Which professional to consult

A perito valuador (appraiser) signs the report; see the appraiser profile for how to check registration. Your lender (profile) or the notary can tell you which appraisal is needed.

Frequently asked questions

Can any architect sign an appraisal?

Not for the uses above. The laws read require registration, authorisation or certification by the relevant body.

Is a bank appraisal accepted for tax?

Sometimes. Mexico City accepts credit institutions (art. 22); Guanajuato accepts a bank appraisal (art. 42). Other places differ.

How long is an appraisal valid?

It depends: six months in Benito Juárez, one year in Guanajuato for the tax. Check the local rule.

Is the appraisal the sale price?

No. It is an opinion of value. The price is agreed; the law may require the higher figure for tax.

Does the SHF sign appraisals?

No. It keeps the register of units and appraisers for credit. The valuer signs.

More guides on buying

Sources

All guides · Payotte Mexico