Coldwell Banker La Costa, Global Luxury
Coldwell Banker La Costa

Global LuxuryThe Puerto Vallarta Luxury Real Estate Guide

Volume 1  ·  2026 Edition
Hannah López & Tom Gordon
Coldwell Banker Global Luxury  |  Coldwell Banker La Costa
#1 Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Team in Mexico, 2025
Los Muertos pier at sunset, Puerto Vallarta

Contents

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01 · Welcome

The guide we wish every client had in hand.

Real estate in Puerto Vallarta is about much more than finding a beautiful property. It is about understanding Mexico, knowing the market, recognizing opportunity, and having someone you trust guiding you through every step.

We built this guide because we kept having the same conversation: with clients, with friends, and with agents like you. Someone would say, "we're thinking about Puerto Vallarta," and we'd realize how much genuinely useful information there wasn't anywhere in one place.

So we wrote it down. Whether you're buying your first home here, adding an investment property, or you're an agent whose client just mentioned Mexico for the first time, this is the honest, practical version: how ownership actually works, what things actually cost, and where the market actually is.

You can buy a beautiful property in a lot of places. Here, you can buy into a life.

Hannah López & Tom Gordon

Coldwell Banker Global Luxury · Coldwell Banker La Costa · Puerto Vallarta

02 · Why Puerto Vallarta

Mexico's most livable luxury market.

Puerto Vallarta is a real, working city with genuine culture and history, not a resort corridor built for tourists and left empty the rest of the year. That distinction is the reason values here behave differently than in newer, more manufactured developments elsewhere on the Pacific coast.

Oceanfront terrace, Banderas Bay

Climate & Setting

The dry season runs roughly November through May: warm, sunny, low humidity. Summer brings short, dramatic afternoon storms rather than days of gray. The Sierra Madre meets the Pacific almost directly here, giving the bay a setting far more dramatic than the flat coastline of most Mexican beach towns.

Getting Here

Puerto Vallarta International (PVR) has direct flights from most major hubs across the U.S. and Canada. An easy flight is one of the biggest factors in how often owners actually use a second home, and in how liquid that property stays at resale.

Cost of Living & Healthcare

Dining, help around the house, groceries and services run meaningfully lower than most U.S. and Canadian metros, even at the luxury end. Healthcare is a genuine regional strength: well-regarded private hospitals and English-speaking physicians.

Culture, Not Just Coastline

Zona Romántica's cobblestone streets, the crowned tower of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Malecón's bronze sculptures and a genuinely excellent restaurant scene give Puerto Vallarta an identity independent of its beaches.

03 · The Bay at a Glance

From Punta Mita to Conchas Chinas.

Banderas Bay stretches roughly forty miles across two states: Jalisco in the south, Nayarit in the north. Every community on it has its own character, price point and buyer.

Banderas Bay neighborhood map
04 · Communities

Placing yourself, or your client, on the map.

1Zona Romántica

Zona Romántica

Walkable, historic, and the most in-demand rental neighborhood in Puerto Vallarta. Cobblestone streets, boutique condo buildings, and the highest concentration of restaurants and nightlife, all steps from Los Muertos Beach.

2Amapas

Amapas

A hillside extension of Zona Romántica. Amapas trades a little walkability for ocean views and quieter streets: luxury condos and villas climbing the hill just above the action.

3Conchas Chinas

Conchas Chinas

Puerto Vallarta's most prestigious hillside enclave. Estate homes and villa lots with some of the most dramatic views on the bay, where the Sierra Madre drops almost straight into the Pacific.

4Marina Vallarta

Marina Vallarta

A master-planned community built around a working boat basin: golf course, resort-style condo towers, and a strong base of both full-time residents and rental investors.

5Nuevo Nayarit

Nuevo Nayarit / Flamingos

Just across the Ameca River in Nayarit, officially renamed Nuevo Nayarit and still widely called Nuevo Vallarta. Resort-style beachfront towers and a family-oriented, turnkey lifestyle.

6Bucerías

Bucerías

An emerging value play with genuine artist-town character: long beach walks, a real local community, and pricing that hasn't yet caught up to its neighbors further south.

7La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

A marina village growing quickly, with boutique new development and a laid-back energy that reminds long-time visitors of Puerto Vallarta twenty years ago.

8Punta Mita

Punta Mita

Mexico's most exclusive address. Four Seasons, St. Regis, two Jack Nicklaus golf courses, and ultra-luxury estates on a private peninsula at the top of the bay.

05 · Ownership

Can foreigners own property in Mexico?

Yes. This is the single most common question we hear, from clients and from the agents referring them, and the short answer is simple: foreigners can absolutely own real estate in Mexico, including on the coast.

The Mexican Constitution restricts direct foreign ownership within the "restricted zone", roughly 50 kilometers of coastline and 100 kilometers of border, which covers all of Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit. Within that zone, foreign buyers purchase through a fideicomiso, a bank trust, or in some cases through a Mexican corporation for larger or commercial holdings.

It sounds more complicated than it is in practice. Thousands of American and Canadian buyers close on Mexican coastal property every year, and the process is well-established, well-regulated, and entirely routine for the notaries and banks involved.

06 · The Fideicomiso

Understanding the bank trust.

A fideicomiso is a bank trust that holds legal title to your property on your behalf, with you, the buyer, as the beneficiary, holding full rights to use, lease, sell, renovate, or will the property to your heirs. It is not a lease. It is not a timeshare. For every practical purpose, you own the property.

  • TrusteeA Mexican bank holds title; you hold all beneficial rights
  • TermTypically 50 years, renewable indefinitely
  • ControlSell, transfer or will the property at any time, without the bank's involvement in the decision
  • Annual feeA modest trustee fee paid to the bank; a routine, budgeted cost of ownership
  • InheritanceNamed substitute beneficiaries pass the property without Mexican probate

Your closing team walks you through the exact structure, current fee and renewal terms for your specific property. The concept itself is straightforward once you've seen it once.

07 · Closing Costs & Taxes

What it costs to close, and to own.

Closing costs in Mexico are generally comparable to, or lower than, many U.S. markets, though the components are structured differently. Expect line items for the acquisition tax, notary fees, appraisal, registration, and, for restricted-zone purchases, the fideicomiso setup.

Your notary and closing team provide an itemized estimate specific to your purchase price and property before you are ever asked to commit. In Mexico the notario público is not a clerk; it is a government-appointed attorney who validates the transaction, calculates the taxes and records the deed. Choosing a good one matters.

Predial: Annual Property Tax

Mexico's annual property tax is notably low relative to U.S. and Canadian norms, often a pleasant surprise to new owners comparing it to what they pay at home on a similarly priced property. Paying in January typically earns a discount.

Capital Gains on Resale

Capital gains tax applies on resale and can be calculated several different ways depending on your residency status and how the property was acquired. This is genuinely worth a conversation with a Mexican accountant or your notary before you buy, not after.

Currency & Transfers

Most luxury transactions here are negotiated in U.S. dollars but closed in pesos at the notary's recorded exchange rate. We introduce clients to established cross-border transfer services rather than relying on wire desks at retail banks.

A little planning at purchase can meaningfully affect your tax position at sale.
08 · Preconstruction vs. Resale

Two different purchases, two different buyers.

Buying preconstruction

Preconstruction pricing is typically the lowest entry point into a new development, with the potential for meaningful appreciation between reservation and delivery. Payment plans are common and often more flexible than a traditional mortgage.

Before reserving, we help clients look closely at three things: the developer's track record, how deposits are held, ideally in a trust account rather than the developer's operating account, and realistic, not promotional, delivery timelines.

Buying resale

Resale means turnkey. You see exactly what you're getting, move in or start renting immediately, and, for income properties, evaluate actual rental history instead of a pro forma.

Hannah and Tom work both sides regularly and will tell you plainly which path fits your goals and timeline, including when the honest answer is that preconstruction isn't right for you.

09 · Rental & Investment

Buying for income.

Puerto Vallarta has one of the strongest short-term rental markets on Mexico's Pacific coast, driven by consistent tourism demand and a growing base of remote workers and long-stay visitors.

Rental rules vary by building, HOA and municipality; some condo buildings restrict or prohibit short-term rentals entirely. This is a first-question, not a last-question item when you're buying with income in mind.

Realistic gross yields vary widely by neighborhood, building quality and how actively the unit is managed. Zona Romántica and Amapas see the strongest short-term demand given their walkability; Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit see a more even mix of long-term and vacation renters.

A good local property manager is not optional; it's the difference between a relaxing investment and a stressful one.
Marina Vallarta
10 · What Your Budget Buys

The shorthand, in broad strokes.

Every market has a shorthand for what a given budget actually gets you. Here is ours. Your agent can get considerably more specific once we know what you're looking for.

$300,000

A well-located condo in an entry-level neighborhood, often 1–2 bedrooms.

$500,000

A 2-bedroom ocean-view or marina-view condo in a well-regarded building.

$1,000,000

A hillside villa, or a premium new-construction unit in one of the bay's better developments.

$2,000,000+

Estate-level property in Conchas Chinas, or in Punta de Mita just outside the gates. Homes inside the gated Punta Mita community typically start well above this range.

11 · Life in Puerto Vallarta

More than a view.

A working marina, a championship golf course, cobblestone streets that still smell like fresh tortillas, and a bay where whales pass close enough to hear them breathe.

Punta Mita golf

Tee Time at Punta Mita

Jack Nicklaus's Punta Mita courses include Pacífico's famous "Tail of the Whale," the only natural island green in golf. It's less a round of golf than a reason to buy here.

Old Town Puerto Vallarta

Old Town, Golden Hour

The crowned tower of Our Lady of Guadalupe, papel picado strung across cobblestone streets, the Malecón's bronze sculptures at sunset, and open-air tables filling in for dinner.

Sailboat at sunset

A Day in the Life

Morning coffee overlooking the bay, an afternoon on the water, and an evening that ends the way almost every evening here does: everyone on the beach, facing west.

Horseback riding at sunset

On the Trail

Horseback rides along the shore at sunset, jungle trails into the Sierra Madre, and river towns twenty minutes from the Malecón. The lifestyle here isn't confined to the pool deck.

Humpback whale, Banderas Bay

In the Water

Migrating humpbacks pass through Banderas Bay every winter, close enough to see from a terrace. Sport fishing, diving at Los Arcos, and some of the warmest swimming water on the Pacific coast.

Marina Vallarta boat basin

On the Water

Marina Vallarta's boat basin is a working marina first and a lifestyle second: sport fishing charters, sunset sails, and a front-row seat to some of the most serious yachts on the Pacific coast.

Grand Venetian penthouse terrace at sunset
Cover Feature · Grand Venetian, Tower 2000

The entire top of the tower.

Two adjoining oceanfront penthouses, already connected, on floors 26 and 27 of Grand Venetian. Available individually, or together, as a single 7,411 sq ft estate in the sky.

Penthouses of this scale come to market in Puerto Vallarta perhaps once a decade. Two of them, side by side, sharing a wall and an interior door, held by the same seller: that has no precedent on this bay.

Grand Venetian is a landmark beachfront community in Puerto Vallarta's Hotel Zone, sitting on one of the widest stretches of sand in the bay. Penthouses 2 and 3 occupy floors 26 and 27 of Tower 2000, the middle and most sought-after of its three towers.

They are mirror plans. Each measures 344.26 m² / 3,706 sq ft, a figure taken line by line from the escritura, not estimated from a listing sheet. Each is a two-story residence with its own interior stair, five bedrooms and five baths. Each sells fully furnished.

The main level of each is built for company: entry vestibule, living and dining rooms, a kitchen with its own pantry and service patio, and a wall of glass opening onto the ocean terrace and its jacuzzi. Three bedroom suites open off that same floor, each with a full bath and its own terrace. The stair climbs to the 27th floor, where the primary suite has the level to itself: dressing room, full bath, private terrace and pool.

Late afternoon is when they show best. The sun goes down into the Pacific straight ahead, the Sierra Madre turns violet behind you, and the lights come up along the coast to the south.

Penthouse living room at twilight Penthouse terrace at twilight
Penthouse 3

Unit 2603

MLS #44636 · Floors 26 & 27

Photographed and market-ready. Conveys with an assembled collection of original works by Beatriz Hidalgo de la Garza, the Puerto Vallarta painter known for her Alma de México series; the art stays on the walls at close.

  • Price$2,400,000 USD
  • Interior + terrace344.26 m² · 3,706 sq ft
  • Bedrooms / baths5 / 5
  • StorageBodega 63 · 2.71 m², deeded
  • ParkingTwo spaces, exclusive use
  • HOA$18,539 MXN / month
Penthouse 2

Unit 2602

MLS #44747 · Floors 26 & 27

The mirror residence, sharing the wall, and an existing interior connecting door on Floor 26. Identical to 2603 to the digit: same footprint, same terrace areas, same seller.

  • Price$2,400,000 USD
  • Interior + terrace344.26 m² · 3,706 sq ft
  • Bedrooms / baths5 / 5
  • StorageBodega 62 · 2.73 m², deeded
  • ParkingTwo spaces, exclusive use
  • HOA$18,539 MXN / month
Primary suite with ocean view Penthouse 2 terrace Terrace dining at sunset
The Combined Estate

10 bedrooms. 10 baths. 7,411 square feet. One floor plate.

The two residences are already joined by an existing interior connecting door on Floor 26, so the halves can be lived in as one household from day one: no renovation, no waiting on approvals. A buyer who takes both owns the entire crown of Tower 2000: 688.52 m² / 7,411 sq ft, ten bedrooms, ten baths, and no neighbor above, beside or across from them.

Ocean views come from both primary suites, both great rooms, and one guest suite per side, with the remaining guest suites facing the Sierra Madre. For a multigenerational family, an executive residence with a genuinely separate guest wing, or a legacy property meant to be held for decades, this is an opportunity that exists only because one seller happens to own both halves of the same floor.

  • Units2602 + 2603 · MLS #44747 & #44636
  • Combined area688.52 m² · 7,411 sq ft
  • Bedrooms / baths10 / 10 (incl. two service suites)
  • Storage / parkingTwo bodegas, 5.44 m² · 4 spaces
  • Combined HOA$37,078 MXN / month
  • TitleFideicomiso with clean escritura title
  • Both list prices$4,800,000 USD

That figure is simply the two list prices side by side; it is not a package price. Each residence stands on its own at $2,400,000 USD. Buyers considering both should speak with Tom or Hannah directly.

The building around them

Grand Venetian is a full-service beachfront community, not a boutique building, which matters for a residence this size, because the amenity base and the staffing are already there.

  • WaterFive pools, heated and infinity-style · jacuzzis · private beach club with direct beach access
  • SportTennis and multipurpose courts with pickleball
  • WellnessFitness center, spa
  • DiningRestaurant and snack bar
  • AlsoGame room, children's area, landscaped gardens and picnic areas, elevators, on-property parking
  • Security24-hour gated
Grand Venetian pools Grand Venetian beach club Grand Venetian sport courts Grand Venetian aerial

The full presentation

Floor plans, the complete galleries, and a side-by-side of both residences.

We built a dedicated site for these two penthouses, with a toggle between Penthouse 3, Penthouse 2 and the combined estate, full floor plans, and a private tour request form.

grandvenetianpenthouse.com
14 · For Referring Agents

When your client asks about Puerto Vallarta, you already have a team here.

Your client just said the word every agent outside Mexico dreads a little: Puerto Vallarta. You don't know the market, you don't have a local team, and you don't want to lose the client, or the relationship.

You don't have to. Hannah López and Tom Gordon are the #1 Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Team in Mexico for 2025, based full-time in Puerto Vallarta. Refer your client and we represent them here, under a referral agreement countersigned before the first showing. We handle everything on the ground, keep you copied at every stage, and pay you on the closed transaction. You keep the relationship; we take the market you aren't licensed to practice in.

How it works

1

Submit your client through the form below: sixty seconds, from your phone. Or email us directly at team.hannahtom@cblacosta.com.

2

We confirm receipt with you and reach out to your client within 24 hours. You are copied on that first contact.

3

We countersign the bilingual CB/AMPI Referral Form (F-CBAM-124) and send it back to you, so the fee is documented before any showing.

4

You stay copied on major milestones through closing, and your 25% referral fee is paid brokerage to brokerage on the closed transaction, less Mexican tax.

Why agents refer to us

  • #1 Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Team in Mexico, 2025
  • Coldwell Banker International President's Elite: top 2% of CB agents worldwide
  • Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists, CB Global Luxury certified
  • Full-time, on-the-ground Puerto Vallarta specialists, not a referral desk
  • Exclusive representation on select preconstruction developments across the bay
  • AMPI members; Tom holds a Lawgic accreditation in Mexican real estate legal and fiscal fundamentals
  • Bilingual, fully licensed, and experienced with cross-border buyers from the U.S. and Canada

The terms, plainly

  • Referral fee25% of our side of the commission, less Mexican tax
  • PaidBrokerage to brokerage, on closed and funded transactions
  • Documented byCB/AMPI Form F-CBAM-124, bilingual
  • SignedBefore the first showing, not after
  • Applies toResale and preconstruction alike
  • CoveragePuerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, Punta Mita

Some brokerages want the form on file before anything moves. If yours is one of them, take it with you now.
Download Form F-CBAM-124  →

A note on the fee. Payment is made brokerage to brokerage. Because an agent outside Mexico cannot issue a Mexican tax receipt (factura), we cannot record your referral as a deductible expense: Mexican tax is assessed on our full commission, and your 25% is paid from the after-tax amount. We are glad to walk through the numbers with you directly.

Otherwise we countersign it and send it back once your referral comes in, before any showing. Referral arrangements are subject to the licensing rules of your own jurisdiction and brokerage, and we are happy to work directly with your broker's referral coordinator where that is required.

15 · Submit a Referral

Send us your client. We'll do the rest.

Fill this out and you're done. We confirm with you the same day, send the signed referral form back for your file, and take it from there.

About you
About your client
Prefer to send it by email? Write to team.hannahtom@cblacosta.com and we'll send the bilingual referral form straight back.
Or call Tom at +1 512 569 6371 · Hannah at +52 322 127 1893
Hannah López and Tom Gordon
16 · Meet Hannah & Tom

They live it, they love it.

As a top-producing team with Coldwell Banker La Costa, Hannah and Tom specialize in luxury properties, preconstruction developments, investment opportunities and international real estate throughout Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.

Together they have been recognized with the Coldwell Banker International President's Elite Award, the top 2% of Coldwell Banker agents worldwide, and as the #1 Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Team in Mexico. Both are Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists and Coldwell Banker Global Luxury certified.

Hannah López

For Hannah, Puerto Vallarta is not simply a market she works in; it is home. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she has lived in Mexico for more than 15 years and has developed an intimate understanding of the city, its neighborhoods, its culture and its constantly evolving real estate market. Fully bilingual, Hannah is an invaluable bridge for international clients navigating the process of buying, selling or investing in Mexico.

Tom Gordon

Tom brings more than 14 years of real estate experience to the team: eight years in Austin, Texas, and the past six specializing in Puerto Vallarta. After earning his degree in Business Management from the University of Central Florida, he spent 25 years in the corporate world before building a career around real estate. Tom purchased and transformed a historic Puerto Vallarta hacienda into Casa Tamarindo, a multi-residence property and successful guest house.

#1 CB Global Luxury Team
in Mexico, 2025
President's Elite
Top 2% Worldwide
Certified Luxury Home
Marketing Specialists
AMPI Members ·
Lawgic Accredited
They are not simply selling Puerto Vallarta. They live it, they love it, and they would be honored to help you make it yours.