A cadastral appraisal determines a property's value with the State Land Registry (Catastro), and it's different from a bank appraisal or an Infonavit appraisal. While those are used for financing or a sale, a cadastral appraisal is mainly used for two things: updating the value used to calculate your property tax, and supporting deed transfers or property-regularization procedures.
When is it needed?
The most common cases we see in Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas are:
- Updating a cadastral value when the property's registry record is outdated or incomplete.
- Deed transfers, where the notary requires a current cadastral value.
- Regularizing a property that isn't correctly registered with the municipality.
- Inheritances and estate settlements, where the property's value must be established as of a specific date.
- Correcting surface-area records, when the actual built area doesn't match what's on file.
Why does keeping it updated matter?
An outdated cadastral value can create two problems: paying too much or too little in property tax (the latter can lead to retroactive charges once the municipality eventually updates its records), or complications when selling, inheriting, or transferring the deed. Keeping it current avoids surprises and speeds up any future process.
What do you need to file it?
We generally ask for official ID, a document proving ownership (deed or title), and your most recent property tax receipt. We handle the site visit, data collection, and filing with the State Land Registry.