Our Methodology — Numbers You Can Check
When we say a property yields 8–12%, we can show you exactly where that comes from. Every figure is built from official MLS pricing and 34,607 real short-term-rental records — not opinion.
Where our numbers come from
Four verifiable data sources feed every estimate we show you.
Official MLS pricing
Live asking prices and price-per-m² pulled directly from the Vallarta–Nayarit MLS (RETS/FlexMLS feed) — the sale side of every calculation.
34,607 rental records
Our 2025 short-term-rental dataset reads 34,607 records and tracks 16,449 active listings across 19 bay neighborhoods — the income side.
Price per m² by neighborhood
We aggregate active inventory into a median price-per-m² for each zone, so valuations are anchored to real comparables — not guesses.
Daily exchange rate
USD prices come native from the MLS feed and MXN/USD is updated daily, so figures reflect today's market — never a stale conversion.
How we calculate rental yield
Gross rental yield
Annual rental income (real STR median for the zone) ÷ purchase price
Worked example (illustrative)
- Purchase price$6,000,000 MXN
- Gross annual rental income (zone median)$600,000 MXN
- = Gross yield10.0%
- − Operating costs (management, maintenance, fideicomiso, vacancy ≈ 30%)−$180,000 MXN
- ≈ Net yield≈ 7.0%
The 8–12% range we quote is gross and depends on zone and unit. Bay-wide median occupancy in our 2025 data is 54%; well-located, well-equipped beachfront units run above the median, while net returns land lower once costs are applied. We always share both.
How we value a property
Zone comparables
We start from the median price-per-m² of active MLS inventory in the exact neighborhood.
Adjustments
We adjust up or down for beachfront, amenities, floor/view, pre-construction stage, and delivery terms.
Cross-check vs. income
We sanity-check the price against the rental income the unit can realistically produce in its zone.
What we don't do
Transparency means being clear about our limits too.
We don't invent a magic 0–100 “investment score.” We show factual indicators (price vs. zone $/m², yield, location, terms) and let you decide.
We don't inflate returns. The 8–12% we publish is gross rental yield — we tell you upfront it's before costs, and we walk you through net.
We don't cherry-pick one great month. Revenue figures are annual medians, so seasonality is already baked in.