Key takeaways
- An apartment across Antioquia starts at about US$97,000 and typically asks around US$200,000; a country house starts at about US$152,000 and typically asks around US$500,000.
- An apartment starts at about US$86,000 with a typical ask near US$129,000, against US$97,000 and US$200,000 for Antioquia; a finca at about US$177,000 versus US$289,000.
- Lots are the exception: a lot in Guatapé and El Peñol starts at about US$132,000 with a typical ask near US$329,000, against about US$113,000 and around US$274,000 across Antioquia, because there is a fixed amount of waterfront and view land.
- About 2 percent for buyer closing costs: notary fees, registration, beneficencia.
- The certificate of tradition and freedom, requested with the registry number: registered owner, mortgages, liens, encumbrances.
Houses for sale in Medellín split along one line: families buy inside the city for schools, hospitals and commute, while investors increasingly buy an hour east in Oriente Antioqueño, where a country house starts around US$145,000 in Guatapé and El Peñol against about US$152,000 across Antioquia. Both markets close in 30 to 45 days.
Checklist · Before you sign a promesa
The 12 documents I check on every deal
Tick them off as you collect them. Saved on this device.
Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, online; valid 30 days
The notaría where it was signed; ask for a certified copy
The municipality's tesorería or hacienda office
The building's or gated community's administración
From the seller; the RUT downloads from the DIAN site
Granted at a notaría, or at a consulate if the seller is abroad
Printed on the predial bill, or from the municipal catastro
In the deed and on the cadastral record
Latest paid bills from EPM or the local operator
Declared before the notary in the deed itself
Drafted by your lawyer or agent; never sign the seller's version unread
Curaduría urbana or the municipal planning office
The full list shows once you add Mike Zapata Real Estate as a preferred source on Google. One click, no email, no call.
Where each document comes from
- Certificado de tradición y libertad: Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, online; valid 30 days
- Prior deed: The notaría where it was signed; ask for a certified copy
- Property-tax good standing: The municipality's tesorería or hacienda office
- HOA good standing, if applicable: The building's or gated community's administración
- Seller's ID / RUT: From the seller; the RUT downloads from the DIAN site
- Power of attorney, if the seller is represented: Granted at a notaría, or at a consulate if the seller is abroad
- Cadastral appraisal: Printed on the predial bill, or from the municipal catastro
- Survey and boundaries: In the deed and on the cadastral record
- Utilities up to date: Latest paid bills from EPM or the local operator
- Family-home protection certificate: Declared before the notary in the deed itself
- Promesa de compraventa draft: Drafted by your lawyer or agent; never sign the seller's version unread
- Building permit, if applicable: Curaduría urbana or the municipal planning office
Google · Preferred source
The full checklist is ready.
Add Mike Zapata Real Estate as a preferred source on Google and all 12 documents show here, with where to get each one and a printable version. One click, no email, no call.
Where do families actually buy around Medellín?
Families buy for daily logistics, pushing toward the eastern and southern edges of the Aburrá Valley and, increasingly, over the ridge into Rionegro, El Retiro, La Ceja and Marinilla, where a house with a garden costs what an apartment costs in the city. An apartment across Antioquia starts at about US$97,000 and typically asks around US$200,000; a country house starts at about US$152,000 and typically asks around US$500,000. The gap is what a family pays for land. Before committing, families check distance to school, the road they will use at rush hour, water supply, and whether the property sits in a gated parcelación with an administration fee.
Where do investors buy, and why is it not the same place?
Investors follow yield and nightly demand: the reservoir towns. Guatapé and El Peñol run cheaper than the departmental average in almost every category. An apartment starts at about US$86,000 with a typical ask near US$129,000, against US$97,000 and US$200,000 for Antioquia; a finca at about US$177,000 versus US$289,000. Long-term rentals have yielded 5 to 9 percent gross a year and short-term 8 to 15 percent gross, with the workload short-term brings: cleaning, turnover, a local manager, seasonality. Appreciation has historically run 7 to 8 percent a year, what happened, not a promise.
Is it cheaper to buy in Oriente than in Medellín itself?
For built houses, usually, and more so as the property gets rural. Lots are the exception: a lot in Guatapé and El Peñol starts at about US$132,000 with a typical ask near US$329,000, against about US$113,000 and around US$274,000 across Antioquia, because there is a fixed amount of waterfront and view land. Country houses: US$145,000 to start and about US$319,000 typical in Guatapé and El Peñol, against US$152,000 and about US$500,000.
What does the purchase actually cost beyond the asking price?
About 2 percent for buyer closing costs: notary fees, registration, beneficencia. Annual predial runs 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value, which is not market value. On exit, ganancia ocasional is 15 percent if held two years or more.
What do I need to verify before signing anything?
The certificate of tradition and freedom, requested with the registry number: registered owner, mortgages, liens, encumbrances. If the name does not match the seller, stop. And the territorial plan (POT), which determines whether a parcel allows country housing, subdivision, or agricultural use only. For rural buys add water rights and access: a private road easement that exists in practice but not in writing is a problem you inherit.
Does the road situation change where I should buy?
The Devimed concession reverts on July 31, 2026, the financing trust is expected in 2027 and handover to Invías in 2028, so major works would not begin before late 2027. Drive it on a Sunday evening in both directions before offering, and on a weekday morning if anyone has a fixed city schedule.
How long does the whole thing take?
30 to 45 days once terms are agreed: offer, promesa de compraventa with deposit, document review, escritura pública at a notary, registration. Foreigners can own property outright with a passport and no residency. Delays are almost always document-side: an unresolved inheritance, an outdated survey, an unregistered addition.
The wider context is here: how the Colombian real-estate market is moving.
How we knowFigures as of October 13, 2026. Prices: active listings we verified ourselves; USD rate: TRM 3,194.44 COP per US$1, valid October 10, 2026 (Banco de la República, via datos.gov.co).
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to buy a house in Guatapé than elsewhere in Antioquia?
For built houses, generally: a country house starts at about US$145,000 with a typical ask near US$319,000, against about US$152,000 and around US$500,000. Lots are the exception.
What are the total closing costs when buying a house near Medellín?
About 2 percent on top of the price, in cash.
What rental yields have properties in the area produced?
Long-term 5 to 9 percent gross a year, short-term 8 to 15 percent gross, before expenses.
Can a foreigner buy a house in Medellín without residency?
Yes. A passport is enough.
How much tax will I pay if I sell later?
Capital gains of 15 percent when held two years or more; annual property tax of 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value meanwhile.
Keep reading
The full guideBest Neighborhoods Medellín for Foreigners 2026Best neighborhoods Medellín for foreigners. El Poblado vs Laureles vs Envigado vs Sabaneta. Prices, rental yields…El Peñol: prices and inventory·Guatapé: prices and inventory