Key takeaways

  • Take the dollar figure, multiply by the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) published for that day, and you have the peso equivalent.
  • Prices below are approximate, in US dollars, and convert to pesos at the day's rate.
  • Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary at 0.27 percent, registry at 0.67 percent and beneficencia at 1 percent.
  • Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed.
  • Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent and beneficencia 1 percent.

A house in Colombia is quoted in Colombian pesos, and the peso price is the only one that counts. In the Oriente Antioqueño towns of Guatapé and El Peñol, a country house starts at about US$187,000 and typically asks about US$335,000. Across Antioquia, country houses start near US$374,000 and typically ask about US$922,000. Convert at the day's TRM to get your peso number.

Why the dollar figures above and not peso figures? Because the peso amount changes every single day with the exchange rate, and anyone who publishes a fixed peso price for "a house in Colombia" is publishing a number that will be wrong next week. The asking price on the escritura will be in pesos. The figure you budget in your home currency is an approximation at the day's market rate.

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

  1. Certificado de tradición y libertad: Superintendencia de Notariado y Registro, online; valid 30 days
  2. Prior deed: The notaría where it was signed; ask for a certified copy
  3. Property-tax good standing: The municipality's tesorería or hacienda office
  4. HOA good standing, if applicable: The building's or gated community's administración
  5. Seller's ID / RUT: From the seller; the RUT downloads from the DIAN site
  6. Power of attorney, if the seller is represented: Granted at a notaría, or at a consulate if the seller is abroad
  7. Cadastral appraisal: Printed on the predial bill, or from the municipal catastro
  8. Survey and boundaries: In the deed and on the cadastral record
  9. Utilities up to date: Latest paid bills from EPM or the local operator
  10. Family-home protection certificate: Declared before the notary in the deed itself
  11. Promesa de compraventa draft: Drafted by your lawyer or agent; never sign the seller's version unread
  12. Building permit, if applicable: Curaduría urbana or the municipal planning office

How do I turn these into a peso number?

Take the dollar figure, multiply by the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) published for that day, and you have the peso equivalent. That is the arithmetic. What matters in practice:

  • The seller's asking price is already a peso figure. Ask for it in pesos and work from that, not from a converted dollar estimate.
  • Your offer, the promesa de compraventa and the escritura pública are all denominated in pesos.
  • If you are wiring from abroad, the rate your bank gives you is not the TRM. Budget for the spread.
  • Closing costs are calculated as a percentage of the peso price on the deed, so they move with it too.

What do the different property types cost?

Prices below are approximate, in US dollars, and convert to pesos at the day's rate.

Guatapé and El Peñol:

  • Apartment: from about US$89,000, typical asking about US$159,000
  • Country house: from about US$187,000, typical asking about US$335,000
  • Finca: from about US$234,000, typical asking about US$467,000
  • Lot: from about US$128,000, typical asking about US$431,000

Antioquia overall:

  • Apartment: from about US$96,000, typical asking about US$199,000
  • Country house: from about US$374,000, typical asking about US$922,000
  • Finca: from about US$271,000, typical asking about US$592,000
  • Lot: from about US$118,000, typical asking about US$265,000

The gap between an apartment and a country house is the land. A finca carries acreage and often water rights, outbuildings and productive use. A country house is a built home on a smaller rural parcel. An apartment carries no land at all and comes with a monthly administración fee set under propiedad horizontal rules.

What else do I pay on top of the peso asking price?

Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary at 0.27 percent, registry at 0.67 percent and beneficencia at 1 percent. Your lawyer's fee is separate and quoted on its own.

After you own it, annual property tax (predial) runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value, depending on which municipality the property sits in. Note that the cadastral value is the municipality's assessment, not your purchase price, and the two are rarely the same.

If you later sell after holding for two years or more, capital gains are taxed at 15 percent.

For context on the asset: appreciation in the area has historically run 7 to 8 percent a year. That is history, not a forecast. Long-term rentals have yielded 5 to 9 percent gross a year, short-term rentals 8 to 15 percent gross.

How long does buying actually take?

Closing normally takes 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed. The sequence:

  1. Pull the certificado de tradición y libertad using the property's registry number. It shows the registered owner, mortgages, liens and encumbrances. Read it before any money moves.
  2. Check land use against the municipality's POT (territorial plan), which decides whether a parcel allows country housing, subdivision, or agricultural use only. A rural lot zoned agricultural will not let you build the house you are picturing.
  3. Sign the promesa de compraventa with the peso price, the deposit and the closing date written in.
  4. Sign the escritura pública before a notary.
  5. Register the deed at the property registry. Until registration is complete, you are not the owner against third parties. This step is not optional and it is not a formality.

Foreigners can own property in Colombia outright with a passport. No residency is required to buy. If you intend to use the purchase to support a visa application, the requirements are set by the foreign ministry and you should check the current rules before relying on any threshold.

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

Why are prices shown in dollars if the sale is in pesos?

Because the peso amount changes daily with the exchange rate. Colombian pesos are the source of truth for every price. A US dollar figure is an approximation at the day's market rate (TRM) and is only useful for comparison, not for budgeting the exact deed amount.

Can a foreigner buy a house in Colombia?

Yes. Foreigners can own property in Colombia outright with a passport. No residency is required to buy. The property is transferred by public deed before a notary and then registered at the property registry.

What are the total closing costs on a house purchase?

Buyer closing costs run about 2 percent of the price: notary 0.27 percent, registry 0.67 percent and beneficencia 1 percent. Your lawyer's fee is charged separately on top of that.

How much is annual property tax on a Colombian house?

Predial runs from 0.3 to 1.2 percent of the cadastral value per year, depending on the municipality. The cadastral value is the municipality's own assessment and is usually different from what you paid.

How long does it take to close on a house in Colombia?

Normally 30 to 45 days once the deal is agreed. That covers the certificado de tradición y libertad, the promesa de compraventa, signing the escritura before a notary, and registering the deed.

Mike Zapata
Mike Zapata
Real Estate Broker, Mike Zapata Real Estate · Real estate broker, Guatapé and eastern Antioquia. Specializing in Guatapé and El Peñol, Antioquia, Colombia. Founder of Mike Zapata Real Estate and the guide behind the Guatapé Properties and Guatapé Finca Raíz portals.
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