How we curate.

Here’s what FlipMedellín does and how we do it. We scan Medellín's property portals daily, 3,700+ live listings at a time, plus the bank-owned portals and off-market inventory most foreigners never find (we check them; their inventory rarely survives our gate). Every listing is priced against its own barrio's calibrated range, and only units asking at least 10% below that range clear our below-market gate. We flag common red flags, publish editorial scores and condition observations, and estimate a remodel range. When a listing clears the gate, we call it a deal worth a look, and we show you every number behind the call.

We scan Medellín's property portals daily, plus the bank-owned portals and off-market inventory that doesn't get aggregated anywhere foreigners can find it. We dedupe where the same unit gets posted at different prices, normalize neighborhood names that vary in spelling and accent across sources, and verify each listing is still live before it surfaces.

Active listings only. We do not republish stale inventory, and we retire listings that go dark on the source portal.

Editorial selection over algorithmic ranking. From the inventory that clears the below-market gate, we apply human judgment about condition, building character, and neighborhood liquidity, working from the listing materials: photos, stated specs, building data, and price history. Unless a listing is explicitly marked as visited, nobody from FlipMedellín has been inside it. We also weigh elevator access in mid-rise buildings, building age against renovation evidence, HOA fees against area, and how long the listing has sat at the same price.

From active asking prices in our own index, per barrio. We adjust asking to expected closing (sellers list above where units transact) and publish a range, never a single point, because two comparable units in the same barrio routinely sit 10% apart.

Each range shows its sample size and date, so you can see exactly what the comparison stands on. Where a sub-zone's sample is thin, a curator sets the range by hand and it is labeled as a curator estimate until the sample supports an indexed one.

Pricing variance and the basis for our range

Medellín real estate pricing has unusually wide variance compared to mature markets. Two identical apartments in the same building, same floor, sold in the same month, can clear at prices 10% apart. Asking prices add another layer of noise: sellers commonly list 8 to 15% above where a unit eventually transacts. Showing the raw spread of asking prices, which for premium Poblado sub-neighborhoods can reach 50% or more low-to-high, would read as noise rather than guidance. The range we show is our adjusted best estimate of where comparable units actually trade. It anchors on a transaction-adjusted midpoint and brackets it tightly to reflect the irreducible variance this market produces.

Editorial scores per listing, 1 to 10. Flip rates the renovate-and-resell math. BnB rates short and medium-term rental potential. Home rates the property as an owner-occupier home. Premium listings (1.5B+ COP) drop the BnB score; at that price the play is live-in or flip, not short-term rental. A note on short stays: Medellín tightened enforcement on short-term rental licensing in 2026. Before underwriting BNB income, verify the building’s RPH allows short stays and the unit holds RNT registration.

Scores are editorial assessments based on our curation framework, not algorithmic predictions. We rarely publish below 4. Anything that low would not be curated. We reserve 10 for the rare listing that clears every test, and expect to publish one or two per year.

Cost ranges only, never single numbers. Ranges are based on comparable renovations in the area and current local construction pricing for kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, electrical, and finishes.

Our remodel range is a starting point, not a substitute for a contractor estimate. Treat it as an envelope, not a quote.

We work from public listings. Public listings have errors. Sub-neighborhood tagging is inconsistent across portals, especially for Provenza where the same building gets tagged El Poblado, Provenza, or Manila depending on the broker. Our normalization catches most but not all. Where our coverage of a sub-zone is thin enough that the bottom-quartile math is noisy, we flag it on the listing.

Asking prices are not transaction prices. Colombian transaction prices are not publicly available. We report what units are listed at, with editorial judgment about whether the asking price is reasonable. We are not RAA-licensed appraisers.

We do not predict appreciation. We do not forecast rental yield as a specific number. When we say a listing is below market, we mean one specific, checkable thing: its asking price per m² sits at least 10% under the typical range for its barrio in our data. Markets decide what things are worth. We surface the inputs, flag the gap, and explain the property. The assumptions and the final decision are yours.

Our gate measures one thing: price math against verified neighborhood data. Our curation adds a remote screen: photos, specs, red flags, building records. Neither can hear the street at 11pm, smell the humidity in the back bedroom, meet the neighbors, or catch the bedroom that is really a closet. Listing photos are marketing; data is data; an apartment is a place.

So expect this, because it is normal: some listings that clear our gate will not survive your visit. That is not the math failing, it is where the math's job ends and yours begins. What we save you from is visiting the overpriced 90%. The shortlist still has to be walked, the title still has to be studied, and the building's rules (RPH) still have to be read, ideally with a Colombian real estate lawyer. Anyone who tells you a website can replace that is selling something we refuse to sell.