MEXICO CITY, April 15 (Reuters) - Mexican officials are clearing the way for new securities tied to commercial property and a first sale could come before the end of the year, the head of the Mexican stock exchange said on Thursday.

Investors have been waiting for more than five years for Mexico to offer securities tied to property akin to the real estate investment trusts that are common around the world.

The securities, known as Fibras in Mexico, would be traded on the stock market and allow investors to tap the revenue from rents paid on office buildings and warehouses.

"I think we'll be able to see in the Mexican market the first Fibra this year," said Luis Tellez, the head of Mexico's stock exchange, referring to the Mexican version of real estate investment trusts.

The securities, formally introduced in 2004, have been considered so cumbersome and included such tax liabilities that potential investors turned their backs.

Tellez said that "there is major interest of real estate development companies, mostly industrial, that have approached the stock market" to issue these instruments.

(Reporting by Tomas Sarmiento; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)