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Tab

Jul 19, 2007, 6:38 AM

Post #1 of 10 (2440 views)

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Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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Hello,

We will be furnishing our rental house in Mazatlan in December. We have already chosen our furniture, but I am looking for a good economical place to buy things like:
1) Appliances: mini-split airconditioners, a fridge, washer and dryer.
2) Linens: blanets, sheets, towels
3) Kitchen items: toaster, dishes, glasses, pots & pans etc.

Being a rental, we are looking for the best prices possible and not top-of-the-line. I have been doing some price comparing on Coppel and Sam's Club websites, but wondering if there are some other local stores that someone knows of that would have even better prices?

Thanks!:)
Tab

Marlene / Moderator

Jul 19, 2007, 12:37 PM

Post #2 of 10 (2429 views)

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Re: [Tab] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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There are other local stores you can compare prices in stores such as Gigante, Ley, Soriana, Walmart, Famsa and Elektra. There are also little shops near the central market along Aquiles Serdan for kitchen items. Have fun!

raquet

Aug 1, 2007, 9:23 AM

Post #3 of 10 (2378 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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We live in Lake Chapala and are considering moving to Mazatlan. We heavily relied on the
MexConnect people and info they provided before moving to Mexico 3 years ago. The reason for moving is we need a change of scenery. Lakeside is saturated!!! We plan to rent in Maz for at least 6 months.
Some questions we have are:
We live in a large house, can we adjust to a condo?
If we buy a condo, what is best, high or low floor?
When there are storms how long does the power go off?
We plan to use air conditioning, how much per month should we budget for 2 bedrooms/2 baths?
Anyone who has made a similar move WHAT did you experience?
Any comments POSITIVE or NEGATIVE are welcome.

Thx in advance

Marlene / Moderator

Aug 1, 2007, 10:03 AM

Post #4 of 10 (2375 views)

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Re: [raquet] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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Have you made a trip yet to check things out? After comparing the options, you may want to consider buying a house if you think you will have problems adjusting to a condo. As far as which floor to buy on, I think the thing I would be most concerned with is to check to see if the immediate neighbors would be using their condo as a vacation rental or if children or baby's are living on the floor. Things like that. Otherwise, unless it's for view it shouldn't make a huge difference. (unless the elevator goes out of service some day and you have to walk up several flights). There are several new developments of new homes going up, not far from the Golden Zone and La Marina areas at decent prices. The prices all over the scale in various areas of the city and there are still bargains to be had without renovating, enabling you to own your own land and not have statra fees or condo management issues.

Electricity being out hasn't been a problem in the 7 years I have lived in Mazatlan. It is generally restored quickly. We purchased a UPS for our computers and it's been a good investment. Remember CFE gives us on the coast an electricity credit for the 6 hot months, May through October. It really helps alot and is a godsend for limited income locals who may otherwise melt in the heat. It will depend how much you use, how long you leave the a/c on for and in how big a space, just like where you are now. I think central air conditioning is quite expensive compared to individual rooms being cooled as you need them cooled. Good luck with your decision. I know there are several who have moved over from Chapala and several more planning to do so. The beach is a great draw.

Tab

Aug 2, 2007, 9:23 AM

Post #5 of 10 (2345 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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If you are looking to rent for a while first, we have a brand new 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house in Marina Gardens which is a gated community 5 minutes from the Golden Zone and 300 metres from the ocean. Over Christmas we will be finalizing our closing and furnishing it so it will be ready to rent in January. Let me know if you are interested.

ncferret

Aug 2, 2007, 9:34 AM

Post #6 of 10 (2344 views)

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Re: [raquet] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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I wouldn't own a condo in Mexico - period. That's just my opinion and here are the reasons:

1. You have no say in the management of the building. Your bank that holds the trust is the only legal representative at meetings to determine how the building will be governed. This little know fact is now being used to lock out "foreigners" from the decision making process in many condo projects.

2. Many condos carry no insurance for the building. Can you afford to lose your entire investment should a catastrophe strike?

3. Any renovations you want to do will be much more difficult than if you own a home.

4. Currently many condominiums are priced much higher on a per sq ft basis than home where you own the land as well. In theory, the reverse should be true and is in most markets up north.

5. Monthly dues are normally very low for a reason. The is no capital improvement fund and so when it comes time to repair a build due to age or storms, you will find yourself a large bill. For example, if the building has 6 units and it costs 6,000 to paint the building, you pay $600. Don't kid yourself, beach erosion has caused significant problems for many complexes in Mazatlan. One development lost their pool and clubhouse. It will now cost more than $250,000 to replace and that cost is being shared by the 18 units in the complex - should they decide to rebuild.

6. The documentation for the building can be very complicated. Especially if a bank holds a note on the property or the owner is also the management company. Two friends of ours just found out that when they purchased their condo, the bank note for their unit wasn't paid off by the management. They still owe $45,000 even though they paid the full asking price.

7. Most condos in the US have a set of CCR's based on state or national standards. Many condos here don't and that can cause problems down the road.

I know some savvy real estate friends in Mazatlan and they all view condos as a very poor investment right now. Their is a huge supply and more being built every day. In one older complex, more than 30 units are for sale and there have been very few sales in the past 6 months.

Marlene is right, consider a small house as an option.

(This post was edited by ncferret on Aug 2, 2007, 9:36 AM)

Tab

Aug 3, 2007, 8:27 AM

Post #7 of 10 (2319 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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WOW - that was some really good info Ferret! The condos are so much more expensive than houses and I couldn't understand why. I have printed your post for safe keeping.

ekammin

Oct 12, 2007, 10:00 AM

Post #8 of 10 (2221 views)

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Re: [Tab] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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What about various forms of wildlife (spiders, crickets, various bugs and the occasional scorpion or two) you may very well get in a house built at ground level? At least, being up in the air in a condo apartment makes getting to you difficult for them.

(This post was edited by ekammin on Oct 12, 2007, 10:01 AM)

Marlene / Moderator

Oct 12, 2007, 12:54 PM

Post #9 of 10 (2209 views)

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Re: [ekammin] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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I think many of these critters make their way around in the tropics no matter the height above ground. They hop, fly, climb and hitch-hike. Cockroaches seem quite unafraid of heights.

ncferret

Oct 13, 2007, 9:25 AM

Post #10 of 10 (2192 views)

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Re: [ekammin] Good place to buy house items in Mazatlan

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I lived in NY for many years in an apartment building on the 6th floor. Roaches were a common problem. Again, if you are going to buy a condominium, make sure you clearly understand all the issues regarding ownership as I mentioned in a prior post.

If you plan to rent your condo to other people, make sure you understand your tax obligations here in Mexico. SAT (the Mexican IRS) continues to crack down on unpaid rental income, non-mexican citizens working here without permission, and real estate deals where individuals are attempting to skirt the laws regarding capital gains. The internet makes it pretty easy for them to find violators.