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grox13

Aug 5, 2010, 10:21 AM

Post #1 of 5 (3329 views)

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Surf Shack! Buy or build north of Sayuilita. Need help!

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Thanks in advance. I have lots of questions. Please bare with me :)

After several visits, one of which was a 3 week drive from Denver, my wife and I are hoping to, either buy a tiny casita, or buy some land and have one built. We're talking tiny here folks. Between 500 - 1000 sq feet. We're looking north of Sayuilita. Lo De Marcos seems to be our best $ bet but we're open to suggestions. Must be relatively near the beach. I'm great with tools so a fixer upper in OK. My wife is Mexican so that will help with titling, spanish, etc.

We're not looking for a full-time home, just something basic we can use several times a year on vacations and improve upon over time. Can anyone recommend a real estate agent or a builder? How much $ to build per sq foot? How much can I count on spending to have utilities brought to the house if we build? Are there any building codes and restrictions? Anything else we need to know?

Thanks,

Greg

chicois8

Aug 8, 2010, 11:16 AM

Post #2 of 5 (3186 views)

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Re: [grox13] Surf Shack! Buy or build north of Sayuilita. Need help!

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I live 6 months of the year in Guayabitos and the town has an area with lots with street lights,sewers and water lines in already...I bought a small casita about 5 years ago and added a bodega to store tools and pool equipment, an outdoor kitchen and patio with fountain, there were 10 different types of fruit trees a shade palapa, room to park a motor home for less than 100K...you really have to come down and spend some time because many deals are not advertised...you could try my friends site: http://www.surfnayaritmexico.com/
Hopes this helps............

careyeroslib

Aug 13, 2010, 6:46 AM

Post #3 of 5 (3027 views)

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Re: [grox13] Surf Shack! Buy or build north of Sayuilita. Need help!

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We bought a small lot and built a small casita app. 9 years ago. I agree with the previous poster that you should spend some time in the area, looking for unadvertised deals. (If you find one, make sure to research the title. The seller will have an escritura giving land dimensions, etc. Since your wife speaks Spanish, do it yourself. It's easy to go into the various offices and make sure the person really owns the land, etc.)

I also agree that it's best to buy an existing building that you can improve without requiring building permits. Obtaining permits can be challenging. When local governments change each election, most of the officials change too. Often files are lost and you have to keep starting over. Even if you get permits with one government

Unless you have a great deal of money, I would buy where there are existing utilities you can plug into. We had to put in our own transformer and have had to maintain it and replace it during the 8 years we've had Hydro. (Cost: the best part of $10,000 US). We also have to have water trucked in, and it's 450 pesos a water-truck load. We use two water truck loads per month and we aren't even there that much. So you're definitely advised to buy in an area where you're on the municipal water system.

I won't even go into the difficulties of owning beachfront because those land prices are crazy these days, but beachfront ownership has all sorts of other problems and costs due to the fact beaches are public and controlled by a multitude of government agencies, all with restrictions and various fees.

All the best with your odyssey.

grox13

Sep 17, 2010, 2:08 PM

Post #4 of 5 (2475 views)

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Re: [careyeroslib] Surf Shack! Buy or build north of Sayuilita. Need help!

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I can always count on the fine people here at Mexconnect for great advice! Thanks!

I think we've settled on a lot, however, it's a little more $ than we hoped to pay. We're thinking of building a "tiny house on wheels" and driving it down to our lot until we can build a “real” house. The house would be similar to the one I attached to this mesage, only built using no wood products. Instead built with lightweight galvanized steel studs, hardie board siding galvanized steel roofing, etc. If you haven't read about these "tiny houses" check the Internet. For some people it’s hard to get their brain around but for a small cabin used only a few times a year, I think they're pretty cool!

We would have the windows and door secured and likely hire a local to watch while we’re not there. I found out today we can get a 10-year RV permit. Almost set.

The only question(s) we have now is will we be able to have utilities (water, electric and sewer) hooked-up to our lot even though we don't have a “permanent” house yet? Will we need building permits if we want to have the tiny house secured to pylon type foundation?

Thanks again for the great advice!

Greg

(This post was edited by grox13 on Sep 17, 2010, 2:10 PM)

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sparks

Sep 17, 2010, 3:06 PM

Post #5 of 5 (2463 views)

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Re: [grox13] Surf Shack! Buy or build north of Sayuilita. Need help!

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Yes you can get electric to an empty lot. All three depend on if they are on your street. I have a 5th wheel jacked up on blocks and no permit was needed

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre