Forums > Areas > North Pacific Region

wala

Aug 17, 2008, 2:19 PM

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Need help finding low cost area to buy condo/home

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New to this Forum. I will retire within the next 5-8 years with a small pension and Social Security. Speak Spanish well and have about USD 25000 (maybe a little more) to buy a small condo or house. Willing to live in a non-expatriate area. Obviously willing to compromise a lot based on limited funds. Some considerations (wish list) however would be a safe area and within driving distance from USA. Have alloted a few weeks in Sept to drive from the San Francisco Bay area to look. Am I unrealistic or is this possible? Suggestions? Thanks.

ncferret

Aug 18, 2008, 9:01 AM

Post #2 of 6 (5169 views)

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Re: [wala] Need help finding low cost area to buy condo/home

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You can certainly purchase a home for that price in Mazatlan, HOWEVER, it will be in one of the large developments or colonias outside of town. You will likely be the only non-national in your neighborhood. If your Spanish isn't good, you probably won't feel very comfortable living in this type of setting. Safety will depend very much on your choice of area.

alex .

Sep 29, 2008, 11:00 AM

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Re: [wala] My place in Tijuana

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My place in Tijuana, cost $15K USD, at night you can see the lights of the border crossing, and there is a little mall nearby:

colibri1

Oct 5, 2008, 1:36 AM

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Re: [wala] Need help finding low cost area to buy condo/home

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Hola,
Too bad I didn't see this sooner, before your trip....I would have steered you to Puerto Penasco, Sonora. Also known as Rocky Point, it's a 1 hour drive from the Az. border at Lukeville. About 4 1/2 hours to Phoenix or Tucson, or about the same drive time south to Hermosillo, for a big city. Hermosillo has a Costco. Walmart, Home Depot and many other U.S. chains, if that helps your comfort level. Anyway, back to P.P......it's very multi-cultural and safe. There are some great bargains in housing available right now, because there is a huge amount of standing inventory in homes and condos. There are of course many pit-falls that go along with this, and projects to stay far away from, but if you're interested in this area, I can recommend some good people to talk to.
Saludos,
Marianne

gbatrucks

Apr 30, 2009, 11:15 PM

Post #5 of 6 (4355 views)

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Re: [wala] Need help finding low cost area to buy condo/home

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Consider the non-Gringoized areas around Lake Chapala such as Jocotepec at the west end of the lake or the south shore villages. The year round climate here is unbeatable whereas you can go broke air-conditioning a place anywhere near the water in the summer. The humidity is unbearable. The International airport in Guadalajara can probably get you back to the states cheaper than you could drive it.
"The trouble with life is there's no background music."

BajaGringo

May 1, 2009, 10:58 AM

Post #6 of 6 (4329 views)

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Re: [wala] Need help finding low cost area to buy condo/home

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You have lots of options of where to go and where to buy with your budget / lifestyle you shared with us. Some of the things you will need to consider is how far from the border you want to be, desired weather, etc. The border areas of Baja tend to be a bit more expensive but if you head south of Ensenada you can easily build a small home somewhere, close to the ocean and with great weather / ocean breezes. Those areas tend to be the safest right now with very low cost of living and still be less than a four hour drive to the USA. We chose the beach area outside San Quintin, which is a little over two hours south of Ensenada. I don't do well in really hot or really cold weather so it just seems perfect for us...

Our House Building Project in Mexico...
Lomas de San Martin
Loving Life on the Baja Peninsula