MexConnect.com Forums: General: General Forum: Prices almost never listed: Page 2

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Carron

Jun 8, 2009, 9:39 AM

Post #26 of 30 (907 views)

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Re: [colibri1] Prices almost never listed

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Our very favorite hardware store here in Cd. Acuna has years of accumulated goodies and my husband and I love to spend some quality time just looking around (like kids in the proverbial candy store!) We almost always find something wonderful and unique or just plain interesting we can't resist buying. No prices; just faded inventory numbers, which they then look up in an ancient binder and there we get the price. Hubby speaks his limited Spanish, they speak their limited English, and we seem to get the same price our neighbors do.

When we bought our home in Chiapas, we knew that Mexicans traditionally sold real estate on a cash basis only, no mortgages. Since we had only a certain amount of cash available to buy a house, it was important to know up front what price was being asked. We only looked at those places that were advertised in our fixed price range. We looked at a total of four properties before finalizing a deal. In each case we saw the price in the newspaper, then had a Mexican friend call to confirm and ask if that were firm or was there room for negotiation. In each case also, the price quoted was the same as in the advertisement. We then took the friend along with us to view each place.

We had no embarassing surprises and ended up with just what we wanted at exactly the right price.

Ustlach

Jun 8, 2009, 10:10 AM

Post #27 of 30 (903 views)

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Re: [Merry Born] Prices almost never listed

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Post: Whoops, let me back up a centimeter. Ustlach referred to our poor workmanship. I take issue with that one. I rate our workmanship quite highly. But the rest, still sad, still true.

Sometimes it is almost impossible to express exactly what I mean. I was not referring to craftsmanship or artisan's work. My problem with workmanship in Mexico is the rapid rate at which buildings, roads, sidewalks, etc. start to disintegrate.

I have seen wonderful workmanship here when the person performing it has a reputation or relationship to protect...a proactive circumstance. My abinil is my partner's brother and he does wonderful work for us.

As with the rest of the reactive nature of Mexicans, public works are almost universally of poor quality because no one is held responsible, no one cares, there are no consequences until it affects them...like the sad, sad case of the one-door day care center here in Hermosillo where 42 children burned to death because there was no way out. Now perhaps someone think and will pay a little attention when choosing a building for such purposes.

roni_smith

Jun 13, 2009, 6:45 PM

Post #28 of 30 (841 views)

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Re: [Ustlach] Prices almost never listed

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"Sometimes it is almost impossible to express exactly what I mean. I was not referring to craftsmanship or artisan's work. My problem with workmanship in Mexico is the rapid rate at which buildings, roads, sidewalks, etc. start to disintegrate. "

Well, different folks have different experiences. I have friends who live in houses on the Caribbean coast of Mexico that have been through multiple hurricanes with very little damage, if any.

An entirely different experience than folks in Galveston, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Planning for Mexico Move Blog

Hound Dog

Jun 15, 2009, 1:28 AM

Post #29 of 30 (763 views)

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Re: [richmx2] Prices almost never listed

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RichMx writes;

How is this a Mexican thing? Just for grins, I looked at apartment listings in Paris (France, not Texas) and didn't see any prices listed either.

One shops for housing to purchase or rent in Paris and elsewhere in France by walking the streets and viewing listings in various real estate offices which are ubiquitous. Asking prices for both rentals and homes for sale are always listed without exception. In Chiapas, on the other hand, one is foolish to go to a real estate agent since there is no exclusivity and real etate agents cannot be trusted. One finds a home in Chiapas by walking the streets and looking for signs posted on walls. Asking prices are rarely listed and one negotiates with the owner or his representative. Often one can find a home for sale with no sign just by asking around door to door. This makes finding a fairly priced home down there hard work and one may rest assured that one will pay more if one is a foreigner than if one is a local. Still, a home in Chiapas costs a tiny fraction of a home in Paris. I will take Mexico and pay the foreigner premium any day.

Incidentally, I pay the equivalent of Twenty Five U.S. Dollars a year in property taxes in Chiapas and a friend in France pays the equivalent of about Eleven Thousand U.S. Dollars in property taxes each year in France for a similar quality house in a small city. Yes I did say Twenty Five USD.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Jun 15, 2009, 1:40 AM)

Brigitte Ordoquy

Jun 15, 2009, 1:51 AM

Post #30 of 30 (757 views)

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Re: [richmx2] Prices almost never listed

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I have been looking for an apartment to buy in Paris for the last two weeks and prices are listed very clearly so I am surprise to hear that in Paris France the prices are not listed...

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