We're Buying a House....

Over the past 5 years or so Bill & I have been looking for the perfect place as a home base.  We've had our deposit on Escapees lots in both Yuma and Bentson, but when our name came up we opted out...  neither was what we really wanted.  A few years ago we looked at some houses near Veracruz, Mexico.  We checked out many places in the Texas Valley...  but Mission, nor McAllen, nor any of those towns along the Rio Grande felt right.  We started looking at houses instead of RV parks...  even looked seriously at a place close to our daughter's in Glen Rose, Texas.  But we never located the owner and so put it on the back burner - thought we'd wait until we return from Mexico in March.

We arrived here in Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico.  Our rental bungalow is nice...  the landlord worked out all the early problems, and even now, if something goes wrong, they attend to it immediately.  We love the town....  we're on the bus line and it's only an hour or so to the airport in Puerto Vallarta.  The streets are mostly cobblestone...  some paved...  some still a dirt road.  This isn't the high tourist area that Sayulita, Bucerias, La Penita and other towns around us are.  At least not yet, and probably not for several years to come.

About 6 weeks ago we started talking to the realtor who made our arrangements for this bungalow.  He showed us 2 houses that were within our price range.  We didn't need an ocean-front property, nor did we need (or want) a swimming pool.  An American or Canadian buying property in Mexico can be daunting...  lots and lots of hoops to jump through.  

That part of it can be kind of boring unless a person has an interest....  pesos/vs US dollars and the such.  Ejido controlled property vs Fedeicomiso (clear title).  It goes on and on.

Actually, the first house we looked at just hit us right.  We did look at the other, but it didn't feel the same.  That was over a month ago...  it took a month to get through the negotiations...  which at one point the owner actually raised the original price and then took it off the market.  He's an absentee owner from the States....  

Finally, just a day or so ago, we all came to an agreement and now the real paperwork begins.  But... it looks like we're buying a house!

As you enter the gate from the street....

It is currently occupied by renters.  Their lease expires at the end of April.

 It's a one story house, however there is a stairway leading to the roof.  Lots of possibilities for an additional room, a patio, solar panels?  Time will tell...

 Mexican houses often have concrete bases for beds, couches and the like.  The house comes furnished...  at least as far as appliances and basic needs.  We'll do an inventory tomorrow to see exactly what it does contain.

 The back yard is nicely landscaped.  It has a tool shed as well.  That thing that looks like a doghouse is actually a cover over a well.  The house has city water, but that extra water would be perfect for lawn and garden.

 The front porch is really a room.  While it doesn't have doors (and doesn't need windows), outdoor living here is year-round.

 A view from the roof....  looking down on the entrance and driveway...  lots of planters with shrubs and other plants.

 Again, looking down onto the street....  there are several mature fruit and ornamental trees.

We've been living and traveling in our motorhome for 15 years and still enjoy that lifestyle.  But we also have rented homes abroad for as long as 3 months in other countries.  We've spent a month or so at a time visiting wonderful places on cruise ships.  We've got lots of plans for future travels.  So buying a home here probably won't change our life that much in the near future.  One bonus is that now we'll have a place we could  house-swap.  Who knows what that might mean in the way of foreign travel?

So...  while we've just begun the endless paperwork of buying a house here (and we'll be back in the States by the time it's done), we are excited about this turn of events in our life.

Unexpected?  Yeah... pretty much....  but isn't that what makes life such a great adventure?

That's All For Today!